When it comes to new additions to the family, existing pets are usually skittish. Oftentimes, an ‘only’ cat or dog (like an only child) will not take kindly to a furry new family member. They will sometimes perceive the new pet as a threat, not to mention an intruder on their turf!
If this is how pets can react to fellow fur babies, it’s not unreasonable to assume that they may not take kindly to human babies, either. However they react to a new baby, it will be a major lifestyle adjustment, either way. Babies consume all of your attention and energy. New mamas and papas will not have the time they once had to attend to their puppers.
Unfortunately, you cannot explain to the dog what is going on, but you can do little things to help prepare them. Ideally, you will have begun preparing them months before Baby’s arrival. If you haven’t, however, there’s no reason why you can’t start now. By doing these little things, you might just help your dog to accept their newfound backseat to your little bundle of joy.
Bring home your new burrito’s blanket
To preface this point: yes, we just called your baby a burrito. Anything swaddled in such a way is eligible for burrito status. Once your burrito has seen the light at the end of the tunnel but hasn’t yet come home, they will have been spending a lot of time wrapped in blankets. If you are a non-birthing parent commuting between hospital and home, you should bring home one of the used blankets. Why? Dogs make sense of the world through their nose, and by building smell profiles, they’re also building ‘people profiles’. They will become acquainted with your baby’s smell so that when Bub finally comes home, they won’t be blindsided by your bundle of joy. In fact, it will be as if they already know them!
Reunite Mama and Pupper with deliberation
When Baby and the birthing parent eventually return from the hospital, you’ll need to play your canine cards carefully. Doggy is going to be excited to see their paw-rent for the first time in days. To prevent excited behaviours bordering on destructive—such as jumping—have either the non-birthing parent or a trusted friend or relative man the house in your absence. They can take the dog for a long walk or play with them to burn off nervous energy.
Image: Stylish Hound
Once the birthing parent and baby are settled, you can bring the dog inside. Before introducing the baby, allow the dog to greet the birthing parent. This will allow them to spend any excited energy they may feel upon seeing one of their two favourite people again. Then, once the dog has had their moment, bring out the baby. This way, all involved will be calm and more settled.
For their first meeting, you should ensure that one person is holding the baby whilst another person is restraining the dog with a leash. Don’t force the interaction, but do praise your dog whenever they approach Bub with calmness. Should the dog run at the baby or become overexcited, the person restraining the dog should guide the dog away and then restart the interaction. Negative reinforcement will only fuse negative impressions, so ensure to praise the dog for every calm interaction they make. Avoid leash correction, too, as this is also a form of negative reinforcement.
Image: Stylish Hound
As the dog approaches the baby, tell them to Sit or to get Down in advance. This sets the expectations, which is more effective than waiting for inevitable mishaps and scolding them for them. You should continue to give such verbal commands as the dog continues to interact with the baby over time.
All of these steps are in the interests of the dog’s and baby’s relationship. If you come home holding the baby, and the dog jumps up to greet you, your protective parental instincts may kick in as you scold the dog or shoo it away. This will forge a negative first impression for your dog that may be difficult to break.
Keep Doggy’s schedule in check
Dogs are literally creatures of habit. Throw off their routine and you may throw them for a loop. Now, a new baby is enough to throw off any grown human’s routine, let alone a dog’s. However, in the interests of the dog’s transition, it’s important to try to maintain a sense of normality. Keeping yourself accountable for the sake of the dog will even have the run-on effect of benefitting yourself.
Try your best to keep your dog’s feeding and walk times consistent post-baby. This won’t be easy, especially if you’re doing it alone. However, if you are raising your baby with a partner, you can help each other to keep your human and fur babies happy. (Family and friends can also be a big help here.) If your dog’s routine is largely unaffected by the baby, this will reduce any jealousy and your dog will be well on their way to accepting your family’s new addition.
Never give your dog and baby ‘alone time’
This is the most critical point of all: your dog may be an angel, but they will almost definitely have the upper paw over a baby. Never leave them alone unattended. Accidents can happen—and even if you’re confident that they won’t, it’s still better to be safe than sorry. If you’re wanting your dog to accept your child through baby bonding time, ensure that their time together is supervised.
Reinforce positive interactions
We have already sprinkled this point throughout this post, but when training a dog, you should always use positive reinforcement rather than negative reinforcement. Negative reinforcement forges negative associations, and this is the last thing we want for your dog’s and baby’s relationship. Keep some treats handy for those first few post-hospital days. Whenever your dog is calm or behaves well around the baby, give them some treats and some praise.
Image: Stylish Hound
If your dog misbehaves around your baby, try your best to avoid scolding, shooing, and leash correction. Instead, use treats to lure them away from the baby, or guide them away for some calming time away. If the dog’s behaviour towards the baby is aggressive, you should take them to the vet as soon as possible. Ultimately, your baby’s safety is the top priority, and so you should get to the bottom of any such issues ASAP.
Oh, (fur) baby!
It can be difficult to have a fur baby and an actual baby coexisting under the same roof. Both demand attention in different ways, and there may be some ‘sibling rivalry’ thrown into the mix. Nevertheless, with optimal precautions, you can optimise the chances of your babies getting along. Heck, dogs and babies can be the greatest of friends.
With some gentle guidance and a little bit of love, you can train your dog to accept a new baby. If, however, you’ve done all of the above and your dog is still having a hard time accepting your tiny family member, you will want to seek veterinary advice. In most cases, though, most dogs should come around. Just remember they are creatures of habit and may take a while to adjust to your household’s ‘new normal’.
Finally—and most importantly—we wish you all the best with your furry family member and little bundle of joy! May you guys become a unit of love and make all the happy memories together.
