Bringing a baby into your family is a wonderful experience, and it brings about a great amount of change. This isn’t true just for you since if you have dogs, they’re going to be impacted by this as well. Even dogs that are very well-behaved, like a blue nose Pitbull, can be incredibly uncomfortable around babies, simply because they’re not used to them. With that in mind, it’s crucial to help your dog adjust to these changes in a way that is safe for everyone involved. It all starts with the preparation work.
Train Your Dog
If your dog isn’t the best-behaved, and you’ve had issues with him or her in the past, don’t expect them to magically correct their behavior now. Many people don’t take the time to properly train their pets, and then, when a baby comes, they’re surprised that the dog isn’t acting as they wish. Ideally, a dog should be trained long before one plan on creating a family, but if you haven’t done it until now, try your best to do so before the baby arrives.
New Routines
You’re likely going to be unable to walk the dog as often once you have a new addition to the family. Because of that, consider getting the pup adjusted before the baby gets here. Cut back on those extra walks, and give the dog less attention. This ensures that the transition is going to be a smoother one, than if you were to go from having a pampered pup before baby to an ignored one after baby.
Include New Sensations
If your dog has a hard time with a ringing doorbell, then they’re going to have a much harder time with a baby who screams and makes all sorts of noises. It’s a good idea to try and prepare the dog for loud noises like the ones a baby would make. A good way to go about it would be to play a recording of a crying baby. Start off with a low volume and give them a treat. Once they’re comfortable with that, make the volume just a bit louder. Proceed in this manner until they are comfortable with loud noises. This technique is great for ensuring that your dog makes a connection between noises and positive things. Consider also borrowing a baby blanket from a friend who has a baby, to give it to your dog to smell.
Go to the Vet
It’s important to do your best to ensure that your pup is in good health since once your baby arrives, it will be a bit harder to take your dog to the vet, especially for issues that could have been treated or prevented altogether ahead of time. In addition, it’s crucial to ensure that they’re not carrying any parasites that could be transmitted to the little one. Of course, you wouldn’t want your dog to have parasites regardless of whether you have a baby or not, but it becomes even more important once there is one in the house. In the same line of thought, make sure that you make some arrangements for your dog when you’re at the hospital, delivering your new addition to the family.
Baby Gear
It’s certainly not a strange occurrence to walk into a house with a baby or children and meet with toys all over the place. Since your dog won’t be used to these sorts of items, make sure to bring the dog into the nursery, and allow him or her to get used to all the objects in there. In fact, the more time you allow them to spend in the room, ideally when you’re starting with the decoration process, the better it is.
Create Space
The dog is likely to need some alone time, away from the baby from time to time. With that in mind, bring in a crate or a mat, and allow the pooch to go there when they wish to. This works especially well for dogs that love their crate, as this helps with diaper changing and other baby-related activities.
Be Easy on the Introductions
Don’t rush to introduce the baby to the dog; take your time. Start off by allowing the dog to smell the mom’s hand, which will have the scent of the baby on it. After that, bring the baby blanket, and give it to the dog to smell. Once this has happened, it’s time for the actual introduction. Bring the dog to the baby, not the other way around, as this ensures you’re in control.
Make sure to start with the preparations for the baby as soon as possible, to help ease your dog into this transition. If you’ll follow these steps, you’re a whole lot more likely to end up with a happy home.