I remember the day my husband and I bought our first puppy together. She was a beautiful, tiny little brindle Boxer. The sweetest dog you have ever set eyes on. We fell deep and hard in love with her big brown eyes.
She was the runt of the litter but she was the one for us. She immediately grabbed my husband’s eye. He loves a damsel in distress. I wasn’t so convinced that buying the runt was a good idea. He told me to pick her up and upon doing so, she immediately pooped on me. That was it. She was the girl for him. We took home our first “baby†together that night.
A lot has changed and we’ve had a couple babies of the two-legged variety since then. We were both very apprehensive about how our 6-year-old dog was going to react to our newborn baby.
Would she love it? Would she think it was one of her “babies†and grab it and drag her around in her mouth?
Would she hate the baby? Would she be jealous? Would she nip at our perfect little newborn? We decided we needed to prep her for the new baby by doing a few simple steps.
Obedience training: It is always a good idea to have your dog trained to mind its owner.
Get your dog used to being around babies: The sounds, the sights, and the smells. Maybe use a doll that cries and put it in some clothes that smell like baby lotion. Obviously, not exactly the real thing but it could help you teach the dog how to act with little ones.
Get the dog used to being around your baby: We put a blanket in the crib with our babies at the hospital and my husband brought them home to the dog before the baby and I ever arrived home. This allowed the dog to know and recognize her scent.
We were lucky our dog was obedience trained long before we had ever thought of babies. Our dog also has never shown her teeth and rarely barks unless a stranger appears or she fears one of us are in danger. She’s also a very even-tempered and social dog.
The babies came and our furry “baby†welcomed them with snuggles and was willingly their jungle gym. Our dog and our girls have grown up together and are the best of friends.
How did you prepare your dog for your baby coming home?
Photo Source: The TRUTH about Motherhood
