Baby-Training Your Family Dog

by

Norma Acosta

When a new baby enters your household, things are going to be dramatically different for the entire familyincluding your four-legged family members. An expecting couple may think that theyll have to surrender their faithful and beloved Nicky, the family dog and companion of many years, but this isnt the case at all. There are a number of things that you can do before your bundle of joy arrives to prepare Nicky for the new pack member. Heres how to make sure everyones needs are met.

Obedience Training

Once you know youre pregnant (or have started the process for adoption) youll have a number of months to start preparing Nicky for the big arrival. Start early! If she has any behavioral problems that have been around for a while, it will take time to reverse them. You should first make sure that she can obey basic commands like sit, stay, down and heel with just verbal cues and not hand motions. You may have your hands full with a crying baby when Nicky misbehaves a little, and getting her to sit at just the sound of your voice will be infinitely valuable.

Additionally, if Nicky has any specific behavioral problems like jumping on people or play biting, address and eliminate these early. Excessive barking is a big one: when you finally get the little one down for a nap, youre going to want that nap to last as long as possible, and a barking dog isnt going to let that happen.

Although there are many reputable DVDs on training dogs available, if you have trouble training Nicky yourself, consider taking her to a professional trainer. Many trainers these days have special classes specifically for child-training your dog, so take a look in your area to see if one exists.

Desensitize Nicky to Rough Handling

Children, especially toddlers, are notorious for rough-handling family pets. Theyll do things like pull her ears, drum heavily on her back, touch the underside of her paws and even try to drag her around the house. If Nicky isnt used to this she might have an adverse reaction when this happens, like trying to bite or growling. Over the months while youre preparing for your babys arrival, slowly get Nicky accustomed to being touched anywhere and everywhere, like the insides of her ears, all parts of her tail, and the pads on her paws. Make sure to have an ample supply of treats available so you can associate these activities with good things. Train her not to nip when you pull her ears a little roughly, and when she reacts calmly, give her a reward. Soon it will become second nature for her to accept rougher handling, and she wont react badly when your child attempts it later on.

Its also a good idea to desensitize Nicky to a bit of invasion around her food dish. Try reaching into the dish while shes eating to drop a treat in. When she realizes the invasion is a good thing, shell learn not to be defensive when eating. Nicky should never growl or become aggressive about her food when any pack leader of the home touches her food dish.

Give Him Her Own Space

When your baby arrives, youll no longer have lots of free time and attention to spend on Nicky. Many new parents forget this fact, but if Nicky is used to getting your attention whenever she wants it, shes going to have big issues when its all suddenly taken away. Its just like a sibling would react to a new babys presence in the home. To combat this, gradually lessen the amount of attention you give Nicky. If she doesnt already have he own quiet space in the house, make her one. Laundry rooms or dog crates in an area far from the babys room are good options, because it allows Nicky a chance to get away from the commotion and into a place shes comfortable if need be. Make sure it has plenty of food and water and stock it with some of her favorite toys. Make it a place shed like to relax alone.

Socialize Him to Other Babies

Letting Nicky spend time around other babies is one of the best ways to prepare her for yours. Babies act, move, and smell very differently from adults, and it will be a bit of a surprise at first for her. If you have any friends with babies or toddlers, ask them to visit your home with their babies to get Nicky used to them. Keep her on a leash at first if youre worried about her behavior. Bring lots of treats to reward her for doing well.

If you follow these suggestions and make sure Nickys well prepared for the new family member, things will go a lot smoother when the time comes. And when that time does come, remember to try your best to give Nicky some quality solo time with you too. A new baby will likely take up most of your attention, but dont forget about the faithful companion you had before!

If you are looking for

teacup puppies

, don’t look any further because you are in the right place. We specialize in Teacup Puppies and take pride on how we treat our Yorkies, Maltese, Chihuahuas, Teacup Pomeranian, Teacup Poodles, Pugs, Bostons and other breeds. We also ship our puppies with Delta or Continental because it’s very safe and offer a Nanny Service. Visit us at www.TeacupPuppiesStore.com.

Article Source:

Baby-Training Your Family Dog}