While doing my house calls last week, I came across one family who was expecting the arrival of a new baby soon and the conversation focused on the subject and how their two dogs, a Labrador and a crossbreed, would react to this new arrival.
It would be a good thing to start to reduce the amount of time you dedicate to your dog much before your baby’s arrival
If you own a dog, you are responsible for its actions. Any breed larger than a toy can bite an infant, child, or adult for that matter; therefore, it remains your responsibility to ensure your dog is well trained at the best of times.
The arrival of a new baby is a special moment for your dog; and yet this change to the dynamics of your household and how your dog fits in cannot be underestimated and should be prepared well in advance.
First of all, any behavioural problems your dog may have should be addressed immediately. Signs of aggressiveness need to be controlled with professional dog training and, if this is the case, you should discuss with your vet the option of neutering your pet.
There are also homeopathic remedies and pheromone preparations your vet could recommend to mitigate the problem.
To get your dog quickly accustomed to life after your baby’s arrival, everything possible should be done to try and simulate the impending change much before so as to soften the impact upon your dog.
It would be a good thing to start to reduce the amount of time you dedicate to your dog gradually. This will give your dog time to slowly adjust to the inevitable. If you’d rather have the nursery off-limits to your dog, make sure you have a secure door installed, as some dogs are adept at learning how to open doors. The nursery door could have a netted window for you to hear what is going on.
You can prepare your home by having baby things brought into the house some time before so that they are already part of the furnishings when the baby arrives.
You could also play recordings of baby sounds for your dog to get accustomed to. Similarly, you can get your dog used to the scents that normally accompany babies, such as baby powder and baby wipes. All this helps prepare the dog to adjust to the new smells that will soon invade its home.
Considerable care and attention must be given on the actual day of arrival when your dog finally gets to meet the baby.
Offer your dog all the attention you would normally give it, and then slowly introduce the baby to your dog.
If handled carefully, the outcome will certainly be a joyous one.
thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com
Dr Martin Debattista is a veterinary surgeon.
Take-home messages
• You have nine months to prepare your dog for your baby’s arrival, so make use of them. If you have problems with discipline, take your dog to a professional dog school.
• Do not assume that a small dog is any less dangerous than a large breed.
• Allow your dog to sniff around the nursery before the baby arrives, but make it clear that it is allowed only with your permission. This establishes the house rule for the nursery even before the baby eventually arrives.
• Keep up the routine with your dog: walk and play with it as usual and your dog will relax, knowing that its position in the household is not in jeopardy.
• While still at hospital, ask your spouse or partner to take home the newborn’s burp cloth before you take the baby home. Approach the dog with the cloth in hand and ask it to sniff it – that way, you are establishing a link between the scent of your baby, your home and yourself.
• When your baby is ready to come home, first take your dog for a long walk so that it is calm by the time you get home. Assert yourself gently but allow your dog to sniff the baby from a distance first and eventually allow the dog to come closer. This will help it to establish respect for your baby.