When you are pregnant, there are a lot of things you begin to worry about and massive amounts of things to get prepared for their arrival.  If you have a dog, this becomes an extra worry, especially when you think about that initial introduction and how the dog may react.

Here are some tips for you to follow from that first introduction and beyond.

Training

The key here really is training.  Take time to train your dog and prepare them for the baby’s arrival.  Start by getting the dog used to handling if they are not already, if your dog gets excited when they get stroked it’s worth working with them to calm them down so that when the baby arrives they don’t get too excited once they start to move around and want to touch.

Start playing the noises babies tend to make well in advance to desensitize your dog to them.  Dogs have very sensitive hearing and adding a new noise can be stressful, preparing before the baby is actually there will help manage that stress.  You should also try and get the dog used to the new smells and objects that will be around.  Baby powders, shampoos, cribs, pushchairs, etc. all take up the dog’s environment, and slowly introducing and acclimating them to these will help your dog feel more accepting of the changes.

When your dog does something right praise them and keep up that praise when first introducing the baby.  Make it less of a big event by having small successes and building from there.   The dog then feels like this change is manageable and doesn’t feel like their whole world is suddenly changing because of the baby which can lead to some jealousy and resentment.

Exercise

Whilst pregnant begin to look at what a reliable routine will look like for walks.  If you can find someone in your family or group of friends who would be willing to take the dog for a walk ask them if they would mind doing so once the baby has arrived allowing you to factor that into how much exercise your dog is getting.

Once the baby is there it can be hard to get out for walks when you are already very tired and kept busy by the newborn.  It can be so tempting to make this up to your dog by giving them extra treats, but this is detrimental to the dog’s health and can lead to them gaining weight.  It’s better to make up for a lack of walks by playing games with them in the house when you can to help them burn off some of the energy they have.

Pet blogger Corey Lundberg, Best British Essays and Elite Assignment Help, advises “Before that first introduction you might want to take the dog out for a long walk to tire them out.  This makes them less excitable and calmer when the introductions take place.”

If you can, take the dog out with the pushchair before the baby arrives and train them to stop pulling if they are bad at darting off when they see something.   It is a rewarding experience to be able to make both baby and dog out that provides good exercise for you and the dog as well as stimulation for your baby.  However, never tie the lead to the pushchair.  This can lead to disaster should something cause the dog to bolt.

Safe Quiet Space

This is absolutely key to making the dog feel secure in the home with all the changes going on.  Make sure your dog has a secure quiet space to retreat to or where you can send them in an emergency.  This can be a crate or a separate room with bedding away from the noise.

“When your baby can crawl, this is even more vital to ensure that they don’t pester the dog by following them around and grabbing at them.  This space should be inaccessible to your baby. You should never leave your dog and baby together unsupervised” recommends Jeff Cannon a lifestyle writer at UK Top Writers and UK Writings.

Other Important Factors

Some other things to consider are making sure that your dog is fully vaccinated and treated for fleas and worms to ensure good hygiene and reduce concerns about interaction.  On the flipside, you want to make sure diapers are disposed of in such a way as to prevent the dog from being able to access them.  Disgusting as it sounds some dogs find dirty diapers appetizing.

Try and help the dog understand the difference between their toys and the baby’s toys. Train them to only play with the toys you say they can and keep an eye on when your baby is playing around the dog.

In terms of food, don’t leave food in a place that the baby can get to, and when the dog is eating try and keep the baby away from the dog.  This is especially true when the baby can crawl around as dogs do not take kindly to someone taking away their food.

All in all, introducing your dog and baby should be a happy experience.  If you follow some basic steps and listen to other dog lovers who’ve been through similar experiences before you should be all set when the day comes.

Originally posted 2021-12-07 18:29:55. Republished by Blog Post Promoter