When your family grows by a new (human) member, it isn’t necessarily a happy event for everyone. For many dogs, it’s very difficult to come to terms with such situation, therefore, it’s better to start preparing them already before the baby is born. This will make it easier for the dog and you will secure the safety of your child.
When your family grows by a new (human) member, it isn’t necessarily a happy event for everyone. For many dogs, it’s very difficult to come to terms with such situation, therefore, it’s better to start preparing them already before the baby is born. This will make it easier for the dog and you will secure the safety of your child.
The child should come into contact with the dog only when the dog is ready. While some get used to a newcomer quickly, for others, it might be quite an issue. That’s why it’s necessary to start preparing the dog for the baby as soon as possible. I have summarised the steps into several basic points:
1. The dog should master basic commands
For the safety of the baby and for the sake of your nerves, it’s important that the dog thoroughly masters the basic commands. This way, you will prevent the animal from getting in the way when you’re taking care of the child, changing its diaper, for instance. Apart from the commands such as sit, down and stay – in the Czech Republic maybe “beat it” as well – the dog should be trained to go to its place. When you put the baby on the couch or on the bed, for instance, you have to make sure that it will be safe from the dog. In the same way, you should stop your dog from going to places or sleeping in places where the child will be resting. The baby needs peace and quiet to rest, especially during the first months of its life.
2. Introduce the dog to new things
Already before the arrival of the baby, introduce the dog to new things in the apartment such as the cot, pram and the like. Let him sniff them, but make sure to let him know properly, that these things are off limits and reassure him of this before the baby comes. You also have to train the dog thoroughly so that he distinguishes between his toys and the child’s toys. Some dogs tend to be proprietary, so it can take a lot of work in their case. Children have the habit of sucking and biting everything, therefore, it is undesirable for them to come into contact with a toy that your dog had in his muzzle. The dog has to really learn these restrictions before the arrival of the baby, this way, it will not associate them with it in a negative way.
3. Get the dog accustomed to child sounds
Some dogs may react to a child’s cry or whoop with undesirable behaviour. They may also be afraid or bark. That’s the reason why it’s not a bad idea to introduce them to the sounds already before the arrival of this little speaking trumpet. You can buy a CD with child sounds and play it regularly for them or associate the sounds with a positive experience: a stroke, praise, a game or a treat.
4. Get the dog accustomed to a new regimen
If you already know, that after the baby is born, you won’t be able to walk the dog like up to now or to feed him at the usual time and the like, try to introduce all the changes in the daily regimen before the baby is born.
5. Introduce the dog to the baby’s scent before its arrival
It may help the dog, if you bring him a thing from the maternity ward with the baby’s scent so that he could familiarise himself with it before the first contact.
6. Find out the dog’s reactions to children
If it’s possible, try to get the dog come into contact with a child, for instance, take him for a visit to your acquaintances. This way, you will find out his reactions to various situations and you will have a better idea about what you have to work on before your own baby is born.
Have you got any other advice how to prepare the dog for a baby already before its birth? I haven’t been through this yet, so I welcome any observations from practice.
Next time, I will try to summarise how to introduce the dog to a baby and what other rules to establish.
Kitten Lady describes her activities as kittens’ advocacy and humane education. This all is done by young beautiful Hannah Shaw. She’s a kitten rescuer, spreads the principles of humanity and is an unwavering advocate of animal rights. She decided to...
Several kinds of hedgehog are kept as pets. The most common one is the four-toed hedgehog or an African pygmy hedgehog in other words. This pet which is not very common but is becoming more and more popular can live up to 9 years in captivity and...
More than one artist fell in love with these creatures and looked for inspiration for work in them. One of them was Ernest Hemingway. He is the author of the well-known saying “One cat just leads to another”. He really kept a large number of cats (in...
We have an active and healthy lifestyle. Or at least we try to have. In relation to that, we don’t only think about our own food but also about our dogs’ food. The trend of barfing has already come to the Czech Republic, too. It is a method of feeding...
If you go camping for the first time, it is good to prepare for all various reactions of your furry friend. Do you travel with it by car and by public transport with no problems? Is your dog okay when not sleeping at home, e.g. in a mountain cabin? It...
As the name of this breed suggests, you can’t expect much hair on an American hairless terrier. This small or medium size muscled dog has hair only on its muzzle and eyebrows. But the interesting thing is that puppies are born with an undercoat which...
Let us get this straight, what is monoprotein food? It is wet food (i.e. cans and pouches) which contains only one type of meat, muscles and bowels. And why is it better than common wet food?
A meat bomb in a form of a dog paté or can doesn’t have to be only a reward. If you are planning to go on a long hike – to the mountains or to the valley – you can make the use of a dog meat can. Dogs in move, usually when doing any sport outside, need...
The cause of diabetes is a lack of insulin (a pancreas hormone) or the inability of the body to use it effectively (i.e. the resistance of tissues towards insulin). And it doesn’t matter if you’re a person or an animal. With diabetes, the sugar is...
Runner Dion Leonard could talk for hours about the bond which is created between a man and a dog and also about how an unknown Asian crossbreed dog becomes one of the most famous dogs on planet Earth. He bumped into a dog companion at the ultra-trial...
Even when you cannot or don’t want to take your dog on your holiday with you, you still have many options what to do with it. You can take him to your relatives, accommodate it in a dog hotel, use dog-sitting and other things. It’s not that easy with...
Cats can also be heroes and put their lives at risk to save someone from risky or life-threatening situations. The first cat hero I will introduce you to is Scarlett. She showed her heroism in the most natural form – she saved her kittens. She took...
