Wednesday, December 7, 2011

I Am Having a Baby - How Can I Prepare My Dog for That?

By Dirk Gruenberg


Getting a pet is a wonderful thing for almost any family. Dogs, in particular, are amazing companions and bring immeasurable joy and happiness into our daily lives. They love us unconditionally and make us smile every day.

Dogs want us to be happy and they can be the sunshines of our lives. If we are single or a couple, they are often our sole focus. This will change, though, when we have a baby. Introducing our two little ones to each other successfully will be very important.

When your dog finally meets the new baby, it is quite a big thing for him. Make sure that your baby is safe as they meet. To ensure this there are a few things that you can do beforehand to prepare for this occasion.

Obedience training: Your pet is very intelligent and can handle information more quickly than you can imagine. Before or during your pregnancy, you have to make sure that your dog gets the basics when it comes to obedience.

If he is well-trained, he will know not to jump on people, including you during your pregnancy. Also, when the baby finally arrives, you can tell him to sit whenever it is convenient for you.

Of course, meeting your baby is a new experience for dog and he might get excited. If he is well-trained it is much more likely that he will not cause an accident.

What you can also do before the meeting is to socialize your dog to babies: This second part can be done only if your dog has received basic obedience training. You can start by carrying your friend's baby in your home.

Make sure that you are firm whenever your dog wants to get too close to the baby. Ask him to sit or to stay if he wants to move closer to the baby.

This way, your dog will know that he has to respect the baby's space. With this sort of training your dog can also get accustomed to a baby's smell, sound and features.




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