with regards to visitors- sadie was still very much a pup when i had my son and when i got home i had a stream of visitors for at least a week- and sadie would get excited by people so either me or the OH would hold their collar until they got in the door, then as visitors wanted to hold and coo over baby i used this oportunity to give sadie a little fuss(after she had said a quick hello to everyone) then id take her to the kitchen and give her a lovely smelly bone and she would be happy for the hour or so until the visitors had gone and then id let her back out again, so she didnt feel like she missed anything(she knew who was in the house got a quick fuss and hello and then as a reward for them arriving she got a nice bone-then when they had gone she got her 'mum' back-what more could a dog wish for!!
I also taught my dogs the word 'enough' means to calm down and relax if they were getting wound up and clumsy- when i say it now- the dogs go to their beds for time out!

I think the most important thing that we did with our dogs pre baby was teach them that they couldn't sleep in the bedroom anymore and that they were not allowed on the sofa...so that they didn't leap on baby or associate baby coming with being deprived of going upstairs.

I hadn't seen my boys for 3 weeks before bringing my son home.
When I did come home I had my baby with me.
I came in and said hello to the rather ecstatic duo and then my OH came in with my son in the car seat. We allowed them to have a jolly good sniff, but not get over excited. That was that. Biff was still stupid around him (thats Biff though) but Morris was devoted from that moment and looked after him, he would really have a go at Biff if he started to have a mad moment when my son was on the floor, he would lie on the floor next to him and just watch him. When my son started crawling and then pulling up, Mo was always there for him, my son would pull up on him and Mo would stand there and just watch him, with his tail gently wagging.

They were never allowed on their own together though, although I suspect MO would have been more than fine.

(Crying now...I still miss him, such a special dog. )

Anyhoo....moving on.
Visitors....I would give Tonks something wonderful in another room and let the visitors go into her, so she gets special time. If she gets excited around guests they will get annoyed and worried and so will you and she will pick up on it...thats when the special treats come into play.
To be honest guests come along but don't stay too long as they know how knackering it is with a new baby.

As for fake baby dolls and sounds. Nope....dogs aren't stupid and will differentiate between the sounds and the real thing. Your baby won't smell like a doll.

I am sure Tonks will be fine.

Thanks for that advice, it is good to hear other people's experiences. Luckily Tonks already knows enough and lies or sits down and calms down a bit. It's been really useful!


Thank you - hopefully it will work out as well for us as it did for you.

I know Tonks will know the difference between a doll and baby....i just wondered if it might help to getting her used to me talking to something else while she sat near by..........but on the other hand she already has to do that when i spend time with the cat!

Quick update.....The sounds scary tape has arrived and Tonks and have been listening to it this morning. Initially she was interested and was cocking her back and forth looking at the speakers.

Then she started chewing her new bone, mooching about as normal and is now snoring. She will be so bored of the sound by the time the baby arrives!

I spoke to the animal behaviourists who runs the dog classes that i work at and he says that the baby doll is a good idea. Like i said, not because Tonks will think it is the same as a baby, but because i can use it as a prompt to train her to understand what i want her to do when i am holding the bundle then baby. When the soundsscary cd arrived they also reccomend doing this.....so it's good to know i was on the right track!

I am going to have in wrapped in the blankets i will use for the baby and, through clicker training, teach her that when i am holding the baby she has to settled down a small distance away from me......not an exclusion zone, just a couple of feet away, until she is invited closer. We will be starting this next week so have loads of time to perfect it.

I will also start taking her out for walks next to the pram......so i am going to look like a real nuttah if anyone wants to look in the pram....They'll be rumours that i am mad and imagining i have a baby!

My friend, the behaviourist, agrees with me that Tonks has a very stable friendly personality and he thinks that the only worry might be accidental injury due to excitement. So training her to be calm when i (and building up to my partner and visitors) are holding the baby is good planning.

I am so proud of you for doing this. I was thinking I never had to do this but have just realised that I did have two dogs when Charlie was born, I'd forgotten lol
Well actually they weren't with me until just before I was due so didn't have time to do all this.
They were fine, never had any problems that I can remember. They were two JRT's btw, so I guess they'd always had to 'share' me with someone else anyway.... each other.

If only more people did this. I can't wait to see piccies of the two of them together.

Thank you - i've always wanted the best for Tonks and want her to feel as involved and happy with the baby as possible.

Now i just have to work on the cat. She is a completely different kettle of fish! When i was first pregnant we were preparing to buy a bigger place (as we only live in a one bedroomed flat), unfortunately, as Paul was made redundant this is no longer possible.

The bedroom is the cat's safe haven and i am conerned that she will not be happy when this is invaded by a baby.....she has already had to put up with her home being invaded by Tonks! She is 12 years old and i rescued her in 2004. She does really well living with Tonks but if we feel she really isn't happy and settling when the baby arrives we will consider rehoming her to Paul's mum who lives on her own in a three bedroomed house. I wouldn't want to do this lightly....and want to keep her through her old age if i can.....but i have to consider what she would be happier with. So .......we shall just have to wait and see what happens there......of course she will be listening to the baby crying tape too. She really doesn't like children and will leave the room and hide in the bedroom if ever any come round.

Well I had a cat too, who was fine, but as we know cats are a different kettle of fish altogether and who knows what goes on in their inscrutible kitty minds.