Dog, Meet Baby. Trainer Strategies for Helping Them Become Best Friends
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With the right plan, attitude, and a few adjustments to your environment, introducing your best friend to your new baby doesn’t have to be, well, a hairy situation. Sure, your four-legged best friend may be losing their spot in the bed, but they have years of dropped snacks to look forward to.
Prepping your dog for the transition is the best way to skip the jealousy and get the new family dynamic sorted in time for the holiday card photo shoot. To get you started, we put together a shortlist of tips, all recommended by professional trainers.
Start adjusting your dog’s routine early.
As you’re mapping out how the family’s schedule will change when your new plus one arrives, don’t forget your dog. If your morning routine is going to shift by an hour, your dog’s routine probably will too. A few months out, start slowly adjusting walks, water, and feeding times, so your dog doesn’t blame his little bro or sis for sabotaging his schedule. The fewer changes your dog associates with your new baby, the better.
Brush up on basic training.
With a baby on board, basic obedience commands you may not have used often are likely to come back into play. A few months before the baby arrives, start sneaking “sit,” “stay,” “down,” “go to your crate,” and other classics back into the mix. If your dog isn’t crate trained, this is a good time to establish a space in the home they recognize as their own.
Introduce your dog to other babies before you bring yours home.
Tap friends with dog-baby households for playdates before you bring your own baby home. As your dog gets used to the noises and sudden movements babies and toddlers make, reward them for good behavior with treats and affection. This will help build the ‘see baby, act cool, get treats’ association, and desensitive your dog to the inevitable wails and flails by the time your baby comes home.
Make a pet care plan for your first days home.
Your overnight bag is packed, the nursery is stocked, and your out-of-office message is scheduled. But where is your dog going when it’s go time? If you can, plan to bring your dog home a day or two after you bring home your baby, so you can get settled and create a more calm environment for the first big meeting.
Create physical boundaries for the first meeting.
You just brought home a squishy, squirmy bundle of new scents and noises, and your dog is going to want to use all his senses to figure out who or what it is. Resist the temptation to put your baby down on a blanket for a face-to-face meeting (that only happens in the stock photos that come in picture frames). Instead, keep your baby safe and secure in a car seat, crib, or your arms instead.
Never leave your dog and baby alone together—not even for a minute.
Not even if one of them is asleep. Unchaperoned dog-baby time simply isn’t safe, no matter how sweet and gentle, old and snoozy, or slow moving your dog may be. Accidents happen, and even the most well-intentioned pup has the potential to knock over a high chair.
Protect your pup’s privacy.
Your dog is a big brother or sister now, so do them a solid and put a KEEP OUT sign on their crate. Or at least make sure their crate, bed, or favorite space is a sanctuary where they can tap out of the new-baby chaos (even when you can’t).
Give Winston a few special spots.
Too much “go to your crate” can make your dog feel left out or punished for no reason. Note the areas around the house your dog already gravitates to, like the couch, a favorite rug, or a cozy corner in the living room. Start training your dog to “go to your spot,” when you need them to calm down or give you space. That way, they can spend time with the family rather than ending up banished to the crate.
Prep your dog for the toddler era.
Great, your baby and your dog are besties! But what happens when your four-legged friend has to live with a two-legged toddler? Prepare your dog for haphazard toddler pokes and pets by training them to love the attention. Very gently poke, pinch, or tug your dog, then immediately give them a treat to teach them that while this affection does not feel amazing, it’s worth it. After a week or two, you can start poking a little harder, like a real toddler, and pair the action with a treat and a specific phrase to build a positive association. In the future, when you see your dog get a tail pull or leg grab, say this phrase to let them know it’s okay—and a treat is coming.
Sources:
https://www.dogmeetsbaby.expert/post/dog-meets-baby-founders-tips-for-introducing-a-dog-to-a-newborn
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/helping-your-dog-love-children/
https://thedogwizard.com/blog/how-to-introduce-your-dog-to-a-new-baby/