I know it’s tempting to get your baby and dog introduced right away. A lot of blog posts are devoted to that subject and filled with miscellaneous suggestions—bring home a blanket or other baby item ahead of time for the dog to sniff, sit in a chair and allow your dog to approach, etc. Lots of people get away with introducing their dog and baby right off the bat; however, in my experience, even if you get away with it, immediate dog-baby introductions still aren’t setting anyone up for long term success. If you want your dog and baby to have a healthy long-term relationship, it’s best to teach your dog a healthy respect for the baby from the very start.
Focus on space
Instead of focusing on making them BFFs (there’s plenty of time for that!), focus on calm co-existence with plenty of space. Space is critical when you have an infant. Infants are fragile, and even the gentlest of dogs can have bull-in-a-china-shop moments! For your baby’s safety, it’s best that your dog sees the baby as the untouchable golden nugget. This doesn’t mean your dog doesn’t have a relationship with the baby, it just means that this relationship will be founded on a deep respect for the baby’s space. This will be crucial as your baby starts spending time on the floor, crawling, and eventually walking.
Skills to utilize
Ideally, your dog will already have some training under her belt for you to utilize. (If you’re reading this post while you’re expecting, please start training NOW!) Skills like the place command, out command, down/stays, calm crate behavior, recall and heel are all very valuable for shaping the dog-baby relationship. Here are some specific suggestions:
Give your dog a job
Instead of allowing your dog to roam free when the baby is around, give your dog specific instructions on what to do with herself. The place command and the down command are perfect for this. As the baby enters the room, recall your dog to her place and give her the place command. This gives her something to focus on and provides clear direction on what she should be doing when the baby is around.
Move away from the baby
If the baby is the untouchable golden nugget, then there is no touching the baby, no crowding the baby, and no crowding whomever is holding the baby. When the baby first comes home, you will want to set this up a few times in order to create clarity on this. Put your dog’s leash on, allow her to get near the person holding the baby, then give the out command and provide directional guidance with the leash. (Also, be sure to use your e-collar just like you normally would when giving the out command!) Practice this several times in several areas around the house until your dog gets the idea. From that point forward be strict about reinforcing this command. The idea is NOT to make your dog dislike the baby; the idea is to create a healthy respect for the baby’s space. You will not ruin your dog’s perception of the baby by doing this! In fact, you will thank yourself for setting this foundation once your baby is on the floor and moving around.
The baby’s blanket is strictly off limits
Your baby will soon be spending time on the floor on a blanket. It is best to establish a firm boundary around this blanket from the get-go. If your dog is place trained, she might assume the blanket is a potential place, so you’ll want to be very intentional about addressing this before your baby is on the blanket. One way to do this is to spread out the blanket and give your dog the out command anytime she goes near it. Be very strict about this boundary! You have to be extremely consistent and intentional about practicing this in order for your dog to understand that the blanket is off limits. This is worth your time and effort because it can prevent your dog from accidentally stepping on the baby!
No dogs in the baby’s room
I’d also set a hard boundary at the doorway to the baby’s room. Remember when you needed to create a little more respect between you and your dog? You may have stopped allowing your dog to sleep in your bed during that time, or you may have stopped allowing your dog access to your bedroom altogether. The same principle applies with your baby’s room. To help create and preserve a relationship of respect between your dog and your baby, it’s best not to give your dog access to the baby’s room at all. Rather than just closing the door in her face, use your dog’s skills to create a hard boundary at the doorway. If your dog is nearby when you enter the room, you can put her in a down/stay just outside the door and reinforce it as needed. Do this consistently and don’t make exceptions.
Heel beside the stroller
Adding the stroller to your daily walks should not change your dog’s walking behavior or position. Your dog should still heel to you, not to the stroller. You may need to reinforce this understanding in the beginning—that’s normal, just make sure you take the initiative to address it. There’s a stroller with us now, but the rules of the walk still apply! Heeling beside you also means the baby is in front of the dog throughout the walk, which is not insignificant. Finally, do not allow the dog to stick her head in the stroller. She can sniff from beside the stroller, but the baby is still the untouchable golden nugget.
Overall, your goal is to create the idea that the baby is surrounded by a magic bubble that the dog is not allowed to pop. If you set this tone from day one and consistently reinforce it, your dog will develop a healthy respect for your baby and your baby’s space. This will help prevent confusion about who’s who in the pecking order (the baby is always higher than the dog!), and it will help prevent accidental injuries and bad experiences, which of course go both ways. Dogs can accidentally step on or knock down babies, and babies can also poke, prod and pull on dogs in ways that are uncomfortable. Final thought: as your baby becomes mobile, you should be prepared to take additional measures to keep your dog safe from your baby. Supervision is mandatory, and items like baby gates and playpens are invaluable! Once your baby is old enough to understand the concept of “no” it will be time to teach your baby boundaries around your dog just as you taught your dog boundaries around the baby. They will grow up with a healthy respect for each other’s space, that way when it’s time for them to truly interact, they can do so with the best possible foundation of trust and respect.