Introducing your Dog to your New Baby

A new baby brings excitement and joy to all of the family, but if you have a dog, it can be a confusing time for him. He will pick up on the excitement that this new ‘creature’ brings, and will want to be part of it. But as time goes on, if it is not handled properly, your dog may begin to foster feelings of isolation and this will be displayed in his behaviour towards you and your baby. Happily, with a little thought and forward planning, your dog will soon learn to accept the new baby as part of his family. (Dog Training HQ | K9 | More)

The time to begin thinking about how you will introduce your dog to your new baby is a few months before you give birth. Make sure that your dog is well trained in the basic commands of lie down, sit, stay and come. If your dog is not very good at obeying these commands, then you need to begin some intensive training now! One method of testing your dog is to have a doll wrapped in a blanket. Show the doll lots of attention while standing and rocking it in your arms. When your dog approaches, give the ‘sit’ and ‘stay’ command. Don’t forget to reward him when he obeys with either treats or lots of praise.

Now is also the time to lessen the attention that your dog receives. Remember, he will receive a lot less attention in the early months after your baby is born. It is better that he gets used to it now, rather than when you bring your baby home.

If you go into hospital to have your baby, then during your stay get your partner to leave some clothes that your baby has worn in the house with the dog, as this will enable him to get used to your new baby’s smell.

When you come home from hospital, remember that your dog will be excited to see you! He will also pick up on the general excitement in the household of the new baby coming home. If possible, try to greet your dog alone, and let someone else bring the baby into the home. It is likely that your dog will jump (stop dogs from jumping) up on you in his excitement to see you, and you do not want to have to push him away. Make a fuss of him as you usually would if you had been away for a few days. For the first couple of hours, try and arrange things so that one person attends to the dog, and another attends to the baby, rather than one person trying to attend to both.

When the time comes to actually introduce your dog to the baby, you need to make sure that the timing is right. Use your knowledge of your dog to judge this, even if it means that dog and baby do not meet for a few days.

Choose a time when your dog is calm, and you have the help of another family member. As a safety precaution keep your dog on a lead, and maybe even consider using a muzzle, if he is used to wearing one. Begin by standing and holding the baby I your arms a few feet away from your dog. Use the sit and stay commands to keep him calm. When you are satisfied that he ready, move a little closer to him. Keep doing this until you are at a comfortable distance so that your dog can see your baby, and maybe even allow him to smell this new creature.

Do not remove his lead until you are completely satisfied that he will not jump up or lunge at your baby. If you remove the lead, you may feel that you need to keep the muzzle on for added safety. Do not rush this step, and be prepared to carry it out a few times until you feel that your dog is happy being close to your new baby.

As time goes on, your dog will begin to accept the new baby, but he still may need to work out where this new ‘creature’ comes in his family pack. You need to reinforce this as early as possible. Do this by holding your baby, as you did with the doll, and giving your dog a sit and stay command. Reward him when his behaviour is good and he will soon come to associate baby time with something pleasant!

Remember, never leave your dog and your baby together in a room without someone being present at this stage. However, you can rest assured that usually, any problems that occur in the early days are soon corrected, and most dogs go on to accept a new baby, and even become extremely protective of this newest addition to their family pack.