Many couples start their journey as parents with a young puppy who they adore. They treat him like their baby, until they decide to have one of their own. You will try not to treat your dog any differently, but there is a shift in the family and they can tell. It can be hard on a dog, so you need to make sure that you take the time to get them ready before you bring the baby home so that the transition goes as smoothly as possible.
Here are a few tips to prepare your dog for a new baby.
1. Start as soon as possible.
Involve your dog as much as you feel comfortable. Allow him in the nursery as you decorate and let him smell things and investigate as you put things away.
2. Start some extra training now.
You will need to work on a couple things.
First, you need to set clear boundaries with your puppy. You don’t want them climbing over all your lap when you bring home your newborn. You need to train the dog to lay besides you and not on top of you. You may want to teach them a command to let them know when they are allowed to sit on your lap.
The second thing you need to work on is walking. You don't want to trip over your dog when you are carrying your baby so you will need to focus on teaching him to walk beside you at all times.
3. Get help.
The more pregnant you become, you won't be able to do as much with your dog. Hopefully you have someone who can help out and take on more of the responsibility. If this isn’t the case you might need to hire someone to help with extra pet care that you are not able to provide for your dog. A few more walks and some extra attention might help.
You will also need someone to help while you are in the hospital and probably for the first few weeks after giving birth. It would be great if you could find someone your dog is comfortable with. This way you won’t have to board your puppy while you are in the hospital.
You should start preparing your dog for a baby as soon as you find out you are pregnant. It is going to be a change for the whole house. The sooner you start, the easier the transition will be for everyone!
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