A few folks were asking on Instagram for some specific info about how we introduced Burger to Clara, and how we tried to make the whole transition from living with a dog to living with a dog and a baby as smooth as possible for all parties involved. We definitely did a little googling and even chatted with our vet about what we could do to make things easier on Burger (and us) when this whole GIANT LIFE CHANGE happened, so here’s what we ended up doing, and how it worked out.
1. John left the hospital for about half an hour to bring Burger a blanket with Clara’s scent on it after a day of us being there (we stayed for 4 days due to our complicated birth experience), so John just dropped that blanket into his crate for Burger to sniff and snuggle for the next few days. He was being cared for by John’s parents, but Burger’s one of those dogs who actually likes his crate, so he spent plenty of time with people, and plenty of other time in his crate with his new blanket. We like to think that helped him get used to the scent of his baby sister from day one.
2. When we finally came home with Clara, Burger was already back at home waiting for us, and when we walked in carrying Clara in her baby seat, we also carried in a treat and a toy for him. We had heard that you can help a pooch associate the arrival of someone with something good if they get something awesome and exciting when that person enters the house. So giving him a treat and some nice snuggles along with a new toy while carrying Clara into the house for the first time seemed to lay the groundwork that she was a good thing, so he hopefully associated her arrival with awesome times.
3. We just generally tried to give him love whenever we could while juggling the whole “caring for a newborn” thing. Of course we had our hands full with Clara, and we were adjusting ourselves, but we were surprised how much time she spent either nursing or sleeping, which definitely freed us up to sit on the sofa with Burger snuggled right next to us, and we doled out as many rubs and snuggles as we could spare, just so he never felt replaced or ignored. I’m sure he sensed that something major had changed (we went from a family of three to a family of four) but we didn’t have any issues with him having accidents or acting out in any way, which we heard could happen. So we’re really grateful that it seemed to go pretty smoothly for the Burgs.
How did you guys introduce a new human to your pet? Do you have any other tips for folks who are nervous about it? I like to say that Clara shot up the list quickly a “Burger’s favorite” because she always has crumbs and sticky fingers (two of B’s favorite things). So I think they’re a pretty great pair.
Mary says
We did the blanket thing as well. I used to be an L&D nurse and I always told people that when they arrived with the new baby to set the carseat down and greet the dog. Give some cuddles and hugs, whatever a normal greeting is and then let him explore the carseat and take the baby out. If you walk in with the baby in your arms or take the baby out before greeting the dog, they can get really territorial.
Kelly Jo Jordan says
We did all of those things, plus we had a huge bag of toys and bones for the first few weeks. Whenever our pooch (Trudy, a golden) wanted attention that we couldn’t give just at that moment or if she was being extra sweet, we gave her a treat. It worked out great and now her and the baby are BFF’s!
Stephanie says
Having dealt with an awful lot of dogs (as a dog trainer and working with service dogs) it is nice to see parents being so careful and thoughtful about bringing baby home! I think the most important things to establish before the baby is born (especially for those commentors with larger dogs) are a fail safe sit or down stay, a leave it cue, and a really clear marker for “I love what you did there, and now awesome things are going to happen!” It is so important to let your dog know clearly when he is doing the right thing – if you make it worth his while, he will do more and more of the right thing, and other behaviors disappear (which is awesome when you want calm, relaxed behaviors around the baby). There are also a lot of lovely tips here: http://www.dogsandbabieslearning.com/blog/ – I especially like the articles on not magnetizing kids to dogs. I’ve unfortunately dealt with numerous bite cases, and so many are preventable with good management and attention. No worries to those trying to establish the baby’s pack rank – dogs generally don’t think that way, and are less concerned about the baby’s “status” than about changes in routines or unclear communication. New parents should love on your dogs, and let them know that the baby is an indicator of awesome stuff. :)
Ashley says
I am so glad that you posted this! I have always been a bit nervous to have my chihuahuas around kids and so I sometimes wondered how the heck we’d ever work a baby into the mix; then I saw how Clara and Burger got along so well and wondered what your secret was. Thanks for sharing!
Sarah S says
so glad you guys talked about this! I’m 4 months pregnant with our first and we have two dogs that we wonder how they will react when baby comes. I’ve heard also as the time nears when baby will be coming to find YouTube clips of baby sounds (laughing/crying/cooing.. etc) and play them randomly to help the dogs become familiar with the sounds.
I don’t know if y’all have in the past but I’d LOVE to see a post some time reviewing your favorite baby products (stroller/car seat/ etc) that you used with Clara/ plan on using with The Bun!
