# Human Baby and Vizsla



## NowakVizsla (Oct 26, 2012)

It's that time in our life, we are having a baby of the human variety in April. And I am worried about Igor my 3 year old vizsla. Who is currently our baby. I just want to know what other people's experiences have been with having a baby and vizsla and any prep they have done to get their vizsla ready?! Also how did you divide your time between baby and vizsla to make sure your dog still felt loved and attended?

I have no reason to believe Igor would be aggressive or harm a child. He is very good with all people. He doesn't bark. And we have tried to hang out in the nursery as we are collecting more and more gear and I can tell he feels anxious. He walks in circles and his tail is wagging really fast. Just looking for tips to make the transition as smooth as possible. 

Thanks in advanced.


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## ajcoholic (Feb 11, 2015)

My son (who is 4 1/2) was born 3 days before my Vizsla, Gibson, turned 5. I know that is a few years older, but Ill tell you my story anyhow.

There was absolutely no issues - Gibson didnt much do anything with the baby except smell him (he wasnt a licker) and the worst thing I had to watch out for was the occasional accidental slap of the tail, and trying to sneak a chew on the baby toys (especially stuffed animals).

Coincidentally, I was just looking at photos today, of Gibby curled up next to me while I held our newborn on my lap. There was never, ever any issues in our home with Viz VS baby.

As far as exercise went, we did not let having a baby interfere with daily off leash runs, etc. I was lucky as I took him to work with me every day and went for a run before and after work each day.

We had baby # 2 last fall, and similarly Gibson didnt act any differently at that time.

I would have been more weary if he was a jumper (he did not jump on people, and never tried to jump or paw the kids. I know another Viz that likes to jump on you, and that would have been more of an issue.


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## Canadian Expy (Feb 27, 2013)

I've seen many dogs (not breed specific) surrendered due to the dog not accepting a new baby into the home - in many of these cases it was due to the owners not doing any training/prep work with the dog, and the dog is put into a foreign routine and expected to simply adjust. Anxiety and behavior issues then ensue. This may not be the case for your dog, but I would always err on the side of caution and train for the outcome you want.

I would start working with your pup now, and there are many articles online on how to prepare your pup for a new baby. This is one with some great suggestions:
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/dogs-and-babies

Congrats on your new addition. With the right preparation you should have no problems


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## dextersmom (Oct 29, 2013)

Canadian said:


> I would start working with your pup now, and there are many articles online on how to prepare your pup for a new baby. This is one with some great suggestions:
> https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/dogs-and-babies


Thanks for posting that link, Canadian Expy. I really worry about our weim - she is terrified of children and we plan to have kids within the next year or two. I try to expose her to them as much as possible, but we have access to very few kids, none of which I would say know how to treat a dog properly. She's more likely to have a negative experience with them than a positive one. She's gotten comfortable walking by them or watching them play, but one-on-one she is still extremely nervous. That article has some great tips for how to prepare a dog without always directly involving a child. So, thanks!


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## DougAndKate (Sep 16, 2011)

Hey Nowak, congratulations! I would suggest doing a search for newborns & vizlas or babies & vizlas on this forum. A few of us were all having our first kids at the same time, and there were some great threads about it. We did a ton of training leading up to our daughter's birth, and the best command to master was the "place" or "bed" command. When things get hectic (and they will get hectic!) it's great to be able to send your dog to a spot and get them out of the way for a few minutes. 

Our daughter is 3 now, and Elroy is 5, and they are best friends (for the most part). Their energy levels are pretty close at this point! The biggest dangers have been his whipping tail (not cropped) and kisses, but more often than not it's my daughter initiating those! Good luck!


Doug


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