Customer Reviews

There's A Baby in the House: Preparing your Dog for the Arrival of your Child

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am the author of this book and feel I need to respond to several of the reviews below. As you will see, there are two types of reviews here: extremely positive and extremely negative. This reflects a split in the training world between trainers who feel that the only way to train is "positive only" and trainers like myself who emphasize positive reinforcement and use some compulsion where necessary. In the positive only training world one is NEVER allowed to use any kind of aversives whatsoever and squirting a dog with a little jet of water (which is about as aversive as it gets in this book) from a squirt bottle is equated with kicking it across the room. As anyone who is raising children knows, one has to set behavior boundaries and generally speaking this is not possible when one is not even allowed to say "no."

The fact is that the approaches advised in this book focus heavily on positive reinforcement and treat based training but are also realistic when it comes to setting absolute behavior boundaries. The fact is also that I've received hundreds of letters from around the country from parents thanking me for this book because it helped them in a simple and humane way.

Personally, I will never bow down to the politically correct "positive only" movement at the expense of dog owners who need simple and realistic solutions now.

The behavior you tolerate from your dog before your baby is born may become intolerable after your baby is born. Does your dog sleep on your bed? Bark at passerbys? Run through the house? Beg for food? Pull on the leash? Refuse to come at the park when he finds something more interesting than you? Each of these behaviors take on a whole new dimension when you have a baby in the house.

Imagine cuddling in bed with your sleeping baby only to have your dog jump on the bed and start rolling around. Imagine spending an hour getting your baby to fall asleep only to have him awoken by your dog barking at your neighbor's cat walking down the sidewalk. Imagine your dog barreling through the house while your little one is toddling about. Imagine walking down the street with your baby in your arms or in a stroller and having your dog pull you all over the place. This is not a pretty place to be. You love your dog. But you will love your baby more. If you don't have a baby yet, it is hard to imagine loving anyone more than you love your dog. But, it happens. And, you will grow to resent your dog when he/she interferes with the quality of your baby's life. I know because I have three dogs and a ten month old baby.

Wombacher's book has restored sanity in our lives and taught us how ALL of us (my husband and me, our baby, and our dogs) could co-exist in a way that works for everyone. In particular, if you follow his Doggie Twelve-Step Program you will effectively teach your dog that you are in control, not him/her. You will be able to keep your dog quiet while your baby is sleeping. You will be able to take your baby AND your dog for a walk. You will be able to have your dog in the same room as your baby without worrying about your dog running your baby over.

Some other reviewers have objected to Wombacher's advice because he suggests the use of some aversives like a squirt bottle. If you are lucky enough to have a dog who responds to positive reinforcement only, lucky you! But, not all dogs are so compliant. I learned this the hard way with my dog who became more and more dominant and headstrong despite endless "good boys" and treats. Positive reinforcement is great for teaching the nuts and bolts of obedience, but it doesn't allow you to exert control over a dominant dog. I worked at a humane society that only employed positive reinforcement techniques. Unfortunately, I watched several beautiful, intelligent, fun-loving dogs get euthanized because they were out of control and positive-reinforcement-only training didn't address their underlying dominance issues. They could sit, down, stay, shake hands, and speak on command; but when it came to barking or chasing squirrels or resource guarding, the positive-reinforcement folks failed and the dogs were euthanized for being "unadoptable." I realized that I would rather squirt my dog with a spray bottle and put a citronella bark collar on him than have to take him to the vet to be euthanized after he hurt my child.

A must for anyone with a baby (or a baby on the way)!

I wish someone could have told me the info I really wanted begins on page 95! I have a very obedient and well trained Doberman but I KNOW the temptation baby toys are going to pose to him! I wanted a book that would tell me how to get him to "understand" what are his toys and what are not and to learn to be careful around the baby.

The fist 94 pages of the book went over what I would consider basic training that any in-house family dog would need to know. It was boring for me to read and my dog already does all of it and more. (We have even taught him the difficult, intangible command of "other". This is not in very many books because there are only a handful of dog breeds that could comprehend such a vague idea but I don't know how we would live without it! Commands like "other side", "other paw" and "other bone" are SO helpful!)

It wasn't until page 95 that I felt my $11 had been well spent. First, the author tells you to get rid of all dog toys that look like baby toys, such as plush toys, etc. Then he says to use a teensy drop of Listerine on some BABY toys and place them in a pile with dog toys and not allow your dog to touch any of the baby toys. This is very clever - the mint scent would easily designate what is the baby's and my dog would very clearly understand this. (He was recently crushed when a toy plush monkey arrived as a gift for the baby and it got put in the nursery closet instead of being given to him. I have known that when the baby is born and the monkey comes out, there is a Doberman death sentance waiting for that little chimp! The Listerine trick will work perfectly, I'm going to put a dab on the tag and add monkey to the pile of toys he's not allowed to touch!)

Next I was worried about the dog sniffing at the baby too hard and for too long. (You Doberman owners know what I am talking about - they can really shove that slender nose into you!) The book, like other websites I have seen, mentions you should carry around a baby doll wrapped in a baby blanket and train the dog to not go near where you set the baby down. The author encourages as much realism as possible.

