22/04/2025
This months FREE tip!
Introducing your dog to a new baby!
Most people are proactive in getting a dog used to the presence of a new baby from the day they bring the baby home from hospital. But I’m afraid that this is much too late, because it’s the wrong time.
Let’s look at why this is counterproductive for all. Baby arrives home, everyone is happy, but on tender hooks about how the dog will react to the baby. So, we allow the dog to approach the baby, saying, ‘be nice’ and making the baby the centre of attention for the dog. If the dog gets too close, we may tell the dog off because we are genetically programmed to be ultra-protective of new-born offspring.
Therefore, the dog makes a negative association with the baby. For example, when the baby is around, he may learn:
• I get told off
• I must leave the room
• I must stay on my bed
• Everyone is super-sensitive and shouts at me
• When I go near that ‘thing’, I get in trouble
• I smell baby, I smell trouble for me
Some of the above are possible scenarios, which result in your dog thinking ‘I don’t think I like that baby thing’! It’s not a good emotional connection to have with a little being that will live with the dog for years to come.
Training should have started months ago, with the introduction of anything baby-related, introducing and drip feeding it to the dog bit by bit, so that he becomes accustomed to it, without the added stress of him getting too close to the baby. If the baby isn’t physically there yet, it makes the training so much
easier and less stressful for all.
The first thing I would do is introduce all baby equipment, by placing it at the side of the room, so that the dog gets used to seeing it there. If it has wheels, such as a push chair, move it around occasionally, and toss a tasty treat to the dog as you do so. He will be more interested in the treat instead of the
equipment.
Introducing your dog to a new baby
Go to your local charity shop and buy a doll. Yes, a toy doll! Dress it up in the clothes your baby will be wearing, keeping nappies, bottom cream, talc and such like in the dog’s
surroundings. This will get the dog used to the smell of baby items before the baby arrives, so nothing is new and concerning. Now practice sitting with the doll in your arms, but every time the doll is ‘about,’ give your dog something scrummy like a stuffed Kong. Let’s help him make the association, that when the baby is about, I get something scrummy.
This helps make a positive association with the doll/baby but more importantly, gives the dog an alternative thing to do instead of investigating the baby. I always recommend that you don’t directly introduce the dog to the baby at all. We want them to co-exist without interaction, so that they both become so comfortable with each other’s presence, they ignore each other. On the plus side, your dog will learn that when your baby is in your arms, out of the crib or on the floor, it’s the starting
point for them to get something irresistible from you.
So, all the good stuff should have started to happen a few months before the baby arrives home, for your dog to make good
associations, to get used to the change and ignore anything that involves the baby. It means far less stress for new parents and
their dog!
This is also a good way to get your dog used to a baby that is already in the home, so don't worry if you haven't started training during the pregnancy. It’s never too late to train an old dog!
Obviously, dogs and babies should never be left unattended, regardless of any training that may or may not have taken place.
It would be especially useful to start playing baby sounds now, whilst your dog is around. Start by playing them when he is doing something nice, playing with you, eating his dinner etc., Start by playing it at a low volume and increase it gradually over time until you can play it loud without your dog
minding at all. Each time ensure that the dog has something to do first!
When we enter a program of training that is highly likely to take a few months or more, it is
easy to sometimes get frustrated and/or feel that things just are not going right. If this
happens, here is a few tips:
Gauging results:
Look at the training successes week on week. Is it better this week than last? If yes, you are
going in the right direction so keep going! If not, then you should drop criteria a little and go back a few steps in your training to allow you and your dog to catchup, start getting some parts correct because you have dropped criteria and this sill spur you both on to accelerate again.
Take a break.
When things are not going right and you feel frustrated, take a break! Simple as that. Go and
do something else OR do something that you and your dog are good at, so that you CAN be
successful together.
If you are trying to change a behaviour from one thing to another and things are not going
right, switch off from the dog completely for a while, so that you can both be calmer before
you try again.
Remember to keep calm if you are trying to calm him down because the training did not go so well if he was too excited. But whilst you are doing this, make sure you are doing something else. If you are just sitting still, he will continue to expect interaction from you, rather than if you are engaged in doing something
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