Tips On How To Safely Introduce Your New Baby To Your Dog

If you’re looking for a plan of how to safely introduce your new baby with your dog, why not consider this…

The first time you bring your baby home, ensure that someone else carries the baby, so that mum and dog can greet each other properly. Don’t reprimand your dog for getting excited when he sees mum for the first time - he’s bound to be pleased that she’s home! Just have someone else carry the baby into another room while they greet each other.

After this initial greeting, encourage your dog to calm down.

If you’d like to read more helpful tips on how to introduce your dog and new baby for the first time, why not check out Managing Dogs And Babies At Home

It’s vital that the baby is not brought into the same room as the dog until he is in a calm and obedient state. Make sure you give your dog lots of positive praise and reward for staying calm and listening to your
instruction. Make sure that your dog remains leashed, and there is a good distance between him and the baby - preferably at opposite ends of the room. As someone gradually brings your baby nearer, talk to your dog in a calm and reassuring tone of voice. It’s essential that this process is not rushed, and is completed in a positive happy atmosphere. Should your dog display any signs of anxiety or aggression, calmly but immediately remove him from the situation. Do not try to reassure your dog by talking to him in a soothing tone and stroking him - he will interpret this as being confirmation that his anxious behaviour was correct. Just firmly tell him ‘No’ before taking him
straight out - only bring him back when you are sure he has completely calmed down again.

Ensure that your dog remains on the leash. Whilst your dog is relaxed, he can now be allowed to have a brief sniff of the baby. Don’t forget to give lots of praise to your dog for remaining relaxed whilst sitting or lying down, waiting attentively for your instruction.

For more information on how to introduce your dog and baby to each other take a look at Handy Tips For Introducing Your Dog To Your New Baby

Slowly lengthen the length of time that you allow the dog to be close to the baby. Once you can see that the dog is able to maintain a calm state in the babys prescence, you may consider unleashing him, but only if there is another adult on hand to help you supervise. It may be worth muzzling your dog the first time he is let off the leash near the baby. Give plenty of one to one time to your dog around this time - its important that he gets to experience lots of benefits from the new babys arrival. If you are going to be at home on your own with the dog and baby, be sure to tie the dog securely to a heavy piece of furniture, or alternatively, use a baby gate to provide a barrier while still allowing your dog to feel included by being able to observe through the gate.

Under no cirumstances should you ever leave a dog and a baby alone unsupervised - not even for just a few seconds.

If you enjoyed looking at this article, you may like to take a look at another of my articles on this subject entitled Preparation Tips For New Parent Dog Owners