Expecting our first baby - how to prepare the dog?

[Jackie Anderson]

Our border collie is very clingy and possessive - we've had her for about a year now, and she's 2 years old.

We're expecting our first baby in the fall (YAY!) and I am looking for ways to get her ready.

She is a sweet dog but very shy and very anxious. She doesn't like anyone else being in our house and she's very skittish about loud noises. And of course she's very sensitive to our emotions.

Any ideas?

[heathea]

I don't know if they have the same advisor for this section as they did on DD but she gave me some great advice for my friend. First of all, get started today using Nothing in Life is free (NILIF) you can find it in the articles section. The most important thing now is to focus on training b/c any annoying little thing he does now will become HUGE later on.
Secondly, get a baby cd. start in a search engine like google and there are tons of baby noises cds out there, it will prepare your dog for the strange noises that a baby makes.
My friend started training her needy dogs that when she was sitting on the couch with a doll in her arms that the dog couldn't paw at her or get on the couch, that seemed to help.
a big one is (of course) never leave baby alone with dog. Crap happens, be prepared. Another thing is that for some reason babies in swings freak dogs out and that is where a lot of attacks come from.
There will be a be a lot of challenges but they are all deal-able with. for example when the baby becomes a toddler everything changes again...
So, start training now, get the dog under control with NILIF right away and be consistent.
Good luck and congrats!
Heather

[Jackie Anderson]

Thanks Heather - not only did I find the NILIF article but I also found one that looks great that addresses my EXACT question.

Thank you for steering me to the Articles section. I just jumped right into the Forums. :)

J.

[aussiesmum]

http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/babyarrival.htm
Preparing your furry child for your new, less furry, child

(Ok, that is "my" intrpretation of... "Preparing Your Pet For Baby’s Arrival")

[heathea]

Good Article!
I am glad I was able to help, at least a little bit.
It is good you are preparing now, when you have time rather than later when you are so overwhelmed. Again, congratulations and have fun!
Heather

[Jennifer Shryock]

I have a 90 slide presentation available as well as a teleclass for new & expecting families. I used to be an advisor at doggiedoor.com and now am looking forward to helping on here. For information on the CD visit www.familypaws.com
I hope this is helpful

[Alberta Hanko]

Hi Jennifer - Am glad to see you here. Although I don't think that was an area I asked questions in, dogs and kids, I used a lot of your advice, and read your articles on DD when my granddaughter was born two years ago and I was concerned about my Linus and his interactions with her. I still follow all of the advice, and appreciate it. You sure have helped a lot and are a great addition here.

Alberta & Linus