Our pets feed off
of our routines and nothing can disrupt routine like a new baby. Your pet will
see you awake at odd hours and will hear all sorts of new, and sometimes
frightening, noises. Here are some things that will help the transition be safe
for your pet and your new baby.
·
Trained behaviour. If your pet is not trained for
the basic commands, sit, stay, etc, then you should train them as soon as your
possibly can. There are a variety of books and videos available online to help
you with training. You can also sign up for dog obedience classes.
·
Sounds. There are a few CDs available to the
public that will prepare your dog for the many new noises associated with
bringing a new baby home. www.babysoundsforpets.com
·
Smells. A new baby brings
tons of new smells. The smell of the baby itself, diapers, baby powder, baby
food, baby shampoo, baby blankets, etc. You can rub the baby with a blanket and
let your pet get comfortable with that smell. Also putting baby lotion, shampoo
or baby powder on your hands and letting your dog smell it can help. You just
don’t want any jumping onto the baby and by bringing the smell to your pet the
risk of such is greatly reduced.
·
Touch. Give your pet a treat with every touch
so they learn to associate touch with a very positive experience. You wouldn’t
want him snapping your child’s fingers when they become a toddler. You should
also teach your child the appropriate roughness for family animals.
·
New routines. You could carry
around a doll or something of similar size so your pet gets used to you
carrying something. This will result in less curiosity when the baby does
arrive.
·
Old routines. Keep some of your old routines and make sure to give your pet a
little extra attention so they do not become jealous of the baby. Jealousy can
result in many actions by your pet such as nipping at the child, urinating or
defecating on the child’s things, barking when attention is given to the child
and so forth.
·
Quiet time. Babies bring a lot
of noise so it is a good idea to set up your pets crate or bed in a quiet place
where they can get away from the stress of a new baby.
·
Watch. NEVER NEVER NEVER leave your pet alone with your new baby
or any other small child. Things can and do happen.
A new baby is very
stressful but with the precautions and tips you can make the transition as easy
as possible for your pet.
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