Dog and newborn

[twinkydink]

Hi, I'm after some advice regarding my dog and my new baby.

My baby is 2 weeks old and we have been doing lots of training with our dog to get him used to the baby. The problem I think I've now caused is that my dog knows if he does the unwanted behaviour (egs barking when I hold baby) and then stops he gets rewarded for stopping. This is then causing him to do the unwanted behaviour more.

Can anyone give me any advice on what to do differently?

In the evenings he will lie on the sofa when I am holding the baby in the chair and ignore him. But during the day he just barks while I have him.

It doesn't help that we have building work going on for the next three weeks so there isn't really a separate space for him that he can go to while I hold the baby. I try not to shut him out of the room I'm in because I know that's not fair on him when there isn't anywhere else for him to go at the moment.

Any help would be appreciated

Just ignore the bad behaviour rather than rewarding it? Or only reward occasionally rather than every time

I have all this joy to come in 6 months time don't I :/

What kind of dog do you have? We've a newborn coming soon too. We have a staffie cross.

Can you give him something to keep him occupied, thus not as in need of your attention. Try a treat ball or a Kong stuffed with food. I would also consult a behaviourist, preferably one specialising in dogs and babies.

Is your dog sitting with you on the sofa whilst you are holding the baby? If so this is something I would personally avoid. Dogs can be spooked by baby sounds, space and distance is important for safety and for your dogs comfort and stress levels.

Thanks for the advice. No he dosent sit with me while I hold the baby. We have a rocking chair we sit on to hold the baby so that the dog can't jump up.

This evening I gave him a Kong and that happily kept him occupied for an hour and then he crashed out on the sofa.

I think that's the answer to give him something to.occupy himself. Thanks for your advice!

You are welcome, congratulations on your new baby