Total Basset Case: The #1 Question

Aug 18, 2016

The #1 Question

Once people find out we are expecting, the first question we immediately get is 
'How is Floyd going to handle this?'
Is it really that obvious had bad we spoil him?!
Don't answer that...

Truth be told, Floyd was one of our very first and most thought out concerns when we were discussing having a child.  

How would he do?
Where would his crate go?
Would he be so mad at us he wouldn't snuggle us anymore?
 
I think it is pretty clear that it has always been us three musketeers and we have been concerned about upsetting the pack in Floyd's eyes.  

Currently he definitely knows something is up.
He knows his room is different and will randomly go in there and just sit and look or lay around.
'I'll miss you Closet...'

And the biggest change is that he knows his crate (house) has been moved.
We relocated him to our bedroom and after a few rough first days, he is actually doing okay in there.
He has never been a fan of change and we knew that we wanted to initiate this change of moving him sooner rather than later.  

We have done quite a bit of research and read books/articles concerning bringing a baby into a home with a dog and they have offered a lot of great advice.

With that being said, we actually think it will go well! (All of our fingers crossed!)
Whenever we have friends with babies over, Floyd usually gives him one good sniff (and sometimes a lick across the face) and then trots off.  He doesn't seem phased by them or overly concerned about them.  He does not love crying and will tilt his head back and forth.
 And so far, he doesn't seem to mind when I hold a baby.

We are really just hoping and praying (seriously I pray about it every day) that the transition goes well and as smooth as possible.

I think armed with the knowledge we've read and advice from friends, things should go pretty smoothly.  We believe that once Floyd realizes the baby isn't leaving he will become used to the idea and hopefully they will be besties in no time ;)  

Some of the things we are going to do to make this transition easier are:
-send home a baby blanket from the hospital before we come home for him to sniff and snuggle
-make him a part of the coming home process
-continue to work on Floyd staying in his 'place' while nursing and/or tending to the baby
-continue to spoil and love on him as much as we do already :)

We know that there will be a lot going on and a lot of change but we want to make things as smooth as can be for all of us in the pack.  

Any advice for us on making this transition smoother would be greatly appreciated!

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Floyd is such a laid back boy, I cannot help but believe that he will be great. He might pout for a bit...pretend he is not interested, but he will come around ... Maybe you could shape the baby blanket into a bunny or something so he has his own new baby, too ... ๐Ÿ‘ถ๐Ÿป๐Ÿ‘ถ๐Ÿป๐Ÿ‘ถ๐Ÿป

Kait said...

He has called me multiple times to voice his concerns but I think he's mostly just really excited!

Kayla MKOY said...

Floyd will be fine!! If he does well with babies now (or ignores them) then it'll be a smooth transition. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you guys!! :)

Edye Nicole said...

I'm sure Floyd will adjust just fine! This first few days may be a little odd, but he'll be an awesome big brother ;)

Blessings,
Edye | Http://gracefulcoffee.wordpress.com

Meaghan said...

We also have a basset hound and she has been amazing with the kids. Luna was 1 1/2 when the first boy came and we added another two years later. She didn't appreciate the extra noise at first, but her sleep/nap schedule quickly bounced back. She grew to LOVE them once food was introduced. She prefers us to the kids but takes the snuggles, hugs, kisses, ear pulls, etc like a champ. We do watch the boys (now 5 and 3) with her to make sure they don't get rough and they know she's our first baby. Luna is easily the most loved member of our family.