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I am currently babysitting the newborn of a friend until the baby is old enough to go to daycare. The baby will only be at my house for six days, but this is a good opportunity to begin training my dog in how to behave around infants once the time comes for me to have a baby of my own.
My dog behaved better than I feared when my friend arrived with her newborn. Our previous experiences with Chihiro at the houses of friends with babies indicated that she might constantly try licking the baby’s face, something she does with everyone but can only reach with children.
Instead, Chihiro spent the first 10 minutes after the baby’s arrival pacing around and whining. It’s like she knew this small new human might threaten her position in the household. She did settle down soon after, but even then she chased the cat away from the room with the baby at first. At least she does that with all visitors.
Chihiro’s behavior indicates that she might be concerned that the baby will take all of my attention away from her. When I researched how to introduce pets to new babies, reassuring your pet of the attention it would continue to receive was the foremost issue for both cats and dogs.
Thanks to the sudden inspiration I’ve found in the form of my temporary babysitting duties, I’m about to embark on a multi-part series on introducing cats and dogs to newborns. Reading about the topic both for my own edification and to share the knowledge here revealed so much information it’s going to take me a handful of blogs to cover it all.
Pet-owning expectant parents don’t have too many worries related to introducing their animals to their babies. However, there are still many steps they can take to assure that the transition will proceed as smoothly as possible. Today I’ll start with the basics of making sure your pets still have the attention they need
The baby will inevitably take much of your attention away from your pet. Rather than force your pet to undergo a sudden drop in the amount of time it spends with you, over the nine months of your pregnancy introduce a gradual reduction in the attention you give your pet.
Once the baby comes, however, it is very important not to ignore the pet completely. The new mother should enter the house first without the baby, and spend a few minutes with the pet giving it calm praise. If possible, take dogs on a long walk before bringing the baby home, so they’re not as excitable when the infant arrives.
What you absolutely must not do is ignore your pet completely and snap at it whenever it comes near the baby. Doing so will cause your pet to associate the newborn with its sudden lack of welcome, and the pet might begin to resent the newborn family member. If this happens, the chances of the pet acting out become much greater.
Once your newborn is home, it’s vital to keep taking your dog out for its regular walks. If no one in the household can do so, find a friend or family member who can or hire a dog walker if necessary. Try to find a few moments in your day that each parent, but especially the mother (or whoever spends most time with the baby), can spend with the pet so it knows it’s not being abandoned.
Next week I will look at what expectant parents can do to prepare their pets before the baby’s arrival.
Related Articles:
Dogs and Toddlers: The Uncanny Similarities
School Won’t Allow Seizure Alert Dog
*(This image by rumpleteaser is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.)
