Doggie/Furbaby parents?

Question

I've been hearing from so many (non pet owners) that "so much" will have to change with our dogs once our daughter is born. We have 2 large dogs, bullmastiff and husky who are 6 and 3 years old. They've been our only "babies" for some time and I understand it will take some time for them to adjust to a new pack member higher in rank. 
We don't plan on co-sleeping because my husband is a wild sleeper and our dogs do tend to jump on/off in the middle of the night. I "plan" on having her bassinet bedside and then transitioning to her crib in her own room after a few months. 
Any tips or words of advice from one fur parent to another? Our dogs are trained well, and have their own kennels to stay in a separate room while we are at work. However, I feel like giving them more crate time would be unfair and only fuel resentment and make adjusting to a new baby harder on them.

Answer

I have 3 dogs. German shepherd, husky and wolf hybrid.... we bought our house with their best interest in mind... the ENTIRE basement is doggy zone... they have their own furniture, toys, agility equipment and play things, automatic feeding and watering systems, a 2 acre fenced in yard with a doggy door in the basement that gives them 24/7 access to outdoors and in.... they stay down there while we are at work, then I open the basement door when we get home and they have run of the entire house.... but they often come up to visit for a while and then voluntarily go back downstairs as it's their area and they love it there. plus its nice and cool down there all the time and they all love the cold... I have had no issues with them being in the baby's room. they will come in and sniff around when we bring in something new but then they lose interest and leave. At night, our German shepherd will sometimes get up in the bed and lay between my husband and I down at the foot of the bed, but if I simply touch him or ask him to get down he will..... we are not planning on co-sleeping either as we have a queen sized bed and I'm like a starfish, I want space and it gets a little cramped with just the two of us as is... I also have a bassinet and a pack and play to use in our room the first few months then baby will transition to his crib in his own room.... I am not the least bit concerned about my dogs and the baby. I've heard the same crap you have about getting rid of them or not knowing what ur gonna do once baby arrives... ignore it.... you know your dogs and your capabilities best, prepare them the best you can and set boundaries but also give them a space of their own that they love to go to when they need a place to get away....

Answer

Set boundaries. For both dogs and the baby. 
Our dogs had a gated area with their beds behind that they can go into whenever they need a break from our kids but our daughter wasn’t allowed to enter. I made nap times everyone’s quiet time so pups go outside or in their gated area. 
We also don’t allow the dogs in our bedrooms, as that’s our alone place. It’s not about excluding anyone but setting healthy boundaries. We all need breaks! I don’t have the gates up anymore since my first is older and the dogs are well trained enough not to go into bedrooms. Once my next one is mobile, the dogs will get their own gated area again so they can evade curious baby.

Answer

We are going to put a pack n play in our bedroom to get our pup used to it. She is allowed in the nursery to get used to the smells. But she is amazing with our nieces and nephew so we aren't to worried. We will just keep a close eye on her with baby but she will be allowed to sniff baby. We are going to make sure all baby toys are out of her reach if baby isn't using them. She is currently an only child and doesn't share well, no growling but thinks everything is hers. We are going to try to make it as easy as possible on her because she will lose some attention.

Answer

This was exactly 6days old. The only thing we did was as soon as the baby was born and my parents visited we had them take the swaddle that my son was wrapped in at birth and they took it home and layed it on the floor. My dog actually sniffed it and then by the next morning she was laying on the blanket. I had a c section so we were there 4 days and my mom said my pup would always be laying on the blanket. We had absolutely no problems with her. The two of them have no boundaries and we allow them to be in rooms together alone aka my son would be sleeping in his rocker and she would sleep on the glider etc. dogs know. Maggie was supppperrrr gentle and just wanted to lay next to him all the time.

Answer

That's my little lady. Before baby waa born she would sleep with me on the bed next to me, but now that I have a baby she sleeps at the foot of the bed. She really isn't interested in the baby yet so I try to spend as much time as possible with her. When the baby is asleep I take her outside to play and when I'm nursing the baby she usually lays by my feet. I say just try to keep those fur babies involved as much as possible with the baby and everyday life.

Answer

our dog is getting less and less attention so he doesn't freak out when the baby comes. we also try to keep him from liking our faces and he sleeps by our feet on our bed. because we have a small dog it's a bit easier to get him ready and he already loves his alone time

Doggie/Furbaby parents?

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