Baby and Me

My parents went and had a baby in January. There, I said it. That’s why I haven’t been able to write so much. It takes a lot of time to have a baby!

Over the last few months, I think I have become much more aware of how anxious people seem to be about introducing their dogs to a new baby or child. There is so much pre-judgment being done that some dogs aren’t even getting an opportunity to show how they may or may not respond. Every time I hear the words “re-homed” I swell with a thousand questions, but it isn’t my place to pry.

However, I do think I can share my experience and some tips to hopefully set some of the tension at ease and give more pups the chance to have little baby siblings! Of course I will add one disclaimer, not all dogs (no matter the breed) respond well to children. Please always supervise your pets and baby.

1. Pregnancy or “Why is Mom getting fat?”. Our routine didn’t get jolted to a halt the minute Mom found out she was pregnant. We still took walks every night, we still snuggled on the couch and bed the same as we always did. Slowly however, Shami and I began to catch on to the changes. Instinctively, we didn’t jump on her lap any more. In the evenings we would take turns siting with our heads near her belly. This was our way to bond and adjust during the months leading up to his arrival. Mom never pushed us away because she wanted us to get accustomed to the change. When my mom went into labor, we stayed in the area, but gave her a LOT of personal space. A really nice sitter came to stay with us while Mom and Dad went to the hospital, so that we weren’t being uprooted and transferred around in all of the changes.

2. Bringing home baby or “Is this a toy?”. The best advice someone gave to my mom was that when returning from the hospital, she needed to come inside first. Alone. Last time we saw her, she looked and smelled totally different. We need time to check her over, sniff and snuggle and be excited. We also needed to start to smell the baby smells. Mom brought with her the tiny little hat that the nurses had placed on the baby’s slimy head. This sounds gross, but these smells were good for us to take in. They were not washed, soapy smells. After about five minutes, Dad brought in Baby in the carseat. Luckily, he was asleep, and Mom and Dad were able to set him on the coffee table where we could look and smell but not touch.

3. Learning to be gentle or “So, this is not a toy?”. A human needs patience when introducing a dog to a baby. Some dogs are really excited and want to sniff, lick and push a little. Talking in a high-pitched baby voice is only going to incite a frenzy. Other dogs are loners and will keep their distance. If you drag the dog into the room and force him to be near the baby, he might put his guard up. Pay attention to your dog and read THEIR cues.

Shami was immediately what we will call “The Hoverer”. Wherever Baby was, she was there as well. She wasn’t pushing, but she made it known that she was there (except at night, no one messes with Shami’s sleep).

I, on the other hand, took on the role of “Guard Dog”. I watched out the front window a lot in those first few weeks. I slept by the door often. At night, I would always get up with Mom. I didn’t need to be close, and I actually kept my distance a bit, but my patterns definitely changed.

During this time, the best thing that Mom and Dad did for us was trust us. They trusted that we were adjusting how we needed to. They would allow us chances to sniff the baby, the diapers, the blankets, etc., but they never forced. We were never locked away, which can cause stress if a dog feels it needs to guard or protect. We were never expected to be a perfect Nana dog either.

4. Growing and Changing or “Won’t this thing settle down?”. Crying can take a toll on a everyone in the family. Our baby was colicky. He spent almost three months crying from 6 pm to 9 pm every night. Just as Mom and Dad had to learn to handle the stress of a baby’s cries, so did we. Initially, I would start to cry as well. It was a whine, building almost to a howl, but it was my way of handling the sound. Mom and Dad never yelled at me. They would pet me (which made me stop) and let me come close to the baby (which sometimes made him stop).

As Baby got bigger, he got to lay on the floor to exercise. This tested Shami and me because we had to learn what toys were his (hello, have you looked at most baby toys? They are basically dog toys), and we had to learn to be gentle. Again, patience and repeated efforts made this a smooth process. Yes, I chewed up a rattle. Yes, Baby has gotten licked a bunch. This time is always carefully supervised. Baby now has a walker which allows him to move around a little bit more, and we know that soon enough he will be able to walk and chase us. We know this will create new challenges (don’t knock the baby over), but we are up for it.

5. Teaching Baby or “We aren’t the only ones who need to learn, right?”. At five months old, Baby is old enough to start to learn how to treat a dog and behave around them. It is not too early.

I have a lot of hair, and Shami has long beard as well. Baby already is learning not to pull our hair. He might not understand a word, but Mom and Dad watch him with us and when his little hands grabbed a fistful of fur, they would say “no” and disengage his fingers. After only about a week, Baby was touching us with an open palm. There are set back moments where he still gets excited and grabs the hair, but we are careful of our reaction and Mom and Dad are close by to help.

