baby on the way

[elizabeth cross]

Im due in 3 weeks and really stressing about having Bella and the baby home. She will not stop barking , she barks because she wants to play or when we are eatting . Sometimes I think just to hear herself.  We have been trying to work with her telling her quit and good girl when she stops , but still ...She gets more then a hour of running and playing and has someone home all day with her most of the time. She is also still very jumpy . I am so scared to be here by myself with her and the baby .

[Sherry Miller]

Elizabeth...first take a deep breath and calm down...for your sake as well as that baby on the way.  Has Bella had any obedience lesson's? and do you use a kennel (crate ) for when you are gone?  How are you working with her at home?  I know you must be feeling overwhelmed and Bella is right at that testing you stage.  I worry about your last statement of being scared to be by yourself with her and the baby. Bella should never be left alone with the baby....and if she is not obeying you, or just causing havoc with all the barking I would walk her to her kennel....telling her to hush or be quiet and place her inside until she calms down....you may have to repeat this a few times but she should soon get the point.

  I had Irish Setters with both my girls when they were little...so it does all work out.  I found my IS were fascinated by the babies....loved to sit and just watch them and if the baby was napping and so much as cooed they were first one right outside the door waiting for me to go check on that baby.  They would have loved to have camped out under the crib while the baby slept.  Will you have someone with you when you first come home?  and also be careful and understanding while introducing the baby to Bella....someone else should perhaps have Bella on a leash...as she will have been missing you while you were in hospital....let her see the baby and watch the baby but don't make that big a fuss over it.  I also had a nice chew bone for our Irish after their first introduction to our little ones here....just let them lie on the floor in the room we all were in with the baby....sort of like well here we all are..........aren't we a nice little family....and it gave her time also to just get used to some of the new smells in the house and those little mew cries a new baby makes.  If she starts to bark I would suggest your husband place her into the kennel with a firm quiet as he does.  Wait til she quiets down and then try again when he is home to help you.  Can your daughter take her out in your yard and play ball with Bella to help use up some of her extra energy?  A tired pup is usually a quiet pup! 

 

[elizabeth cross]

thank you for the peace of mind the bone idea is a great one. Yes we have a kennel for her , and someone will be home with me for the first week . My mom in staying with me and husband will be home for a few days. After that it will be just the three of us when his at work , I guess Im mostly worried about that happening . Our daughter isnt here all the time, shes my step daughter. But the game plan is that my husband will take her out for a walk or some kind of exercise before he goes to work and then again at night . After hearing your ideas I think we will be fine , just the fear of a new mother and knowing Bella just gets super excited when anyone new comes in the house scares me . Thank you

[Sue Paterson]

First thing you must do is calm down,,stress is not good for you or the expected baby, and it'll get through to Bella too.

If she's barking for attention, then show her that she gets removed from you and the rest of the family when she's barking. When she stops bring her back in , praise her for being a quiet girl and give her something to chew on. Do make sure she still gets plenty of walks and playtime as she's still such a baby herself.

It can be exhausting having baby and  puppy together...my most recent experience was having a grandchild to look after while his parents were at work and a new pup....I constantly had my hands in soapy water to keep hygiene standards up! Bit if Nathan was missing (as a toddler) he was to be found snuggled up in Bridie's bed with her!!

So I'm sure your daughter and other half will pitch in to help.

My babies were introduced to the setter family as soon as they were born. the first one came home from hospital and the midwife told me to let Dino sniff her and even lick her. I guess it might be frowned on now, but they bonded and he never left the pram or cot for weeks, til the novelty wore off!!!

Once you get a routine going, I'm sure you'll feel more confident...just work out what you will do and when, and how Bella will be involved, or managed at any given time. Probably all plans will be given the heave ho after a few weeks, and you'll wonder whatever the fuss was about.

Enjoy your precious young Irish and your new arrival...that's the main thing:)

[Howard Glansfield]

I am sure Bella will be fine with your new baby.

Both my sons were delivered at home.We had a collie cross who was aggressive with other dogs but not with people .When Roy was born, we were ,like you,very nervous about how he'd react with the baby.Our chain smoking midwife(honest!) said as soon as the baby is born let the dog upstairs to investigate ,which we did and the dog bonded with the baby immediately.The same applied when James was born .He adored the children .Sadly he didn't live very long and we then had a spaniel cross,we wanted her to have puppies and she did,we would often find James curled up in the basket with mum and pups,all very happy!

