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This article is from the rec.pets.dogs: Assorted Topics, posted to rec.pets.dogs newsgroup. Maintained by Cindy Tittle Moore with numerous contributions by others.

001. A New Baby

Introduce the dog to all the new things you get for a new baby: let it investigate the crib, baby clothes and that sort of thing. Dogs generally seem to know that something is up, especially as the woman gets closer to her time.

After the baby is born, but before you bring it home, see if you can take something home for the dog to smell, like a blanket or an undershirt the baby had on. Let the dog smell it thoroughly.

When the baby comes home, try to hold everything else normal, feeding time, any morning walks, the like. When you bring the baby in, put the dog on a down-stay and introduce the dog to the baby. Have one of the parents hold the baby in their lap and let the dog sniff the baby. Let it lick the baby if you're up to that, but do NOT let the dog nuzzle (push with its nose) or paw at the baby. It is important to introduce the dog to the baby. This makes it clear to the dog that the baby is a new member of the pack. If you exclude the dog from the baby, it may try to attack this "non-member" to protect its pack.

Include the dog in the daily routine with the baby. Give it the same, if not a little more, amount of attention it always got. You do not want it to feel like it has been displaced or ignored in favor of the baby.

 

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• Index
• next: 002. Docking and Cropping

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dog, owner, behavior, understanding, modifying