Dogs and Newborns

[misterholt]

I've got 2 dogs. One's a beagle/hound mix and the other is a Dalmatian/Pit bull mix. The DAMPit (see what I did there?) is about 50 lbs and only 8 months. If you know pits, he has tons of energy. Our beagle is pretty calm. He's still a puppy but he knows to obey

Anyone have tips on how to our younger one to chill the heck out? I know he's a puppy but when the baby gets here it's gonna be too late to train...

[jmra]

Tough mix with Dalmatian and Pit. Dalmatians will be hyper for life if you're not careful. I once had a Dalmatian/lab mix that we called Peter Pan. Simply refused to grow up.

[C-dub]

Difficult call. I had Rotties when our daughter was born. Fortunately, I already knew how they were around kids. They were great and when our daughter finally arrived they became very protective of her. They were also very gentle and cautious around her.

Do you have any idea how either dog is around any children?

[snatchel]

I have a 2 year old GSP.... and GSP's are one of the most energetic breeds out there--

The trick to calming dogs down is to ensure they get plenty of exercise. I'm not talking about letting them into the backyard for a few hours to run free. I'm talking about dedicated walks/runs daily. We take Brody on a walk daily to a park where he can run around for about 30 minutes, then walk back.

It's a whole lot of work on our part, but it makes for a healthy dog. It also makes for a calm dog..

[MoJo]

Caesar Milan?

[RPBrown]

Training and exersize. You may be surprized that the Pit in him may calm him down when the baby comes. We have a Lab Pit mix that was very hyper but when my oldest grand daughter was born, the dog became very docile around her and very protective of her. Then, as I started getting more grand children, he acted the same way when they were around. Now, when they were not around, he was his dorkey self.

[misterholt]

Difficult call. I had Rotties when our daughter was born. Fortunately, I already knew how they were around kids. They were great and when our daughter finally arrived they became very protective of her. They were also very gentle and cautious around her.

Do you have any idea how either dog is around any children?

From the last encounter the Dalm/Pit was just hyper to have someone else around.....

[misterholt]

I have a 2 year old GSP.... and GSP's are one of the most energetic breeds out there--

The trick to calming dogs down is to ensure they get plenty of exercise. I'm not talking about letting them into the backyard for a few hours to run free. I'm talking about dedicated walks/runs daily. We take Brody on a walk daily to a park where he can run around for about 30 minutes, then walk back.

It's a whole lot of work on our part, but it makes for a healthy dog. It also makes for a calm dog..

I've read about. Seems like it's the only way to get them to chill. Thanks for the advice!

[snatchel]

No problem!

I have a buddy who owns a German Shepherd pup. I think he is around a year old, maybe a bit more. Anyway, he never walks the dog, never takes him to the park, nothing. He does have a doggy door so the dog can go outside when he wants, but he has the worst behavior. That dog has chewed up everything... couches, shoes, walls, doors, fence. My buddy says he doesn't understand why this is happening and he wishes he could make the dog stop.

We have told him that proper training school at PetSmart or anywhere else, and plenty of exercise would stop it. Excess energy + boredom makes for an awful dog.

He won't listen to us....

[Syntyr]

No problem!

I have a buddy who owns a German Shepherd pup. I think he is around a year old, maybe a bit more. Anyway, he never walks the dog, never takes him to the park, nothing. He does have a doggy door so the dog can go outside when he wants, but he has the worst behavior. That dog has chewed up everything... couches, shoes, walls, doors, fence. My buddy says he doesn't understand why this is happening and he wishes he could make the dog stop.

We have told him that proper training school at PetSmart or anywhere else, and plenty of exercise would stop it. Excess energy + boredom makes for an awful dog.

He won't listen to us....

You are exactly correct! If it helps any tell him this person agrees with you. I have owned 5 German Shepherds over the years and they are absolutely AWESOME dogs. They are smart and full of energy but they REQUIRE structure. You need to train them. Even just some basic obedience training and exercise will do wonders. They have the working instinct in them and if you don't channel it you will pay for it. It doesnt take much. Like you said go to PetSmart or find a local club. There are GSD clubs in every major city out there and lots of just training, tracking, obedience and Schutzhund clubs out there. Every GSD I have had the opportunity to work with loves the structure and training. They take to the work like a duck to water. It will calm them down and make them reliable and even tempered. At one year old its getting close to being too late to start. He needs to get going.

My most favorite GSD I have ever owned was named Ruger. He was my buddy for 16 years. Man that dog was tireless. I could not wear him out. Even when he got old I would sit on the back porch and throw tennis balls for hours. Before long my arm was covered in mud and dog spit. That dog could move fast too. His favorite fetch toy was this big bunch of plastic grapes squeaky toy. They were hard and it took work but I would bunch them up in my hand getting as much air out of them as I could. The whole time I am doing this the toy is squeaking and Ruger was looking at me just twitching like he was going to explode. Then I would throw the grapes in a big high arc and they would go SQUUUUUUEEEEEEAAAAAKKKKKKKKKK as they flew away and he literally leap and run after them. I wish I had gotten that on video. He was a hoot.

He was a little camera shy though...

[SRH78]

Exercise and training/discipline. There really are no tricks or shortcuts. Dogs need exercise or they will get bored and they need training and discipline just like kids. Also, be consistent. If you put your foot down early and every time, it will be fairly easy. If you don't, you are gonna make it tough on yourself.

[howdy]

Good article on Pitts:

http://gardenandgun.com/article/licked-death-pit-bull" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[SewTexas]

Take the pup out every morning, possibly every evening for a walk....doesn't have to be hours long, just 30 - 45 mins, but I will tell you this, don't do it now if you can't keep it up. When I got my corgi I started walking her and it took 2 days and she was hooked!

[steveincowtown]

Not sure if the $$$$ are available, but we started taken our dog to "Doggie Daycare" when she was 4 months. She still goes 2 days a a week now. It truly changed our life, and for us has been worth every penny. She calmer, more obedient, more socialized, etc, etc. If you have any interest PM me and I will tell you about the place in Fort Worth if that she goes.


Good luck!

[Texas Dan Mosby]

Train sit, stay, recall.

Those 3 commands alone can make your life a LOT easier.

Shape the behavior, and use food as a reward when they get it right. Once they understand what you are asking them to do, correct any errors as you see fit (voice, touch, etc...)

Start off with short durations, with you RIGHT next to the dog to immediately reward and correct the behavior. Slowly increase the duration of the behavior before you reward it, and slowly start to add distance between you and the dog while it is performing the behavior. Dogs are smart, and they'll learn the deal.

Practice those commands throughout the day as you go through your daily routine, and mix food and praise as the reward for the behavior. Every time I bring the dog in or out, it sits at the door and waits for me to tell it to come in, or go out. In the kitchen, it sits or stays where I tell it to, when, and for how long, I tell it to do it. Simple commands, simple behaviors, and they are effective for calming down a hyper pooch.

Works for me at least.

Good luck.