Unfortunately, dogs frequently begin to "act up" after a new baby arrives. It is unclear whether these behaviors occur because of "jealousy" or simply because the dog is being deprived of its usual and expected amount of social attention and affection. .

You will want to start reducing the attention that you give your dog 2 or 3 months prior to the baby's arrival.

This will help the dog accept that it is no longer the "focus" of your attention. When the baby comes home, you should ensure that your dog gets sufficient attention.

One tip that can be helpful is that whenever you begin to do something with you baby, you can put the dog in a sit/stay and periodically reward it with a tidbit. This procedure allows the dog to associate pleasant experiences with the baby and gives the dog extra attention when the baby is present.

If after the first several days you are still concerned that your dog might harm your baby, a screen door or gate could be fastened at the entrance to the child's room. This precaution allows you to hear the baby but eliminates your dog's access to the room. Also, keep in mind when you take your infant to visit friends or relatives that the dogs encountered there may not be accustomed to an infant in their homes. Baby-sitters should be cautioned not to bring dogs with them to the home of an infant. Tragic incidents have occured when adults mistakenly believed a dog was in the backyard or securely confined away from a baby. Dogs may push open doors and actively investigate the strange sounds and odors of an infant.

Remember, your dog should not have unsupervised access to your baby - EVER. You will want to be especially careful when the baby is screaming, crying, or waving its arms and legs. These actions can elicit a predatory, investigatory, or play-leap reaction by the dog toward the infant. It is wiser to either put the dog in
another room or put the dog in a down/stay several feet away from the baby.

In short, As a new parent, although you should be aware of potential problems, you should not worry excessively about the potential problem of your dog injuring your infant. Most dogs adjust to new babies easily, quietly and without incident. If you are observant of your dog's behavior, and take precautions to introduce dog and baby to each other gradually while your dog is under control, you should be able to avoid accidents or troublesome incidents.

Comments (4)

Subscribe to this comment's feed