My husband passed the test. The let’s get a dog and see if we can keep this thing alive before I decide to settle down, marry and one day have a family with you test.That really sounds awful and I knew that I could keep a dog alive (by myself at least), but I wanted to be absolutely sure that we could share the responsibility of caring for another living thing together before we took the next step.
As the years went by not only could we keep one dog alive together, but two…two great danes (aka the horsedogs) that we consider to be members of our now growing family.
After I found out I was pregnant, I was worried about introducing our dogs to the baby. Both had been around children before, but not much, and I was always told that dogs either got along with children or they didn’t. Danes by nature are gentle giants, but they are still giants nonetheless that often forget about their size. After reading different articles online, I still really wasn’t sure what would work best for us to acclimate our dogs to our newborn.
Once I had my daughter, the nurse in the hospital offered up some really great advice.
Here’s what she told us:
Introduce the baby’s scent before you come home. You can do this with a blanket, hat or anything the baby wears. We used my daughter’s hat. It was one of the first things they put on her at the hospital so it had the strongest scent. Since dogs identify by smell, it’s important to expose them to it first. We introduced the hat to the dogs the day before we got home.
Moms, go into the house alone and greet the dogs by yourself. Since they haven’t seen you in a few days, they will be really excited. After they’ve settled down, it’s time to bring your little one slowly in.
The ‘pack leader’ should bring the baby inside. This is where I get all Cesar Millan on you. The ‘pack leader’ or head of the hous ehold should do this because as the most dominate member, he/she is demonstrating that the baby is now a part of the pack. Hands down, my husband with his deeper voice is our ‘pack leader.’
Watch and wait. Give the dogs a chance to approach and maybe even get a quick smell in at a safe distance. We kept our daughter in her car seat for the first few minutes. Never force a close meeting between a dog and baby. If the dog retreats, wait and let him/her initiate the next approach. Think about it, if your dog has never heard a baby cry before it might take some time to warm up.
Use your best judgement to set boundaries and ALWAYS supervise. NEVER EVER fully trust your furry friend alone with your little one. You know your dog and your baby best so set boundaries that everyone can live with. If you do not want your dog close at all times than create a safe space for them in another area of your house. Baby gates are lifesavers!
Reward positive behavior. Keep encouraging a gentle approach and praise good behavior. Trust me, I’m four months in and we’re still working on this. At first, Sadie, our female horsedog would get so excited she would quickly approach the baby. Now she knows that she has to slow down before walking over.
Share the love. Let’s face it. The baby will be getting all of the attention. When you can, take your furry bestie on a walk or go to the dog park. The more energy they can burn off, the better. This will prevent the zoomies.
It’s funny to think that just a few years ago I was debating whether or not to get a dog and now I can’t imagine my life without them and my daughter. Looking ahead I know that our pack will only grow stronger.