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.
Arthritis ranks among the most frequent diseases of the joints in dogs. It is accompanied by pain and limitations for physical activity. And because it cannot be cured I’ll give you some tips how to make the life of your buddy with arthritis easier.
It is nowadays completely normal to have dog restaurants, saloons and spas. People try to indulge their pets with all the luxurious things. Some procedures are more helpful than others. But thalassotherapy is one of those that can have a positive...
Nowadays even our pets are subject to diseases of civilization. Obesity is no good for them as well as for people. Do you know how to tell if your cat is obese and what are its causes and consequences?
The season of ticks is back again and so it is the right time to start protecting our pets. These parasites also bring anaplasmosis except from borreliosis. And the fact that this disease is not generally know does not undermine its serious impacts on...
You, as cat keepers, will probably be frightened when hearing “cat plague”. But precisely this phrase is sometimes used for panleukopenia which is a very dangerous cat disease. You may not only prevent it thanks to information obtained but to identify...
The whiskers on cats’ face are probably too noticeable to ignore them. But do you know all the places where cat’s whiskers with sense of touch are? And do you know how this comprehensive tactile body functions?
As you might know, the assistance dogs help people with various physical or mental disabilities nowadays. But there is a program in the US and in other countries which helps children to improve their reading and communication skills.
We are all try to give our dog companions the best, from health care to the leisure activities. Nutrition is no exception to that and it is prone to modern trends similar to those of regular human food. Reducing or opting out the grain from the diet is...
Whether it has undergone castration or any other surgery, your dog needs to rest more after it. But this can sometimes seem almost impossible. To “force” your beloved pet to rest is not easy, indeed. A few tips how to handle this situation follow.
The last time, I shared with you my opinions on castrations in general and I’ve named the advantages and disadvantages of this procedure in bitches. Now, let’s take a look, how it is with dogs.
Castration is still quite a tricky and discussed topic. Today, I will introduce you to the facts about this procedure and about its consequences and I will also share my opinion.
If you have one of the furry furring balls at home, maybe you know, in what kind of devil some of them are capable of turning into, if you need to give them a pill. If your cat belongs precisely among those, in which it’s almost a superhuman task, I...
