Tips to Help Prepare Your Dog for a New Baby
This is a huge topic and one that could be an 8 week class, but here are some helpful tips to get you thinking along the correct lines for how much your life is going to change for your dog when you have a baby in the house.
Let’s start with locations:
· Will your dog be allowed in baby’s room? If not, getting a gate or starting to teach your dog to lay down at the threshold of the room would be a good start.
· Will your dog still be able to sleep with you? If the dog sleeps in your bed now and that will change, you are going to need to get your dog a new “snazzy” bed and work toward transitioning the dog to this bed.
· Will your dog still be allowed on furniture? This is particularly important depending on if you will be nursing or how high your changing table is. Start a routine early wherever a dog needs a command to get up or has a command to stay off.
We have talked about some potential issues for your dog and the new baby but let’s be honest…a dog is a dog and he/she is going to want to investigate the baby – the sights, smells, and may resent the intrusion into his/her life and schedule. As you bring things home and starting setting up the nursey, let your dog smell the new items. Start using some of the baby products on yourself so the dog starts getting familiar with the smell. Get a CD with baby noises on it so your dog can start to understand the sounds. Use a baby doll to sit in your lap so you can practice a command for “get back” or “go away.”
Life with a baby changes almost every facet of your life and will change your pet’s life too. Start making some changes to your pet’s life during pregnancy – feeding times, play times, and new commands are all going to be part of the process. Think about ways to decrease stress for you and your pet in advance. If you need help, contact a trainer as they can make this time a lot easier by helping create a new bond between you and your dog which will make the transition a little easier.