Golden Retriever and Newborn Baby

My only advise is to crate the dog and/or prevent him from ever being alone with the baby. I'd get some gates and keep them apart.

I agree with Julie S. Our golden was wonderful with the kids...babies or not! I think she felt they were her 'human puppies'!

One day, when the kids were older, I heard tremendous laughter from the back yard. The kids were playing 'maggie football' - they would throw the ball, maggie would get it, and they would tackle maggie!

I also have a special needs kiddo, who came home from the hospital on a vent etc. Maggie seemed to sense that she was fragile, and was SO careful around her. It was uncanny.

It has been over 12 years since maggie died. Thinking of her still brings a tear to my eye.

Best

In the wild - unattended young are prey.
I'm sure there are ways to train a dog around babies - and your dog and baby will probably be fine.
Still - and it's probably just me - I wouldn't leave the two of them alone without you being right there on the floor with them (the other kids are not responsible to supervise your baby and your dog) for the first year or two.
It's just the protective Mama in me - I'd feel horrible if my child and beloved pet became a child bite statistic - I'd err on the side of making sure I prevented it from the possibility of happening.

http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/dog-bites/

http://www.dogsbite.org/dog-bite-statistics.php

Good lord! Just read J. G's response, do you believe cats suck the breath out of babies too?

I had two goldens when my third and fourth were born. I let my kids lay on the floor, never got stepped on, never cared if something was taken.

My favorite memory of when they were babies was learning to pull themselves up. They would grab on to their featherings and pull themselves up. They would just sit there, not moving, looking at me like, you had to have more?

Goldens are unusual dogs. There are some badly bred ones but for the most part they seem to love our kids as if they were their own.

first off, 17 months is NO LONGER a puppy. He's still young, yes. But consistent training is what your dog needs.

Golden's are AWESOME dogs.

You had the puppy when your youngest was a baby, correct? Did he take things then? If so - what was your reaction?

I'm trying to figure out where all the concern is coming from. You keep stressing he's NOT aggressive. So why are you frazzled over this? Is this pregnancy nerves and hormones? BREATHE!!!

What preparations are needed? None with the dog, with your older children you'll need to tell them what to expect.

Congratulations and good luck!

It sounds like you have a sweetheart for a dog. I would start preparing him now by "practicing" when he takes one of the children's things. Take them away, tell him "no". My dog who passed away this year would do something similar, when he was left alone in the house or when it was time to sleep at night, he would get someone's shoe and just have it by him. He wouldn't chew it or anything, I think the scent of a family member was a comfort when he was on his own. Maybe you could find something else that can be his own special lovie? One approved item? The rest you'll figure out as you go along with some common sense. Sometimes a dog gate is helpful when a dog is a bit hyper and the young ones need floor time. Best of luck with your growing family!

17 months for a dog is considered an adult for for most retrievers, they are still in puppyhood. It is the perfect time for training. Be consistent, just like with your kids. He will catch on. Start now. Just because the older ones don't miss a stuffed animal does not mean he shuld be allowed to take it. Get him his own and those will be the only ones he is allowed to "take". And of course, no matter how big or small or gentle a dog may be, never leave the baby unsupervised. A woman I know made the baby's room off limits for their dogs. The doggs would follow up to the room but lay outside the door. They even starting sleeping there.

You need to invest in some dog training classes to teach your dog simple commands. That way you and the kids can control his behavior better. Your dog needs to see himself as the low guy in the pack. My dog takes commands from my 2 yr old granddaughter because he started to push her around a bit and we put a stop to it.

Other than that, don't leave the baby alone with the dog ever. His playful jumping could seriously injure your baby.

My close friend trains dogs and she says the whole family gets trained, not just a dog.

Your boys jump on him and grab his tail? Please train both the boys and the dog -- who is not a puppy any longer and should be trained now, before it's harder and harder for him to unlearn behaviors. You can't train the dog unless you also have your sons stop behaviors that will make the dog hyper and jumpy - it's like telling a kid "Don't jump on your brother" when his brother is allowed to jump on him; the dog is part of the pack that includes your kids, and the kids should not be handling him in those ways. Jumping on a dog or pulling his tail may be tolerated by the dog as play for a long time then very suddenly end with the dog nipping at or even biting a child the ONE time the dog was just not in the mood, or if the dog was eating at the time, or distracted by something else at that second and suddenly was jumped on and surprised. Please don't take for granted that even gentle dogs and home-loving breeds can, if provoked at the wrong second, snap or bite. You're not inside the dog's head so you and certainly your sons can't know when that wrong second might be. That's why the boys' behaviors, not just the dog's, need to change.

Please get the dog ongoing training, not some course with a mere handful of sessions taught in a group at a pet store or whatever. Ask your vet for referrals to experienced trainers and ask those trainers if they have worked with families with young children including infants; some very likely have dealt with the same sort of toy-stealing you describe, and with dog jealousies over new infants. But you only have eight weeks; I'd call the vet for referrals today.

I don't understand why you're nervous about him taking the baby's things? Are you worried he'll chew them up? Or are you worried he'll try to take them when the baby has them? We have a golden that was born in February of this year. Our fourth baby was born in July. I don't put the baby down on the floor where he could accidently get trampled and I wouldn't like leave the dog in the room alone if the baby was napping but we haven't had any issues or really thought too much about it. He is a typical pup very playful, very sweet, can still be a little mouthy but is getting better everyday. If he gets one of the baby's toys I just throw it in the hamper to get washed.

We had a Rottie and a Boston Terrier when we brought our daughter home. The Rottie was curious, but thats all. The Boston could care less.

The Rottie grew to love her and was rather protective of her. We had no concerns.

