Big announcement and questions too,

[Emily, Jace, & Maggie Devers]

Well, the Devers clan is adding another pack member but this ones a little human baby instead of a furry one! We're having a baby!!!!!! YAY! :) we're excited but I want to start working on things with jace and Maggie ASAP. I want them as close to perfect as we can get by the time the baby comes. Any suggestions would be amazing! Here's some problems they have and any recommended solutions would be awesome. We have them enrolled in an AKC obedience class starting march 12, Maggie (6 mos) chews things she's not supposed to, counter surfs(working on that), and barks in her crate when were not in the room. Jace really has no problems. He listens great, he stopped jumping and knows all his commands. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!:)

[Adina P]

Congratulations!  How very exciting!

[Texas Doodle Mom and Molly Rose]

The advice to set up all the baby contraptions (swing, crib, etc.) ahead of time is good. We had a cd of baby noises we played for our shelties, and gave them scented blankets from the hospital. But they were so good and patient with our boys. Their food was in a gated area that was kid-free, and that helped them relax when eating. They were sheepdogs though and loved to nip while herding the kids - not sure we ever broke that habit! We will have a 9, 6, and 3-year-old (human boys) when our doodle comes to us. Will be an adventure :). Congrats to you!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Congratulations!! What an exciting time!

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

Congratulations!  

[Emily, Jace, & Maggie Devers]

Thanks everyone!! All the suggestions were great!! :)

[Deborah Brown]

Congratulations!  What good news!

And more good news is that Maggie will have a chance to grow up a bit more by then.  You'll need to work on the crate training.  Offer her kongs and toys to make the crate more interesting.  Unfortunately, she will still be young enough to want to chew the baby's things.  Doodle chewers rarely rehabilitate before two years of age.  Pacifiers, toys, diapers will all be very, very tempting to her.

Luckily you have some time to work on these issues and it looks like you are getting some excellent advice for other DKers.