Tips for preparing dog for new baby

[CaptainCabinets]

I’ll start by saying I would never leave a dog and small child unattended. Ever.

However, I do feel I need to prepare my nervous dog for a new permanent arrival due in December! We foster kittens and he’s always adjusted very nicely to them and understands that they’re small and noisy but isn’t bothered. However, a baby is not a kitten!

I’ve been playing him newborns crying on YouTube every day, friends have given me used muslins to put in his bed to get him used to baby smells, I’ve been leaving baby clothes and baby equipment where he can see and sniff them. I’ve even crawled across the floor behind him and poked him like a baby might 😂 no reaction to anything so far.

I’m just after some other tips from the MN hivemind please to help get him adjusted in advance so he doesn’t feel absolutely blindsided by it all!

I was the same before my baby was born! We played baby crying noises getting gradually louder and louder with treats for staying calm, set up all the baby stuff gradually in advance so he got used to everything bit by bit rather than all at once, we really focused on “place” training so that we were able to tell him “place” and he would go to his bed and lie there until we give his release command (massively helpful for when baby is on play mat on the floor or when changing a nappy/organising a feed), and when baby was born my husband brought home her first outfit and a few dirty muslins while I was still in hospital for him to have a good sniff of and get her scent before we came home. Then when we did bring her home, my husband and I went in the house first to give him a cuddle, my mum then brought the baby in so that it wasn’t one of us bringing her in. Honestly I worried so much about how he would adjust my whole pregnancy, my baby is nearly 5 months old now and I honestly don’t know what I was so worried about he is just perfect with her! X

Ah I’m so pleased! I know my dog can be a bit of a nervous wreck but it’s only ever been adult strangers that he’s scared of as he has a history of being beaten, he’s always been pretty relaxed around children. I just don’t want him to feel like we don’t love him anymore

We’ve cracked ‘place’ training already thankfully, and I regularly test him on it just to make sure! He’s already crate and muzzle trained just as extra tools in our dog ownership toolkit so he wouldn’t be fussed about going in his crate if he needed to, and I’ll probably pop his soft fabric muzzle on him just for his first few times of being near the baby until I know how he feels about them.

I’m sure it will all be fine! I think honestly they feed off of you, if you are calm about it then he is more likely to be calm about it. All you can do is try to prepare the best you can and then hope for the best, as you say never leave them unattended and you can always intervene/separate if needed. Good luck! X

Congratulations.

Honestly it's going to be the shift in routine which will affect your dog more than a baby. Some dogs cope ok and some struggle. It will be very different for him and you just have to go with that really and plan for the worst but hope for the best.

If you can keep his routine the same then amazing but in reality it's hard.

Congratulations.

I don't think it's about getting him adjusted before tbh - that's just something to make you feel better (in the nicest possible way). Nothing prepares a dog - or a human - for a baby like actually having a baby. His owner poking him is really not going to get the same response as a baby or a toddler poking him...

The only thing you can really do is ensure that you don't neglect your dog in favour of your baby. That means sticking to your dogs routine, still giving him one on one attention (without the baby) and exercising him/giving him mental stimulation.

Thanks for your replies 🙂 we’ve already discussed how we’re planning to make sure he doesn’t feel neglected, current ideas are to take him out for solo walks as well as walks with the baby so he can have 1:1 time with both me and DP. Also planning on playing our usual games with him in the house and garden while baby naps during the day!

When my best friend had her baby, I made sure I got on the floor with her dog first and played/cuddled with him before I sat down to meet the baby 😂

I would be really wary of using a soft fabric muzzle - they're only designed to be used for very, very short periods (eg. at the vets) - he should be in a proper Baskerville one if you're going to use one.

He has both a Baskerville and a soft fabric muzzle. We use the Baskerville for vet trips (just for everyone’s peace of mind, he loves the vet!) and if we have tradespeople in the house for extended periods.

I’m only planning on having him sniff baby at close range for a minute or so each time to let him get used to what they look and smell like, hence why I was going to use the cloth muzzle for those short exposures. He’ll be unmuzzled unless in touching distance. The Baskerville is quite hard so I didn’t want to go for that in case he panics (if you’ve ever been headbutted in the face by a dog wearing a Baskerville during a nail trim, you’ll know why it wasn’t my first choice!)