6. Routine or “Can’t we do the things we used to?”. Dogs are habitual. We look forward to activities and structure. One of the most important things for Mom and Dad to continue has been our daily walks (whether it is one of them or both with baby). We are able to get exercise (so important!) and be dogs (sniffing and spraying around the park).

We have adjusted to the baby’s routine. When he sleeps, we settle down for a nap. When he gets a bath, we watch from the side of the tub. When he plays, we crawl close. Again, we are allowed to be close and involved.

More than anything, when introducing your dogs to a new baby, you must be patient. You must know that there will be some good days and bad days. You also need to expect out of your dog what you are putting into the transition. If you do nothing and just get frustrated because your dog didn’t magically adjust over night, you aren’t thinking clearly. Baby will be five months old tomorrow. It has taken five months for us to adjust. Nothing happens over night, but persistence does pay off.

Moving Up and Out

Woah. How is it 2013? I swear, I can’t even tell you where time has gone.

Well a new year means new starts and we’ve had quite a few. In September, we moved. It was an awesome process and Shami and I made Mom and Dad proud by handling everything really well. We were really fortunate that we had time on our side with our move, but everyone had patience and we all worked together. Here are our tips for a smooth and easy move!

1. Visit the new neighborhood before moving, if possible. Luckily, we were not moving out of state and we were able to use the time that the banks were processing things to drive over to the new neighborhood and go for long walks. Getting to explore the neighborhood, smell the new smells (and leave some of ours behind), and get used to these surroundings was really beneficial.

2. Packing. Moving is stressful for humans. Things must be sorted, packed, donated, or trashed, and this can be emotional. Dogs don’t think of things this way. We aren’t watching you clean out the closet thinking “but that is a lovely sweater you were wearing when we went to the park!” We pick up on your emotions. Try to stay calm and organized, and if you feel stressed, take a break (we are great at helping with breaks). Our biggest tip here is that you pack up our toys/bed/crate last so that we have some place to go hang out while you are busy.

3. The big day. Dogs do not need to be underfoot while movers (or friends) are hauling furniture. If possible, send us to another friends’ house or a dog daycare. We will be less stressed to be out of the way than if we were getting hollered at. Plus, with doors being left open, you don’t want to risk us making a break for it. Keep us securely away until the furniture and boxes are in the new place (if possible).

4. Arriving at our destination. When we first come to the new home, take us for a walk. If we have been lucky enough to come to the neighborhood in advance, we won’t think it is weird to be in this new place. If this is the first time, be patient as we sniff and mark and get our bearings. The longer we get to walk, the more relaxed our brains become and he more likely we will be to come into the new house calm and ready for a nap.

5. Moving in. This is like packing in reverse. Give us our crate/bed/toys first so we have a place to go that smells like us. Then you can work on your stuff. Again, stay calm, take breaks.

6. Patience. Over the first week, we may or may not react to the new house with behaviors we never showed before. If you won’t be home with us, know that you have options. There is nothing wrong with crating a dog. If you are really worried about accidents in the house or you know your dog has a destructive streak, you can crate them until you feel they are used to the new surroundings. Be sure that your crate is large enough for your dog to stand up and turn around comfortably. Be sure they have access to water (food is based on your feeding schedule). If you don’t plan to crate your dog and you want to give them free reign of the new house, consider starting slow by blocking off some rooms. We never have access to bedrooms when we are home alone. Be prepared to find an accident or something chewed up. Even the best behaved dogs need adjustment time. If you prepare yourself that your dog may stumble, you will be very happy if they don’t!

Following these tips, you will hopefully have as smooth of a transition as we did! We love our new neighborhood, they are even having a Bark in the Park event on January 26th where they will turn the main park into a dog park for the day! How fun.

We moved into our new house!

I love watching out the front window.

Shami loves the new parks where she can play fetch.

Our other big news, we’re going to have a little brother!

Stripped

I’ve heard some people say that they would never get a wheaten because “the coat is a lot of work.” While I do need to be brushed out regularly and I get haircuts about every four months, there isn’t a whole lot that goes into it. I’m never not allowed to do something because it would mean some immense grooming. But this post isn’t going to be about me. Shami, my terrier mix sister, wants to write today!

Mixed breed dogs seem to have a reputation of being somehow easier to care for than a pure bred dog. I’m not sure why though. A mixed breed comes from something. Labradors need to be brushed to control shedding. Wheatens need their coats to be hand trimmed. Border Terriers need to be stripped. If I mix those, I could end up with that coat too. As for me, I require stripping.

