Develop a plan
You will experience not only joy, but also stress,if you come home with a child, and your beloved Sharik flies to you from the threshold with the usual loud greetings and dog hugs. The tailed and mustachioed one will also be upset when he understands that he is not welcome, and he will also feel a strange smell in the house. Therefore, if you have a dog and a child is expected soon, develop a plan to prepare your pet for the new family member. Your usual way of life will change, which means that the house will be upside down for the dog. Therefore, plan, plan, plan - What should it include? First of all, training. Think about what bad dog habits you need to work on, set aside time when you can do this, decide which of the household will take Barbos to training, and immediately decide for yourself whether you are going to let the four-legged one near the child. Further actions depend on this.
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Teach good manners
Does your dog have obedience issues?If earlier you could laugh at how instead of the command "stand", she runs to you, now all the basic commands will have to be perfectly rehearsed. "Stand", "lie down", "sit", "next to", "place" - the pet should understand and perform all this immediately. Learn the commands before the baby appears. Pay special attention to sending to the "place". It is the way there that dogs most often forget if they are not practiced with.
Eradicate bad habits
A photo: Getty ImagesSome dogs have cute little oddities, which the owners consider harmless until a child appears. Some, as soon as the front door opens, jump on the person, others bark loudly. Do not encourage such antics, do not iron or treat your pet. Yes, you live a familiar life, you would have liked this greeting, but imagine that you hold a small man in your arms, and here your beloved labrador knocks you down, because he wants to see what is there in his hands. It's not hard to imagine that this will lead to scratches and injuries, and not just you. So hire a certified trainer to moderate your jumper.
Introduce smells
As you know, dogs have a very developed sense of smell,They can smell everything a mile away. The dog lived with you and your husband, guessed by smell who exactly would open the door, and then an unfamiliar aroma appeared in the house, and not just one. The crib, toys, bottles smell. Such surprises can make the dog nervous. Therefore, let it sniff the child's things so that it gets acquainted with new smells. If you plan to let your pet into the nursery, prepare a sleeping place for it there. In the eyes of the dog, such a gesture will add positive associations to the changes that are happening at home. Take out a couple of children's toys and put them on the floor so that the dog can sniff them. If it tries to take them and eat them, command "no, place" and give the dog a toy that belongs to it so that it understands what can be chewed and what cannot.
Practice and perfection
A photo: Getty Images No matter how it sounds, but for guaranteed peace of mind you will have to rehearse the appearance of the baby. Buy a doll and let the dog watch your daily interaction with the "baby": how do you change diapers, feed the baby, rock, walk with it in your arms around the apartment. If at these moments the pet starts jumping, barking, you will have time to disinfect him from such bad habits in advance, and by the time you return home with the child, the dog will already be a diligent and obedient guardian of peace.
