If you and your partner or spouse are dog lovers, chances are, you are going to become dog parents, too. Before your real baby arrives, you are probably going to spend a few years having your puppy as your very own baby. Dogs reciprocate your feelings, too. If you treat them like your own child, they are also going to be so attached to you, as if you were their parent.
Now that you have a human baby on the way, you have to prepare your dear pup for the newborn’s arrival. As puppies can be territorial and protective, you know that this is going to take a lot of hard work. To help you out, here are some of the smartest ways you can prepare your four-legged baby for the arrival of its human sibling:
1. Enroll Your Pup In Training Classes
One of the best pieces of advice you can follow is to start preparing your puppy for the arrival of a baby early on. As soon as you find that a baby is on the way, you should also strive to prepare your dog for the baby’s arrival. This all boils down to proper training. If you’re lucky, there are dog training classes you can let your dog attend, whereby their behavior becomes more confined and controlled. If there aren’t any near you, fret not as technology has paved the way to make dog training easier. There are now training apps that you can avail of to help you better train your dog. Learn more here about these dog training apps.
Doing this is especially essential if your pup was never used to having any children around. Remember that young kids are often very unpredictable, and their reactions might also set off what used to be a habit for your pup.
2. Teach Your Dog New Skills
If you feel like your pup finally needs to master a trick that you’ve been trying them to do, then now’s the time for you to accomplish this. For instance, you’ve been wanting your pup to practice eating in just one place, such as the garage. Unfortunately, your puppy hasn’t gotten used to this yet and still eats all over the place. When the baby comes, this can be troublesome, particularly when the baby starts crawling around, too. Dogs are very territorial when it comes to their food, and the last thing you want to happen is your dog getting furious at the baby because the innocent baby mistakes your pup’s food for toys. If your pup still isn’t potty-trained, now is the time for you to speed up the process of training your dog!
3. Train Your Dog To Like Other Children
Apart from training your dog with basic skills, you must also address their character traits and behavior. If you do not regularly have young children in your house, your pup will most likely be the center of attention, and will also act like a tame kid. But when the baby comes, you might be anxious about how your dog is going to be around the baby. These negative feelings of yours are the last thing that you would ever want to feel on top of all the other stressors that come with having a newborn at home.
To see how your pup will react to children, make it a part of your daily routine now to bring your dog to the park to play. Do this especially at a time when there are kids around. This way, you get to observe the manner and demeanor of your pup and see what areas of their behavior may need the most polishing.
4. Set Boundaries
If your pup used to be the queen or king of the household, this is about to change now that a baby is coming. You can, however, make this adjustment easier for your dog if you start it earlier on. Remember that for human beings, it takes 21 days for something to become a habit. You can only imagine that it might take longer with animals.
For instance, early on, you might want to start establishing limits when it comes to your bedroom and with the room that you intend to be the baby’s nursery. The better that your pup understands this, the lesser troubles you are going to experience later on when the baby finally arrives.
Conclusion
A newborn can change your life dramatically, as well as your pup’s. Dogs are creatures of habit and predictability, but they can also adjust to the changes that are going to be brought about by a baby. Plus, remember, dogs really look up to you as their whole world, boss, leader, and parent. With a new baby, these feelings are bound to get challenged. As daunting as it may seem, preparing your pup for the arrival of a new baby is a doable task. Next thing you know, these two are going to be so close and comfortable with each other (with caution, of course), as if they are real siblings.