Ane Graham
Writer | Dog Blogger
As future parents, you aren’t the only one adjusting when your baby arrives – your pets do too! Your pup would most likely have mixed feelings, especially when he’s bombarded with unfamiliar scents and sounds.
To make sure the transition would go smoothly for everyone, here are 5 tips to introducing your dog to your baby.
Start With Proper Training
It’s important to prepare before your baby arrives. And what could be better than being able to effectively communicate with your pup whenever necessary?
Teaching your dog simple commands such as ‘sit’, ‘quiet’, and ‘go away’ will make taking care of your baby more manageable and less stressful.
Moreover, it’s also best to work out any issues and unwanted habits of your dog around this time. If you have any difficulty in how and where to start training your dog, you can always call a professional to help you.
Introduce Your Dog to New Experiences
Now that you have smoothened out any problems when it comes to behavior, it’s time to introduce them to baby items, scents, and sounds.
Slowly fill in baby items such as a crib and some baby clothes in your home and observe her reaction. Give her treats when she responds gently to it and patiently trains her if she responds otherwise.
When she gets used to this, you can proceed to play baby sounds for some time daily. You can also gently tug on her ears and tail to simulate babies when they tend to be playful.
Practice Changes in Your Routine
Taking care of your newborn would drastically change your routine, and your furbaby would be affected too.
To prevent her from being too stressed, it’s best to start the change early on. If your new schedule would affect your dog’s feeding and walking time, gradually switch to this new routine so as not to induce anxiety in your pup.
Also, as taking care of a baby can be time-consuming and unpredictable, it’s best to have someone you can trust to take her out for a walk. Plus, an auto-feeder works when it becomes too hectic for you!
Take Control When Meeting the Baby
When the most-awaited day has come, one important thing to do is to relax your dog before meeting the baby.
If you want to be extra careful, you can keep her in a dog harness while slowly approaching the parent who is holding the baby.
Allow your pup to sniff the baby at a safe distance. It’s best to keep this distance while your newborn is still in her most fragile state. Make sure to reward your dog for respecting this.
Eventually, they’d be allowed to be closer and even play together!
Balance Daily Life With a Baby
While your baby grows, most of the time your attention would fixate on her. Babies grow up so fast after all, and we don’t want to miss any moment of it!
But remember that before that, we also have our very own furbaby that we love and care for. Don’t forget to spend your time with your pup too!
You can multitask by taking your dog for a walk while your baby happily gets some vitamin D in her stroller.
It can be tricky at first, but a bit of trial-and-error would keep everyone feeling at ease and secure – just the way it was before.
About Ane Graham
Ane is a dog lover who is passionate about giving tips on how to keep pups healthy and happy. If not writing, you can find her hiking with her American Bully, Ozzy. Read more of her tips at dogclublife.com
View all posts by Ane Graham here.
