It’s common to read on social network announcements like “dog finds home because there’s a baby at home“. When the new member of the family arrives, in certain situations, the baby substitutes the dog. When there are behaviors like that, probably for the new parents the dog was just a way out until they could have a baby… Fortunately this is not always the case, many of our readers know perfectly that dogs and babies can become great friends, so they ask us how preparing dog for baby and how introducing baby to dog..
Preparing dog for baby | Dogs and babies
It’s important to know that usually dogs accept easily babies, and if they don’t do that, you were wrong in the dog ducation or when introducing baby to dog. We are going to provide you some general rules that are usually followed by experts, trying to touch the most important points, when the specific case should be analyzed by a professional dog educator or behaviorist. The first thing to know is that dogs can understand when a change is approaching from owners behaviors so they can feel the mood when the family waits for the baby. Your dog can tell from your belly that you are waiting children, he can perceive biochemical changes in the body and in the attitude.
And remember to not panic about dog sickness that they can have when you are pregnant or the baby is just born. If your dog lives at home and it’s constantly checked up by a vet you don’t have any risk. Before the arrival of the baby at home, preparing dog for baby it’s the most important: when the baby is still at the hospital give to the dog something, like a blanket, that has the smell of the baby. In this way when the baby will be home the dog will recognize the smell and feel it related with the owner and the family.
When baby first comes home, someone says that is not a good moment make the dog participate. This depends a lot from the relationship you have with your dog: if you are the mom or she’s your partner and you think the dog can be too excited and damage the baby or you can’t control it, then better create a specific moment.
Dogs and babies, the first days | Dog jealous of baby
The first days and all the days after: don’t change attitude and behavior with your dog when the baby comes home. There’s nothing worse. For example: the dog is used to enter in the bedroom where the baby will sleep: if suddenly is not allowed anymore and the dog is blamed and banished the reaction will be understand automatically: baby child → no bedroom.
Lot of dogs are attracted by babies: the first thing they do is approach and when they understand they are dealing with a puppy, usually they start to lick them. If you shoo the dog because it gets closer, and you denied it the access to some place of the house suddenly, it will identify the baby with an enemy and will become jealous. It’s not something that always happens exactly like that, it depends on the dog and on its own timing and education. If you know your dog you should be able of knowing if the dog can unleash jealousy.
If you want to avoid the dog enter in certain rooms that you will want to use only for the baby you have to start doing it months before the birth, so the dog will get used to not enter in certain places and it will not related it with the baby. Some expert says that is also important be careful to all the people that will come home to see the baby, people that the dog never saw before. That dog can be stressed or feel jealous if it’s ignored. If the relationship with the baby already started the dog can also get overprotective. As we already said all of that is not going to happen for sure, but happens and can happen to you too, as experts say.
Introducing baby to dog | Dogs and babies advice
Dedicate always time to the dog after the baby came: don’t take for granted that the dog can accept its time with you reduced because of the baby. Ask help from friends or relatives or hire a dog sitter that can warrant the dog the same time outside and the same walks that it had before the baby. It’s mandatory to remember that if when the baby arrived at home you never paid attention attention to the dog, you made it feel ignored and you didn’t properly introduced the baby to your pet then don’t leave the baby alone with the dog.
These few tips on what to do when a baby comes home are not all you need to know. We just gave general advices but you have to apply all of them to your situation, your dog personality, your daily routines… and decide if the situation requires hiring a dog educator or a behaviorist to evaluate the situation and see if you are right in being worried about the relationship between your dog and baby. The last advice we will give you is that you have to find a way to function with your dog creating a peaceful environment. Use your brain, get more knowledge and information as in everything they are critical in order to face any situation and challenge of life. Knowing your dog and dog language is always the most important thing.
Share your knowledge, experience or doubts about dogs and babies in comments, other readers may be looking forward to know from you!
