Dog + Baby Introductions

PREPPING YOUR PUP

Tips to successfully introduce your dog to your new baby

DAVID CODR

Dog Behavior Consultant

You’re expecting a new baby, maybe it’s your rst. You’ve bought a changing table, bassinet, glider, baby clothes and everything else. But what about your dog?

Welcoming a new child into your home is a wonderful exciting time, especially for rsttime parents. The prospects of all the joy and happiness to come sometimes causes new parents to forget about an existing family member; their dog.

Introducing a dog to your new child doesn’t have to be dif cult. The rst step is to make sure that you address any existing dog behavior issues, especially if they may impact the new baby. Possessiveness, jumping up, excessive barking (no one is happy when a dog wakes a sleeping baby), aggression, stealing items, etc., can become much more problematic when your attention needs to be focused on the new baby. If your dog has any of these issues, be sure to reach out to a positive based dog trainer or dog behavior consultant .

BEFORE THE BABY COMES HOME

Preparing your dog to meet your new baby should start a few weeks before the baby comes home.

Reinforcements: If you haven’t already enlisted the help of a dog walker/sitter, start looking for one now. If mom needs to spend time in the hospital, having someone who your dog already knows and is comfortable with who can let it out, feed it, walk it or spend the night with him or her is invaluable.

Practice baby: If your dog likes to jump or gets anxious with new things, practicing carrying a toy baby is a smart move. Wrap the baby up in some of your baby’s clothes and blankets and carry it around the home. This way if your dog gets spooked or jumps up and knocks the toy baby out of your arms, you get a warning without the actual baby getting hurt.

Teaching leave it: Baby toys are interesting to dogs. So are poopy diapers. Toys also have the baby’s pheromones on them and are often scattered around the home. Teaching your dog a strong “leave it” cue now will save you time and frustration later.

Desensitizing baby sounds: Find recordings of baby sounds; crying, babbling, etc., and play those at a low volume when your dog eats its meals. Start this two weeks before the baby comes home at a low volume (so your dog doesn’t stop eating) and turn up the volume slightly each successive meal until its a realistic level.

Baby room training: Training your dog to stay outside the baby’s room is an important step most new parents fail to think of. Dogs love being with their people, so being suddenly ejected from a room everyone seems so interested in can cause problems. Practice having mom spend time in the room with the dog outside with the door open. Some parents use a toy baby for this as well to simulate rocking it to sleep, nursing, or changing diapers on the changing table.

If your dog struggles staying out of the room, try having mom go inside and sitting in the rocking chair while dad stays out of the room with the dog. Dad should give the cue to sit or lay down and say the marker word when the dog sits or lays. The next step is to wait a few seconds before saying the marker word and treating again. Basically you want to reward the dog every few seconds for sitting outside the room, then progressively increase the delay between giving the treats. The trick is to treat before the dog gets up or tries to enter the room. It will take a few days or weeks for some dogs, but eventually the dog is content sitting outside the room, getting a treat every couple minutes or so.

Baby/mother scent cream introduction: Start putting the various creams and ointments you will use on the baby on mom and dad’s forearms. This way these will not be new smells to investigate when they are on the baby.

Introduce the baby’s scent: When the baby arrives, asks nurse to give you a towel or blanket the baby has been wrapped in and immediately put it in a plastic zip-top bag. When dad or a family member goes home, hold this blanket in one hand behind your back and have some tasty treats in your other hand, also behind your back. Sweep the blanket out in front of the dog’s nose and after she sniffs it, say your marker word and sweep it back behind your back then give the dog a treat. Repeat this until dog dog is no longer interested in the blanket. Put the blanket back into the zip-top bag (being careful to not touch it with the hand that held the treats) so you can do this again later. Try to practice this exercise a couple of times before the baby comes. If mom stays in the hospital, get a new freshly baby scented towel each day if possible.

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THE DAY THE BABY COMES HOME

Dog exercise early: Have someone take the dog out for a walk an hour or so before the baby comes home. Don’t overdo it. A nice 15-30 minute walk usually does the trick. Make sure the dog has at least 20 minutes after the exercise stops before the baby arrives home so it can catch its breath.

Dog handler: Enlist the dog walker/ sitter to be a doggy chaperone the day your baby comes home or when you have family over to meet the new baby. Have the dog on the leash inside the home (especially if its a jumper) when mom and the baby first come in and after if needed. Ask the handler to plan to be there for the first couple of hours so they can take the dog out for another walk or just sit and give it attention when everyone is greeting the baby. This way you can focus on your new arrivals and know your fur baby is still being looked after.

Fun time for the dog: Have the handler give lots of treats in the first 15 minutes the baby comes into the home. Giving the dog a nice chew or lick item can also help. Bully sticks and cow kneecaps are great chew options. Or if your dog likes to lick, smear some peanut butter on a lick matt. Licking and chewing release feel-good endorphins in your dog’s brain, so giving them after the baby first enters the home can create a positive association while also distracting your dog.

Let the dog investigate in steps: When the dog is calm and relaxed, have someone take the dog by a leash and approach you. Make sure the leash is not tight or dog pulling. If the dog wants to sniff and is still calm, allow it for a few seconds. After it gets done sniffing, say your marker word then give it a treat. If it gets excited, direct your dog to sit and have the handler give it affection or a treat right after. Wait for it to calm down then repeat. The idea is to let your dog get to meet the baby in small increments, but only when its calm and relaxed.

Keep the dog active: Be sure to arrange for walks or doggy day care. Your time and attention will most certainly be focused on the baby so its important your dog gets some attention every day so that it doesn’t feel neglected.

Do not allow the dog to protect the baby: Many people find it endearing or cute when a dog starts to protect a baby. But if your dog thinks that is part of its job, correcting the baby is part of the gig too. It’s important to establish boundaries so the dog understands mom and dad are the only authority figures for the child.

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