PREPARING YOUR DOG TO WELCOME A BABY
It is observed, there is an increasing trend wherein a dog becomes part of a family, before a baby comes along. Here are some handy tips to help your dog adjust to the happy addition in the family:
Dogs love routine. The arrival of a baby may mean you cannot spend the required time with your pet. Make sure your partner or someone at home takes charge of the walks, the food, exercise, etc. The arrival of a baby could also imply a change in the sleeping location of your pet. Make these changes well before the baby arrives and not after the baby arrives. It is important your dog does not have any reason to form an association between these changes and arrival of the baby. Give your dog some time to get used to these changes.
Spend extra time to reward good behaviours like “Sit”, “Stay”, “Drop it” and “Go to mat”. And if your dog has the habit of jumping, that needs to be fixed immediately too using positive training methods.
Even before the baby comes home, get your pet to smell the clothing used in the hospital to wrap the baby. When your dog smells the cloth, give verbal reassurance and stroke her to help her form positive associations.
Make sure that before the first meeting with the baby, your pet is well exercised. Have her on leash when she approaches the baby. Expose the baby’s feet and let your dog smell the feet first. Again, praise her if she is demonstrating appropriate behavior. Continue this process everyday till your pet’s curiosity wanes. Never force a dog if she is not interested in meeting the baby, and seek professional help in such cases.
Most importantly, however well trained your dog is, never leave a baby or child unsupervised around your dog.
As a responsible pet owner and parent, help your dog adjust to your baby, make the environment safe, and nurture the relationship between your child and dog.
The writer is a canine behaviour consultant and can be reached at rajeshwari.09@gmail.com
