Pet Training 101: How Do I Introduce my Pet to my New Baby

July 23, 3:31 PMDetroit Pet Training ExaminerRobin Zajicek

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The introduction of a new baby into a pet’s life can be traumatic for him. Babies are strange creatures and pets do not often know how to categorize them. They smell strange, they move like a wounded animal and they make loud and disconcerting noises. If that isn’t enough, their very presence causes changes in the household. All of this can lead to a pet who is stressed out and confused and that is a situation that could lead to disaster if it’s not properly managed.

If your pet spends most of its time in an enclosed habitat and won't have access to the baby there may not be much of a concern, but it's still important to introduce the baby as caged pets can escape and a baby is a curious thing. Reptiles are probably an exception to this; particularly large snakes who could see the baby as food. These should be kept under lock and key in a closed room well away from your baby.

Plan Ahead

Don’t wait till after the baby arrives to begin training your pet to accept him. A new baby means many changes and it’s best if your pet, whether it’s a dog, a cat, a bird or a ferret, not associate those changes specifically with the baby as that could lead to resentment. At least a month before the baby is due to arrive, sit down and brain storm all of the changes that will take place when the baby comes and come up with a plan to prepare your pet for those changes so that they don't come as too much of a shock.

People

Will you be hiring a nanny or a housekeeper to help out with the baby? Have her come over a few times before the baby arrives to help your pet be comfortable with her presence. If a family member is planning to come stay for awhile to help out, have her come visit too. Make sure these people do not have any negative associations for your pet , but don’t encourage them to do a lot of playing and fawning over him. It is best they ignore him for the most part. After all, once the baby comes their attention is going to focused on him, not your pet.

Places

Where will your pet stay while mom is in the hospital? If you are planning on boarding your pet or having someone else care for your pet while you’re at the hospital, make sure he is familiar with his caretakers ahead of time. You can drop him off at the boarding facility on the way to work in the morning for a couple of days or leave him with grandma for a few weekends so that when the time comes to rush out and drop him off on the way to the hospital, it won’t be too much of a shock.

You may be setting up a new room for your baby or she may be moving into your bedroom, at least at first. Whichever room your baby will be sleeping in and left alone in for any length of time should be off limits to your pet. Babies and pets should never be left alone together unsupervised. Even small dogs, cats and other prey animals can hurt a baby in play if he triggers their prey instinct and as your baby starts moving around on his own, he could grab, trap and crush a pet in his little iron grip, not to mention pulling on ears, tails and fur and poking fingers in eyes. For the sake of the safety of both your baby and your pet, you must forbid your pet’s entry into the rooms where the baby sleeps and spends time alone.

If your pet is used to having free access to the room in question, you must begin isolating her from it the moment you discover that there is a baby on the way. The more lead time you have for this the better. If your pet is used to sleeping with you she may have trouble adjusting to sleeping elsewhere.

Things

There is a lot of paraphernalia associated with babies. Car seats, bottles with interesting-smelling stuff inside of them, diapers with even more interesting-smelling stuff in them, whole rooms full of strange things, strollers, blankies and more. Don’t wait for the baby to arrive to bring this stuff into the house and start leaving it around. Make sure your  pet learns that bottles full of formula, diapers and other baby paraphernalia is off limits before the baby arrives by practicing “leave it” with them several times a day.  You aso might want to practice walking your dog while pushing the stroller before you put a baby in it.

If your pet is a dog who is used to being allowed on the furniture, you should begin training her to stay off the furniture as soon as you discover you are pregnant.  You don’t want your Labrador competing for space on the sofa with you and your newborn while you’re trying to nurse and you certainly don’t want your toddler to get snapped at when she climbs up onto the couch  your terrier is occupying.

Sounds

Babies make strange noises that can alarm pets or trigger their prey drive. It is especially troubling if a pet has never heard these noises before. You can help get your pet used to these sounds by renting videos with crying, squealing and giggling babies in them. You could also take a voice recorder over to the home of a friend with a new baby and records some of the sounds their baby makes and play it back for your pet when you get home. While you’re at it, grab a dirty diaper to play “leave it” with.

Smells

The age old wisdom of bringing home a blanket for your pet to smell before bringing home the baby for your pet to meet is sound, but there are more smells associated with babies than just their smell on a blanket. There are diapers, formula, lotions, powders and oils. Whatever places you are going to be using these things, place them there ahead of time so that your dog gets used to their presence.

The Introduction

Bringing home a new baby is exciting and no one will be more excited than your pet. Excluding your pet from the excitement will only make the baby more mysterious and increase the likelihood that your pet will try to sneak in to investigate when you aren't around. It's also very important that your pet have positive associations with the baby and not learn that the baby's presence means he's more likely to get scolded or shoved aside.

Hopefully, you will have already worked with your pet to ensure that he knows that jumping and climbing on you and the furniture is inappropriate. With this foundation firmly in place, try this method for your first introduction

(Note: In this example I use the word "mom" to refer to the child's primary caregiver and "dad" to refer to the "assistant". Note that these can be interchanged or replaced with grandma, nanny, sibling, auntie, uncle, etc.)

On the day that the new baby arrives, mom should hold the baby in her arms as dad enters the house at her side. It will be helpful if your pet is leashed and has not yet had dinner. Both mom and dad should have their pockets full of treats Do not give your pet extra attention at this point but carry on as normal. He will quickly notice that something is different. As he approaches, dad should be on the alert to control the pet if he gets too excited and mom should start dropping treats at her feet. This helps to establish a positive association with the presence of the baby.

Once all seems well, move over the the couch. Mom should sit down with the baby on her lap and encourage the pet to approach and sniff the baby, tossing treats on the floor as long as your pet is calm. Do not let your pet actually touch the baby, just sniff nicely. If he starts to climb or gets too rambunctious, dad should step in with a distraction. If you are introducing a dog, have him sit or lay down and stay for a few minutes then try again. If introducing a cat, bird or ferret, lure her with a treat or a toy and then try again in a few minutes.

This will probably be enough for just then. Mom should take the baby out of the room and dad should feed the pet and put him away for awhile. Next time, dad should enter the room carrying the baby and drop treats and mom should act as the role of the enforcer.

Reinforce The Lesson

In the coming days, place the baby in a secure seat in the room (beware of swings and door bouncers, these can trigger the prey drive in many pets who might then have trouble resisting the urge to grab some toes with tragic results) and interact with your pet while the baby looks on. Don't roughhouse. This is a good time to groom your cat or ferret (if she likes it), or teach your bird or dog a new trick. This will help your pet learn that the baby's presence is perfectly normal, nothing special at all and perhaps even pleasant. If the baby starts to fuss, give your pet a nice treat, like a bully stick or a catnip toy to entertain herself with with while you tend to the baby.

Remember however, that you must maintain strict discipline with yourself and your pet to protect your baby and pet from one another. They should never be left alone together until the baby is school aged (preferably middle school) child. The baby's room and your bedroom should be off limits to your pet and this should be strictly enforced. As the baby grows, teach him to be gentle with the pet and to give commands which you enforce at first and the child rewards.

With a little pre-planning and some training for both yourself and your pet, your new baby and your pet can live together harmoniously and set the foundation for the sort of pet-child relationship the dog food commercials have us all dreaming about.