Young House Life says
Thanks Sarah! We’ll try to do that either before this bun comes or after (since we feel like some of the things we loved with Clara are 4 years old and might not even be made anymore – meaning there might be newer models, etc).
xo
s
victoria says
we were super nervous to introduce our new baby to our 65# doberman but it went amazingly well when we brought home our little one on monday night. (yep, just 2 days ago!) and had planned on bringing a blanket home early but my hubs wasnt interested in giving up cuddle time with the new baby, lol! we ended up bringing the baby directly into the nursery and letting her keep snoozing in her carseat while we unloaded everything. Then we got the dog out of her crate and spent some much needed playtime & treat time with her until she calmed down from having us back home. Next we brought out her blanket for the dog to sniff and once she seemed like she was done sniffing it we brought out the baby and let her take smiffs of her feet, butt & eventually the top of her head while reminding her to ‘say hello” and “be gentle” (awesome command words we taught her along with things like sit & wait when she was just a puppy that we use to rind her to just sniff instead of lick). She took to her role of big sister pretty quickly and likes to stand watch at the nursery door if the baby is nursing or being changed!
Andrea says
So glad you guys did a post on this topic :) I was happy to receive an elaborate! answer from you when I asked in a comment some time ago but this is great, I’ll definitely bookmark this.
We’ve had the chance to introduce Hamlet to a 3-year-old in the meantime and we allowed Paul to feed him his favourite treats. Ever since then, Hamlet’s been really settled when we come across children on the street. He used to be scared but now it’s more like excitement (for they might have some cheese cubes in their pockets ;)
Renee says
Our boys, 12 year old lab and Shepard/collie mix, met our daughter the morning we brought her home on the front steps of the house. I carried her in my arms, sat on the steps with her cradled between my knees, cupped her face with my hands and let them sniff away! In just a moment or two she was sniffed and licked from head to toe! Slobber Fest!! They haven’t left her side! She used to sit propped up at their bellies like a Boppie! Same trick with her younger brother! Worked perfectly for our family!
Sarah says
Just a couple months ago we brought home our new baby girl to meet our two fur babies. We didn’t do anything to prepare them for the new arrival and they were still able to welcome her without hesitation. I really think it depends on the type of dog that you have and it’s personality. I assume not doing anything won’t work for everyone, but for us it was a very easy transition. Dogs are extremely instinctual and they know that if you love the new member of “the pack”, then they will too. Dogs aim to please their masters and if you are showing kindness to the baby, they’ll follow your lead. Of course we let them sniff her right away, and used gentle voices, and they barked at her first cries, but they’re so used to her now and want to snuggle her like their own.
Rebecca B. says
My comment is unrelated to this post but I just read a few pages back and felt very impressed to encourage you, Sherry, on your pregnancy. I know you had a VERY SCARY delivery with Clara (as did I with my first, who is now a healthy and vibrant 4 year old girl.) When I became pregnant with my 2nd daughter (who is now 8 months old) I worried a lot that my 2nd delivery would be as traumatic, that another emergency c-section was in my future, that another 5 week premature baby would be added to our family. However, my fears were unrealized, thankfully. The 2nd pregnancy was different by a long shot, in both good and not so pleasant ways (dang you, Heartburn!!) The biggest difference was that my little Charlotte was full term, there was no pre-eclampsia, and all of us are perfectly fine. I write this to get to my point….your 2nd delivery may very well be the most perfect text-book delivery in the history of forever. I’m believing that for you. As I’m certain many other readers are as well. If things ever get scary in your mind while in the quiet moments of the night, just remember the 2nd one DOESN’T HAVE to turn out like your first. Peace out.
Young House Life says
Thanks so much Rebecca, that’s so nice to hear!
xo
s
erin says
That is so true! My first was an emergency induction that was followed by uterine atony and my almost having an emergency hysterectomy. My second birth was perfect, no where near as painful, and labor was only two hours long! :)
Young House Life says
Oh my gosh, so glad you were ok!
xo
s
Aimee @ Irresistible Pets says
Thanks for sharing these great tips! I always wonder how Chuy will react if we ever have a baby! Chuy is so spoiled and is like an only child lol. Whenever he hears babies crying on TV, he gets really freaked out!!
