NEW BABY
Preparing Buster for a baby
You’ve practiced on the dog, so far so good, and now you’re ready to add a baby to the family. What is Buster going to think about this new addition?
There are a number of things you can do before the baby arrives to make the transition smooth for your pooch, as well as a list of things to do after the birth to make sure he’s still happy as the second child.
Dogs generally start to notice a change in Mom somewhere around six-seven months of the pregnancy. Six months is a good time to start getting Buster ready for the big shift in his life.
If you haven’t done it yet, take a basic obedience class. If you have trained your pup, make sure his manners are still in check. The things that annoyed you a little bit before will become more annoying once you’re sleep-deprived, and some of them could even be dangerous for the little one. No jumping up, no begging for food, sitting politely for all resources (anything he wants), and walking nicely on the leash are the main things that you should reinforce.
Start to teach the dog “yours” and “not yours” to show him the difference between his toys and baby toys. While playing with him with one of his toys, have a baby toy nearby and within his sight. When he goes to grab that toy, gently tell him “not yours” and take it away from him and replace with his own toy. After several repetitions you should be able to just warn him away from toys that don’t belong to him. Although they might all look similar, they certainly smell differently!
If any changes in sleeping arrangements are going to happen after baby arrives, make those changes now. You don’t want too much upheaval to coincide with the baby’s actual arrival, so preparation is best.
Also, because your quality time with Buster is probably going lessen, make that shift now. With a baby around, you aren’t going to be spending a whole lot of time sitting on the couch with Buster’s head in your lap while you watch TV. Get him comfortable with resting at your feet instead of on you. Less mindless interaction, more active interaction is what you’re striving for. Don’t lazily pet him while you’re talking on the phone – those hands are going to be busy in a couple of months. Interact with him when you’re playing or training or walking him instead. This is the hardest thing for people to do – distancing themselves in this way, but it’ll be healthier for your dog/baby relationship in the long run.
If your dog snacks throughout the day, now’s the time to switch him to two meals. You don’t want the baby (eventually) crawling around and playing in the dog food. This will also prevent any guarding problems. If Buster isn’t a big eater, that’s ok. He’ll figure out that if he doesn’t eat when you offer, he’ll have to wait until the next feeding. As time goes on, he’ll realize that he should eat if he’s at all hungry.
If your pup is sensitive to the moods of his humans, or if he’s noise sensitive at all, download baby sounds to desensitize the dog to different types of crying and talking that the baby will do. Distress crying can be stressful to a sensitive dog.
Desensitize the dog to the baby swing, the mobile and any other things that he’s never seen before – particularly the moving items.
Associate baby smells with anything he enjoys – for instance eating. Place a rotation of towels under the food bowl scented with powder, lotion, diapers, formula, and any other baby smells you have on hand.
Once Baby arrives
Now’s the time to bring the little one home. Before she arrives, bring a scented towel from the hospital and place it in Buster’s crate or on his bed.
The first one-three months:
Try to send your dog to daycare or to the park with playmates to keep him busy. Anything that he enjoys should be associated with the baby – walks, treats, etc.
Three-nine months of age:
Teach the dog not to bother the baby while she’s eating. Resting under her chair in case something falls is fine, but cleaning the baby is not.
Make sure Buster steps gently in the presence of the baby and doesn’t jump up on her.
Nine-twelve months of age:
Desensitize the dog to crawling by jollying him up when baby starts to move around. If he’s particularly unnerved, make sure he gets fabulous treats while the little one is on the go.
Make sure that the dog has a safe place, whether it’s a crate or a room with a baby gate and prevent the baby from bothering the dog in his safe area.
One-two years of age:
Desensitize the dog to the baby walking (and falling) in the same way you dealt with crawling. If he’s not so sure about this new movement, treat and praise every time the child makes a strange move.
Two-Four years of age:
Making sure that your dog gets along with your child is as much about kid training as it is dog training, if not more. Kids, particularly young ones, don’t understand how to interact appropriately without help from you. Don’t assume that your dog should just “tolerate anything” but work to teach your little one how to interact. This will insure peace at home as well as safety around other dogs.
Recommended reading for this topic is: Be A Dog’s Best Friend: A Safety Guide for Kids…by Renee Payne (that’s me) and Jennifer Gladysz. www.beaDOGSbestfriend.com
Copyright 1999-present, Walk This Way Canine Behavior Therapy
Preparing Buster for a baby
You’ve practiced on the dog, so far so good, and now you’re ready to add a baby to the family. What is Buster going to think about this new addition?
