How to prepare your dog for when your newborn baby comes home
BOSTON -- Bringing home a newborn baby from the hospital can be exciting and a little nerve-racking.
Hannalore Tice, dog trainer and owner of Boston for the Dogs in Jamaica Plain told WBZ-TV many clients come to her seeking advice on how to introduce their newborn baby to their fur baby.
"You can still live with your dog and grow your family. Just because a dog is really great with children and has been around kids and families, we have to remember when it's in their space every day, every minute, it changes the threshold of it all and then sometimes even the best dogs have bad days just like us," Tice explained.
Some dogs can get a little possessive of the actual baby, their mom or dad, or their toys and space.
She said with the foundation of some basic training, dog parents can start prepping their pup before a baby is born.
Let dogs get used to some of the new baby gear in your home, like car seats, high chairs, and practice walks with strollers. Tice said you can also switch up your YouTube playlist to include the sounds of a crying baby, and even share with your dog some of the products you'll be putting on your bundle of joy.
"I love to make sure I put on my lotion, baby products, baby wipes, all those things and sniff it, reward. Sniff it, reward. How can I make this a positive experience?" Tice told WBZ.
But Tice said the best, most important thing dog owners can do is get their dog familiar with the unique scent of a newborn baby. A great way to do this is by having family or a friend bring home a swaddle from the hospital.
"It allows the dog to not be bombarded by this new smell," Tice explained.
"We really suggest bringing these swaddles home, even daily. Having different swaddles that are very strong with the scent of baby and mom together. I also really like putting that blanket in the baby carriage, the high chair, the crib, the room because this is where that baby is going to be. So, then you're also conditioning that space with that smell."
And then there's the moment of truth: when the baby and dog meet for the first time. Tice said it's important not to rush it, and better for the new parents to initially greet the dogs without a baby in tow to get out that initial excitement.
"We're not gonna let him immediately run up on the baby. We're gonna have our little house leash on and it would really just be something out of the space, sniffing around the perimeter [of the barrier], but not booping. I would keep it very short and very successful. Always end interactions while they're still good," Tice shared.
So how long does a dog need to prepare? Tice said ideally, a few weeks.
"You have nine months to prep you as a human emotionally. Let's make sure we're giving that dog that time as well. Even with dogs that maybe aren't your classic quote-on-quote good dogs, have the opportunity for success if we set them up for it," Tice said.