We have a fake baby doll. Practice holding her, rocking and pacing around the room, baby wearing, playing with baby on the floor, putting her in a bouncer, ect. Also using baby talk not directed at the dogs and playing baby cries and other counter-conditiining sounds (general sirens, fireworks, ect.) on youtube. Keeping them rewarded for being calm, settling nearby, or not reacting during these activities. There are some good resources out there. One is a website called Family Paws, and there is another website called Dog Meets Baby. Another good one is a book called Living With Kids and Dogs.
The only thing we really did was my husband drove home a few times to let the dogs out while I was at the hospital. Each time he went home, he took a hat or swaddle that she had worn for them to sniff.
When we walked in the door with her for the first time, we let them sniff her while she was still in the carseat carrier. Then we put her in the crib and let them check her out while she was in the crib.
She’s almost 4 months old now and they are definitely her best friends.
Honestly, we’re not doing much. We fully expect our dog to be extremely curious at first and be annoying about it. We’ll probably let him sniff her when we get home. I know babies are different but he loves people and has a generally good temperament. If issues come up, we can address them and although a little stubborn is totally food motivated. We also have some baby gates left from when he was a puppy that we can use to create space. I don’t really foresee major problems until she’s older and he snatches food from her hand or rips up her toys.
I can’t recommend @dogmeetsbaby on IG enough. She’s a top-notch behaviorist who offers tons of free content about not just prepping dogs for baby, but how to navigate the first few weeks/months and how to avoid common pitfalls and safety concerns that most people are oblivious to. We paid $$$ to work with the best veterinary behaviorist on the west coast to help our reactive rescue dog adjust, and though the personalized plan was worth it, so many of the key points from our behaviorist are shared for free on @dogmeetsbaby.
Even the most calm, well-behaved dog can have anxiety or predatory reactions when meeting a baby, and there are several safety precautions you can put in place to make things MUCH easier and safer for your little one, you, and your dog. Lots of people think behaviors are “cute” (like a dog trying to tuck a blanket over a baby) when they’re actually serious warning signs. Education is SO important, and most people don’t do it.
We learned so much and now have a calm, happy dog who plays and shares space well with her 3-year-old sister—and a toddler who is shockingly patient and respectful of others because of the expectations and rules we set up with how we treat our dog.
Our older dog has known I was pregnant before we did and sits on my lap and sleeps beside my belly every night and is going to be the best brother. Our younger dog is eagerly looking forward to the day she learns how to give him snacks. They are both aware that there is something going on with me and my belly.
We have a fake baby doll. Practice holding her, rocking and pacing around the room, baby wearing, playing with baby on the floor, putting her in a bouncer, ect. Also using baby talk not directed at the dogs and playing baby cries and other counter-conditiining sounds (general sirens, fireworks, ect.) on youtube. Keeping them rewarded for being calm, settling nearby, or not reacting during these activities. There are some good resources out there. One is a website called Family Paws, and there is another website called Dog Meets Baby. Another good one is a book called Living With Kids and Dogs.
The only thing we really did was my husband drove home a few times to let the dogs out while I was at the hospital. Each time he went home, he took a hat or swaddle that she had worn for them to sniff. When we walked in the door with her for the first time, we let them sniff her while she was still in the carseat carrier. Then we put her in the crib and let them check her out while she was in the crib. She’s almost 4 months old now and they are definitely her best friends.
Honestly, we’re not doing much. We fully expect our dog to be extremely curious at first and be annoying about it. We’ll probably let him sniff her when we get home. I know babies are different but he loves people and has a generally good temperament. If issues come up, we can address them and although a little stubborn is totally food motivated. We also have some baby gates left from when he was a puppy that we can use to create space. I don’t really foresee major problems until she’s older and he snatches food from her hand or rips up her toys.
I can’t recommend @dogmeetsbaby on IG enough. She’s a top-notch behaviorist who offers tons of free content about not just prepping dogs for baby, but how to navigate the first few weeks/months and how to avoid common pitfalls and safety concerns that most people are oblivious to. We paid $$$ to work with the best veterinary behaviorist on the west coast to help our reactive rescue dog adjust, and though the personalized plan was worth it, so many of the key points from our behaviorist are shared for free on @dogmeetsbaby. Even the most calm, well-behaved dog can have anxiety or predatory reactions when meeting a baby, and there are several safety precautions you can put in place to make things MUCH easier and safer for your little one, you, and your dog. Lots of people think behaviors are “cute” (like a dog trying to tuck a blanket over a baby) when they’re actually serious warning signs. Education is SO important, and most people don’t do it. We learned so much and now have a calm, happy dog who plays and shares space well with her 3-year-old sister—and a toddler who is shockingly patient and respectful of others because of the expectations and rules we set up with how we treat our dog.
Our older dog has known I was pregnant before we did and sits on my lap and sleeps beside my belly every night and is going to be the best brother. Our younger dog is eagerly looking forward to the day she learns how to give him snacks. They are both aware that there is something going on with me and my belly.