# V puppy and new baby



## ali_bishbosh (Jul 17, 2012)

Hi All, 

We have just picked up our new Vizsla puppy, Stanley, and he is adorable, settling in fine, and i am impossibly in love with him already! 
But as crazy luck would have it, we have just discovered that I am 2 months preganant! Which means our new puppy will only be around 9 months old when we get our new arrival. 
This sounds like a complete recipe for chaos, however, we think that forewarned is forearmed and that we have the benefit of being able to prepare Stanley for this from day 1. 
We are looking for any tips or ideas on how best to do this, any help or advice will be most appreciated.


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## born36 (Jun 28, 2011)

We don't have kids but our friends are all at it!! 

Mac is 14 months old and what we have did with him from a young age was get a doll to use to get him used to kids. His is amazing as with kids and babies he has a quick smell and then ignores them from then on. 

That is what you want a dog that knows that the baby is there and that it is part of the family but not a toy. So go buy a cheep doll and get him used to leaving it now.


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## flynnandlunasmom (May 28, 2012)

Congratulations!

I don't have any advice for you, but I hope others do. I'm in a similar situation. I am 4 months pregnant and we have 1 and 7 year old vizslas. 

I know some maternity centers (Isis here in MA where I cam) offer classes/lectures on tips for preparing your dog for a new baby. Not sure where you are located but you may want to look into that.


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## DougAndKate (Sep 16, 2011)

Congrats ali_bishbosh! There are a few others on the forum going through pregnancies now as well, including my wife Kate, due at the end of September. Although our Elroy is just over 1 1/2, maybe a _little_ less feisty than your pup will be at 9 months, but barely!

We've been working with a trainer for about 3 months now to really instill everything in Elroy, and to make sure he understands what we're asking of him. He's making great progress. And although it sounds simple, the command that is benefitting us the most right now is "bed." No matter what's going on, or where we are in the house, if we say "bed", he goes to his bed and lays down until we tell him otherwise.

Also, we're using the word "baby" in a soft tone whenever Elroy smells something that belongs to the baby. We have a baby swing set up, and the nursery all set up, so that he knows to be gentle around these things.

There's a thread going with some advice on all of this here: http://www.vizslaforums.com/index.php/topic,3893.0.html

born36, we actually picked up a doll that cries over the weekend, and we've been carrying it around the house, bringing it on the couch with us, and using commands with Elroy around it. So far so good!


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## raps702 (Dec 19, 2010)

We are expecting our first baby in early November, so I will revist this topic sometime in October to hopefully find some helpful information from members who have recently had newborns to share their experiences. I did give Axel a small little baby doll to investigate, although he just ate it....(so that's my parenting experience so far)


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## adrino (Mar 31, 2012)

Congratulations to all are expecting! How exciting! 

We haven't got kids yet and I'm no expert on this subject but *Raps702* you're not meant to give the baby doll to your dog. You meant to carry it around as if it would be a *real baby*. He shouldn't be allowed to touch it I think... But I have to say if you follow Doug&Kates advice that would give you a good start. 

The link is very useful too. I will remember it when the time comes for us.


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## Phoebejane (May 10, 2012)

Congratulations  

We never had a v when my eldest daughter was born but we did have our Staffordshire bull terrier.. I think as you prepare yourself you prepare the your dog i.e. decorating, swings, Moses baskets.. Also emotional,physical change in yourself it's almost as if our dog sensed something was coming.. The best advice I would say is go with the flow as you adapt to changes so does your dog.. "off" or "down" whatever you use is handy as you don't want a bouncy pup jumping at you holding the baby.. I remember I was left in shock when my grans dog scratched my 5 day old baby's face it wasn't a bad scratch but as a first time mum you would have thought a lion had mauled her the way I reacted lol good luck x


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## kellygh (Oct 25, 2010)

Congrats, Ali_bishbosh et. al  Children & V's are truly a blessing! 
You are in a good position, because your pup is young; therefore, some rules don't have to change when your babe arrives. This is what I would do 1) Do NOT allow the pup to sleep with you or on furniture. IMO, this is very important for a couple of reasons. The boundaries are well established, no retraining, & pup does not feel "demoted" or territorial over places the baby may be. 2) Spend the next months devoting a lot of time training your puppy. Teach him basic commands like down, stay/stand, come, off (no jumping) & leave it. Train your V well & work consistently. V's are powerful animals, and an untrained one, no matter how sweet, can be dangerous around kids/babies. 3) Your world will be rocked when your child is born. You will be tired, outta sorts, and hormonal. Your V will sense this, so try and keep a good routine (lots of exercise) for him too. Make sure your husband makes sure his needs are met while you recover. Consider getting acquainted w/ a good dog sitter, so if y'all are flat worn out, your pup has someone he knows to wear him out. A well-exercised/stimulated V will be better behaved & handle changes better. 4) Get a baby gate long before your child will need one. Get your V used to it. You can block off the bathroom, place your baby in a bouncy seat/cradle, and get that long overdue shower. This will allow you to see baby & dog while keeping them safely apart when you deserve a few minutes to do something for self or get something done. This will keep you from having to crate your dog just to create space between him & baby while preventing him from feeling like he is being pushed away. V's like to see family. 5) Set up the nursery weeks before the baby is due. Allow your V to see & smell, but immediately set boundaries around babies stuff/space. I had one dog who tried to claim space before #3 came along, and because the nursery was setup in advance, I was able to nip that in the bud. She decided she would claim underneath the crib as her new "hidey-hole." Nope. Babies room not hers. 
Those are just a few things I can think of off the top of my head, for what its worth. Exciting times ahead for many of you-Congrats!!!!


