9 Ways To Introduce Your Dog To Your New Baby

In most ways  for a lot of people, dogs are kind of like their first child.It's not an easy task preparing your pup to meet your new-born baby. To get you stared here are our 9 top tips on how to introduce your dog to your new baby.

It's probably a good idea stock up on doggie treats, cause you're going to need them, a lot of them. Now that there is a baby on the way, there are a few steps you need to take for your fur ball as well. Your dog might not take kindly to the new set of rules at first but eventually, it will follow through. It's best to start this training before you bring the baby home.

9 Ways To Introduce Your Dog To Your New Baby

1. Baby Steps!

Teaching your dog to come to you when you call them by their name is a good place to start. If your dog is aggressive he won't come to you. Practice calling your dog by its name on a daily basis before the baby arrives. Place yourself on the sofa or on the chair. You will need to reward your pup when it does a good job. Part your legs a little so that there’s enough space between your legs. Call your dog over to you by their name. This might take a while if he is not already used to you calling him by their name.

Rest assured, he will come. The minute he comes to you and sits down, appreciate him with a Treat!

2. You Control The Space

This is an important step. Probably the most important step in this whole article. Controlling the space means being in charge of your home. If you have a habit of walking around or over your dog, it's time to stop.

When you walk around the house and see your dog sitting or lounging in your path, don't walk around him. Instead, make him move. The way you can do this is to slowly and gently nudge him out of your way. It's vital to not make eye contact or speak to him during this whole process.

It is essential that your dog learns to move out your way. Babies learn to walk in all sorts of ways when they are just starting. They will crawl first, and then they will walk. And when you've successfully trained your dog to move away from your path.

3. Practice With a Doll

This is a smart step to take before you bring your baby home. Practice playing with a doll. The goal here is to make your dog understand that the doll is your baby, for now. So, buy a doll and every essential you can think of that associates with the baby.

Practice playing with the doll in front of your dog every day. It's also important you practice the second step mentioned previously. Take care of the baby, fake feed it, take them out for a stroll along with the dog. Basically, do everything you would normally do when the baby arrives.

4. The Sense of Smell

As we all know, dogs have an extraordinary sense of smell. They associate with almost anything by smelling them first. They will sniff everything. So, use this to your advantage!

Have a blanket ready when he comes to greet you. Your pup will smell the blanket along with you. You can rub a toy with a towel or a piece of cloth that has your baby's smell on it as well.

This way, when you are playing with the dog he will familiarize himself with the baby's smell. And since playtime is a happy time for your dog, he will identify the emotion with your baby.

5. Appropriate Diet

We all go a little crazy when we get a sugar rush, right? Children develop behavioral problems if they’re given sugar on a regular basis. Having a healthy diet has a lot to do with our behavior.

Just as it is important for us to maintain a healthy diet, it’s equally important for your dog to maintain a healthy diet as well. Sugar is bad for dogs as well.

6. Dogs Love Routine

Establish a routine with your dog about the feeding time. It’s a good idea to start by giving your dog it’s food after you have eaten.

By doing this regularly, you create a routine that enables your dog to be more obedient during meal times. It won’t be too jumpy or bark too much for their food. Give him his food, set it in front of him.

If he eats it, great! If he doesn’t, don’t stress yourself. Take the food away and try again after you’ve had the next meal. Don’t leave his food out all day if he doesn’t eat it. It will only make him more jittery.

7. Proper Attention

It’s a common misconception that you should pay attention to your dog only when your baby is asleep. If anything, you should encourage giving attention to your dog when your baby is up and about.

If you pay attention to your dog while your baby is sleeping it will think of the baby as an obstacle. Rather than letting him think of your baby in a negative sense, interact with him more when the baby is present and awake. Your pup will identify your baby in a more positive way.

8. Familiarize Your Dog With Your Baby’s Items

New things are likely to make your dog feel scared at first. Especially when they will be introduced to him out of the blue. Take the time to introduce your baby’s things before the baby comes.

Have your dog get familiarized with the stroller or the baby carrier. Let him explore them and get used to them. Take him out for a stroll along with the stroller to make him more comfortable.

Have the baby’s chair near him during his meal times. You can even install the car seat early and take your dog out for a ride and have them get used to it that way. This will ensure that your dog won’t be too scared when the baby arrives. Instead, he will perfectly be composed.

9. Give Respect To Earn Respect

You cannot expect someone to respect you just out of nowhere. Your baby needs to learn to respect your dog. Only then your dog will also learn to respect your baby.

Teach your baby that it’s not okay to pull the dog’s tails, or get on top of them to ride them. You must also keep a lookout, your dog might show signs of being uneasy with all these behaviours and might snap at your baby. The dog being out of breath is a possible sign. Make sure your baby is being gentle and kind with the furball. And before you know it, they’ll become the best of friends!

That's all our tips on how to introduce your dog to your new baby, we'd love to see some pictures over on our social media channels. Tag us on Facebook,  Twitter and Instagram!

A big thanks to Stepheny from FeedFond for this article - do head over and check them out for any other handy tips!