Goldens & Their Hooman's Pregnancy Part 2
Goldens & Their Hooman's Pregnancy Part 2
Volume 30: Preparing Your Golden for Their New Family Member
During the hustle and bustle of what comes with being pregnant and preparing your whole life for a new member of the family, we mustn’t forget our goldens need some preparation as well. When a baby comes along, especially the first baby of your household, your golden will need some extra TLC in the months prior to ensure they feel secure and included through all the new and exciting changes.
There will be new priorities, routines, furniture, heck even a whole room dedicated to their new baby brother/sister. It’s no wonder your pup may feel overwhelmed with all of these changes. It’s important to slowly make these changes before your baby arrives. Your pup may become stressed and anxious when too many changes happen quickly and all at once. Once you are done preparing your home for your new baby, familiarize your pup to these areas and promote positive feelings through play and treats (Preparing Your Pet for a New Baby, n.d.). You could also practice being in the area of the house where you will nurse the baby and have your dog quietly lay down (Dogs and Babies, n.d.). Another tip would be to vary their feeding and walking schedules to help acclimate them to an unpredictable schedule when you are constantly tending to your baby (Dogs and Babies, n.d.).
When you can’t keep an eye on your golden and need to focus on your baby or just need to separate the two, you can put up some baby gates or close doors to keep your pup in a different area of your home (Preparing Your Pet for a New Baby, n.d.). This also works well if you don’t want your dog to have access to the baby’s room (Dogs and Babies, n.d.). If you no longer want your dog to sleep on your bed or in your room at night, it would be best to setup their new sleeping area of the house prior to your baby coming home (Dogs and Babies, n.d.).
Another way to prep your dog for baby’s arrival is to get them acclimated to crying. You can find videos of baby noises on YouTube to play to them during the day. Exposing them to the various sounds of baby toys is also a good way to get your golden used to them (Preparing Your Pet for a New Baby, n.d.). Just make sure your dog understands they are the baby’s toys and not their toys.
You can also get your pup used to baby smells. Introduce your dog to baby lotions, detergents, and other products while giving them a treat. Receiving a treat while sniffing baby items will form a positive association for your dog with your baby (Preparing Your Pet for a New Baby, n.d.). When not introducing baby items to your dog, always put them out of their reach. They should be comfortable with the new smells but not comfortable enough to access your baby’s items and eat/destroy them.
Enrolling your golden in some training is also a good idea to ensure they listen and are on their best behavior when baby comes home. Before your baby arrives, you can practice their commands and learned skills while walking around the house with a baby doll (Preparing Your Pet for a New Baby, n.d.). The most important skills your dog should be able to do when baby arrives are: sit, stay, down, wait, settle, drop/leave it, and come (Dogs and Babies, n.d.). Another useful command would be to tell them to “move” or “go” if they are too close to the baby or are in the wrong spot at the wrong time (i.e. under your feet in typical golden shadow fashion) (Dogs and Babies, n.d.). If your dog is a serial barker, try to train them not to wake the sleeping baby by barking at all hours of the day (Dogs and Babies, n.d.).
Getting your car prepped to be shared with your dog and baby is a must. You can put up seat barriers and buckle your dog into a seatbelt harness (Dogs and Babies, n.d.). With these items in place, your dog is limited to only one spot on the seat so they don’t have free range of the car or full access to your baby during car rides.
Another way to prepare your golden for human brother/sisterhood could be to get them a toy or bone to keep them mentally stimulated and happy while you tend to the baby. Puzzle toys or sniffing mat toys can be fun and distracting for your pup. If you can, have someone take them for walks, to a dog park, or even doggy daycare to help them burn off extra energy and put them in a better state of mind. Start doing these things months before baby is due to get them used to this change.
Be sure to keep your golden in mind during this huge transitional phase of your pack’s new life which will change for all of you forever. When your pup appears overwhelmed, reassure them everything is okay and try to dial back the current changes a little to give them more time to adjust. The smoother the process is, the better your goldie will handle the changes. Forming healthy rules and boundaries is also important to ensure everyone is happy and safe. Just remember that even though your time will be shifting to your new addition, it’s very important to still make time for your loyal furry best friend.
Please note, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
References
Dogs and babies. (n.d.). ASPCA. https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/dogs-and-babies
Preparing your pet for a new baby. (n.d.). Animal Humane Society. https://www.animalhumanesociety.org/resource/preparing-your-pet-new-baby