We have 9 weeks to go before our baby is born & I'm getting nervous about bringing the baby home to our lab puppy. Bailey will turn exactly one year old by the time the baby comes & he's still just as much of a playful puppy as ever. He's a very good dog & does well with our niece & nephew, who are 3 & 6 years old. The problem is he gets so excited (he's never met another dog or person that he doesn't LOVE!) when he's curious & it will only take a second for an unintentional accident to happen.
We've set up some of the baby equipment, and so far he's just sniffed to check it out & then went on with his business. We played the swing music & turned on the chair movement & he was interested, but just cocked his head in curiosity. So far he hasn't tried to claim anything as his own toy, except for a stuffed elephant that he really likes.
We have thought about buying a baby doll & trying to teach him what his limits are...but we're not sure how to go about it. He knows the word "gentle" but we use that when giving him treats. I don't want him to be "gentle" around the baby & get confused. Is there another good command to teach him so that he doesn't act like a wild animal when he's around the baby?
My other concern (and I know I might be jumping the gun here) is with his toys. He loves to play fetch but he gets really excited after he drops the toy & will try to beat us at picking it back up. We're both grabbing the toy at the same time because he just doesn't have the patience when he's that excited. He knows the command "drop" but doesn't always follow through. This is our fault; I will get frustrated & stop playing with him, while my husband has no problem playing tug until he gets the toy. I can't blame him for being confused. My fear is that he'll drop one of his toys around the baby & try to grab it back, thinking it's a fun game. Any advice on how to teach the dog to consistently "drop" whatever he has & then wait, rather than grabbing it back up right away?
I'm sure there are more issues that we should address, but my mind isn't with it these days. I would really appreciate any advice we can get! I'm sure we're going to have our hands full with a new baby & a puppy...we want to be proactive in getting ready for the big day!
We've set up some of the baby equipment, and so far he's just sniffed to check it out & then went on with his business. We played the swing music & turned on the chair movement & he was interested, but just cocked his head in curiosity. So far he hasn't tried to claim anything as his own toy, except for a stuffed elephant that he really likes.
We have thought about buying a baby doll & trying to teach him what his limits are...but we're not sure how to go about it. He knows the word "gentle" but we use that when giving him treats. I don't want him to be "gentle" around the baby & get confused. Is there another good command to teach him so that he doesn't act like a wild animal when he's around the baby?
My other concern (and I know I might be jumping the gun here) is with his toys. He loves to play fetch but he gets really excited after he drops the toy & will try to beat us at picking it back up. We're both grabbing the toy at the same time because he just doesn't have the patience when he's that excited. He knows the command "drop" but doesn't always follow through. This is our fault; I will get frustrated & stop playing with him, while my husband has no problem playing tug until he gets the toy. I can't blame him for being confused. My fear is that he'll drop one of his toys around the baby & try to grab it back, thinking it's a fun game. Any advice on how to teach the dog to consistently "drop" whatever he has & then wait, rather than grabbing it back up right away?
I'm sure there are more issues that we should address, but my mind isn't with it these days. I would really appreciate any advice we can get! I'm sure we're going to have our hands full with a new baby & a puppy...we want to be proactive in getting ready for the big day!
