Dear Critter Corner: We are bringing home a new baby soon and are hoping that he and our dog will be best friends. We can’t wait to introduce them—any tips?
Congratulations on your new addition! A great place to start here is with your expectations: set them relatively low in the beginning. You can expect that your daily routine will be thrown once your baby arrives and that alone can be enough to stress a dog out and set them on edge. If you’re able to, try having a friend or relative come and help keep the dog on it’s normal schedule by feeding and walking it and the usual times.
Don’t feel the need to rush the actual introduction. All relationships take time to form and strengthen, and the same will likely go for your dog and baby. Read up on dog body language so that you are familiar with subtle signs your dog may give to indicate that he is uncomfortable (like wide eyes, lip licking, still body or slow movement) or overly interested (whining, fast tail wag, licking baby). If your dog seems stressed just by baby’s presence, there is no need to introduce them up close. Allow your dog to adjust simply to your new baby being around and proceed only when he is acting like his “normal” self. When you do decide to let your dog investigate your new family member, be sure to keep the session very short and positive and end it if your dog shows any signs of discomfort or being too excited. Always make sure that your dog has a baby-free safe place (like a crate in a separate room) where he can go for some peace and quiet, and always provide supervision when they are in the same room. When in doubt, contact a professional dog trainer for advice.