Unfortunately, we see many situations where the baby has already come home and the dog is ignored, left by himself, gated in another room or banished to live outside. Of course when this happens we often see a dog that has become anxious, confused or resentful and acts out in a number of ways. We can limit potential behavior problems or prevent them from happening if we take the appropriate steps before the infant arrives.

 

Before the baby comes home we want to get our dog used to the sounds, sights and smells that are associated with babies. The sound of a baby crying can be played on a CD player that we place in our future baby's crib along with a baby doll. In this way we can simulate what the dog will experience when the baby does come home and begin dealing with any problems that might arise such as over excitement, fearfulness or even aggression.

 

We can start by taking the dog to the crib where the baby will be sleeping and introduce her to it. Let her explore the room and crib and become comfortable in that space. When he is comfortable we can introduce a doll, change it, feed it or just sit in the rocking chair with it. While we are addressing our doll we will be showing the dog how to behave while this is all going on. We will show them where to lie down so they will be out of our way in the future and we will not play rough with them or get them excited in this room because we want them to come in here and be quiet and calm. It is during this time that we will fix any issues that may present themselves with our dog's behavior. In the baby room we can put the doll down and correct any mistakes as they happen and not have to worry about our future baby.

 

Click here for full article