New baby and dog=depressed?

[elektrasmom]

Hi all,
I gave birth to a baby girl this past january. We took all precautions that we read about with our two year old Lab/Greyhound mix (brought home blankets from the hospital for her to sniff, had my dad bring the baby into the house for the first time, tried to give her attention as much as we could, we even had a present for her "from" the baby- a new toy that my dad brought in with him).

Our daughter was only 5.5 lbs and not the best eater, so I spent many hours tending to her in the first weeks. Elektra at first was trying to get my attention (bringing me toys, whining, etc). After a while, we got into more of a routine, she was getting more regular walks again, the weather got nicer so Elektra could spend time in the backyard and I thought things were better.

My MIL came to spend a few weeks with us in the beginning of April. She has never lived with a dog, but has come to love Elektra. Lately, we've seen a bit of regression with Elektra- she is often uninterested in her food (but she will take it if you feed it to her by hand), she lays in her bed or on a rug that she likes more often, and when we are eating something, she will not come and "ask" for some. This is the biggest change; she usually would come and put her drooly chin on your thigh until you gave her some (not the best habit, I know!). I also noticed that she is shedding more, but her shedding is also seasonal.

What do you think is wrong with her? It corresponds with my MIL coming; is three people taking care of a baby too much for her? Too many changes at once. What can I do to get my silly puppy back?

Thanks,
Maria

 

[bubbatd]

I hope you get some answers .....it could be confusion with so many taking care of " her " baby " .

 

[MericoX]

I don't have any suggestions (sorry!) but I do have to say this is a nice change from people posting "Oh I've just had a baby and now I have to get rid of the dog" you often see (and no NOT saying you're like that in any way!).

 

[Renee750il]

Give her time. A little extra attention -- like you're doing, but don't overdo it. When she's happy, reinforce it with a special treat. When she's down, a quick pet, ear scratch, but don't make a big deal out of it and reinforce the behavior. The exercise of the regular walks should help her too, actually any extra exercise should help lift her state of mind -- just like it does ours.

Good to see you again, too! And congrats on your new baby! Can we expect pics?

 

[Barb04]

I would suggest making sure Elektra doesn't feel pushed out of the way. My neighbor had a baby 2 months ago and now the dog isn't allowed in the house as much. The dog now runs to our house during storms because he knows we will take him in when he's scared.

 

[elektrasmom]

Oh no! We'd never think of getting rid of her; she's our first "baby"! We can't wait for them to be best friends....which will probably happen once the baby is old enough to start dropping food!

We will continue with giving her special attention and more walks.

Does anyone konw if there's been any formula changes in Natural Balance (Sweet Potato and Duck) dog food? That's what we've been giving her since October when she had a reaction to the changes in Canidae. Just checking to see if maybe that's what causing her non-interest in food.

 

[Renee750il]

Don't know about the NB. You might check their website (I'm assuming they have one) or go to The Dog Food Project - How does your Dog Food Brand compare? and see if Mordy has something about it there.

 

[Barb04]

I wanted to add to this thread. My neighbor has a new 2 month old baby. Their dog is 7 years old. During the last 2 storms, the dog ran to our home (through invisible fencing) for help. We kept the dog in our garage.

Yesterday when the wife got home from work and took the dog's collar off to go into the house (crosses invisible fencing line); instead of going into their house, he ran to our house.

I spoke with the husband. He said that since the baby came, they can't give the dog all the attention or play with him as much as they did. He feels the dog isn't very happy. I him to try to give extra attention to the dog. I feel so bad. The dog is a sweetheart and just wants to feel important again.

 

[Vintage Boxers]

I have to agree, just try to reinforce the happy behavior and go about business as usual when she is "pouty"

I know there will be a huge adjustment for our crew come june but they will get there!

S