Here is a great plan of how to go about supervising your dog when you bring your new baby home for the first time…
Your dog and the new mum will want to say a proper hello to each other, so ensure someone else carries your baby into the house for the first time. Don’t reprimand your dog for being excited when he sees mum for the first time – he’s bound to be pleased that she’s home! Simply have somebody carry the baby to the safety of another room whilst they greet each other.
After this initial greeting, encourage your dog to calm down.
For more advice on how to manage dogs and babies, check out Managing Dogs And Babies At Home
Make sure that your dog is fully relaxed and at ease before introducing your baby into the room. Make sure you give your dog lots of positive praise and reward for remaining calm and listening to your
instruction. Check that your dog is correctly leashed and there is a safe distance between him and your baby – have them at opposite ends of the room if you can. As someone slowly brings your baby nearer, talk to your dog in a calm and reassuring tone of voice. It is essential that this process is carried out slowly in a relaxed and cheerful way. Should your dog show any signs of anxiety or aggression, calmly but immediately remove him from the room. Don’t try to reassure you dog by stroking him and talking in a ‘There,There’ tone of voice, as this will only serve to confirm in his mind that he was right to be anxious or aggressive. Just firmly tell him ‘No’ before taking him
straight out – only bring him back when you are certain he has completely relaxed again.
Keep your dog on the leash at this point. If your dog has completely relaxed, you may allow him to have a short sniff of your baby. Keep rewarding him for remaining relaxed and obedient to your instructions to ‘Sit’ or “Lie Down’.
Remember, there’s loads more handy tips and useful advice on managing the introduction of your dog and new baby at How To Handle Introducing Your Baby To Your Dog
Gradually increase the time that the dog is allowed to be around the baby. Once you can see that the dog is capable of maintaining a calm state in the babys prescence, you may consider unleashing him, but only if there is another adult there to help you supervise. At this point it may be worth considering muzzling your dog. Ensure your dog gets lots of one-on-one attention from the family members over the coming days – this will help him see the babys arrival as having lots of positive consequences for him. Whenever you’re on your own in the house with the dog and your baby, make sure you tether the dog to a heavy piece of furniture, or use a baby gate to keep them apart.
Never forget – you should not under any circumstances leave a baby and a dog alone together unattended, even for just a few seconds.
I hope you have found this article useful – why not have a look at another of my articles on introducing dogs and babies at Helpful Advice For Dog Owners With A New Baby
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