There are a number of things you can do before the baby arrives to make the transition smooth for your pooch, as well as a list of things to do after the birth to make sure he’s still happy as the second child.
Dogs generally start to notice a change in Mom somewhere around six-seven months of the pregnancy. Six months is a good time to start getting Buster ready for the big shift in his life.
If you haven’t done it yet, take a basic obedience class. If you have trained your pup, make sure his manners are still in check. The things that annoyed you a little bit before will become more annoying once you’re sleep-deprived, and some of them could even be dangerous for the little one. No jumping up, no begging for food, sitting politely for all resources (anything he wants), and walking nicely on the leash are the main things that you should reinforce.
Start to teach the dog “yours” and “not yours” to show him the difference between his toys and baby toys. While playing with him with one of his toys, have a baby toy nearby and within his sight. When he goes to grab that toy, gently tell him “not yours” and take it away from him and replace with his own toy. After several repetitions you should be able to just warn him away from toys that don’t belong to him. Although they might all look similar, they certainly smell differently!
If any changes in sleeping arrangements are going to happen after baby arrives, make those changes now. You don’t want too much upheaval to coincide with the baby’s actual arrival, so preparation is best.
Also, because your quality time with Buster is probably going lessen, make that shift now. With a baby around, you aren’t going to be spending a whole lot of time sitting on the couch with Buster’s head in your lap while you watch TV. Get him comfortable with resting at your feet instead of on you. Less mindless interaction, more active interaction is what you’re striving for. Don’t lazily pet him while you’re talking on the phone – those hands are going to be busy in a couple of months. Interact with him when you’re playing or training or walking him instead. This is the hardest thing for people to do – distancing themselves in this way, but it’ll be healthier for your dog/baby relationship in the long run.
If your dog snacks throughout the day, now’s the time to switch him to two meals. You don’t want the baby (eventually) crawling around and playing in the dog food. This will also prevent any guarding problems. If Buster isn’t a big eater, that’s ok. He’ll figure out that if he doesn’t eat when you offer, he’ll have to wait until the next feeding. As time goes on, he’ll realize that he should eat if he’s at all hungry.
If your pup is sensitive to the moods of his humans, or if he’s noise sensitive at all, download baby sounds to desensitize the dog to different types of crying and talking that the baby will do. Distress crying can be stressful to a sensitive dog.
Desensitize the dog to the baby swing, the mobile and any other things that he’s never seen before – particularly the moving items.
Associate baby smells with anything he enjoys – for instance eating. Place a rotation of towels under the food bowl scented with powder, lotion, diapers, formula, and any other baby smells you have on hand.
Once Baby arrives
Now’s the time to bring the little one home. Before she arrives, bring a scented towel from the hospital and place it in Buster’s crate or on his bed.
The first one-three months:
Try to send your dog to daycare or to the park with playmates to keep him busy. Anything that he enjoys should be associated with the baby – walks, treats, etc.
Three-nine months of age:
Teach the dog not to bother the baby while she’s eating. Resting under her chair in case something falls is fine, but cleaning the baby is not.
Make sure Buster steps gently in the presence of the baby and doesn’t jump up on her.
Nine-twelve months of age:
Desensitize the dog to crawling by jollying him up when baby starts to move around. If he’s particularly unnerved, make sure he gets fabulous treats while the little one is on the go.
Make sure that the dog has a safe place, whether it’s a crate or a room with a baby gate and prevent the baby from bothering the dog in his safe area.
One-two years of age:
Desensitize the dog to the baby walking (and falling) in the same way you dealt with crawling. If he’s not so sure about this new movement, treat and praise every time the child makes a strange move.
Two-Four years of age:
Making sure that your dog gets along with your child is as much about kid training as it is dog training, if not more. Kids, particularly young ones, don’t understand how to interact appropriately without help from you. Don’t assume that your dog should just “tolerate anything” but work to teach your little one how to interact. This will insure peace at home as well as safety around other dogs.
Recommended reading for this topic is: Be A Dog’s Best Friend: A Safety Guide for Kids…by Renee Payne (that’s me) and Jennifer Gladysz. www.beaDOGSbestfriend.com
Copyright 1999-present, Walk This Way Canine Behavior Therapy
