Hi everybody! I am wondering if anyone has any tips for me on preparing my Corgi, Heidi, for my new addition, my baby girl who is due at the end of Feb 2010. The dog is 1 and a half, will be 2 years old next July. If all goes according to plan, I will have a homebirth, so there won't be any weird hospital smells or anything. It's probably the best situation possible; my Corgi spends most of her time outdoors already, and she is already extremely good with kids. I live in a community with lots of children who are in and out all the time, and all of whom love Heidi and pet and play with her regularly, though usually only for a few minutes at a time. But the kids have never been MY children, so they're not extremely involved for an extended period of time...and I plan to have my daughter either with me (when she's very young, like in a front carrier or baby backpack), or following along and helping participate in the tasks of caring for Heidi when she's old enough...inasmuch as that's possible. So it will be Heidi's first time with continuous exposure to a baby and toddler.

Any advice? I don't expect too much trouble, but it never hurts to ask! This community is always extremely helpful. :)

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I really wouldn't worry at all especially if Heidi likes kids...we have 8 grandchildren and my dogs absolutely love them all. You will have to watch as your daughter gets a little older so that she is "nice" to the dog and also the dogs love it when they realize they get fed when children throw food off the high chair. Is Heidi good with food and people so she wouldn't try to defend her food. I wouldn't leave your child on the floor or alone with the dog just because a dog could jump (not meaning to)
on her or when she gets older she could fall or pull on the dog also! I think I have some pics on my page with one of my grandsons and Livvy who is great! Do remember to try to give Heidi some time so she knows she's still special too. I think when my daughter had hers they also gave their dog a blanket/towel something with the babies scent on b/4 he came home from the hospital! It will take a little adjustment for things such as crying but all in all...things should be fine!
I have a friend who has a lab, and one of the things she did was prepare the dog for the noises. Many dogs can get anxious or bark at a crying/squalling child. She found a cd somewhere of baby noises (made for dogs) and played it in the house. Also, being more clear about what belongs to you/baby and what belongs to doggy also becomes more important. You don't want doggy stealing any toy that the baby drops into the floor.

Congratulations and good luck.
Thanks! I will definitely see about getting her used to babies' crying. And working on the toy ownership thing. My baby doesn't really have any toys yet, but I've specifically never given Heidi any stuffed toys so that she wouldn't get the idea that all stuffed things are hers. I'll still have to be vigilant though. Even puppy toys these days are being made to look and function just like baby toys! She had a teether when she was a puppy that I swear looked just like a baby teether. LOL.
Yes...noises are a good thing to work on right now and toys as I had my dogs chew up a couple...it's hard for them to distingish baby toy/child toy when many are similar .A funny that happened with my daughter when my grandson was a little older...she went to check her email and came back to my grandson's face being soaking wet...their dog had giving him
a bath by licking his face...baby didn't mind and even though he was sloppy wet...it was very funny!
.
I just had to share this with you!

You may need to make sure that Heidi doesn't get too possessive.
Awww, that is SO cute! :) She has been known to be protective, of kids, even just neighborhood kids. But I will watch for possessiveness too! One time a strange dog started running up to the kids when they were walking her as a group, and she turned downright ferocious. She ran and jumped in front of all the kids and crouched like a tiger, and barked a really loud, deep, mean bark. It was hilarious. LOL. The dog wasn't even being aggressive, she just let it know that they were HER kids and not to try anything suspicious! :)
When my daughter had their little girl last october. We were concerned abouttheir terrier. Not a thing. we were concerned about max( no molly then) Max was fine we put her in her cradle and he rocked her and laid undr the cradle. When they came home in spring noproblem from either of ours or her in-laws pets 2 dogs and a horse. We've learned though the years. And I do me years form 1955- 2008. If you need the information let me know
I have a young Corgi and I'm due Dec 8th. He's great with everyone but is a typical puppy so we are planning on having to teach him 'quiet' around her. I'll be watching this discussion for any other tips people may offer.
Congrats! :)

Heidi's thing when she was a puppy was the herding instinct - when the kids would run, she'd try to chase them and bite their feet. But I worked really hard with her on that. She still likes to chase anything that runs, but she rarely bites feet anymore and I can usually snap her out of it, esp. if I can catch her quickly enough. Cats are a lost cause - LOL - but the kids are pretty safe now. :)

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