Preparing Your Dog For The Arrival Of Your New Baby
It can be difficult for a dog who has been used to getting all the attention to adjust to your new baby. Your newborn is likely to take away a great deal of the attention that your pet used to get. This can leave your dog feeling confused. In order to help your pet adjust there are a few techniques that you can try and these will be discussed here.
Teach Obedience Skills
Before your new baby arrives it is a good idea to start teaching your dog some obedience skills. These obedience skill will ensure that your dog is properly trained to sit, stand, move away or go outside of a room when necessary by the time your new baby arrives. The best way to get things started is to enroll your dog in a class. If classes are too expensive for you, then you can go the do-it-yourself route and buy a book that teaches you how to train your dog to obey simple commands.
Introduce New Smells
When you are about four months away from the arrival of the baby, you can start introducing your dog to new smells that are likely to be part of your life when your baby arrives.
- Open the wipes you will use with your baby around your dog.
- Rub some diaper rash cream on a piece of hand towel and place it under your dog's bedding.
- Use some baby shower gel to bathe your dog.
Practice New Routines
Try as much as possible to predict how your life will be when your new baby arrives. This means that you should start anticipating changes and get your dog adjusted. For example, with a new baby, the time that you usually go walking with your dog may need to change. Start practicing new walking times before your baby arrives. You can even try showing your dog your new baby's toys, high chairs and swings. You can let your dog sniff the items, but once the dog attempts to pick up anything that belongs to your new baby you should redirect their attention to one of their own toys.
Set Limits Early
If you are preparing a nursery, you should train your dog from early to stay out of the room. You don't want your dog to be surprised and feel neglected if you bar them out of this previously accessible room once your baby arrives.
By preparing early you and your pet can avoid much of the drama that can occur when you have a pet and a new baby. For more information, contact an animal hospital or veterinarian in your area.