preparing pet for baby

[Anonymous]

Anyone have tips, especially for a clingy dog? I find the bigger I get the more my 8lb dog cuddles next to my stomach. I know he's felt the baby move, and he's witnessed the transformation of our home office into a nursery, but I don't think he has a clue of what's to come.I'm 38w3d so theoretically baby could arrive any day. I know DH should bring a blanket home before me and baby get there, but what about actually adjusting? We've tried playing crying sounds but my dog knows it's coming from an electronic device and not a human. Unfortunately he's become quite barky over the past few months, and I can't help but believe it's because of my pregnancy. I'm worried he'll continue this bad habit when the baby cries. Change is difficult for him (got very confused when DH and I switched sides of the bed so I could get out easier due to my size) so I really want this to go well. part of me thinks all i can do at this point is wait and see what happens, but if anyone has advice I'd love to hear it.

Sorry for typos.

[Anonymous]

I carried around a doll for a few weeks before baby arrived. Other than that our dog adjusted better than we had expected him to. We brought a blanket from the hospital to our dog before we picked him up. We also boarded our dog for the first 10 days baby was home. We didn't intend for it to be so long but I had a tough recovery and we wanted to have him come home when we could give him the proper care and attention he deserved so the transition would be easier for him.

[Anonymous]

One thing I did was have DH carry the baby into the house. So when I walked in the door, I was able to greet the dog immediately. That sounds dumb, but I do think it helped. With a dog that small, he will be able to snuggle next to you while you nurse.

[Anonymous]

There are books and articles about this, OP, but my DH is allergic to dogs, so we don't have one and I don't remember where I read what to do.

I do remember that you *don't* start doing things that shut your dog out after the baby comes, as that will intensify jealousy and/or need to assert his hierarchy in the pack. So if Fido will not be allowed in the nursery after baby comes, start making that room off-limits now. Stuff like that.

Maybe Cesar ___, that Dog Whisperer has some tips on this. He has some episodes on DVD etc.

[Anonymous]

Jeff, this is the OP. I had originally posted in the Expectant Moms since that forum gets more traction. Is it possible to move it back?

[Anonymous]

1) don't stress about it. Dogs can sense your mood so relax and remain calm.
2) while in hospital, we had my mom bring home the baby hats and blankets to let dogs smell ahead of time.
3) when we came home we had another person hold baby while we went in first to greet dogs
4) don't stress out
5) don't treat dog like second class citizen now that baby is home. When holding baby, pet dog so he knows nothing has really changed

All that being said, never leave baby alone with dog

Remember to treat your dog the same and make sure you give him attention when baby is around and not only when baby is asleep. Make him feel part of family. Again, stay calm and relax and good luck.

[Anonymous]

Have the dog spend time around other people's babies if possible so he can get used to how they behave. Then introduce slowly once baby arrives.