Getting Dog Ready For Baby

Getting ready for your new arrival is a magical time full of expectant wonder but it's also a slog of things to buy, do and prepare for.  If you are one of the 59% of households in the UK who have a dog, then you have an extra complication to think about.  If you see your dog as a member of your family (and let's face it, we all do) then you must make sure your dog feels secure and ready for your new arrival.

We asked Adam Daines of Avon Dog Services https://www.avondogservices.co.uk for his 4 top tips for preparing your dog for the new arrival.  He's recently gone through this himself when his daughter Gracie arrived last year!  Here is what we found out...

1 - Get Your Pooch Used to the Pram

Caring for a new arrival used to be a family affair that everyone from Grandma to Auntie got involved in.  There's a reason for that: you need more than one pair of hands!  Prams are now highly engineered and built for convenience and useability so that everything is in the right place and be used and accessed while simultaneously caring for a baby.  If you add a dog into this mix the wheels start to come off very quickly if your dog isn't used to walking next to your pram or wheelchair.

Adam says:

"Prams are not something that a dog will be used to, and they will rarely have been socialised to them when they were a puppy.  To a dog, they can seem big, noisy, unpredictable, and scary.  The best way to get your dog used to a pram is allowing them to get used to them in the house without any movement or having to walk next to it, allow them to sniff and get used to it being there.  Before baby arrives, start training them by giving them treats when they calmly walk whilst you walk with the pram - start with the dog off lead or have another person walking them on lead at a distance to the pram.  Over time decrease the distance that the dog is walking near the pram and then pop them on the lead and walk them next to the pram - make sure you have a long lead with plenty of slack, so they have plenty of space and aren’t forced to be closer to the pram than they want to be”.

2 - Coping with Fewer Walks

For the first few months after your new arrival, your time will be severely limited.  This will impact the amount of time you have available to walk your dog.  Whilst you may be able to rely on family and friends to help out, it may not always be possible, so start to decrease exercise towards the end of the pregnancy and instead start to introduce mental stimulation.  This will provide your dog an outlet for their energy and will keep them happy, engaged, and tired!

Adam says:

"Mental stimulation can tire your dog out just as well as a good long walk.  Having some go-to exercises and toys will save your life when the last thing you want to do is walk your dog.  To mentally stimulate your dog try using treat-dispensing toys or puzzle feeders.  These are great for wearing out a dog's brain as they have to work out how to get the treats out.  You can also try scent games where you hide their food around the house or garden for them to find."

3 - Introducing Baby Equipment

A new arrival means lots of new things turning up in the house.  It will turn into a warehouse full of Mose's Baskets, Strollers, and really noisy Toys!  Dogs do not like too much change and introducing all of these new things without time to adjust will lead to one unhappy pooch.  It is important to take time to make sure that these things are introduced over time.

Adam Says:

"Dogs like routine and change can be really stressful for them.  When you start to bring baby equipment into the house it's important to take your time and let your dog get used to it slowly.  Put it in a room that they don't usually go in and let them sniff it and get used to it being there.    Once they're happy with that, you can start to move it around the house and eventually into the room that your baby will be in.  The key is to go slowly and let your dog get used to the new smells, sounds, and sights at their own pace."

4 - Leave!

Picture this nightmare scenario.  Your baby wakes up in the night in need of a change of nappy.  In your haste, you put the "full" nappy carefully on the top of the bin while you fit out your baby with a new one.  Your dog, who has awoken by the activity is curious and takes the opportunity to grab the nappy and take a quick tour of the house!  It's not a massive issue if it is a Number 1 but imagine the alternative...

Adam Says:

"Situations like this can be avoided by making sure that your dog has a good strong "Leave".    This is an essential cue for any dog owner as it gives you a way to stop your dog from taking things that they shouldn't.  It's also really useful when you are feeding a baby as you can stop your dog from jumping up or taking food or milk off the table.  To teach your dog to "Leave" start with some easy objects like a tea towel and present it up high and say “leave’, as long as they don’t jump up or grab, mark with a yes and give the dog a treat.  You can then start to use different items, so they learn to leave multiple items and start to understand what the word means”.

Avon Dog Services has put together a fantastic online course called "Bumps to Babies" which takes expectant parents through everything they need to know to prepare their dog for the new arrival.  You can find out more and sign-up HERE:

https://avondogservices.thinkific.com/courses/pooch-perfect-pregnancy