Preparing your Dog for a new Baby

We have had our Baby Boy home for two weeks now; but have been preparing our Lab Hugo for the Baby's arrival for quite a while now.

In general our dog is such a sensitive and gentle soul on his own, so i was not to nervous about how he would receive the new family member.

Nevertheless my husband and i took a few steps to ensure that everything would go smoothly.
At 8 months pregnant it just happened that we decided to move home. So we needed to get settled in ourselves as well as get our dog Hugo used to the new environment.

Luckily the new place has a large back yard which is very helpful for the times that we are not able to take Hugo on all his walks. Hugo was used to go out for a walk 3 times a day (morning 7:00, afternoon 16:00 and evening 20:00) as we used to live in a apartment on the second floor with no garden obviously.

Prep 1- DOG WALKS

Moving in to the new place helped us lay out a new schedule for our dog. My husband continues to take him for the 7:00 a clock morning walk, i let him out in the garden about twice a day for 30 minutes a time and in the evening my husband takes him out once again.

It is very important that the dog still gets his time outside and his regular exercise even after baby is here. So make sure to prepare a walking plan before baby arrives.

It would be a good idea to get your dog used to going on his walks accompanied by different family members and friends that might be helping you out when baby arrives.

Also if it is difficult to keep to a stable walking time; try taking your dog out at various times so that he/she may get used to going out at irregular times.

Prep 2- BOUNDARIES

Get your dog used to boundaries before baby arrives. For example make sure that it is clear that the nursery is off limits. Do not try to implement new rules after baby arrives as this might create a little jealousy.

Prep 3- FEEDING & HEALTH

Do not on any circumstances neglect your dogs basic needs. Make sure your pup is well fed and healthy. Also do not skip visits at the vet as your dogs health should be in tip top shape especially when expecting a new born.

Prep 4- OBEDIENCE 

It is important that there is clear understanding between you and your dog before baby arrives. Your dog should be able to recognize  and obey simple commands like sit, stay, and know the meaning of yes and no.

If these 4 prep steps are covered there should be no problem bringing your baby home to meet your pup.

Hope you enjoyed this post as well as our photos of Hugo and a Baby Mario.

xoxo Natasha