How to introduce your dog to your new baby.

_{[This is a guest post by Georgia: The Brit Voyage]}

Like many millennial parents, my first baby was my dog. For a little over a year, the apple of my eye was a fluffy Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, who we took on all our travels. Then it all changed. Along with thinking about what I can and can’t eat, how I’m going to decorate the bedroom, and what names to choose I realised I would have to introduce the new baby to my dog.

Dogs are pack animals. All packs have an ‘alpha’, which should be the human owner. Dogs then fall into dominant or submissive roles. Depending on their personalities, however they should recognise their position beneath all human members of the family. All humans and dogs have a place. The arrival of a baby completely disrupts the hierarchy of a household. Your dog is suddenly pushed further down the pecking order. It’s up to us as dog owners to not only ease transition but challenge any jealous behaviour. After all, despite how much we love our dogs, the most important
thing is to safeguard our babies.

So what happens when our dog’s position is disrupted by the introduction of a baby? How can we help ease our dog into their new rank in the household?

3 Stages of introducing your dog to your new baby.

1. Pre-birth introductions

I’d prepare to introduce your new baby to your dog before they are even born. Dogs sense pregnancy in their human pack members through changes in odour, size, shape, and mood, though they probably don’t understand exactly what is to come until the latter stages.

Some dogs, like my sister-in-law’s dachshund, begin to change their behaviour, perhaps becoming more protective of you on walks, or insisting on resting their head on your shoulder while resting. Some dogs, like my spaniel, have no idea.

When you discover you are pregnant, ensure you create an action or time that is ‘your time’. For example, inviting your dog for evening cuddles, or daily games of fetch, show them that they are loved, and they are things you can continue once the baby is in the world too.

It’s likely that dogs can hear a baby’s heartbeat in the womb. It's a certainty that they can feel kicks that your partner, family or friends can if they rest their hand on your bump. Another way you can prepare to introduce your new baby to your dog is by inviting them to rest his head (or body depending on the size of your pet) on your bump to feel the baby inside. You might even notice your baby becoming a little more active when you do have a cuddle with him – mine did!

The final thing you can do to prepare your dog is set up the baby’s bed, toys, nappies, and other items in advance. Give your dog the opportunity to get used to them being there, to explore them before they are actually in use. My dog sleeps on my pillow, so we set up the ‘next to me’ bed about a month before baby was due. That meant he was able to get used to there being a new object in the room, and overcome his curiosity. Despite my initial fears, he didn’t once try to get in the baby’s bed… but does still like to check up on her from time to time.

2. Before baby comes home

Congratulations! Your baby is in the big, wide world.

If you can tear yourself away from newborn cuddles, it’s time to set the groundwork for the introduction. New babies have a distinctive smell, and we all know that dogs’ most powerful sense is their sense of smell. Dogs’ noses determine whether something is new or old, safe or not.

Think back to when you brought your dog home for the first time. If he was a puppy, you gave him a blanket and a toy to introduce your smell, and those objects meant that the pup could have a small piece of home when he moved to their new place. If your dog was a rescue, the likelihood is you did something similar.

Some mums are sent home mere hours after the arrival, but some spend at least a day in hospital. If you have the opportunity, the non-birthing parent should take a piece of clothing with the baby’s smell home to the dog before the baby is brought home. This works especially well if the non-birthing parent is the ‘alpha’.

3. Introducing your dog to your new baby.

It’s the big day! The time you have to both introduce your dog to your new baby, and make it clear that your baby is more important. I found bringing baby home quite stressful, because I was so nervous about how our pup would take his new sister.

In most cases, the non-birthing parent collects the mother and child from the hospital. Since the mother has been separated from the dog, they should be the person to greet him first. Greet your dog with love and happiness – you’ve missed them, and they’ve missed you. Your dog needs to know you still care about him!

Then the ‘alpha’ should bring the baby in to meet the dog. Again, greet him with love and happiness, and introduce the baby by name. Allow him to sniff the baby, but be firm with instruction and correction if he oversteps boundaries. Here, your dog sees that the ‘alpha’ is accepting the baby into the pack, and is establishing the new hierarchy.

If your dog is anything like ours, he will sulk. Ours wouldn’t look at my partner for days, but slowly, with treats and cuddles, he came around. Now we have a happy dog, and a little girl who is smitten with him… so much so that she chases him up and down the house!

If you have to introduce your dog to a new baby this year, you might find that all, some or none of these tips work for you, but it’s worth a try. You know your dog best. Just remember that kisses, cuddles, and treats are your best friend.

_{[This is a guest post by Georgia: The Brit Voyage]}