Comments on: How to Introduce Your New Baby to Your Dog

on 11/8/2008 A great resource is www.dogsandstorks.blogspot.com for up to date material.

on 8/8/2006 My wife and I recently had a baby, and one of our biggest concerns was how our dog (who totally ruled our home) would react to the new arrival. We came up with an idea that worked. We simply played our dog (Jack) the sounds of babies crying during the weeks leading up to our daughters birth to acquaint him with the sounds. Before we knew it, Jack was totally used to the sounds, and when the time came to bring home our baby daughter, Jack was great!

on 1/4/2006 Teach your dog a different way to respond when he gets excited. In order to do this, find something your dog considers a reward (a favorite ball, dog treats), and show it to him. Next, insist that the dog lay down in order to get what he wants. Do this over and over, for weeks, if necessary. As your dog masters this, you will even be able to dangle the item just above his nose, and the dog will immediately lay down instead of reaching up for the treat. You'll find that he'll lay down at other times too, instead of jumping.

on 11/22/2005 When I was in the hospital one of the nurses told me a great tip, we tried it and it worked wonders! The first night I was in the hospital my husband went home with an outfit that the new baby had been wearing that day and put it where we knew the dog would lay down and find it. He just showed it to her and she laid down on it right away and spent the night with it. When we came home with the new baby we made sure to allow our dog some time to sniff the new baby (with us right there of course). The dog was very happy to meet her and they are good friends to this day with no problems with each other.

on 11/22/2005 Feed the baby then praise your dog for having behaved properly. Do not pet the dog before feeding the baby because he might think you are asking him for permission to feed the baby.