How To Safely Introduce Your New Baby To Your Dog
Here is a really good plan of how to go about managing your dog when you bring your new baby home for the first time… Your dog and the new mum will want to say a proper hello to each other, so ensure someone else carries the baby into the house for the first time. It’s ok for your dog to show excitement at this point – he’s just happy to see mum back home again! Just have someone else carry the baby into another room while they greet each other. Once this has been done, encourage your dog to calm down. For more information on how to manage dogs and babies, check out How To Manage Babies And Dogs In The Home It is vital that your dog is in a relaxed state before the baby is brought into the room. Reward your dog for being calm and obedient. Check that your dog is properly leashed and there is a safe distance between him and your baby – have them at opposite ends of the room if you can. Use a relaxed reassuring tone to talk to your dog as the baby is gradually brought closer by an adult. It’s vital that this process is not rushed, and is completed in a positive happy atmosphere. If your dog displays any signs of anxiety, or tries to jump or growl at your baby, immediately but calmly walk the dog out of the room. Don’t try to reassure you dog by stroking him and talking in a ‘There,There’ tone of voice, as this will only serve to confirm in his mind that he was right to be nervous or aggressive. Instead, tell him firmly ‘No’, take him from the room, and return him only when he has returned to a calm state of mind. Keep your dog on the leash at this point. Whilst your dog is relaxed, he may now be allowed to have a brief sniff of the baby. Remember to give lots of praise to your dog for remaining relaxed whilst sitting or lying down, listening attentively for your instruction. For more information on how to introduce your dog and baby to each other take a look at Handy Tips For Introducing Your Dog To Your New Baby Slowly increase the length of time that the dog is allowed to be near the baby. Once you can see that the dog is able to maintain a calm state in the babys prescence, you may consider unleashing him, but only if there is another adult there to help you supervise. At this point it may be worth considering muzzling your dog. Make sure your dog gets lots of one-on-one attention from the family members over the coming days – this will help him see the babys arrival as having lots of positive consequences for him. Make sure that, if you are left alone with your baby and dog at home, either you tether up your dog to a large piece of furniture, or you use a baby gate to provide a physical barrier between your baby and your dog. Under no cirumstances should you ever leave a dog and a baby alone unsupervised – not even for just a few seconds. I hope you have found this article informative – why not take a look at another of my articles on introducing dogs and babies at Helpful Advice For Dog Owners With A New Baby