 

[Sherry Miller]

Hi Elizabeth ...hope you ae feeling better today and that the notes on here helped.  Never hesitate to ask a question on here as there is so much information and answers to questions to be found from those of us who have been where you are right now.  If it would not embarrass my youngest daughter so much I would post the picture of her in her baby bath  which I had sitting in the bathtub with our Shilo wrapped around that baby bath!  Where his baby went he thought he should go also....under the babybed he would hide hoping I would not shoo him out of the room at nap time...eventually he earned that privelege but not right at first. She took her first steps holding onto him....never walked up and down the sofa but around and around her doggie.  For her first few years he was never very far from her side...and she used his kennel to take a nap in more times than I could count....we never locked the door but when she got old enough she would crawl in and tell him to come on and reach thru and lock the door so they could nap in peace.  I guess for me it was just go with the flow and deal with each thing as it comes up....I am and have always been that way...worrying about tomorrow causes me to miss out on living today so I just put that smile on my face and work thru the problems. Hope these last few weeks before the baby arrives you have time to rest but also time to work with Bella on the barking and jumping....and if you do not have a kennel (crate) for her perhaps you might borrow one and work on crate training with Bella?

 

[Ossian]

Elizabeth.... I was going to be "blunt" but in your delicte frame of mind it wont help!

Silly girl. Classic classic symproms. Impending birth is such an enormous thing you

cant actually cope with that yet so you "worry" about things you can manage

(or at least share). Bella is barking to dstract you.

Credit her with lots of common sense. Look forward to sunny days with baby in its pram and the dog beside you.

My son - who is six foot tall and a strapping 30 year old - learned to walk with my

Labrador bcause she woud lie beside him and wait till he threaded his fingers in

the curls on her back then she would slowly stand up and pull him to his feet.

no better reationship for a child than a dog.

Being irrational is part of being pregnant.

good luck

 

[rosie beere]

Hi Elizabeth,

it is a good idea to bring something of the babies clothing home for Bella to smell before you come home and get her used to her scent, also if you can stand it a tape/cd of baby crying, if you have a friend with a baby perhaps they could come around so Bella get used to them.  all these will get her used to the change that is about to happen. i had my baby (long time ago )with two IS we had wonderful walks with the pram. also get hubby to walk her if poss in the mean time to tire her out a little. don't worry she will love the baby as long as you do not shut her out of your life. can hubby take her to a trainer to help you stop the jumping? remember to try ignore her naughty behaviour, do reward her when she is good she needs to know when she is a good Bella.  

cheers Rosie

 

[elizabeth cross]

thank you , we had a friend come over w a 3 month old baby. she would bark he would cry because she scared him , so on and so on . we are working on learning what quit means , once she stops barking she gets a good girl and treat ! she also wanted to be in his face when he was in the boucie chair . Which my husband put her on the leash and told her no back . Hopefully once the baby is here she'll be the second mom and realize her bounderies. Thinking about buying one of those baby dolls that cry and having it around the house for these next few weeks moving it around the house and teaching her what "baby" means ???

[Sherry Miller]

Elizabeth that baby will only be new to her once ...she will be curious about the baby and what you are doing as you care for the baby.......confession here I used to talk to my boys and tell them all about that stinky diaper and did include them in my daily routine of taking care of the new little one.  Firm NO and use of their kennel got the point across on what was okay around the new baby and what was not.......make fusses over Bella for good behavior and once you are feelng okay again just sitting on the patio and tossing a ball for her will thrill her and help to wear her out.  I always walked mine with the stroller....you saw my Irish and then the baby and no one knew my name but certainly knew who the IS was and the baby he belonged with.  It's a one day at a time thing and everything does fall into place.  That picture of Sky coloring with Bella watching is sort of what will happen with the baby.............intense watching as she will be fascinated with all the new baby sounds and smells. Bella just has to figure out what this new little bundle is.......looking forward to pictures of the new baby and her devoted Bella.

S

[Sherry Miller]

Just one thing that I did find helped with mine...if they were barking ...I got very quiet with almost a whisper and it would break the cycle of barking as they wanted to find out what I was saying (shhhhhh) so I could redirect the attention to something else...toy or ball or going outside.  I always used quiet, hush or shhhhhhhh for getting them to stop barking and shhhhhhhhhhhh seemed to really help in breaking that habit  before it got started.

   Can of pebbles to shake to reinforce your NO's is also helpful but do not overdo that one or she will think it is a game to get your attention.  Smart creatures our Irish....we just have to try to outsmart them!  You will find Irish Setter's at Bella's age are a lot like having a toddler in the home.....except you do have the option of using a kennel to train your Irish !

[elizabeth cross]

we have been working on learning the word quite , she seems to be getting it . They are very smart dogs and I think sometimes she knows to try to get one over on us LOL. Im feeling a lot more relaxed after all the advise , I think as long as she gets her energy level down with some play time everyday we should be fine. any advise on the jumping? right now we are just telling her NO DOWN !!!

[Howard Glansfield]

I think most setters jump but Fred never has.Arthur is a great jumper and we tell him 'No Down' as you do but turning your back if you see the jump coming seems to stop it,well it does with Arthur.

Of course strangers don't know that so the command is helpful,or it will be when he learns what it means!

With barking a trainer advised me to teach the dog to bark to your order then you can stop it.It never worked for me!