Free Tips for Newborns and Dogs: Preparing Dogs for a New Baby

In this Omaha dog training session, we provided tips to help 3-year-old Morty and 2-year-old Jerry, a pair of pugs, prepare for the arrival of the family’s first baby, focusing on the dynamics of newborns and dogs.

Newborns and Dogs: Tips to Help a Dog Prepare for a New Baby

The dogs were pretty excited to see Claire and I when we arrived for the session. The guardian kept on trying to dissuade or correct the dogs for jumping up on Claire who was ignoring them.

I explained that dogs feel validated by any attention. I noted how Claire ignored them until they sat or lay down, and then she gave them a lot of attention. In just a few minutes, the dogs sat in front of Claire, wanting attention, or quickly sat down when she told them to.

Teaching good manners and boundaries are important lessons to start before you welcome a new baby into a home with dogs.

I shared several tips to ensure the dogs get enough physical and mental exercise. I also explained how to reward good behaviors. This helps motivate the dogs to show those behaviors more often.

I recommended that the guardians enlist the services of a dog walker a few weeks before the baby is due. Getting the dogs into a routine before there’s gonna be a big change can be really beneficial.

This way, when family and guests arrive, time is short because of all the activity. There will be an extra person who can walk the dogs. The dogs will feel comfortable with this person.

I suggested that the dog walker be available while the mother is in the hospital. I also recommended having the dog walker come over on the first day the baby comes home.

If the dogs get too excited, they can take them for a quick walk. They can also sit in another room and play with the dogs. This lets everyone else focus on the baby.

How to Help Dogs Adjust to a New Baby

But I wanted to share a number of other tips to help dogs and new babies get along. New families should train their dogs to stay out of the nursery for the safety and comfort of their newborn. Often people let their dogs follow them everywhere which is normally not an issue. If there will be a time when you want the dogs to be away from you and go to their dog bed, help them practice this behavior first.

I gave my phone to Claire to record a video about tips for helping dogs adjust to a new baby. If you are expecting a baby and have dogs, you should check out the free positive dog training video below.

Although it was tight quarters to shoot the video, I was quite pleased with how well the dogs responded. After we filmed the video, the guardians practiced the exercise too. You don’t need to be a professional Pug trainer to do this. Just have time, a dog bed and some tasty treats.

The other tips about introducing a baby to dogs will help quite a bit. Especially the part about introducing the dogs to the baby’s scent before it come home. That along with playing baby crying noises and pretend diaper changes can really set dogs up for success.

I suggested that the guardians practice this exercise a few times each day. This will help keep the dogs out of the baby room. They should gradually increase the time the dogs stay on the dog bed outside the room. This way, by the time the baby comes, hanging out outside the nursery is a normal behavior for them.

We covered a number of other dog behavior tips in this in-home dog training session so I recorded a roadmap to success video to make it easy for the guardians to remember them all.