Hello All:
need some advice or just a different perspective on the issue...
we have an 11 year old male boxer named Bucky who has always been pretty great with kids and other babies in the past - though he’s only been exposed to babies/kids from 4-5 months old and upwards.
we now have our own sweet 1 month old son. I guess I’m posting bc we’re both kind of surprised and confused by our boxers reaction and response to him.
We have been doing everything that was recommended to us - bringing home the baby blanket and things from the hospital before the baby to get him used to the scent... setting up gates and baby things in advance so he can get used to it... feeding Bucky treats every time our son is in the room or petting him when he’s calm..
But so far he has only sniffed our son and walked away totally disinterested or at other times when our son is wailing and flailing (which is quite often as a newborn as you may imagine), has displayed some nervousness, anxiety and fear. As far as jealousy goes, he may be a tad jealous but nothing too bad. He hasn’t urinated or defecated anywhere, but he does try to get our attention at times by asking for pets.
I guess I’m posting bc I’m not sure what else to do. I guess it’s good he’s just like whatever about the baby but I definitely don’t want him to be afraid of the baby or jealous or develop a negative perception of him. I know that can be dangerous...We’ve been working hard to help him adapt and see the baby as a good thing. I guess my question is can this behavior change? Will it take him some time to get used to him? Maybe he still doesn’t even really know what the baby is yet?
Any tips and previous experiences with similar situations would be appreciated...
Thank you!
need some advice or just a different perspective on the issue...
we have an 11 year old male boxer named Bucky who has always been pretty great with kids and other babies in the past - though he’s only been exposed to babies/kids from 4-5 months old and upwards.
we now have our own sweet 1 month old son. I guess I’m posting bc we’re both kind of surprised and confused by our boxers reaction and response to him.
We have been doing everything that was recommended to us - bringing home the baby blanket and things from the hospital before the baby to get him used to the scent... setting up gates and baby things in advance so he can get used to it... feeding Bucky treats every time our son is in the room or petting him when he’s calm..
But so far he has only sniffed our son and walked away totally disinterested or at other times when our son is wailing and flailing (which is quite often as a newborn as you may imagine), has displayed some nervousness, anxiety and fear. As far as jealousy goes, he may be a tad jealous but nothing too bad. He hasn’t urinated or defecated anywhere, but he does try to get our attention at times by asking for pets.
I guess I’m posting bc I’m not sure what else to do. I guess it’s good he’s just like whatever about the baby but I definitely don’t want him to be afraid of the baby or jealous or develop a negative perception of him. I know that can be dangerous...We’ve been working hard to help him adapt and see the baby as a good thing. I guess my question is can this behavior change? Will it take him some time to get used to him? Maybe he still doesn’t even really know what the baby is yet?
Any tips and previous experiences with similar situations would be appreciated...
Thank you!