-Aimee
Jen says
We had a really easy transition, didn’t do the blanket thing, it wasn’t necessary for us. Long before having kids I trained my dog the commands “leave it”, “too close” and “park it.” Leave it can be for anything from leave toys alone, food alone or even just sniffing too many things. I also trained my dog that he can’t pick things up off the floor. He has a basket of his toys, all new toys go into the basket and he can get it from there after I’ve put it there. Nothing off the floor, nothing directly to him, everything first goes into his basket. He’s never touched a baby toy, blanket, etc. and never touched my things either. Too close means just thing that, being up too close to the baby’s face, etc. The command means to take a large step back. I trained it by using my foot on his cheat (he’s very large) and pushing him back the length of my leg. Not kicking him at all, just pushing him back like I would with my hand. Park it means go to a designated area, usually an area rug. It’s like a stay command but for a larger area, it could also mean to go hang out in your crate if you wanted. I use this mostly when we’re eating, but it can be used anytime. Those three commands were the most helpful when we brought the baby home. We didn’t have any problems until my toddler started chasing him around, but that’s the toddler’s fault not the dog’s. He also isn’t allowed in the kids rooms, just to demonstrate that the kids are higher up the totem pole then the dog is.
Jody says
We didn’t do anything special to prepare the cats (our beloved dog had passed away during the pregnancy). The 2 year old cat had loved to lay on mom’s tummy and feel the baby move. She was the first one to check out the car seat when they arrived home with baby. The oldest cat became almost obsessed with the baby and we have picture after picture of him laying beside her. The middle cat probably couldn’t have cared less.
erin says
We had two cats when we brought our first son home. I didn’t do anything for them…I guess I didn’t think about it. >.> One cat was mildly interested and the other was mildly disinterested. (Ha!) But they were both very friendly, docile cats that weren’t given to fits of malice or anything like that. The mildly interested one (Mao) remained friendly and somewhat available, while the disinterested one (Mims) generally avoided him, particularly once he learned to crawl.
We had to have Mao put down shortly before our second son was born. When he was about five months old, Mims suddenly decided he was her favoritest favorite person EVER and that she LOVED HIM. It was crazy, because he was always much more rough with her than our oldest was. I wrote a poem/post about them here (nerd alert): http://egallis.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/clive-and-mims-a-love-story/
Young House Life says
Oh Erin, I’m so sorry for your loss.
xo
s
Malissa says
We did the same things you did, however, when I did research I read that to teach your animals the importance of the baby you should not let them have the blanket, only smell it. The idea is that you give them treats and toys and they get to keep or eat those things so you don’t want them thinking the baby or her things belongs to them. So my husband brought a blanket home the day before we came home and let the dogs smell it as much as they wanted but that was it. He gave them treats and then left. The next day when we brought our daughter home we did the same with her. They could look and snif but not touch. I will say we have 3 sloppy, friendly labs who get very excited at times so our objective was to teach them that this new pack member was precious and they had to be careful around her. It has worked for us.
Young House Life says
So interesting! Thanks for the tips everyone!
xo
s
Sara C says
We adopted a new dog while my husband was deployed, and wanted to make sure she knew he was supposed to be there when he got home. My husband sent home one of his workout shirts from Kyrgyzstan so she could get used to his scent before he got home. I also took her for lots of rides in his truck, which I figured probably smelled like both of us. Worked like a charm!
Emily says
I read a lot about introducing a baby to our beloved cockapoo pooch, Barley, before our baby girl, Adeline, arrived this August. Barley was already showing concern before Adeline was even born. Apparently dogs can sense that you are pregnant and can get worried about food, attention, or affection. Barley was showing concern about food by starting to dump over the trash can and scavenge food from the dining table (little guy would jump up there when we weren’t looking)! We handled it two ways once Adeline came home. 1 – We fed him frequently, in small quantities, the first week. This way he thought that he was getting EXTRA food. 2 – I bought some of his special occasion soft dog food and treats. He got them a few times a day for the first few days.
We were also really strategic about introduction. We brought home a blanket for him to sniff out while we were still at the hospital. Then when we came home from the hospital, my husband brought him outside for the introduction. I got out of the car first so that he could smell me and smell Adeline on me. We then put Adeline’s carseat on the ground so that he could sniff her out. We then made him wait outside while the three of us walked through the door first, to establish that Adeline was higher on the “pack leader” list than he was.
It all worked great for us! Barley loves Adeline. He likes to lay next to her and lets her tug on his fur.
Donna says
We’ve had the opportunity to introduce two different dogs to several babies, and we did a few of the things which have been mentioned. However, what struck me was that although clearly neither dog was thrilled about hanging out with toddlers, each demonstrated a sense of responsibility for the little ones and was very tolerant their bumbling, enthusiastic efforts at affection. One dog has a kind of “harrumph” sound he makes if his tummy hairs get pulled, but that’s as impatient as it gets. It’s also clear that after they reach a certain age, the dogs no longer feel responsible to monitor their actions and alert us to possible danger. (Disclaimer: we do monitor both our children and our dogs carefully.)