by Amanda Kringle

Created on: July 13, 2010   Last Updated: September 14, 2010

For nine long months you have been waiting impatiently to see who this new little addition to your home will be. Now that the baby is here your all thrilled. However there seems to be at least one member of your home that is not so thrilled: your dog. He or she may be distant, aggressive, whiny, less playful or very intolerant of any human contact at all. There are many symptoms of dislike that a dog will show. The trick is learning what is causing the discomfort and how to handle it.

The first step into understanding why your dog doesn't particularly like Junior is to understand a little about their natural instincts. For instance: dogs are pack animals. You and your family are his pack. You are his leader and his boss, your children may very well be viewed as his litter mates. His life revolves around the pack and the love, attention, and protection that it provides. Its for this reason that its important to realize that dogs do not respond well to sudden and abrupt changes. Whether you think so or not to your dog your baby is asudden and abrupt change to the pack that effects every aspect of his life. It may seem hard to accept or even to believe but its true. Here are a few different ways that your new baby has disrupted your dog's life and a little hint on what to do about them.

Problem: Loss of attention. This is an especially big issue if this is your first child. Before this baby it was you and your dog. He was your baby. The one you cuddled with, played with, slept with and shared all your secrets with. Although dogs cannot understand everything that we say, they can understand body language and emotions. Your dog went from being number one to being shewed around, yelled at and ignored. How would you feel if somebody did that to you? If you are honest with yourself then you would probably admit that you would feel sad, jealous, and upset. You would want to strike out at the person that hurt you. This is exactly how your dog feels.

Fix: Its very important that your dog feels secure in his or her place in your pack and in your heart. Try to remember that your dog has no idea what is going on and its you who has caused him to feel insecure. In order to re-establish your bond with your dog, you must spend time with him and change as little of the normal pre-baby routine as possible. Take time to walk, play, cuddle, talk to and just pet your dog. You need to make your dog feel re-established in his or her place in your life. Remember

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