More on Zena the drama Queen Pooch.

[histears]

Ok here's the scoop. We are trying to adopt a baby that is due in Jan. Zena doesn't seem to care for babies a whole lot. She isn't mean but, does avoid as much as possible. Unless that baby is calm then she gets curious. I have had a few people ask if she will be ok around the baby and I am simply not sure. She use to bully Pippin when we first got him but now they are inseparable. And besides Pippin is another dog not a child. Any ideas on how to curb Jealousy. The problem with her is that if you give her a little attention she wants the world and it's hard to convince her otherwise although she did show improvement today when I picked Pip up this morning she sat and waited to get petted for the first time ever. I'm asking for ideas now so that I'm not frantic in Jan trying to figure out how to manage 2 dogs and a baby as a visually impaired mom. Some of the signs that people say to look for I simply just cannot see and Zena is very expressive so people think she is more aggressive looking than she really is so they try to put thoughts in my head that I am going to have to watch her like a hawk when the baby comes which makes me nervous because having my first child is nerve racking enough plus all the paperwork they make you do to adopt plus having paranoid friends because your oldest pet is half Pit. Man this Pit Bull hating thing is really starting to get on my nerves and right now this is the last thing I should be worrying about. Besides watching her like a hawk will require a magnifying glass so I can see her facial expressions in the first place. I'm venting can't you tell. 3 days of paperwork will do that to a person. I already have other people that exercise her so she is use to going places with different people and they love to take her which is nice for me. Funny people love her but every time something new comes into our lives the Pit Bull red flag waves high and proud. I am use to letting her sniff everything in sight because she has always had issues with new objects so it has become a routine when someone brings something new in. I am probably just feeling everyone else's paranoia but, encouragement would be nice and I'm probably not going to get that from the Pit Bull paranoia parade.:sad: So that's my story what do you think?

[allymack]

hmm, maybe you could try getting a baby doll, and for a week or so start treating it like your baby, i mean not leaving it alone on the coach, or on your bed, but with you, so it gets your attention. Also this is a good thing to do to let her sniff the doll and see what her reaction is. Your pup needs time to adjust to the family member, and to learn that all of the attention cant always be on her. Try paying attention to pippin first, make her sit calmly and quietly while you do this, that way you will be able to transfer it over to giving the baby attention.

[TwoLostSouls]

Your situation is already a bit dangerous. If your dogs haven't been trained to give you a wide berth and obeying you, your situation may get worse with a baby. Your dog is aggressive. It has taken the job of pack leader because nobody else has. A dog under control does not snap at anyone.

You should start now, beginning with them respecting your space. The bedroom in which the baby will be brought should be off limits to the dogs unless you invite them in. This means even with the door open. It's actually a good idea to not let them enter any room unless invited. After the two weeks, the dogs can be invited in, but you still must maintain control. Dogs don't get jealous, though many people like to say they do. They do tend to react badly to unknown situations if their pack leader gives them no guidance.

For the first two weeks or so, the dogs should not be allowed anywhere near the baby. In fact, it's a good time to teach them to help pick up after the baby. For example, if they find items belonging to the baby, they can be taught to pick them up and leave them on a coffee table or something. Your back will appreciate it.

When going for walks with the baby, the dogs should be brought along and made to follow the baby.

If your dog doesn't respond to commands like "leave it", "off", "out" or "get" you have your work cut out for you. Ideally, you should be able to control your dogs with the baby in your arms. Since you're vision impaired, they should already have been trained to stay away from your feet, especially when you're in motion.

If you need some methods on how to do this, just let me know. With a little mind over matter, you can teach a dog anything.

[histears]

I think aggressive is over exaggerating. She's not that bad. If anything it's other peoples opinions that seem to bother me. She listens to me for sure. She does know the command leave it and does well with it to the point that if I drop food she will wait til I say it's Ok, before she takes it. Her biggest issue is attention seeking that's why she use to bully Pip as well she wanted all the attention. No she's not aggressive and has never snapped at anyone. Maybe I just explained myself worng or something.

[Gypsyhick]

Congratulations on the new baby!

The Calgary Humane Society has a good article on their website: "And Baby Makes Four" Here's the link: http://calgaryhumane.ca/animal_behav...g_and_baby.asp

Check with your health region and local humane societies & spca's to see if they offer any courses about introducing your dogs to your new baby. We're lucky here and there's a course called "Old Pet, New Baby" but Calgary is definitely a bit far for you.

Good luck!

[Dog Dancer]

Yeah, I'm not sure where the snapping remark came from. I didn't read that your dog was aggressive at all, just a bit jealous. I think that the website provided would be worth a look and see if any of your local shelters offers that intro course. A good basic obedience course would probably also help to reinforce Zena's respect for you as pack leader. Even if she's already taken one, a refresher can always help do just that. I think getting a doll and practicing would be good too. Do you know anybody with a baby that you could borrow a blanket from so that the doll would smell like a child?? Oh, and congratulations on the baby. That's so exciting! I think you're on the right track just because you're starting early. You can also use NILF (nothing in life is free) to make Zena pay a bit more attention.

[histears]

NILIF is great except I can't seem to convince everyone in her life to use it. The biggest frustration in her training has always been the inconsistency from others even after I tell them a thousand times if you let her get away with it she will keep it up. Even my hubby has a hard time making her listen and I often have to step in. I guess the problem doesn't lie in how I've trained her but, in others not listenig to me about her. I'm now in the process of trying to get her use to My hubby and I both giving commands. Unfortunately He has one of those voices that is soft and calm all the time even when he is frustrated. She needs a firm voice and always has responded well to that but, If he gives a command to get her to stop jumping for instance she keeps it up until I step in. I can't have that looking after a child. If he is the one carrying the baby how can I be sure that she won't jump on him anyway. I don't think she would but, again I'm not really sure. We had a baby that visited the other day and both dogs did great. She just sat and stared at the baby and sniffed. Pippin is hilarious when it comes to children. I have to admit I have never seen a small dog like that like kids so much. He wiggles his whole body and he kept sniffing the baby's feet. It was really cute. It's strange because Zena seems standoffish in some cases and protective in others. It's kind of confusing. Now on the other hand the 4 year old was pulling her along by the collar not hard just trying to get her to walk where he wanted. She seemed fine and tolerated it, did what he wanted til she could get away then hid her head in my lap. She didn't react at all other than that. I might just be overly concerned because of what other people think. I am known to be way over cautious so that is likely a lot of it.

[Soter]

you could give her loads of attention when the baby is around her, and generally ignore her when she isn't around the baby, so she looks forward to being around the baby and doesn't not like being around her/him. Every dog has a different personality, maybe is is just Zena's thing to want to be in the lime-light all the time.

Im so happy for you congratulations on the new baby!!![/COLOR]

I hope it all goes well, and keep us updated

Soter