It is possible that if you have dogs at home, you think that when your baby arrives in the world it could be a problem, or even that your dogs could get jealous. There will be people who will even tell you that you will be so tired taking care of your baby that you will forget to even feed the dogs and that taking them out for a walk can be quite an odyssey. They will tell you that you will not have time to cuddle or love them because your baby will be more important.
This does not have to be that way, far from it. Your dogs are part of your family and the arrival of the baby will only make your pack grow, nothing more. It is important for dogs to become the best 'siblings' a baby can have (in case he has no human siblings).
When it's time to bring the baby home from the hospital, your dogs will be eager to meet you again. but you will have to introduce the new member of the pack / family to be accepted and also, to be loved unconditionally, exactly how they want you.
Make the baby the leader of the pack
It is necessary that as soon as you get home you make the baby the leader of the pack next to you. As a leader that you are for your dogs, you will have to teach your dogs to understand the role of the baby at home. If when you get home and as the leader of the pack you are calm and have a firm attitude, you will be giving your dog confidence, limits and a clear structure of your pack.
If they understand who the leader of the pack is even before the baby arrives, there will be no level of aggression or anxiety towards new additions to the family. Let your dog know that you are in control, so you can relax and that your dogs are also calm and enjoy your baby even if it is just sniffing him.
When you walk with your baby, master the leash well
Good control of the leash is essential when you go for a walk with your dog / dogs and your baby. You need to involve your pets in daily routines with your baby so that they feel like they are fully part of the pack. Going for a walk is a good way to accomplish this, so your dog will feel comfortable walking on the leash next to the stroller without getting nervous.
If your dog enthusiastically pulls on the leash it is important to work so that he knows how to walk in the pack. Teach your dogs to wait whenever necessary, to stop whenever you order, to slow down when you say so ... Thus, having good control, you can walk with your dogs and with the cart without the leash entangling with the cart. of your baby.
One way to avoid stress on walks with your baby and the dogs, the ideal is to go for a walk with the dogs and the car before the little one is born. In this way you can train your dogs without your baby still in the stroller. It will be easier for you and when the baby is born the dog will already be used to walking correctly next to your baby's stroller.
Set clear boundaries
It is very important that as a pack leader you can set clear boundaries for your dog. If you intend to set limits when your baby is in a specific place, it is not necessary to take your dog out of the room ... This would be like abandoning it and your dog would feel very bad, something dangerous because they could trigger negative feelings towards you baby.
But dogs understand limits very well, And if your baby is on the floor playing you can allow your dog to get closer to a certain point or separate the spaces so that he knows where he can be and where he can not. Exactly the same as when you do not let him be sleeping on the sofa but you do put his bed next to the sofa so that he is by your side.
Introduce new vocabulary in orders
In addition to the orders that your dogs have clear, you will have to introduce new obedience commands before the baby arrives home. For example, if your dogs love toys or stuffed animals, you should teach them which dolls and stuffed animals are for them and which are not (because they will be the baby's). Commands like 'leave it', 'it's not yours', will help your dog understand what is his property and what is not.
Pair your dogs with your baby
How can you bond a dog with a baby without any kind of danger to the little human? There are easy ways to do it. For example, you can buy a bed for your dog and put it next to the crib in the living room so that you can monitor your dog and your baby and also, the dog will feel that he is emotionally closer to the baby. Your baby will also get used to the presence of dogs as he grows older and they will also realize that dogs are an important part of the family.
The importance of baby's smell
Introducing the baby's scent is also important for introduction to your dogs. After giving birth, send home a blanket or baby hat for the dogs to smell before the little human approaches. Thus, you can present your dog while you teach this object with the smell of your baby. While you give him to smell it, you should tell him the name of your baby so that he begins to associate that smell with that name. Let him smell the blanket or hat while you repeat the name over and over again.
Before introducing your baby, greet your dog as you usually do.
It is important that your dog does not lose its usual role, That is why it is very important that you greet them before introducing your baby. If necessary, ask someone else to hold your baby while you greet your dog. Cuddle him, tell him what you missed him ... And then let him smell the baby's feet.