Newborns and Your Family Dog

During my first pregnancy, we (my husband) decided to get a new dog. He was supposed to be a sweet, non-shedding 50lb labradoodle named Barkley. We did all the things a new puppy family should do—signed up for all the obedience classes, practiced at home, and brought home the newborn hat after the birth.

What we weren’t prepared for was my sleep deprivation, postpartum depression, and a huge puppy that needed as much attention as the new baby. It was a very emotional call to our dog trainer on our third day home with our baby that saved us all. She gave us some very simple things to try to help us all cope better as a family and to help the puppy understand his place in the family.

I was recently talking with our newest dog trainer, Clint at Knox Canine Training, about the similarities in our jobs. We needed some help again with our newest baby, a 6-month-old puppy who is full of spirit. He’s an expert at helping dogs and families thrive together, much like my goal as a doula of helping new families thrive with their newborns.

If you have a fur baby in your home, PLEASE take some time to learn about dog behavior and how to prepare for the new baby. Many people think that if the dog isn’t acting aggressive (growling, nipping, etc.) then the dog is fine to be around the baby. Many families also get the advice to bring the newborn hat home which is not evidence-based. Finally, many families hope that their dog will love the new baby and want to be involved/protective of the new baby and what I recently learned is that an ideal dog around a baby is one that doesn’t have any emotion (positive or negative towards the baby).

Invest in creating a happy, safe family. It’s a gift for you, your baby, and your fur baby too!

Tips from the Doulas

Just like we tell expecting families to prepare meals ahead of time, we suggest doing the same for the dog. Make ahead and freeze Kongs (or similar) toys so they have something to stay engaged during baby feeding times or high-stress times.
Find someone to wear the dog out who is not parenting a new baby. Could you pay a neighbor kid to come play fetch in the backyard? Hire a dog walker? Have a friend or family member take the dog for a few days?
Have some new toys and highly rewarding treats to give the dog as rewards for good behavior.
ATTEND A TRAINING CLASS! Even if you’ve already attended one, this is the time to make sure your dog will respond to every cue you give them 100% of the time. If you say “sit”, they need to sit. If you say “lay”, they need to lay. It’s for your safety, their safety, and the safety of baby.
Two things that really came in handy for my own family was training our puppy to only walk down the right side of the stairs. This was I always knew where he was if I happened to be carry a baby, laundry, etc. The other thing is training the dog to be comfortable with anything a baby might do. Pulling ears, grabbing his tail, etc. (Definitely ask your trainer how to go about this process!) We started this before the baby was born and kept it up even when our newborn wasn’t near crawling, walking, etc.