Should we get another dog?
Discussion
We have a little maltese-chiwawa who is treated more like a baby than a dog. He's got a clothing collection, only eats real food and has a habit of commanding lots of attention when hes not being cuddled / played with ( Please note this is 99% my GF's fault!)
He seems to have an incredibly close bond with me and as soon as I get in he will not leave my side and is very protective. Sometimes he will growl at anyone who gets to close if hes sitting on my knees which includes my GF!
Next month will see the arrival of a human baby and I'm worried how he reacts to it all. We are moving houses next week so it will be changes all round and Im wondering if getting him a little friend might be a good idea so he can run about and play with another dog?
He seems to have an incredibly close bond with me and as soon as I get in he will not leave my side and is very protective. Sometimes he will growl at anyone who gets to close if hes sitting on my knees which includes my GF!
Next month will see the arrival of a human baby and I'm worried how he reacts to it all. We are moving houses next week so it will be changes all round and Im wondering if getting him a little friend might be a good idea so he can run about and play with another dog?
ali_kat said:
How will you treat the new dog?
Like this one is treated; so in effect you will have 3 babies?
It's time to train this one to be a dog, if you can, for I foresee problems when the baby arrives.
How old is it & why has it been brought up like this?
Were there 'issues' with pregnancy?
Hes 3 and a half and I agree needs some training now that the baby is due. You guessed correctly about previous pregnancy issues so he has by default became the "baby"Like this one is treated; so in effect you will have 3 babies?
It's time to train this one to be a dog, if you can, for I foresee problems when the baby arrives.
How old is it & why has it been brought up like this?
Were there 'issues' with pregnancy?
Be prepared for issues. The dog has been put in an impossible situation. Be very careful when baby comes along. When is baby due?
There is a lot you can do but you will need to start now. Firstly girlfriend has to start treating him like a dog and now (notworried re his diet). Start routines, set walks, set playtime, start reducing the amount of attention he gets. You may need to introduce a crate.
I will see if there are some good websites to look at. Also get him used to sound of baby crying, there's a good cd for this. I'll get the details.
http://www.soundtherapy4pets.co.uk/
I'd highly recommend the above cd (The sounds soothing one
)
And finally for now this link
http://www.dogstrust.org.uk/az/b/babiesanddogs/def...
To answer your original question I don't think another dog would be wise right now, too much to deal with (what is he like with dogs normally?)
Good luck!
There is a lot you can do but you will need to start now. Firstly girlfriend has to start treating him like a dog and now (notworried re his diet). Start routines, set walks, set playtime, start reducing the amount of attention he gets. You may need to introduce a crate.
I will see if there are some good websites to look at. Also get him used to sound of baby crying, there's a good cd for this. I'll get the details.
http://www.soundtherapy4pets.co.uk/
I'd highly recommend the above cd (The sounds soothing one
)And finally for now this link
http://www.dogstrust.org.uk/az/b/babiesanddogs/def...
To answer your original question I don't think another dog would be wise right now, too much to deal with (what is he like with dogs normally?)
Good luck!
Edited by bexVN on Sunday 7th September 19:59
Edited by bexVN on Sunday 7th September 20:01
Edited by bexVN on Sunday 7th September 20:14
Be prepared for issues. The dog has been put in an impossible situation. Be very careful when baby comes along. When is baby due?
There is a lot you can do but you will need to start now. Firstly girlfriend has to start treating him like a dog and now (notworried re his diet). Start routines, set walks, set playtime, start reducing the amount of attention he gets. You may need to introduce a crate.
I will see if there are some good websites to look at. Also get him used to sound of baby crying, there's a good cd for this. I'll get the details.
http://www.soundtherapy4pets.co.uk/
I'd highly recommend the above cd (The sounds soothing one)
And finally for now this link
http://www.dogstrust.org.uk/az/b/babiesanddogs/def...
To answer your original question I don't think another dog would be wise right now, too much to deal with (what is he like with dogs normally?)
Good luck!
There is a lot you can do but you will need to start now. Firstly girlfriend has to start treating him like a dog and now (notworried re his diet). Start routines, set walks, set playtime, start reducing the amount of attention he gets. You may need to introduce a crate.
I will see if there are some good websites to look at. Also get him used to sound of baby crying, there's a good cd for this. I'll get the details.
http://www.soundtherapy4pets.co.uk/
I'd highly recommend the above cd (The sounds soothing one
)And finally for now this link
http://www.dogstrust.org.uk/az/b/babiesanddogs/def...
To answer your original question I don't think another dog would be wise right now, too much to deal with (what is he like with dogs normally?)
Good luck!
Edited by bexVN on Sunday 7th September 19:59
Edited by bexVN on Sunday 7th September 20:01
Edited by bexVN on Sunday 7th September 20:16
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