How to Get Your Dog Used to Your Newborn Baby
Now comes the most challenging part of having a dog, or
dogs, and a baby. This is when all of the training you have done to date comes
into play and will make your life much easier and more enjoyable for all. The
following article will teach you how to get your dog used to your newborn baby.
Coming Home For the First Time
The first step in this process is your arrival home from
the hospital. If you do this the right way your dog will be more likely to
accept your new baby.
When you come home from the hospital, have mom enter first,
alone with something of baby's, such as a blanket or clothes the baby has worn.
This allows your dog to smell the new "thing" that will be coming
into the house, making it less alien to him. Have dad hold baby outside so that
your dog can greet her and start to calm down before the baby comes in the
house. Then, have mom go outside and hold the baby while dad goes in to greet
the dog. It is OK for your dog to get a little excited, but make sure you get
him calm before the baby comes in to the house. If mom and dad are calm and
relaxed when they enter it will transfer to the dog and put him at ease a
little faster. Do not make a big deal out of the greeting, but make it a happy
one! Put the dog on leash and make him sit and stay so you have control when
mom and baby enter. When your dog has calmed, come in the house with the baby.
Do not let the dog jump on anyone, especially baby! If he does, give him a firm
correction verbally and with a quick jerk on the leash. Do not use any harsh
punishments unless the dog becomes a threat to the baby. Do not hit your dog!
If you believe that the situation is too much for the dog to handle, put him in
his crate or gate him in a room. When the dog is calm, allow him to sniff
baby's feet. Be very careful not to let the dog too close to the baby's face at
first because he could accidentally hurt the baby if he jumps or licks too
hard. Basically, keep control of him at all times and the likelihood of
something bad happening will be minimal. Do make sure that you praise your dog
for good behavior. You can also give him high value treats for the good
behavior.
Even by following the above procedures your dog may still
be "jealous", even though dogs really don't have that emotion. They
do understand when the attention has diminished or completely gone away. Make
sure to still give your dog attention when possible! Make special time for him
just as you did before the baby came home. Set up time to play with and give
attention to him when the baby is around and is not around. This shows your dog
that he is still a part of the family and will still get attention. It also
teaches him to share the attention with the baby. This may seem like a tough
task to achieve because you will not have much energy due to the demands a baby
places on you, but it is vital!
How Your Dog Should Act Around the Baby
Have your dog sit or lay down when he is near the baby.
This will assist in the process of teaching the dog "gentle" and
promote calm behavior around the baby. Keeping the leash on in the house will
allow you to have the extra control over your dog that you may need. Make sure
to only have the leash on the dog when you are home and able to supervise,
otherwise the dog could get injured from the leash. You can also use the leash
to teach your dog to walk slowly around the baby. Make sure to praise when he
is doing what you want.
It is very important for your dog to respect your baby.
When your baby is young you need to be the one to make your dog have respect
for your baby. Making the dog be gentle and do down-stays around the baby helps
to teach the dog to respect the infant. As your child grows you can have your
child interact and do different activities with your dog to teach your dog that
the child is higher in the pack than he is.
When to Pay Attention to Your Dog
Good times to give your dog attention when you have your
baby out are when the baby is in his or her swing, on a blanket, or while you
are feeding baby (if you can juggle both tasks at once!). You can give your dog
treats during every aspect of dealing with the baby, such as while you are
feeding, while you are changing, holding or playing with your baby. Again, this
will teach your dog to accept all of the different things that you will be
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Do not push the dog away if he shows attention to the new
baby. Make sure to keep all baby experiences positive, when possible, using
praise and the high value treats. Encourage the calm, gentle behavior around
your baby so that he understands the right way to be with the baby. If you
ignore your dog when the baby is out it can cause feelings of neglect in your
dog. This can lead to bad attention seeking behaviors such as stealing things
that aren't his, jumping, nipping or barking. Realize that both your dog and
baby will still need individual attention.
A good way to pay attention to your dog is by taking him
out for a walk or play. It is very important for your dog to get plenty of
exercise daily. If your dog does not receive this necessity, he will become out
of control and a pain in the you-know-what!
Help! My Dog Steals From My Baby and Knocks Over Her
Highchair!
One thing that drives me crazy is a dog that steals from
the baby or knocks into baby equipment. Teaching your dog to keep a slight
distance away from the equipment will avoid accidents. Please do not let your
dog jump on or paw at the equipment. This is especially important because the
dog can knock over swings, strollers and high chairs inadvertently. Do not
allow your dog to climb into the baby equipment or lay on the baby blankets or
clothes. Your dog will leave hair and dirt in and on them and could damage the
equipment. It also sets up the possibility of your dog attempting to do this
when your baby is in it! Your dog could hurt or suffocate your baby if he lies on,
or steps on your baby.
Please keep your dog away from the high chair! Do not let
her clean the food up off the chair or the ground. This will eventually lead to
a dog that jumps on the chair and steals food. Whether or not your baby is in
the chair, this is not a good behavior to allow!
Nursing and Bottle Feeding
Nursing or bottle feeding is a special time for you and
your baby. It is also a time when your dog may become a pest while trying to
get your attention. This is a good time to use the "high value
treats" to reward the dog for good behavior and to teach the dog that this
is a pleasant time, not a time when the dog should feel slighted for a lack of
attention.
You can also utilize the down-stay on the dog's
"spot" or at your feet while feeding so that the dog is under
complete control, yet still near you and the baby.
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