collies and babies

Question
Hello,

Im slightly concerned about the behaviour of male border collies and new babies. I am due to give birth in about 5 months when my collie george will be 18 months. He is a lovely dog , very friendly and active,with no major behavioural problems or aggression. however, i spend the most time with george and take him out daily, which soon i will not be able to do as easily. He always comes to me for cuddles and i am afraid he will get jealous or his behaviour will change so much that having him near a new born is too much. He is always into everything and loves attention, and i adore him, but the thought of me not being able to spend time together like we do know worries me. Have you got any experience of collies with babies or any hints and advice.

Thanks very much

p.s. he is getting neutered next week! if that makes a difference

catherine

Answer
Hello Catherine,

Yes, I have lots of experience with Border Collies and kids as I have 6 kids of my own, two of which were raised with a Border Collie, Black Lab and Doberman/Terrier mix.

My two daughters who were raised with the 3 dogs had no problem adapting to my additional responsibility.  My children were ALWAYS supervised around my dogs and my dogs were mainly kept outside unless I was able to monitor their behavior around my girls at all times.  I would bring in one dog at a time when I felt like having a dog in the house to eliminate additional problems with dog fights or dog play which can get to be too rough around kids.

It is important that you teach your dog his place in the home.  By this I mean that you must keep in perspective that he is a dog, nothing more.  I know some folks would like to argue this because they believe their dog is almost "human".  But they aren't.  They are an animal and can act as one at any time.

The best thing to do is get a crate for your dog if you don't have one already and begin to train him that his home is his crate.  If you're not supervising your child with the dog, he needs to be locked up in another room, outside or in the crate.

Dogs do best with children they grow up with.  They can be protective and very trustworthy around a child when they are exposed to them right away.  However, you must never under any circumstances leave your child alone with the dog.  Your dog must always have supervised visitations with your child.

I think you've got a great relationship with your dog and he trusts you a lot for protection and attention.  His loyalty to you will not fade if you continue to spend time with him as you can and give him boundries that he understands.

Getting him neutered may help a lot in the aggression department, if he ever had it in him to be aggressive.  Be firm and consistant with commands that pertain to acceptable behavior and distance from your child.  I never used to allow my dogs faces to come near my children's faces.  It wasn't until my children were about 3 or 4 years old that they started hugging my dogs and wanted to pet them and take walks with me and the dogs.

Today my kids are big-time dog lovers, cat lovers and horse lovers.  I believe you should instill a healthy fear of all animals in your kids - this includes respect for the animal and it's ability to act defensively or aggressively at any time.  Handling a dog takes time, skill and practice.  As the adult and responsible party for your dog, it is up to you to keep control over your dog's behavior.

Thank you for your question.

Ann Jordan
Border Collie Coach
BorderCollieCoach.com