In addition to this, the author gives very good reasons why the dog should not be allowed anywhere near where you feed the baby or around the high chair. Yes, I am looking forward to having my dog do most of the food pick-up off the floor, but he is only allowed to do that AFTER everyone eats. While you are all eating, the dog must stay far back so that he doesn't view the child as a source of food and steal snacks from him later. (I KNOW my dog would do this because I have seen him weasel goldfish crackers out of neighbor children's hands while they were standing in curious silence, in awe of his licking their hands.)

We have already been practicing not letting the dog into the baby's room, as the author suggests, mostly to avoid getting dog hair on all the new baby stuff! We will continue this practice and make sure he understands he's not to ever enter without us. (The author promises this will be handy some day when the child is rolling on the floor, either laughing or screaming in a temper tantrum, and the dog wants to play "the new game".)

This book DID have the information I was looking for at the end of the book and I am happy that I bought it. I think this book has the potential to be the ONLY dog training book you need if you are getting a dog and will some day add a baby. The steps you are given are very easy to do and will be fun for you both!

I hate to say it, but I wished I'd written this book. I'm a trainer in Los Angeles and this book summarizes in a clear way not only what an owner needs to do in order to prepare their dog for a baby, but what they need to do to build a positive and mutually rewarding relationship with their child.

Of course, though I wished I'd written this book, now there's clearly no need to do it since there's little if anything left to add to this title.

I highly recommend it to you and will recommend it to my training clients.

My wife and I bought this book when she was six months pregnant and I must say that of all the preparatory books we bought for her pregnancy, this was one of the most helpful.

It very directly addressed every issue we faced with our own dog and simply and directly helped us to resolve them.

I was inspired to write this review as a response to the one that preceded it where the reviewer suggests that the exercises contained in this book could lead to methods that are harsh. Clearly the reviewer has not read the book himself, for nothing could have been further from the truth. None of the methods suggested in this book are by any stretch of the imagination harsh and by no means did they create fear. In fact, since working with what was outlined in this book we now have the best relationship we've ever had with our dog - one based on mutual trust and respect. It is clear that the author of this book has had extensive experience and a deep understanding of the psychology of dogs as everything he suggested worked beautifully and most importantly, humanely. And the proof of the pudding was that when our baby arrived the transition was, as the last chapter in the book suggests, seamless. We are all one big happy family in large part thanks to this book.

If you're having concerns about how your dog will receive your child this book is a must!

This is a must read if you're planning on expanding your family. There's a good chance your beloved pet may see the new arrival as direct competition for your affection and develop some not only negative but also potentially dangerous behaviors. This book is great for preparing you and your dog for the inevitable jealousies. The author really understands dogs and guided us through some tricky times. Concice and easy to understand, he teaches positive training from which we all benefited, especially our dog.

I'm a Lamaze teacher in St. Louis and first heard about this book on a radio interview with the author. Interested, I ordered a copy, read it and ran it by a dog trainer friend, who agreed that the information is pertinent, well organized and easy to use.

Since then I've been referring it to all my students who have dogs and have received tremendously positive feedback from them all. They tell me that the book caused them to think of things they hadn't thought of previously regarding their dog and their soon to arrive baby. In every case, where they had a problem, the book offered a solution and in one case it even helped an owner to assess the temperament of her dog in order to determine whether he would be appropriate with a child in the house.

All in all, this is one of the best little finds I've made and it's been a pleasure to share it with others. So if you've got a dog with a baby on the way, don't pass up this book. It's the best "money" you're likely to spend before your little one arrives.

When faced with my own pregnancy I looked over the handful of books available on the topic of dogs and babies and found every answer I needed in this book. The others, while helpful in some ways, were not nearly as comprehensive and succinct. This book is not theoretical in the least and does not bother the reader with long abstract tracts on the psychology of dogs. It simply provides a host of immediately helpful advice with enough explanation to help the reader understand why they're doing what they're doing. It's a practical, hands on, well written and user friendly guide that helped me ease myself and my dog through a huge transition with the arrival of my baby. There are tons of photographs and illustrations that make this book as easy on the eye as on the mind. Hurray to this author for cutting away the fat and giving us what really works.

It's no wonder it was featured on "Good Day New York," and in Fit Pregnancy Magazine.

I was inspired to write this review after using Mike Wombacher's training services in San Francisco. He was referred to me by numerous sources and I used this book as a reference throughout our training process.

My wife was six months pregnant and we were concerned about a number of problem behaviors in our five year old lab mix. He had issues of aggression, separation anxiety and a number of other things and we thought for sure that we'd have to find him another home with a baby on the way - not an easy thing to do for a dog like him.

Mike helped us resolve all our areas of concern using precisely the methods described in his book. It was a life saver for us. It's concise, well-written, easy to use and filled with stuff that works. If you're having a baby and have concerns about your dog do yourself a favor and buy this book. Your dog will thank you for it.

I bought this book after reading about it in various places and seeing the author on a local television program and it has transformed my life with my dog. Initially I purchased the book to help me prepare my dog for the arrival of my baby, and it helped me with this enormously. What I didn't expect was how much this book would help me transform my overall relationship with my dog in the most positive way.

The bond I have with him now is closer than ever and the bond he is developing with my new baby is beautiful to see.

The book is well written and is loaded with photos, illustrations and sidebars. It is heavily cross referenced and easy to use. And while the author uses a sense of humor to drive home his points, he does not distract the reader with excess verbiage, being straight and to the point in everything he says.

All in all, a great book for building a solid relationship with your dog, whether there's a baby on the way or not. I wish I could give it six stars!