How To Prepare Your Dog For The New Baby

 How To Prepare Your Dog For The New Baby

Having a new baby in the family can be an exciting time for everyone, especially your dog! Many dogs love children and are happy to see them being brought into the home. However, that doesn’t mean they know how to act around them. The arrival of a new human comes with many changes to the home and the routine. This can make your dog feel stressed and anxious. Dogs rely on routines and familiarity to feel safe, secure, and happy in their environment. When bringing home a new baby – or any new pet – it’s important to think about how this will affect your dog. In this blog post we give you some tips on how you can prepare your dog for the new baby before he or she arrives in order to reduce stress levels for both you and your pup.

Plan Your Dog’s Time With The Baby

When you bring a new baby into the home, the time you spend with your dog will naturally decrease. Many new parents worry that this will cause their dog to feel neglected and behave poorly as a result. Although you may have to reduce the amount of time you spend with your dog, it is important to make sure you are still spending quality time together. If your dog is left alone for long hours each day without attention, he may be more likely to bark excessively, chew furniture, or relieve his stress by urinating inside. When bringing a new baby home, you should consider reducing the time you spend in one-on-one activities with your dog. However, you should still make sure you spend time with him during the day. You can reduce the amount of time you spend engaging in one-on-one activities like walking, playing fetch, or training. Instead, use this time to bond with your dog by talking to him and giving him plenty of snuggles and attention.

Introduce The Dog To The Smell Of A New Baby

Since dogs rely on their sense of smell to form impressions of new things, this is an important step to help your dog adjust to the new arrival. Bringing home a new baby blanket or piece of clothing can help your dog become familiar with the smell of a new baby. You can also introduce the smell of a newborn to your dog by getting the parent to rub their hands on a blanket or clothing and then touching your dog with the scent on your hands. This will let your dog know that there is a new baby in the home and he should be careful around the baby. If you are bringing home a baby who has been born in the hospital, the smell of the hospital will be on the baby. You can introduce the smell of the hospital to your dog by rubbing the baby with a clean hospital blanket and then touching your dog with the scent on your hands.

Reduce Stress With Games And Exercise

Dogs, like humans, can become stressed when there are changes to their environment. The arrival of a new baby can be a major event that causes anxiety in your dog. One way to help your dog relax while feeling less confined is to bring him inside while you are home. This gives him a safe space in which to relax and is an excellent way to bond with your dog. Leaving a dog outside for long periods of time can cause him to become bored and frustrated, which can lead to destructive behaviour when you are not home. As well as bringing your dog inside, you can also help reduce his stress by spending more time playing and exercising with him. This will help your dog build confidence and expend any extra energy he may have.

Make Sure Your Pup Is Comfortable

The arrival of a baby often brings changes to the sleeping arrangements in the home. For example, some parents choose to have their newborn sleep in their room, while others put their baby in a room nearby. This can make your dog feel less certain about his place in the home and unsure of where he should be sleeping. It is important that you make sure your dog has a place where he feels comfortable and knows he is safe. You may want to give your dog his own special place to sleep that is away from where the baby will be sleeping or moving around in their cot. You can also help make your dog feel more comfortable in the home by reducing the amount of noise and activity that happens while he is sleeping. You can do this by closing the door to the room where your dog sleeps, especially if you plan to have the baby sleeping in the same room.

When Bringing Home A Newborn Baby

When you bring home a newborn baby, your dog will likely be very curious about him or her. It’s important to give your dog plenty of attention before and after the baby arrives, including lots of play and exercise before the baby comes home. This will help your dog feel confident and secure in his place in the home and help him accept the new baby. When the baby is first brought home, it is important to keep an eye on your dog. He may become very curious about the new bundle of joy and try to get in close to sniff or paw at the baby. If your dog is being very persistent about interacting with the baby, you may have to keep them separated for a short period of time. It is also a good idea to have a calm and quiet atmosphere around the house when the baby comes home so as not to excite your dog too much.

When Bringing Home A Toddler Or Young Child

The arrival of a young child will likely be much different than the arrival of a newborn baby. Dogs are naturally curious creatures and will want to know what this new human is doing. It is important to make sure your dog understands that this new being is not a toy and should not be played with. If your dog is being too curious, you can redirect his attention to a toy or treat while the toddler or young child is playing nearby. You can also try putting a baby gate up between the dog and the child so that the dog cannot get too close and the child cannot get too close to the dog.

Final Words

The arrival of a new baby is a big change to your dog’s environment, especially if he has never had to deal with a baby before. It is important to prepare your dog for the arrival of the baby before he comes home. You can do this by reducing the amount of time you spend doing one-on-one activities with your dog, spending more time playing and exercising with him, and making sure he feels comfortable in his own space. When the baby arrives, you can help your dog by keeping an eye on him when the baby is first brought home, keeping a calm atmosphere around the house, and redirecting your dog’s attention when he is being too curious.