Welcome back to our series! This is actually the first week of the series and I wanted to talk something I was so worried about during my first pregnancy. I was so worried that my dog would be jealous ofour newest little one and attack her or act out in another way. He did have a few little adjustments that needed to be made once she came home, but he never hurt her and was a very caring big brother from the start. I wrote a post back in July about our full introducing your new baby to your dog story, but here are some key points that can help you prepare your furbaby for the change. Please note that I am NOT an animal trainer and your results may vary, this is just what worked for us.
1. Play videos of babies crying. We all know that dogs ears are sensitive to loud noises. And a babies cry can be ear piercing, especially to smaller dogs. Their first reaction may to bark when they hear it and this can cause your little one to cry even more, creating an unnecessary cycle of crying & calming that could have been unavoidable. I found a ton a of videos on YouTube and played multiple nightly (since I worked during the day) for my Bichon. And when we brought SweetPea home, he didn't cry, but alerted me she was crying by running to her. It was very sweet and this is the same method I am going to use this time around.
2. Bring blanket for the dog to smell. My in-laws brought a blanket for our dog to smell that had her scent on it. It may seem silly, but this way your dog can get the baby's scent before hand, you can kind of gauge your dog's reaction to it, they become familiar with it, and they won't jump on the baby to try and sniff them when you first arrive home.
3. Main caregiver needs to introduce them. My dog considers me his "pet", as I am the one who feeds him, bathes him, disciplines him, and everything that goes along with taking care of a dog. So when it came time for SweetPea and my dog to meet, I wanted to be the one to introduce them. As you can see from the picture above, he took to her very well - as long as he had a spot by mommy too. I just went towards him slow with her. I made sure to let him sniff her very slowly, so he could get a feel of er. I think he was more excited that we were home after spending 2 nights away.
4. Know Your Dog. We have a very mild mannered dog. But he is still a wild animal, even though he is trained. When he is at home, in his environment, he is very mellow for the most part. So if you have a hyper dog, you may find that you have more issues bringing a new little one home. I suggest talking to a trainer and seeing what you can do well BEFORE you bring your baby home.
5. Set Boundaries. Your dog needs to learn that although they are still a big part of your life, they aren't "top dog" anymore. How I showed my dog that he needed to respect the baby was by making sure that he didn't go into her nursery, unless myself or my husband were in there with him. I started doing this before my daughter was born.
6. Make Time for Your Furbaby. It can be hard to juggle everything that comes with a newborn. But it is very important that you still make time for your dog. Go for walks, even if baby is in tow too, your dog will still feel like you are spending time with them. Find ways to make sure your dog still knows that you love them too.
Below is a linky to share your baby posts. Please feel free to play along! You can view the full list of other posts coming your way, HERE.
Do you have any tips for introducing your new baby and furbaby?
I received a similar prize pack to share this information provided by Proctor & Gamble. All opinions are my own.
We have been a huge fan of P&G products in our home for a long time. Tide is the only laundry detergent that my husband and SweetPea can use on their sensitive skin. Hubby can only use Old Spice deodorant. And Pampers are our top choice brand of disposable diapers.
Have you seen the amaziness of Noelle Pikus Pace? I love her story. She is a Pampers mom like me. P&G is sponsoring the Olympic Games and are offering some GREAT deal at Babies-R-Us right now!
Welcome to the 3rd Annual Green Resolutions Giveaway Hop, hosted by Happy Mothering and the Green Moms Network! Each of the participating blogs is offering a prize package to help you start your New Year on a green foot, so you can stick to your resolutions! After entering my giveaway, be sure to hop around and enter all of the other giveaways listed on the linky at the bottom of this post!
I provided a review of Buttons Cloth Diapers earlier this year and have been loving them! So why was going green one of your New Year Resolutions? Cloth diapering is a great way to go green and save some green as well! Buttons Cloth Diapers has sponsored this giveaway for 1 diaper cover (winner's choice), 2 daytime diaper inserts, and 1 small wet bag. A $25 value! All you have to do is enter the Rafflecopter below! The only required entry is to comment, Random.org will pick the winner, & then the winning entry will be verified. Open to US only, must be 18+ to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
And don't forget to enter the grand prize over at Happy Mothering, where she is giving away two amazing grand prizes! First prize is a Pure Echo Organic Cotton Natural Twin Mattress from mygreenmattress.com. This safe mattress is made from GOTS Certified Organic Cotton and Natural Wool and is free of fire retardants and other harmful chemicals. You will rest easy knowing your child is sleeping on a safe mattress from mygreenmattress.com! Second prize is a huge package of glassware from Mighty Nest to help you swap your kitchen plastic for glass! This package includes 8 pieces of glass food storage, a set of glass measuring cups and 2 glass bistro pitchers! Wow!
This contest will run through January 30, 2013 at 8:59 pm PST (11:59 pm EST). The winner will be chosen the following day and announced on Nanny to Mommy. No purchase necessary. US entries only. Must be 18 years or older to win.The sponsors provided me with free samples of these products to review, and I was under no obligation to review them if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to Nanny to Mommy and not to Facebook. Please note that Nanny to Mommy, Happy Mothering, the Green Moms Network and the Green Resolutions event bloggers are not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes. We have represented each sponsor with the expectation they will fulfill their prize and in a timely manner. We will contact the sponsor regarding your prize(s). The sponsors, in most cases, are shipping their items to you directly. I will make every effort to assist you obtaining your prize. If there is an issue with a sponsor, please notify the blog you won a prize from within 4-6 weeks for assistance, after that we may be unable to assist you.
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