There is no better news than the arrival of a new baby at home, a new member of the family that will fill us with joy and happiness. But if we have a dog, the situation can get a little complicated so it is practically obligatory to prepare our dog for family expansion.
Most dogs are loving, respectful, and submissive so following these simple tips shouldn’t be a problem. But some dogs are dominant, aggressive and possessive … and these are going to need professional help, as we will explain next.
Index of contents
- 1 Preparing the arrival of a baby: Modification of routines in our dog
- 2 How to introduce baby and dog
- 3 What precautions to take with our dog before the arrival of a baby
Preparing the arrival of a baby: Modification of routines in our dog
Dogs are routine animals on general levels, just as we humans are. If our dog is used to going out at certain times to pee and poop or taking walks, we should think about whether those schedules will be compatible when the baby comes home. It is very interesting to make a small organization chart and gradually get our dog used to its new schedules, in case there are modifications.
Prepare the house for the baby, put his crib, his toys and other accessories that every baby needs in sight. That he sees them, that he smells them and that he knows that he must respect them (they are not his toys). It is important our dog to socialize with all the new accessories before the baby arrives.
Meditate on the time you are going to spend with your dog. We all love our dogs madly, but if a baby needs our attention it is completely understandable to understand that we may have to take time from many other parts, such as our dog (among many things).
Realistically, if you are not going to be able to dedicate the same time to your dog now, it is better that you decrease the time little by little before the baby arrives. He should not associate his lack of time with you with the arrival of the baby, so it is important to do it much earlier.
Be responsible and aware that the dog is also part of your family, when we say to meditate on the time you spend, it is because we assume that you spend all your free time. But if you only spend a few hours a day, organize your time well, he also needs you.
Introduce new scents in the house, start using or putting in some area of the house, baby cologne and the odd diaper. Introducing smells is something super positive since it is its most developed sense.
We all know that babies spend a few days in the hospital before they can go home. Take your baby’s dirty (used) diapers and take them home, let the dog smell them and recognize the smell.
How to introduce baby and dog
The presentation is essential for a good coexistence, since it will make the first impression on our dog and must be positive. It is essential to be very clear that our dog is not aggressive, if we suspect that it may be, the best thing is to go to a professional trainer (without a doubt). If it is between recommended dog breeds to live with children and he has been well educated, you should have no problem, although it never hurts to be cautious.
In the event that we are absolutely certain that our dog is not aggressive, when we get home we should let him come over to greet us and greet him naturally. It is also necessary to let the baby smell, obviously with caution and always with the presence of another adult just in case, but it is very positive that he voluntarily wants to smell the baby out of curiosity.
If you try to suck / lick it, we must leave it too, it is a sign of respect and affection. The presentation should be with good harmony, tranquility and smiles, the dogs detect the mood and if they see us worried or nervous they can get nervous too.
Behavior must be egalitarian to avoid jealousy in our dog, when we pamper the baby we must also pamper him, they are all part of the family. Leaving the dog aside, not letting him get close or away, is very contradictory. Remember that you must educate the dog and the child, so that both respect each other, when the baby grows up.
Respect the dog’s walks, its affection and even dedicate time exclusively to it. A tended dog is rarely jealous.
What precautions to take with our dog before the arrival of a baby
All dogs are good, or at least that’s what their owners think and the truth is that it is more or less like that. Dogs are good by nature but if they have not been educated or have been rude, they can be aggressive and dangerous.
Just because our dog is respectful to us does not mean that it will be respectful with the baby, we must know its character in general with any other child, on the street, in the park, etc … Even its character with other dogs. If our dog has presented or shows any sign of aggressiveness, or we suspect that it may be aggressive, we must go to a professional trainer in an obligatory way. Only he can prepare the ground for the baby’s arrival.
If our dog is a good-natured and we are one hundred percent sure that nothing will happen, we can follow the steps indicated in this article but always with supervision. Under no circumstances should a baby and a dog be left alone.
We must observe their behavior for many months after the baby arrives to ensure that there is no jealousy or character changes. At general levels there are not and everything goes well, but that does not mean that you have to let your guard down.
Use common sense, if your dog weighs fifty kilos it may be interesting to pay attention to games, dogs can unintentionally hurt, trying to play.