Baby on the way,a little worried

[Capt_Jack_our_Basenji]

So im due in Sept. im worried because Jack does well with children, i do childcare in my home. (even mean toddlers who are rather violent with jack) BUT since we recued him, its only been me my hubby and jack. hes SPOILED to say the least, and def. pampered. so im a little concerned about how he will react when the baby comes…i mean he will be bumped a notch...any ideas

[RockysWoman]

We adopted our Basenji, Rocky, two years before we started having kids. Having read and been told that they are not the best "family dogs" (translate families with kids), we were a little worried too. However, a couple guidelines and tips we picked up along the way:

1. Before mom & baby come home, have dad bring something with the baby smell on it. Our hospital let my husband bring one of the first blankets our daughter was wrapped in after she was born home. Put it on the floor and let the dog(s) do what they want with it. When Mom & baby come home, have dad carry the baby and let mom greet dog first. Put baby on floor and let the dog sniff her/him. (This works best if baby is in infant carrier the first time. It limits the dog stepping on baby and allows for quick recovery if signs are not good). Congrats! Introductions are done!

2. Make a point of spending time praising your dog when you catch him in good behavior.

3. Make some one on one time with each of you and the dog. Let one take the baby and the other take the dog for a walk… alone. Good for parent, good for dog. (old adage "tired dog = good dog" also applies here).

4. Count on your basenji being VERY interested in the diapers and anything to deal with milk/formula. They have an uncanny knack of pulling dirty clothes out of hampers. A locking diaper pail (diaper geanie or some such device) is a godsend. Trust me, you do not want old baby diaper all over the nursery. Also invest in a closed (as in no holes on sides either) laundry basket. They can pull things out thru those holes too and make all those lovely baby clothes into nice rags.

Just rmember it is an adjustment for everyone and if you can include your pup in the quiet times, and manage to carve out times specifically for him, it will all go well. Yes, he will resent you forever for adding someone new to the household without consulting him first. Trust me though. They forgive you once baby starts learning how to throw food off the high chair. =-)

Good luck!

[Quercus]

I agree with everything RockysWoman said here. Having just done this three years ago with four (at the time) dogs, everything she said holds true.

The reaction of our four ranged from interested to couldn't care less. But they all were very keen on letting me know the baby was crying (as if I couldn't hear it myself!).

The most delicate time for us came when Ethan started walking, not when we brought him home. Our two oldest basenjis, which had lived many years as a 'child free' home (and are a little more high strung than our subsequent basenjis) were really nervous when the baby would approach them. We made areas were they could retreat from him, and in time they became used to him. At this point, they are very comfortable with him, love the fact that he sneaks food to them, intentionally and not, and even try to initate play with him (something I thought I would never see two years ago). Our younger ones have been totally comfortable with him all along, and they enjoy him immensely!

So, it will be fine, as long as you continue to let Captain Jack know you still love him. Make sure you reinforce 'kid being here means good stuff happens'…don't reprimand him for interacting with the baby, or he will think 'this baby is nothing but trouble'.

[Capt_Jack_our_Basenji]

Thank You all very much!!! this is very helpful!

[elena86]

My brother and his wife got Senji when they got married. He was about a year old when they had the first baby. He was very jealous and frustrated with the baby. I tried to pay lots of attention to him when I was visiting. There were times when I'd try to play with the baby and Senji would come over and sit right in my lap to prevent me from holding the baby. After they had their 2nd child, Senji wasn't as jealous of her, but he was seriously frustrated and started getting destructive. They ended up giving Senji to me when he was 5 1/2. He's 11 now and gets lots of attention not only from me, but from "Grandma" and "Grandpap".

[nala121498]

I've had 2 kids since getting Nala, she was just under 1 year old when Natalie came along and almost 5 when Logan arrived. The only time we've had any issue was when Natalie wanted to get into her bed with her in front of the fire. She made what we call an "ugly noise", which I now know is a warning or protest noise, but never any teeth baring or snapping at all.
I think if you read all the above advice, all will be just fine!!

[Capt_Jack_our_Basenji]

WELL i went to the ob today and they thought i might have twins!! but the U/S showed only one GORGIOUS healthy baby!!! hehe