Introducing 7 month old scheizer to my 11 month old daughter Hailey

[Rockwilda]

i have no idea what my dog is gonna do when she sees hailey my daughter ...i got short notice that her mother is bringing her to see me tonight until wednesday ...ANY ideas or suggestions would be much obliged

[Judi W]

Well, if you have no idea, best to simply have her crated. You should have a pretty good handle on her prior to putting a toddler in front of her.

How does she usually greet people? You know her best. Is she quite disorderly or does she approach gently? Does she genuinely like everyone she meets or does she worry somewhat? Those are all things you need to know prior to an introduction. The other part of the equasion is how your daughter feels. Is she the type of child that is going to scream in fear, or does she like animals and is she a confident little girl?

Take your time. Keep the pup crated until you see that she becomes comfortable with your daughter and your daughter with her. Then have the daughter sit up on a chair or stool, take the pup out of the crate on leash and you can give her an opportunity to do a small meet and greet on your way to take the dog outside. Don't have your daughter walking around with the dog out at this time. You'll need to play it be ear, but an exuberant pup plowing into a baby that is just learning to walk is not going to make for happiness. That is why you want your daughter on the couch or chair as you take the dog in and out. Then you can see how things go.

[Rockwilda]

thanks for the advice judy...i never got it before we got home from the airport though ...:) :) :) scheizer was very well mannered and hailey tasted like cookie so she got a lot of licks...scheizer is very careful around her ..i am soo happy i will still always be watching like a hawk but its good to know that the first baby scheizer met is my daughter hailey ...and they are great friends :)

[SABELLESMOM]

Well good for Scheizer! And great for you and Hailey too! Of course many Rorries seem to instinctively understand when something/someone needs to be approached gently. Some even make themselves "smaller" by lying down on first meetings. Others are more curious and are simply more careful.

I had always practiced Sable meeting small children. Both she and Jazmine adored them! If one cries, they both try to find a way to notify someone to "fix it!" LOL I never thought to practice with elderly frail folk, though. Thank goodness it wasn't necessary. She knew just what to do anyway.

Hey! Enjoy your visit with your daughter! Have a really fun time! It doesn't get any better than kids...and of course good dogs!:D

[Luvs]

I love seeing a well behaved rottie with a baby. It is great that your girls get along so well. Don't you just love it when things work out?:D Even though they get along be sure and keep an eye on them (which I know you will do).

We have gone out of our way to socialize the puppies with kids of different ages. Unfortunately I don't know many people with infants so we haven't been able to do a whole lot of infant socializing. When we were at our first dog show last month the people next to us had an adorable little boy in an infant seat sitting next to his moms chair. Akasha saw him and went bonkers! She immediately had to go over and say hi. I was amazed at how gentle she was with him. She gave him lots of kisses and let him grab hold of her while she was kissing him. Thankfully they were rottie people so his mom encouraged both Akasha and Keil to visit with him. Their crates were right next to ours and Akasha and Keil kept going over to visit all day long. I was very proud of them and how well they behaved with the baby:D

[ILoveRotts]

Good for you!

I have 3 Rotts and a 13 month old. They get along great!

Of course, we had the advantage of training them well before the baby arrived.:)


Our most said phrase is "watch the baby". Their very gentle with her but sometimes forget she's not a Rott!;) So you have to watch carefully. Which is sound like your doing.

[Rockwilda]

everyones feedback and advice is so helpful ..thanks evryone....they are getting along great ..i didnt know what to expect when scheizer and hailey met ...but sheizer did know that the little one needs to be taken care of and played with gentle ...i am a lucky guy . :p both my baby girls get along...and yes i still watch like a hawk just in case ...because scheizer gets really excited about meeting new friends and she is still a little puppy in a biiiig dogs body in some ways :D