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## VictoriaW (Mar 16, 2011)

As most folks here know, I am over-the-top giddy about the joys of raising kids with a Vizsla.

BUT...

If I am understanding the situation, you have a brand new ~8 week old Vizsla and you have just found out that you are ~8 weeks pregnant (congratulations!).

Please, please, PLEASE ask yourselves the incredibly hard questions NOW. Is this what you have in mind for your family? How does your pregnancy change the family landscape (logistically, emotionally, financially), and how will your adorable pup fit into the equation? 

You can *absolutely* pull this off if your heart is in it, but please make sure that you have the RESOURCES (money, time, wherewithal) to invest in making it work. If either parent is not 100% on board, FULLY UNDERSTANDING the extra time, money, and effort it will take...then please think twice about keeping Stanley. He could still head off to a different home while he is a perfect young puppy. If you bought him from a reputable breeder, he/she could have people waiting in the wings right now.

If you do decide that you are both 100% committed to Stanley, you should pull out ALL OF THE STOPS in making him the best trained puppy EVER. Find an awesome personal trainer and commit to following his/her advice. You will NEVER have as much unencumbered time as you have right now! 

Please don't let this message offend you. I would never suggest the possibility of not keeping your puppy if Stanley had not just come home. I am NOT trying to tell you what to do! But please do ask the hard questions. If you were planning ahead, considering whether this is a good time to get a puppy, what would you do? Do you have *any* doubts about whether you will still want to keep Stanley if he turns out to be more energetic/mischievous/challenging/difficult to train than you anticipated? 

So sorry to be the wet rag. It's not my usual role! I have some long, rambling logistical advice (more my usual style) in the other thread on bringing home baby.

A hearty welcome, warm congratulations, and wishing you the very best on the exciting road ahead--

Victoria


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

VictoriaW gave wise advice. Can you handle a sick dog and ill child at the same time? Can you devote the energy draining activities your dog will require for the next 14 years while changing diapers, going through teething, the terrible twos, kindergarden, elementry school, middle school and maybe into high school?

If so then you are one awe inspiring couple and I wish you all the best with both your four- legged and two-legged young ones.

Remember you bought a hunting dog and not a cute puppy. The puppy will be 45 to 65 pounds soon full of energy that HAS to be channelled daily. 

Unlike Victoria, I have no problem being a wet rag. I can be a regular rag dispenser at times.

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2010/07/purchasing-vizsla-so-it-doesnt-end-up.html

Eyes wide open.


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## threefsh (Apr 25, 2011)

After having 3 children, my mom has told me that having a Vizsla puppy is similar to having a small child in terms of their needs. 

The hubby and I both committed to waiting at least a year after each Vizsla we add to our "pack" before having kids - they are THAT much work in their first year. Every spare moment (for us at least) always involves some form of exercising Riley. Of course, we both work full-time so that does make a big difference. Riley's definitely had teenage "selective hearing" attitude over the past month or so. I can't imagine dealing with this and a baby at the same time. It's up to you if you want to keep the puppy, but from my experience I would hold off on it for another few years. You really want to have enough time to devote to the pup. Just recently I found out about an 8 year old rescue V who was tied up outside for most of her life. That's no way for a Vizsla to live.


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## ali_bishbosh (Jul 17, 2012)

Hi, 
Wow, well firstly I would like to thank you all for your input, but I would like to reassure you all that we are dedicated to making this work. 
We are enrolling Stanley on a training class this week, and have already started his crate training. 
We are also very lucky to have a supportive network of friends and family. In fact one of our friends is a personal trainer and has offered to be Stanley's jogging partner in the mornings and "doggy daycare" as and when we need it. 
I understand peoples concern, but we are committed to Stanley, I only work a few hours a day, and this is mostly from home, and i am able to take him to my workplace when i need to be there. This will enable me to take a lead in his training for the upheaval coming, and give him a head start in his socialization, as i think this will make a big difference to his adaptability. 

There has been some great advice, both here and on the other thread, and we intend to put much of it into practice. 
We have already got a baby gate and intend to slowly get him used to times when he can see us but not be directly with us. 
The baby doll sounds like a great idea too. 

Anyway, we will keep you posted nearer the time on how his training is coming along and we really do appreciate any advice that can be offered. ;D


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## Janelle P (Jul 22, 2012)

When I was pregnant with my first child, Angus, I used a book called Tell Your Dog You're Pregnant: An essential guide for dog owners who are expecting a baby. It was really helpful and came with a CD of sounds. Molly, (my fur child!) took some time to get used to the sounds but the book helped on how to do it. Maybe that will help you with too! 8)


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## born36 (Jun 28, 2011)

ali_bishbosh said:


> In fact one of our friends is a personal trainer and has offered to be Stanley's jogging partner in the mornings and "doggy daycare" as and when we need it.


Very nice! Do remember though the first year your pup won't be ready to go jogging as his bones need 12 to 18 months to develop.


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