Getting Your Dog Used To A New Baby

Do you have a dog that you wish to introduce a new baby to? Or perhaps you have a new grandson or granddaughter in the family that will be coming to visit on a regular basis with your family and your dogs. It's extremely important to make the initial contact between the canine and the child a happy and stress-free one.

One of the most important things to remember when introducing your pet to the new baby is for the dog to understand that there are boundaries. The first time the baby is in the proximity of the animal the dog should not be allowed near the child. It may seem that you should allow the dog to come and sniff and smell the baby, but it's very important in the beginning to establish very firm boundaries. The dog must understand his place and that the new child is not some type of toy or wild animal or whatever else the canine brain may think of. It's vital the dog shows respect to the child.

After these boundaries have been established between the baby and the canine, you may allow the dog to approach closer and get a smell. Smelling is a very important part of the canines life. This is how they establish their world and how they actually see and judge people and children around them. Allow your dog to sniff but not to lick the child. We do not want any point to allow the dog to believe the child is anything more than our position and ours alone.

Never ever leave a child in a car seat or alone on a mat or sleeping crib when you are not present if your dogs are in the house. Understand that it takes several weeks to several months before any amount of trust can be built up. Even dogs that are extremely well behaved and who have never exhibited any aggressive behavior to anyone before can show aggression to a child. Understand that a dog's brain cannot comprehend what this new little crying and screaming and wiggling animal is. For example, if the dog was allowed to approach the child while he or she was lying on the floor wiggling and moving around, the dog could perceive a random movement as an aggressive one toward him. This could immediately bring about an aggressive behavior in the dog and the child could be hurt seriously in just a matter of moments. Do not assume that if your dog has never been aggressive before that this will continue to be the case when a new child is brought into the home.

There are news stories all the time about dogs attacking small babies and injuring them severely or even killing them. Many times the owners state that the dog had never been aggressive in the past. You must always assume that when a dog is first introduced to a baby that his mind is wandering what this is and he has some questions as to whether or not this new being is safe to be around. And again, never leave your new baby unattended even for a moment in the beginning when he or introducing the dog to the child.

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