There are many studies that talk about great benefits it has for children to be raised with dogs. It is good for your health, since contact with animals minimizes the risk of asthma, brings them emotional benefits, and offers them the possibility of living great moments with them.
But when we have dog before baby, it is logical that doubts arise about how the relationship between the two will come when the time comes, or if our pet will accept our son willingly. If this is your case, take note of these tips that will help you prepare your dog for the arrival of the baby.
Start preparing during pregnancy
The arrival of a newborn completely changes the habits and routines of a family, and also your dog must adapt to the new situation. Experts insist on the importance of this adaptation being gradual and occurring during pregnancy, so that the animal does not associate a sharp change in its life upon the arrival of the new family member.
Dog behavior
If your dog is obedient, calm and has a good behavior both at home and on his walks, it will not be necessary to work with him specifically before the arrival of the baby.
But if on the contrary, you have a dog that It is hard for you to obey, is nervous, or shows a behavioral problem, the most advisable thing is to consult as soon as possible with a canine educator, who will give you the appropriate guidelines to correct those behaviors.
On the other hand, analyze if your dog has certain behaviors that you want to avoid when the baby arrives. This point is very personal and will depend on each family, but if for example, you have a dog that sleeps in your same room or even in your same bed and you want to avoid it when your baby is born, do not wait for the event to change. situation.
Effusiveness in your greetings?
There are dogs that behave very effusively when they greet people, and in particular their owners. If your dog is one of those jump nervous, run from side to side and stand on two legs to greet you, think about what will happen when the volume of your gut, because of pregnancy, begins to increase, when you present your newborn baby, or when within a while your child begins to take his first steps.
Maybe a priori this behavior is funny or we do not give importance, but in the long run it can end up being dangerous, especially if it is a large dog, as it could hurt our son without wanting to.
Adapt your schedules and routines
Although it is very difficult to predict how the schedules will change with the arrival of the baby, surely you can get an idea of the things you do now with your dog and that you probably have to stop doing for a while after the birth of your son. But remember that these changes should always be gradual!
In any case, if your dog is especially active or needs physical exercise, experts advise not to reduce the times of your walks, and if no one in the family or nearby could take care of maintaining the same pace of walks when the baby is born, a good option would be to hire a dog walker, at least during the first weeks in which you and your partner will be especially overturned with baby care. In this way, the animal will not suffer the consequences of a lack of activity.
Get your dog used to having his own space
If your dog does not have its own bed, it is a good time to find a space at home where place a mat or blanket on which you can rest, relax and get away from excess noise whenever you want. This space must be respected at all times by the baby, when he begins to crawl.
If you wait for the baby to be born to apply drastic changes in your dog's daily routine, the animal will associate the arrival of the new member with a negative moment. Hence the importance of starting as soon as possible."What is a baby?"
As you buy clothes, toys and other accessories for the baby it is good to let your dog become familiar with all these developments, as well as with the new sounds and smells that will soon invade your home.
New smells
Allow your dog to enter the baby's room and sniff his little things. Also, you can start using gels, creams or perfumes for the daily care of your child, so that your dog is familiar its smell when the time comes.
New visual stimuli
Think also about the amount of toys, teethers, rattles and balls that will invade your home in a few months. And think about how appetizing your dog can be, especially if he is playful and enjoys nibbling rubber toys.
So that, Start getting your pet used to the presence of baby toys and don't let him take them. If this happens, you must immediately replace it with one of its toys so that it ends up associating those that correspond to it and those that do not.
New sounds
Experts advise putting the dog's recordings of baby cries, as well as children's cries and babble. And it may be that your dog has previously been in contact with children (through relatives or children of friends), but if this is not the case, all these sounds will be strange when the time comes, so go getting used to it!
The time of presentation
Your baby is born and The long-awaited moment of presenting it to your dog finally arrives! If there has been a previous preparation, following the advice just mentioned, you will already have a lot of cattle.
Even so, it is important to always act with caution, always monitoring the animal's behavior and never leaving him alone in the presence of the baby.
Present used clothes
Before physically introducing your child, show your dog a used item of his and let her sniff her and become familiar with the smell of the new family member.
When you get home with your baby
When you get home from the hospital, first pet your dog (which will also be looking forward to seeing you) and then performs the presentation in a relaxed and quiet environment, so if your dog is nervous or wants to play it is preferable to postpone the moment.
The first contact with the baby should not be direct, forced or forced. Do not put the baby on the floor and always present in the company of another adult who can control the dog. Let the animal sniff your baby for a few seconds, while petting and talking gently and calmly.
If the dog is confident and calm in the presence of your baby, gradually lengthen the time of their encounters, but remember that experts advise that dog and baby should never be left unattended in the same room.
If, on the contrary, you perceive any abnormal behavior or reaction in your pet that denotes shyness, aggressiveness, nervousness or fear, ask for professional advice immediately.
Living together
As the days go by, and your dog becomes accustomed to the presence of the baby at home, everything will begin to flow in a simple and relaxed way. But newborns change very fast, and the serenity of the first days and the slow movements of the first weeks, will soon give way to loud babbles, screams of emotion and first crawls.
Your dog should adapt to each new and wonderful stage that your baby starts, and it will surely accompany you with pleasure at all times. But also It is important to teach the child to respect the animal, not to disturb you when you are resting or eating, and not to pull your hair, ears or tail. Because even the most noble and tolerant dog has its limits.
When your baby grows, you can start make you participate in the care of your pet and very soon you will understand the importance of respecting, loving and caring for you as a member of the family.
And before you want to realize it, your son and your dog will have become best friends and adventure companions!Photos | iStock
