You just found out you are pregnant and you are thrilled! The excitement of a little person in the house is such a great feeling. You are imagining what the nursery will look like; things that will need to be moved to baby proof the house, and….wait! What about the dog?

You have had your dog for a couple of years now and there is no way you can give up this part of your family. Your dog has never been a threat to anyone or anything, but, nevertheless, you aren’t sure how he is going to react to a new person in his territory. Your dog has been the center of your lives since you adopted him right after his birth. He doesn’t know anything other than being the apple of your eye. But you still can’t shake the concerns you are having about having a dog around a new baby. You know that your baby is going to take up a lot of your time and your dog is going to be jealous for sure.

Well, you don’t need to throw the dog out, but you will need to do a bit of training. As you are preparing your dog for your new arrival, you will be able to foresee any problems that may arise.

Time for Training

First you need to make sure your dog is able to obey simple commands such as “sit” and “stay”. This will be important if you are going to be teaching him other commands regarding behavior around the baby. If your dog does have difficulty with obedience, there are many books you can read on the subject, and better yet, take him to obedience school where a professional can prepare him.

If your dog is the type to bark frequently and becomes hyper easily, this will need to be the first thing you address. As you know, babies need sleep and so will you, and the last thing you will need is a dog that is barking at every sound or car that drives by.

Other things to watch out for and is if your dog jumps a lot. This can cause a lot of problems while you are holding your baby or have laid your baby down to rest. Use a lot of praise and treats as reward for your dog’s good behavior and obedience. This way he will learn positive action will be rewarded.

If there are rooms that you do not want your dog to go in, establish these rules now. If you do not wish him to go into the nursery, set those boundaries first by gating it off, teaching him “no” to that room, then removing the gate and rewarding him for not entering the room.

Introduction

We are not quite ready to have your dog around the baby yet, so while you still have some time, purchase or borrow a baby doll. Pretend that the doll is your baby and see how your dog reacts. I can’t say enough that rewards and love will reinforce any good behavior your dog exhibits while you are doing this exercise.

Increase the noise level in your home, invite friends with children over, and allow your dog to get used to having a little chaos in the home. Allow yourself to have a bit less time with your dog even though it will be hard at first. Your schedule will be totally different after your baby arrives and so will your dogs. Prepare him now for a different schedule, such as walking and feeding. If you are changing these patterns before the baby arrives, he will not blame the baby.

Birthday

Your little one has arrived. Since your baby has her own smell, you will want to introduce this to your dog before you ever bring your baby home. Wrap your baby in a blanket so that it will be filled with her scent. Have someone take that blanket home and allow your dog to sniff it, lay on it, become familiar with it. When you baby comes home, your dog will be familiar with her scent and will not think of her as a threat.

When you feel comfortable, allow your pet to sniff your baby while praising him for his wonderful behavior. Just be guarded of your baby in case of your dog becoming startled and scaring your baby.

Most breeds of dogs are very friendly and loving toward babies and children. I have seen my own dogs be very protective of children and babies in my childcare. They have a sense of who to protect. You will see this bond grow between your dog and your baby.

You can find out more information at http://alldogbreeds.info/ and http://distinctbaby.com

Thanks, AJ