Dogs, babies and a security gate

Before Sienna was born I was really concerned about our large German Shepard, Simba. How was she going to react to a new baby and should I be worried for the safety of the baby? I decided to do some reading and gain some advice.

The best advice I received was to make sure that the dog maintains its current routine. We have always taken Simba for a walk every night, so we have made an effort to continue to do this so that she still feels like part of the family and not cast aside. 

We give her quality time and lots of love and affection and let her come up to us when we are holding the baby.  This helps to prevent jealousy and maintains her self asteem (yeah I know, she is a dog…but believe me she has feelings!)

While Sienna and I were still in hospital Matt would bring home clothes that Sienna had been wearing. This allowed Simba to know the smell of the new baby before she arrived home. When we walked in the front door Simba was there to meet us and we immediately let her have a good smell of Sienna. After a few sniffs and lots of attention she was happy and just sat on mat with complete acceptance. Check out the picture below.

The other thing I wanted to do was to make sure that Simba did not have access to Sienna’s room, so I bought a safety gate to put at her bedroom door. I bought this from a Bartercard member on the Bartercard eMARKETplace. It has been great to keep Simba out and will one day be great to keep Sienna in!

SECURITY! – Before Sienna was born I was told that Simba would probably become quite protective of her…they were right! Simba use to sleep at the foot of our bed, now she sleeps outside of Sienna’s room. It is so gorgeous and Sienna is certainly going to be safe having a big German Shephard watching her back! Check out the pictures below.

You may notice that Simba has been shaved…poor thing she looks ridiculous. As Simba is an inside dog and a LONG HAIRED German Shepard I wanted to make sure the house was clean and hair free for Sienna. It is brilliant, Simba is a lot cooler and we now have a hair free house (almost). Thank goodness cause I hate vacuuming!

Advice about dogs and babies:

• maintain the dogs normal routine
• Give them attention and quality time
• make them familiar with the baby’s scent before you arrive home from hospital
• let the dog have a look at the baby and have a sniff (if tame)
• use a security gate to keep the dog out of areas that are meant for bub (if inside)
• keep door to yard closed (if outside dog)
• never let the baby play near where the dog eats (dogs get very territorial)
• don’t mix up baby’s and dogs toys
• don’t leave your baby alone with your dog
• keep your dog clean and well groomed

2 Responses to “Dogs, babies and a security gate”

1. Jacinta says:

   December 31, 2010 at 12:54 pm

   Great advice Christie. I found your blog when searching for info on dogs and babies. We have a Jack Russell and I have been very concerned about “jack” and when we bring home the baby in two months time. It is nice to know that he will probably watch over the baby. I hadn’t thought to bring home the clothes for him to smell, we will definitely give that a go.
   PS I love Bartercard! We just bought a cot from another member…now just need to get matching draws.
2. Christie says:

   December 31, 2010 at 1:00 pm

   Hi Jacinta
   Congratulations on the pending birth of your baby. Good Luck with “Jack” and remember to still consider him a special part of the family. I recommend a dog gate too, just in case.