by Amelia Bines

Created on: November 03, 2008   Last Updated: November 24, 2008

Nine months of pregnancy, twelve hours of labor, and a beautiful bundle of joy later, your biggest concern leaving the hospital may very well be, "How is the dog going to react to the baby?"

Adding a new member to your family is a very exciting, yet very nerve wrecking time for many couples. When there is a pampered pooch waiting to greet you, things can become even more stressful. Many wonder if there is a right and a wrong way to introduce a new baby to their born-of-the-heart fur baby.

When bringing your new baby home, one easy first step is simply asking the excited pup to give the baby space. The more space a dog gives to any human, the more respect they are showing. Teaching a dog that a baby is a very important person in the family can be as easy as not letting Lucky sniff, lick, or even be near the infant for a good bit of time. Sure, it looks cute and innocent when a very loved K-9 immediately begins excitedly licking, sniffing, and pawing at a newborn. The message we see is, "I love this baby!" The message the dog is actually sending is, "This baby is below me in the family or I would have to give much more respect to her!" That message coupled with, "Oh! The baby being near means I should be excited and frantically lick her!" can become very destructive in the future. So, simply asking the dog to back up a bit, and be respectful of the new little one is a perfect way to become a well-balanced family. Who really wants the dreaded dog breath smell mixed with the fresh baby-bath smell on their newborn, anyway?

Once your first baby has shown complete calmness and submission around your newest baby, the time is right to introduce them. Simply invite your dog to sniff the baby briefly, and then ask for space again. Eventually, the dog will learn how to be a gentle and calm sibling. As time passes, you can allow more and more time for the dog to be near the baby and their bond will be set in stone!

Once Mom and Dad can pry open their eyelids, going for a family walk is a great way to bond you all to each other as a real pack. Keeping the baby in a front carrying pack, or ahead in the stroller, and having the dog walking to your side is another way to show that the baby is very important. To your pup, the leader of the walk is the leader of the house! Mom and Dad have no doubt figured out that the smallest member of the family is running the show, so it's a good idea to teach Fido the same lesson.

Being a calm, cool, and collected parent can be tricky. When sleep deprivation couples with crying from your human baby and barking from your adopted baby, keeping the smoke from escaping from your ears can be tough. When you do, somehow, manage to look into your baby's eyes, pat your best friend on the head, and simply feel pure love and joy; your dog will feel that same feeling. When your baby grows into a toddler, and your pampered pooch tolerates everything from pulls on his tail to pokes in his eyes, you will know you had a very successful introduction.

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