The bond between human beings and their dogs is one of the strongest on earth, and the bond between children and the family dog is arguably the strongest of them all. However, when babies are first brought home by their parents, there can be some tension if your pet feels pushed out and replaced by this new face.
However, there are ways that new parents can build the relationship between their newborn and the family dog, and make for a smooth transition that won’t add even more stress to what is already going to be a tough, anxious time. Here are some helpful tips:
Prepare Your Dog for the Noise
Dogs ears are crazily sensitive. In fact, they can hear incredibly well by the time their ears have developed, and they can detect high pitched sounds at a frequency range of 67-45,000 Hz. To put that into perspective, a human’s range is 64-23,000 Hz. This means that the last thing your dog wants – on top of the trauma of finding some competition for your affections – is to suddenly have to deal with the screams of a crying baby. Get yourself a CD of baby noises in the lead up to the little one coming home and gradually introduce your dog to the sound. They’ll soon adjust to the noise, and you’ll have a far easier time dealing with them.
Get Your Dog Used to Your Baby’s Scent
On that first day, your baby arrives home, your task of building familiarity between baby and dog begins. One of the best ways to do this is to get your dog used to the scent of your newborn. You can do this by putting one of the baby blankets in the dog’s crate or bed so that they get used to the smell and learn to sleep with it being with them.
Once you have this in place, you can start to introduce the two of them in a controlled environment, such as holding baby whilst sitting on the couch and allowing your pooch to come and see. Be careful during these moments and only spend a few moments at a time pairing the two of them up.
Give Your Dog Their Own Space
The last thing your dog wants is to be poked, pulled, kicked or anything else that isn’t an enjoyable experience. When the little one is tiny, give your dog plenty of space, both inside and outside the house. For the latter, you can sort a kennel from a company such as My Chicken Coop, and give your dog the chill out space it needs when the little one is crying at the top of its lungs or enjoying feeding time.
Try to Stick to the Old Routine
Dogs love a routine, but as soon as that baby arrives, there’s going to be no such thing. Try and stick to the walking and feeding times you’ve set already so that your dog doesn’t feel alienated, which won’t help build the friendship that you want to develop. As they grow up together, take the little one on walks with the dog, and ask him/her to help with the feeding of the dog. This will build the trust factor, and the rest will surely follow.