This is me when I am furry:

It’s cute. I have an amazing little beard. I happily wear this coat through the winter months and I am virtually water resistant.

Then one day I will start to blow my coat. This is when mom sees the tumble weeds of hair suddenly appear on the floor. She will pull me outside and give my fur a little tug. When it is ready, the hair comes right out. You can also tell by looking at it as it changes color.

We don’t have a stripping knife so it can take a long time to do my whole coat, and it is tedious work. It’s kind of self explanatory, but here are instructions on hand stripping. The thing that most people are surprised to find out is that I like it. I sit still. I don’t run off. I want that dead hair off! The temperature is in the high 90s right now, and soon it will hit 100 and up. I don’t want to carry all that hair around with me. This is one way how dogs regulate their body temperatures.

I see so many little terrier mixes that need to be stripped. We had friends who had a larger dog that’s coat did the same thing. When they started stripping her, they were amazed at how much less hair they found in the house every spring.

Of course, Mom stripped my coat while dad was gone one day. When he came home, he had this reaction (caution: there’s a swear word in this link!). I think I am just cute in a new way!

Here are a few other pictures- including a before and after! -Shami

Terrier before and after stripping coat

 

Adventure Dogs

We went hiking this weekend.

It was a lot of fun to break out of our standard routine and go explore a new world, but it is important that we were prepared and alert during the whole outing. Your dogs, no matter their breed or size, will enjoy adventures as long as you take the time to do it right. Follow some simple adventure rules to ensure success!

Rule 1: Know your destination. No matter if you are planning to go on a walk through a new park or a hike that will challenge you and your dog, do a little research before you go. Be sure to check that parks and trails are dog friendly, but also know the terrain. If your dog is not used to activity, they might not be up to a four mile hike up a steep mountain; you must make the judgment call for what your dog can handle.

Within the confines of knowing your destination, I want to include knowing the weather. This weekend, temperatures were supposed to break the 100 mark- an afternoon adventure was absolutely out of the question. When we were leaving our trail, we saw people trying to take dogs and small children onto it. Many returned before we had even left the park because it was too hot by 9AM. Take the two minutes to check the weather the day before to be prepared. Heat is dangerous (as is freezing cold). Rain isn’t going to hurt, but if you don’t want a muddy wet dog, don’t go out. A simple check avoids any mishaps.

Rule 2: Always be prepared. My mama said this is the Boy Scout motto, but I think I everyone should adopt it! For us, preparedness includes ample amounts of water, cookies for a snack, map, cell phone, and camera. Luckily I have a backpack that holds most of this and mom or dad carries the water.

Rule 3: Pay attention. Every day is different. You can plan and prep, but you must be paying attention to be sure that your adventure is a success. I’ve stepped on burrs, and thankfully, my mama always notices if I limp or hold my foot up for even a short moment. Shami is smaller than I am so dad will lift her over a large rock to be sure that she doesn’t hurt herself trying to jump. Their vigilance ensures that we don’t suffer a serious injury. This holds true for even walks in an unfamiliar neighborhood. Being alert and paying attention means that you are never surprised by an off-leash dog, plants with thorns, or a car whipping around a turn.

Follow these basic rules and you will be able to enjoy your adventures and build up to being a weekend warrior!

Enjoy some pictures from our hike!

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Safety First

There are a lot of holidays that require Mom and Dad to go away out instead of being home with us. We don’t mind though because they always take care of our needs before they leave.

First, Mom believes that tired pups will most likely sleep and relax while alone in the house. On days like today (New Year’s Eve) we go on a big adventure. This involves more than just walking around the neighborhood like we do every day. Today we went to a hiking trail and spent an hour and a half climbing 412′ in elevation. This doesn’t just tire us out, we are wiped. Feed us our dinner and we will sleep through anything. This strategy of Mom’s works for them too because when they come home, we are ready to go to bed and not ramped up wanting another walk. You know your pooch’s activity level; so you are the best judge of how much extra activity to push for.

Second, Dad leaves music on. I know it sounds silly and cliche, but on a holiday like New Year’s Eve in a state where fireworks are legal, there is bound to be some ruckus in the street. If there is some music on, it creates a bit of a white noise effect and we aren’t so startled when the fireworks go off. We don’t have a dog door in our home, but if you do, consider closing it for the night. When you hear of dogs running away on holidays like this, the problem is that the dog could get out not that the dog was skiddish. If your dog tends to be more nervous to sounds like firecrackers, they are more apt to look for safety when things start popping.

Have a safe and happy New Year’s Eve and we will see you all in 2012!