You're wise to try to figure out strategies now.

First of all, your dog has not been a puppy for a long time. This is an adult animal who needs to be trained. He should have certain toys that are his alone, and not be stealing the children's toys. Our dog has a basket of toys in the family room and knows to go there for what she wants. You should be making an issue of your dog taking things that aren't his.

So I gather your dog is loose in the house when you are gone? So he roams around, bored, looking for stuff to take and play with. Have you crate-trained your dog or considered confining him to a room (e.g. the kitchen) while you are gone? He should have plenty of things to play with (although you must be careful about what you leave for him when no one is there - no choking hazards).

Talk to your vet, who knows your dog. Usually when people have a new baby, the husband brings home a blanket or hat that the newborn was using so the dog gets used to the new smell. But you definitely keep the baby in a cradle or infant seat off the floor. A newborn shouldn't be using a blanket unless swaddled, and won't have toys, so there is time to get the dog used to the baby.

But you need to undertake some serious training of the dog so he's not jumping or grabbing things. Start today with a good training video (ask the vet) or hire a trainer if you've never done this before. There are various techniques, including spraying the children's toy with a sour apple spray or other unpleasant smelling (for the dog), safe spray to make them unappealing.

You also will want to teach the kids to stop pulling the dog's tail and jumping on him - this encourages the dog to jump and grab too. I know it's hard to "police" a 5 and a 2.5 year old but this is creating a situation where the dog is jumping on other people and does not respond to commands. I know you have your hands full but you really have to do this right away. But don't do it randomly - get a DVD at the library (after talking to your vet) and have the kids watch with you. The kids are going to have to learn to deal with a baby (what to do and not do) so this is a good time to get everyone in some really good habits with the dog too.

Take your dog to a real training class. Not the class at the pet store, but a real training class offered by a canine behaviorist who is affiliated with some kind of professional trainer's organization.

It's worth your time, and your dog will learn to be a good member of your "pack." Part of that is learning to "leave it" and drop things "out" of his mouth that he shouldn't have whenever you ask him to do so. A trained dog is a happy dog.

It seems that a lot of folks don't think proper, professional dog training is important these days. And then they complain about their dog's poor habits. That's crazy. Please find a professional trainer and go to a basic and intermediate class.

We have a 1 yr old golden also. He is the sweetest dog in the world!!!!! But I would still supervise him around young children no matter what. Babies and toddlers are wobbly and don't know how to act around big cute fluffy dogs. If he got stepped on or squeezed/hugged in the wrong place who knows how he would react. He is a dog.

Our dog LOVES to carry around/"retrieve" our stuff!!! Shoes, socks, and washcloths are his favorites, but we taught him to stay away from our son's stuffed animals. He has his own bin of stuffed and squeaky toys in the kitchen that he picks stuff out of daily. For kid toys he gets a firm "leave it".

If you have not done obedience classes, it is not to late, and I highly suggest it! Goldens are just too wonderful not to be trained!!!!!

He will learn. Give him some time to adjust. Goldens are great family dogs

I wouldn't worry too much about it, but I wouldn't leave baby on the floor unattended. If your dog got excited by the doorbell or something, he could hurt the baby without meaning to. As for the toys, maybe start training your dog now, by placing the baby toys and blankets here and there and doing a "leave it" command, with a treat, when dog leaves the toys alone. If you do that for 5 min a day, he'll be trained by the time baby arrives. Our dog is so incredible with my kids and I imagine your golden will be too.

Since you'll have three young children, and your dog will continue to fill out and get bigger, it's a good idea to invest in a dog trainer. I know your dog is sweet and loving, and that's great! But he needs to not be jumping on new people or getting overly excited around them. We have a 15 month old dog, so I do understand how excited they get, how they want to play with the kids' toys, and so on. We hired a trainer when our dog was 4 months old, and he has learned his basic commands, such as sit, down, stay, off (get off the furniture - he's only 20 pounds), up (it's okay to jump in my lap), no jumping, heel (walking nicely on his leash). The kids have since taught him dance (he stands on his hind legs and spins around), and Tidy Up (he puts his toys away). Dogs are eager to please, but need some direction in doing so. Even a dog with the sweetest temperament doesn't really understand what you want unless you consistently tell him. I'm sure he will love your new baby, and he can be trained to leave the kids' toys alone, not to jump on them, etc.

You might want to talk to a trainer about how to acclimate the dog to the baby and to teach it how to leave baby's toys alone. If he doesn't actually chew or mangle the toys, then that's a lot less of a concern, IMO. If he does grab a toy, wash it. You might also want to brush up on behaviors like sit and stay and drop it in advance so that when you need him to really put that down, he will.

I do agree to also teach the boys not to hurt the dog, jump on him, etc. A dog in pain may nip even if he's not mean, and that can be a whole other can of worms. Please teach them to respect his space, even as active little boys.

I wouldn't want him to take the babies things they put in their mouths but to me this is your job. Don't leave the baby or the baby stuff on the floor.

I have a four month old song and a 2 year old Newfoundland (120 pounds). Despite what some people have said I still consider my dog a puppy. From my experience and from what I've been told the bigger the dog the longer the puppy stage. Our dog is awesome with our son. However, he does take his stuff (socks, burp rags, etc). We're working on the "drop" command as well as just trying really hard to keep stuff out of his reach. Once my son is crawling and walking we'll also be very careful as we know our dog could accidentally knock him over. I think as long as your take proper precautions you'll be fine. Our dog can make our son laugh more than either of us can, and when the baby's crying our dog rushes up to the crib and gets him to stop crying immediately. It's awesome to see their relationship develop, good luck and enjoy!!