Dog Meets Baby Blog

Did you decide to get a dog as a couple before having a child, or did you and your pup come as a “package deal”?

Or, are you a single parent or a couple with young children looking to add a dog to your family but not sure when and how?

I’ll walk you through different scenarios to help you prepare your dog for future kids or help you choose the best moment for your family to get your dream dog.

Option 1: First dog, then child

Many couples get a dog before they decide to have children. It's a good way to learn responsibility and selflessness. Dogs teach us better planning skills and to be more flexible. And, if you get your dog as a puppy, you’ll also get a taste of the inevitable sleep deprivation that comes with a baby.

If you plan on kids entering the picture at some point -no matter how far down the line- getting your dog comfortable around children is important. ⁠
When socializing a dog with unfamiliar or familiar children, it is extremely important you do it right.

Here’...

Does your dog steal your baby’s toys, diapers, pacifiers, or clothes? Sometimes you get lucky and your dog magically KNOWS not to touch the baby's toys. ⁠⁠But, if you’re like most, you need a strategy for keeping your baby's stuff out of your dog's mouth, and your dog out of harm's way.

Creating a safe environment.

Babies bring A LOT of new and organic smells that are exciting to your dog. Dogs are natural scavengers. Scavenging is a survival mechanism and an instinct that’s strong in most dogs. Introducing a baby to your house can potentially trigger your dog’s scavenger tendencies in new ways.

Many baby items can be stimulating for your dog, or even mistaken for food. Here’s a list of common baby items that can be uncontrollably enticing for your dog:

• dirty burp clothes
• dirty diapers
• milk/formula bottles
• pacifiers with baby slobber

My dog ate a toy, now what? 

If your dog gets, consumes, or destroys one of these things, don’t panic; it’s no different than your dog...

If I had to name the number one behavior people ask me questions about, it would be LICKING. Some of you don’t mind it at all, and some of you can’t stand it.

The chances are, your dog doesn’t just lick the baby. Oftentimes, dogs have been licking their family members for years, it is not new behavior.

With consistency, training, and management, your dog can learn it is okay to lick you and not the baby. However, it is important to understand that if this behavior has been allowed and rewarded (even unintentionally), a negative reaction from you when they try to lick the baby, may be confusing to your dog at first. 

You might be wondering, how did you unintentionally reward licking?

 Anytime you:

• Let your dog lick you
• Pet them while they lick
• Look at your dog
• Sweet-talk them
• Show any type of positive (and even negative!) attention 

It could be rewarding to your dog.

Understanding why your dog is licking is key if you want to reduce it.

Here are the most common rea...