New Baby and Dogs

When I got pregnant with my son, I didn't realize how my first babies (my two dogs) were going to lose their place in life. I figured once I had the baby my dogs would have a little transition, but we'd be back to normal doing our daily walks, obedience classes, and our fun times that we had. Boy was I in for a surpise! Hopefully this article will help those of you expecting get your dogs ready so the transition happens with as little stress as possible.

Take advantage of your tiredness!

Most women feel the exhaustion of pregnancy early on. This is a great time to cut out ALL that exercise for your dog. Now I'm not saying you shouldn't exercise your dog, but I am saying that its time to start getting OUT of the routine. You simply don't know how you are going to feel when the baby comes and you don't know if you will be able to do walks or run with your pup like you used to. Try to think of activities you can engage in after the baby comes. For example, you know that for at least 4-6 weeks after you have the baby you simply will NOT be allowed to exercise. So maybe its time for someone else to walk your dog if you have that option, or perhaps you can start throwing a toy in the yard. Read this article on exercise for your dog.

Rules Rules Rules

Think of what rules you might change with the baby and start changing them now. For example, if your dog was allowed to jump on the bed you might want to reconsider that rule. Maybe teach your dog to sit before jumping until you release him, or asking him to not get on the bed at all. Why? Imagine you are changing your babies diaper on your bed, or laying your baby down while you do something, then last thing you want is your dog jumping up on the bed and perhaps hurting your precious newborn.

Eating time

Another idea to lessen the stress is to start varying when you feed your dog. I know first hand that with a newborn things happen and that normal 7am feeding for the dogs just might not happen until 10am. For a while after my first son came the dogs would be going crazy wanting breakfast. After a while they learned not to expect it until I started moving their bowls. It helped since sometimes I would sleep in, and other times we'd be up bright and early.

The bottom line is to remember, that even though you have a new baby coming, it doesn't mean your dog will never have your attention, it'll just be different. Your dog will adjust and feel just as loved, and will come to find that this new little person will bring a lot more joy and fun to the house too