Doll Collection and New Dog

3 dogs and they never touched any of my dolls.I do have a separate doll room that is located outside the house. But sometimes I bring a doll inn and put by my bedside table. I think in my experience, the dog will only try and grab a toy or object if they previously have shown interest. Id say you are 98% safe

 

My dolls are usually in an ikea billy unit with glass doors, which was actually a precaution against one of my cats who liked to pull things off my shelves when she wanted something. I have dolls I'm working on out on various craft tables or surfaces in my office now, and my dog might sniff them if they're in his reach (they aren't when i'm not around), but otherwise he doesn't have much interest in them. Mostly I have to worry about him stealing the cotton gloves I wear when working on faceups, which I found out when he somehow managed to find them on my craft cart. Before then he'd really only gone for my socks!
I'd just suggest monitoring your new pup to see if she tends to go far anything that might be doll like or their clothes, wigs, etc, and just take relevant precautions. If your dolls are in an enclosed cabinet, then unless she learns to open doors to get at them, everything should be fine, for both the dolls and your puppy.

 

My last pet unfortunately passed away a few years ago, but I grew up with cats and dogs in the house all the time and I only ever had a problem with cats chewing on doll hands, and even then it was only one cat out of many. He liked to chew things that smelled like me; dolls I had been playing with, clothes I had been wearing, even the couch where I had been sitting And I wasn't even a young child at the time, I was well into my teens and approaching my twenties, so I can't imagine why.

One thing I did find though, is that with the dogs at least, they were a lot less likely to go after things I didn't want them to if I didn't go out of my way to keep them away from it. Both dogs and cats are naturally curious, and trying to keep them as far away from something is more likely to make that curiosity grow rather than wane. So for example, the dog was more likely to eat my notebook (he loved shredding paper) if I made a big song and dance out of keeping him away from it, but if I just left it laying around in places where he napped (on the sofa, on the floor by my desk, etc) he got so used to seeing it he didn't even bat an eye whenever I took it out. He'd only get excited when I tore pages out, because I'd inevitably crumple it into a ball and let him play.

It all sort of comes down to the individual animal, but you could try 'introducing' the new puppy to a doll from a distance. If she comes to see your dolls as just part of the furniture, she's a lot less likely to try and play with it, so it might help if you get her used to them being around.

 

i have English Bulldogs (well, only one girl now as my little guy passed away from old age last year) and they have always been largely uninterested in my dolls. my remaining girl is almost 11 now and can't be bothered; i can sit on the couch and work on a doll craft with her sitting next to me and she will just watch me and/or go to sleep without the slightest bit of interest in messing with whatever doll i have sitting on the coffee table. even when they were both young and very active and rowdy, the most they ever did if i had a doll out around them was smell it like they were sort of inspecting it and then walk away.

the only thing i ever had to watch was leaving a wigmaking project unattended and in Daisy's reach (the girl that's still with me.) i did that a couple of times when she was a young dog and regretted it every time. apparently she thought the wig looked like a small hairy animal, because i came back from a quick bathroom break to find her with my half-finished rooted wig in her teeth trying to shake it to death. the second time i figured it was up on a higher table and surely i was safe to just go in the other room for something....nope. came back and she had stood at the table and pulled it down and was "killing" it once again. she also vanquished some alpaca wefts i had drying on the kitchen table once. but once the wigs are on the dolls, they become uninteresting to her.

my boy on the other hand never got into anything doll-related in his entire 11+ years of life, but then he was always a sweet little polite gentleman in general

which brings me to my main point-- breed temperaments vary so much and then even within that each dog is so individual, you kind of have to just see how a new dog reacts to your doll collection before you'll know how careful you have to be. don't leave anything unattended with the new pup, but try having a doll out when you're there just to see what kind of reaction you get--- just like others have suggested above.

 

We don’t have dogs anymore, our last one passed away seven years ago, but we do have small parrots who are probably more destructive than the dogs were!

I always keep my dolls well away from them in another room and the door to that room closed. It’s more for their safety as there’s a lot of things that could be very dangerous to any animal. That’s what I think of first, the danger to the animal in question if things are swallowed, licked, chewed or even stood on (sharp objects such as scissors, craft knives, pins, etc). Like small children most animals will test anything interesting with their mouths, always remember that.

Back to dogs in particular. When ours were still alive they never interacted with the dolls unsupervised. The bigger dog (whippet/saluki cross) wasn’t really that bothered about them anyway, being a sight hound she was more interested in food or things that moved, the wee dog however (shih tzu) was a different story. He would always be afraid of anything new or unfamiliar, especially if it was bigger than him, but once he got over that fear he would either ignore it or try to play with it or sometimes he’d pee on it. He destroyed a lot of items and was quite rough with his toys as most small dogs are. He had a misshapen jaw and his tongue permanently stuck out which meant he also drooled a lot so everything was covered in stinking slobber. If you valued it you kept it well away from him!

