How do you keep a family dog from getting jealous of a new baby?

Answer 1

we had this concern 4 mos ago. First things first: put out some of the baby "stuff" so the dog can get used to it...cribs, swing, etc. When baby is born, they'll put a hat on baby. Hae your husband bring the hat home after baby has worn it, and have him let the dog sniff it while he pets/rubs her (Positive association). When you bring Baby home, have you husband get the dog. You and Baby wait outside. Bring the dog out, let her sniff Baby while you shower Dog with attention. After a few minutes, all go in together, with Dog leading...this way Baby isn't barging into Dog's home, but is led in by Dog. Sounds silly, but it works.
We also never keep Baby's room off limits, and our dog sleeps under her crib sometimes. As much as possible, keep Dog's routine normal. Talk to her while you change Baby, pet her when you play w/baby on the floor, etc. We've never had a problem.

Answer 2

I beg of you - please don't listen to BeachCraz...she is a major hinderance to your question and hopefully doesn't have pets.

Depending on the size of the dog, introduce the dog to your baby's clothing (just before you're going to wash it). Let your dog smell the baby. Then with you holding your child and the dog being held by your spouse or another family member, let the dog smell the child. Speak softly to the dog and make sure the environment is quiet so that the dog doesn't get startled. I agree with the other writer who said that you should involve your dog in everything you can possibly do in the house.

Done right, this new little being in your home with not affect your dog and your child will be blessed even more - Also, contact your vet for suggestions. Good luck and best wishes.

Answer 3

Allow the dog near the baby. Get on the floor in a controllable environment and let the dog investigate the baby, dogs love your positive praise, so tell the dog that you love that it is being so nice to the new baby. Don't try to push the dog away or exclude it from the activities. If it is a hyper dog, work extra hard with it to show it that it has to be calm around the baby. Try not to scold the dog around the baby as you don't want it to feel as if the baby is a reason to get yelled at, and therefor cause more jealousy. Remember, animals have a keen sense of things, and they instinctively know (most of them that is) that they have to act different around a baby. I wouldn't be eager to leave them in the same room unattended for a bit, but don't assume the worse either. Dogs are eager to please everyone and will soon become protective of the new baby.

Good luck

Answer 4

I would start off by letting the dog smell the baby. And just make sure that you are not giving the dog attention. Include the dog in everything you do with the baby. When the baby cries you can say to the dog, whose crying should we go and get the baby together? and every time you pick up the baby let the dog smell it. Just make sure to include the dog in everything, and that you're not neglecting the dog. Pay attention to both the dog and the baby.

Answer 5

If you have not had the child yet be sure to show the pups the babies room and all of the babies stuff. Once you have the baby have someone take one of the knited caps the baby will wear in the hospital home to your dogs before you arrive to get familiar with the scent. Once home, introduce the baby to the dog in a controlled enviornment. Also, plan scheduled doggy time. For instance, while mom is busy feeding baby have dad take the dog for a walk or play ball.

Answer 6

to keep the dog from being jealous make sure you keep the dog involved with the baby let him or her smell the baby and play with that child that way the dog can bond with the child treat the dog as a person not the family pet.

Answer 7

Our family dog was just curious. He never, ever growled or snapped at my daughter. He just wanted to smell her and be near me. We didn't have a single problem between the two of them.

(Actually, my husband brought my daughter's baby hat home from the hospital the night before we came home so that the dog could sniff it and get some love from him and get used to the smell and idea of the baby. When my husband got up in the morning, the hat was gone. The dog had eaten it! We couldn't decide if that meant that the baby was so irresistable that he couldn't help himself, or if it meant he hated the possibility so much that he had to destroy the evidence. But it all worked out great.)

He died when she was two, a few weeks before her sister was born. We waited a year, and then we got another dog.

And that dog is fantastic with both kids. The baby taught herself to walk holding on to that dog. No snapping, growling, biting, roughhousing...the dog gets that these are little people.

It is important, though, to teach your child simple commands (sit, stay, down, etc.) and how to deliver them as soon as possible. And to step in whenever playing seems to be getting too rough, or your child seems to be mistreating the dog.

My kids have learned how to be responsible for someone else and how to be gentle and how to be assertive from having dogs in the house.

Good luck.

Answer 8

Include your dog in EVERYTHING!!! The common thing is to forget about the dog and push it away when it tries to see the baby... all he wants is to LOOK at this new thing. After all, he's been the apple of your eye up until now, and if you keep him away from baby, he's gonna get jealous and this is when you start to get problems. Make sure you integrate him as much as possible into the fuss you make over the baby. Never leave him alone with your little one unsupervised though. Just make sure you let him see the baby and he will be quite content with that.

Good Luck!

Answer 9

You should bring something home ahead of time or just call him over to show them the new baby, there usualy okay. When I had my son though my male dog growled from the jump so maby he senced it was a male, I never figured that out but he growled until he was probably 3, thats when the dog died

Answer 10

i do no longer comprehend notwithstanding if it is jealousy, however the dogs will take a undeniable volume of time to have self belief the toddler is a factor of the "p.c.." and till then i does no longer have faith the dogs with the toddler. A 4 day previous new child became killed right here in Atlanta final week by the relatives dogs. The mom left the toddler on the mattress on an identical time as she took a tub, and the dogs killed the toddler. i does no longer have faith the dogs to be on my own with the toddler toddler, no remember how sturdy the dogs generally is. Our dogs is very candy, yet she became carried away by the twins and did no longer comprehend what to make of them. by 3 months she became large, they have been area of the p.c.. and he or she became calm around them. yet as newborns they only excited her too lots, and such exhilaration isn't risk-free in dogs. you do no longer comprehend what they are going to all of sudden come to a decision to do. The dogs can prepare quite no aggression to the toddler, and then all of sudden come to a decision to kill it. till you sense the toddler has been time-honored as area of the p.c.., do no longer have faith the dogs. Even then be careful of direction! Use your maximum suitable judgement, yet do bear in recommendations that a dogs needs a while to settle for sparkling people / pets.