Training My Dogs Before Bringing Home A Baby?
August 23, 2009 by admin
Filed under Care & Training Q&As
Hi Guys,
I have three dogs, all male & all desexed, a golden retriever (4yrs) & two havanese (1.5yrs & 2yrs). My dogs are generally well behaved, they’re all best friends & my golden retriever is the calm assertive leader which is great! I’m 6 months pregnant & am wondering what things I should be taking the time to teach my dogs now that would benefit me for when I bring home my baby? For example, when people come to my door it’s chaos with dogs barking & jumping all over guests – this is something I’ve been working on & will have resolved in time for my baby coming home but it got me thinking what else I could teach them to help prepare?
Any tips would be appreciated.
PS – I am a fan of the dog whisperer already 
Thank you!
Related Havanese Training & Care posts:
All of the above. As well as “Stop” for when they are walking or running up to you and the baby. And “Back off” is good if they are too close. Have a special treat for them that is reserved only for when they are in the babies presence. This way they see the baby as a good thing to be around, instead of as competition for your affection.
Keep the dogs off the furniture and out of the babies room. Get them used to walking with the stroller. Do not tie the dogs to the stroller as if they decide the pull, the stroller and baby go with them.
If there is anything they do that you do not want them doing when the baby comes, stop them form doing it now.
I was watching ‘It’s Me or The Dog’ and they were training dogs similar to your situation.
Get a doll and sit on the couch, just cradle it for a little and see if your dogs mind. If they don’t get a baby crying sound and turn it up everyonce in awhile so they won’t mind.
oh man, i saw something like this on the dog whisperer before. i’m sure you can find it on youtube. try playing the sound of a baby crying && stuff like that to get the dogs used to the sound. definately teaching them not to jump is a good thing. umm..idk. i know yall prolly have baby stuff already…i guess just kinda let them sniff at it so they won’t freak when the baby comes. man idk. look up that episode. it was good. it might be on the natgeo website http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/se…
haha there’s even a link on there to be on the show. maybe you can do that && get some real 1 on 1 advice =]
You need to address:
Make sure that they are really good at lying down on command so you can order them down if they start getting too sniffy at the baby.
~jumping up- the dogs need to know that it is never okay to jump up on you. Its important normally, as they could jump up while you’re carrying something burning hot (think hot coffee burns) or fragile (glass splinters in hands and feet). When you’ve got a baby in your arms… even worse.
~sniffy behaviour- babies smell good (don’t ask me why… but diapers apparently to them smell nice
~release- the dogs need to consistently drop things on command, incase the dog gets it’s mouth either on the baby or on the baby’s things.
~noise tolerance- find out how your dogs 1) react to the sound of a baby crying – spend time desensitizing them so they aren’t startled later.
and 2) provide a place where they can escape the sound if its going on for awhile (they do have more sensitive ears and i could see long crying spells putting most dogs on edge).
You need a full and proven training program.
“SitStayFetch” is one of the most popular dog training products on the market written by Daniel Stevens, an experienced dog trainer, for every dog owners who know that the experience of training their dog has or will continue to establish a better relationship with their four legs friend.
First when I read SitStayFetch ebook, I was surprised at lots of information has been covered. The 186 page book is broken down into different sections step-by-step, each one dealing with a different aspect of dog ownership. SitStayFetch starts from a basic that dog owner should know. For instance, things to consider before adopting a dog, choosing the right breed, dealing with breeders, the secrets of dog training; and then moves on at common dog problems including biting and nipping, aggression, jealousy, digging holes, disobedience, separation anxiety, fights with other dogs, destructive behavior and even understanding how your dog thinks.
The core of SitStayFetch system is the communication between dog and owner. Daniel Stevens understands that most of common dog problems are from the lack of communication. Your dog simply doesn’t understand what you want. SitStayFetch demonstrates how dogs communicate, what are they thinking, how you can communicate with them effectively.
This simple technique helps in improving the relationship between you and your dog. And it also doesn’t just focus on one or two aspects of dog ownership. SitStayFetch deals with all common problem behaviors, step-by-step approach tells you exactly what to do and when to do it.
SitStayFetch works because of the tips and advice come directly from the author’s real-life experience. You also can sign up for free 6 days mini course which covers selected training methods and behavior fixing methods that are used in SitStayFetch ebook.
So if you want to have a good relationship with your dog and get rid of dog problems, I think SitStayFetch will definitely help you reach your goals.
Check my source, hope it helps. Good luck!