As has already been said there is no real ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ answer. Every situation is different, every individual dog, cat, bird, etc is different however every species and breed will have specific traits that are build in instinctive behaviours designed around survival and those are deeply ingrained, humans included. These mechanisms can be triggered at any point and despite what people think are not easy to or impossible to override as they are at the very core of that being.
At their core domestic dogs are hunters regardless of breed or size especially if they’re in a ‘pack’. Even as puppies their play revolves around developing social skills and hunting skills and what they can or cannot interact with is taught by their parents, the rest of the pack and experience. As their human pack it is up to you to teach them what is or isn’t permitted. They’re naturally curious so they’re going to explore and try everything including opening doors, drawers, chewing wrapping (the fact it makes a noise is even better), pulling at things they’re trying to reach and climbing to do so in some cases, if it has an interesting smell then they’re going to sniff, lick or play with it, if it has a satisfying texture then they’re going to chew it especially if bored or teething. You’d be surprised what a dog can get in to when it wants so never assume ‘shut’ is enough. Assuming a closed door is a deterrent is coming home to find sketchbooks and paint canvases in pieces or (as my cousin found out) coming home to find what looks like a cloud tumbling down the stairs only to realise it is in fact the remains of the pillows, duvet and mattress of your bed.
Locked or well out of maximum reach are the only options.

Some dog breeds are going to be more likely to cause issues that others due to the breed’s initial purpose and therefore its enhanced instincts or drive.
Most small dogs will have been bred for hunting ‘vermin’ and have incredibly strong kill responses, many were also bred to be fearless to add to their rodent killing abilities, Terriers especially. Even if the small isn’t an actual Terrier many have some in their lineage to make them small.
Working breeds are another potentially problematic group. Their purposes may vary wildly from Gun dogs to Herding dogs to Sled dogs, etc but they all have one thing in common, they were bred for high levels of activity and especially in the case of herding breeds (many Guard breeds were also herding dogs) high levels of intelligence. These dogs often become bored quickly and as a result very destructive in a house. They will chew anything and everything especially when puppies. It’s not unknown for them to chew through doors and walls. Huskies will even climb furniture you don’t think they’re capable of reaching so anything you don’t want destroyed needs a very safe and secure hiding spot. These dogs need things to occupy them, they need loads of exercise and mental stimulation, they need very strict and careful training to keep them happy and you from pulling your hair out in frustration.

These are just examples. Each dog is an individual although breeds will have particular traits and just because one person says their dog was fine it doesn’t mean yours will be. Training and early desensitising to things is vital but never assume that given a chance or through fear (a scared dog will often seek out something to chew) your dog won’t touch something it shouldn’t.

 

Oh, my extremely limited amount of dog knowledge might actually be useful for once! We have a teacup chihuahua, who we adopted as an adult. She doesn't really care about anything that isn't food or attention, and has never destroyed anything in the house. She was already trained when we got her, so whoever did that did a really good job. Professional training is something to look into if you don't have the time to dedicate to the training, but thankfully with these small breeds, even at their large adult size, they're tiny. She's smaller than my 40cm dolls, only comes upstairs (where my bedroom and doll/art room are) if she's running from something downstairs since it's a lot of effort for her otherwise, and can't even get up on the couch without us lifting her up. If your dolls are on shelves or cabinets, you are definitely safe. I don't think there should be any need for a rift to come between you and your sister over a dog that is honestly too tiny to get to your dolls in the first place.

 

I don't really let my dogs near my dolls. My cat comes and goes, but she has no interest in the dolls. Sometimes she lays on the laps of my larger non-BJD dolls. My husky is really old and he is well past the chewing stage. The pitsky on the other hand who is much younger with put anything in her mouth and chomp. My daughter has lost a few toys to that fast grabbing mouth!

I will not leave my younger dog unsupervised in my room for any long amount of time. She has shown no interest in the BJD's when she walks past them, but I still wouldn't trust her. I think it's better to be safe and err on the side of caution when it comes to pets around my dolls.

 

I lost my sweet baby a few years ago, but she was a rat terrier rescue and I never had any issue with her bothering the dolls. She'd even cuddle them on rare occasion! She was not allowed in the doll room, but I did usually have one hanging out with me in the den that I'd leave either on the tv stand or couch. On the tv stand, she never paid any attention to them. On the couch, she usually laid on the other end and ignored them, though occasionally would get curious. She was never left unattended with them. I think she would have been fine, but I wasn't going to risk it. She was a very gentle, delicate dog. I think the most important thing with pets and dolls is to keep the dolls out of reach as much as possible and never leave the pet unattended with your dolls. Having a doll destroyed is awful, but resin is toxic if eaten, so that could be much more heartbreaking. In a room with closed door that pets can't access, in a cabinet or on a shelf pets can't reach are pretty safe places!