Baby And Your Dog - How To Keep Peace At Home

Wondering how your dog will get along with your baby? Worried about the safety of your baby and are probably thinking of getting rid of your dog? These are legitimate questions that are asked by dog owners when they are expecting a new born baby in the family.

The good thing is that, done in a careful manner, its possible to introduce your pet to your new member of the family. With proper planning, its possible to train your dog to interact with your baby and the baby to love your dog

How to Get the Dog Used to the Baby

Expecting a new baby at home brings a time time of change, discovery and joy in the home. If you own a dog, you may have fears of your baby will interact with your new baby. Don’t worry though. If you prepare early in advance, you should be able to minimize any situations that might arise.

For example, if the dog likes to roam freely in the house and all the rooms, start teaching him not to enter particular rooms that serve as the nursery. Keep the doors closed so that the dog realizes that the room is not part of his. Afterwards, get the pet used to being in the room without you.

Keep the nursery door closed when assembling the baby furniture. When you do this, the dog learns that even though there is activity in the room, he is not welcomed.

Have you ever taken your dog to obedience training school? If he’s never been to one, this is the opportune time for you and him to attend. The advantage is that not only does it allow you to spend quality time with the dog, it also equips you with the appropriate tools required to control the behavior of your dog.

It also helps the dog relax in rooms full of activity including dogs and children.

There are other methods you can teach your dog to get used to the baby. One is buying tapes recorded with voices of babies crying!

You can start by playing the tapes at low volume until the dog gets used to the sound. With time, gradually increase the noise to realistic levels over a period of weeks. With this exercise, it will help your dog not to be alarmed when the baby finally arrives.

When the baby comes home, keep the dog away from the baby for a few days. By now he has already gotten used to the baby noises. You can get him used to the baby smell by letting him sniff the baby’s blanket or let it lie on his sleeping area.

When you are comfortable introducing the baby to the dog, keep the dog on a short leash & give him a reward afterwards.

By rewarding the dog, you are showing him that the baby is a good thing to have around. Please make sure you watch the dog closely when they are in the same room. Do not assume anything! The reason is that it teaches the dog to stop seeing the baby as a threat or something that is out to replace him.

Be alert also when the baby starts to crawl and walk. The dog might get terrified by the baby’s movements or might see your baby as prey. The dog needs to get used to the baby moving around apart from being carried also. When the baby is crawling, have the dog next to you and reward him for being still. Over time, the dog will get used to the child moving around.

How to Teach the Child to Safely Interact with the Dog

It’s important to teach your child how to interact with the family dog as the child grows. Your child needs to be taught how to play safely with the dog. For example, teach the child not to strike the dog or pull at the dog’s fur.

You also need to teach your child not to follow or chase the dog when its runs away from them. Also teach your child not to disturb the dog when it is eating or sleeping.

Visit http://www.dogperfection.com/forum, a forum featuring questions and news for people that own dogs. Also learn how to clean and brush dog teeth.

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Kids and Puppies: How to Combine Playtime with Obedience Training

By: Jane Saeman

Puppies are like children in many ways. They need constant care, supervision, and a lot of affection. Having both together, your kids and your dog, especially during playtime, require extra supervision and patience. The key is to teach your child how to play with the puppy and for the puppy to understand that he needs to listen to the child the same way he listens to you and the other adults in the family.

Always Use The Same Commands: It is important for your child to use the same commands that you and the rest of the family use. Doing so teaches your child to use the commands with respect toward the dog. At the same time, your puppy will realize that he needs to obey the child’s commands, thus teaches both to respect one another.

It sounds like it can be quite a handful, but it is also a lot of fun. Combining training and playtime helps to create a closer bond between your child and puppy. Let them run together and then see how fast your child can command the puppy to stop and sit. The puppy needs to learn to sit and wait while your child to throw a toy for your puppy to retrieve. Your child can also train the dog how to roll over by rolling in the grass while having the puppy mimic him.

There are many other ways you can incorporate training and fun between your child and puppy.
Below are some helpful rules to keep in mind:

1. Your dog should understand who the leader is. If he has an instinct to herd, don’t let him herd your child. Doing so will make the dog think that he is in charge and will not obey your child’s commands.

2. No roughhousing whatsoever. Discourage aggressive play at all times. Do not let your child drag, pull, wrestle, hit, or poke the puppy, even in a playful way. Your puppy may react differently and may jump and bite. At the same time, do not let your puppy jump on your child. A four year old German Shepherd can easily knock down a 6 year old child.

3. Teach your child to respect the puppy, and vice versa. Your child should learn how to properly treat the dog, which will then earn him the respect and leadership from your puppy.

4. Establish consistency. Puppies learn through repetition. Your child needs to understand that commands that we teach him are firm and absolute. If the puppy doesn’t obey the command, the child should repeat the command until the puppy does what he is told to do.

5. No squeezing. Hugging the puppy too tight can result in injury.

6. Always be there to supervise playtime, especially if you have a young child and/or you have a new puppy. This way, you can easily intervene if things get out of hand.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

Jane Saeman loves dogs and strives to keep other dog lovers informed. A whole world awaits other dog lovers. Find out how cute the dog in your life is at my website which is at www.PicturesOfMyDogs.com

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