-
Step 1
Start a training program before the baby comes home. Getting good verbal control is very important. Some good commands to teach are sit, down and stay. It is also good to teach your dog to not jump and to come when called.
-
Step 2
Get your dog used to having his nails trimmed. You are going to want to keep them short and filed when baby comes home.
-
Step 3
Start getting your dog used to baby-related items and sounds. Set up baby chairs and play recordings of a baby crying. This can be done long before the baby comes home.
-
Step 4
This next step is difficult, but very important. About two weeks before you bring your baby home start to ignore your dog. Just take care of his basic needs. A lot of problems start because most owners pay a lot of attention to their dogs a few weeks before the baby comes home. The day the baby comes home the dog starts to get ignored. We want to reverse that—by not paying attention to the dog before the baby comes home and then turning the attention back on the day you bring your baby home. Your dog will now have positive feelings towards your new baby.
-
Step 5
When the baby is brought into a room, one of the owners should pay attention to the dog and make positive associations when the baby is around. A lot of times the dog is pushed away or shooed out of the room. If this happens a lot your dog will make a negative association with the baby.
