Most expectant parents have plenty of time to spend preparing for a baby, but for unsuspecting dogs their new housemate appears overnight! It’s important to ensure your dog always feels part of your family, and to prepare them for the change in their routine, plus all the unusual sights, sounds and smells that the new arrival will bring. Doing this with plenty of time to spare means setting your dog up to cope well with this exciting change!
A new baby arriving overnight can be a dramatic experience for dogs and mean a completely unexpected change of lifestyle. Dogs tend to like routine as it means they can feel confident, knowing what to expect and when. This can help them to feel secure. So unless they’re thoroughly prepared for the changes to their normal routine that new babies can bring about, they might feel very unsettled.
A new baby in the family could mean your dog receives less attention or shorter walks than they’re used to. They might also need to be left alone for a little longer than before, or not be allowed into certain rooms. Babies also mean new things in the house, loud and unusual sounds, unfamiliar smells and potentially a lot of visitors too, so it’s easy to see why some dogs might become overwhelmed! But don’t worry, there’s lots you can do to help your dog adjust and feel very positive about their new family member.
Puppies need to meet a range of different people during their ‘socialisation period’ (between around 3 and 12 weeks of age) so they accept contact with people as a normal and positive part of life. Ideally this includes meeting children. Meeting at least one older child (8 years plus) and also a baby or toddler is ideal, as they mean very different experiences for a puppy. For safety, contact with children should be actively supervised at all times. Where younger children or babies are introduced to puppies, they should be held by their parents. Where access to young children is not possible, it helps if they can hear recordings of children playing and babies crying using good quality recordings.
To make sure they see people as consistently positive, the introduction of new experiences to puppies needs to be gradual and controlled. It’s also important that puppies are not already anxious or fearful when they interact with adults or children, as this will increase the risk that they will associate contact with these negative feelings.
Some Dog Schools provide the perfect opportunity for puppies to learn other vital social skills in their puppy classes.
Think about the situations your dog will need to get used to and gradually introduce these to your dog, ready for when these happen in real life. Always use rewards your dog enjoys and make sure you go slowly so your dog has plenty of time to learn, practice, and get things right at every stage.
If your dog appears worried at any stage, stop what you’re doing and go back to a point at which they were calm and relaxed for a while longer before progressing again.
It’s important to always be actively engaged when supervising and never leave dogs and babies alone. This means always being interactive with your baby when they’re in the same space as your dog, making sure you can give them your undivided attention without being distracted. For example, you could give your dog a long-lasting treat and leave them completely alone in their bed to enjoy it while you are spending time with your baby in the same room. This way your dog has something fun to do all by themselves, which means you can spend some time having fun with your baby without having to worry about them!
On our website, you should find a valuable resource for parents, children, and schools alike. Here you’ll find a link to our Be Dog Smart information, aimed at teaching children how to behave around dogs and keeping everybody safe, comfortable, and happy.
Teaching your dog all sorts of useful behaviors to help them fit into family life as your baby grows can be a great deal of fun! Some Dog Schools run informative and helpful seminars on how to introduce dogs and babies, so if you’re interested please get in touch.
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