How do you introduce your new baby to your cat or dog?

1. 84

   Linda Blissposted 12 years ago

   How do you introduce your new baby to your cat or dog?
   
   When bringing a new baby home for the first time, your pets might become jealous of the new addition to the family. What are your best tips for diffusing the situation so they become the best of friends?

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2. 61

   Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years ago

   In a word, preparation. Before you even bring the baby home, introduce the pets to the smell of the baby by putting blankets or clothing that has the baby's scent in their sleeping area. Get your pet used to spending less time with it. Make sure your dog has had training before you have a baby and make sure you teach your pet to lie at your side or on a mat. Your pet should also have learned how to sit rather than jump for attention and petting, and it should have good bite inhibition - taught with proper socialization and training. Make sure your pet's nails are trimmed and filed. When introducing the baby and pet and interacting with both, supervise very closely. Never leave a pet of any kind alone with a baby or young child, no matter how well it is trained!

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3. 94

   cat on a soapboxposted 12 years ago

   This may sound silly, but we put a screen door on the nursery so our cat and dog could see in but couldn't get close to the baby. It seemed to temper any jealousy and allowed for a gradual introduction.  When we moved our daughter from the basinette into a crib, the cat took over her old spot under the blanket! Our golden retriever became very protective w/ strangers but was very gentle with her. Of course,the pets were only allowed in the nursery when we were with her. We have great pictures of the cat and dog peering through the screen door with curiosity at the new sights, sounds, and smells.

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4. 60

   wetnosedogsposted 12 years ago

   What my son-in-law did while my daughter was recuperating in the hospital was take a baby blanket home and let the dogs get the new human smell. He did that each day when he went to take care of the dogs and by the time baby and mom came home, it was no surprise but seemed an expectation that this was another love for the dogs to guard. The boxers have always been good with my grandsons.

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5. 61

   lifemomentsposted 12 years ago

   http://lifemoments.hubpages.com/hub/pittraining
   
   
   their is all kinds of answers here you might find interesting....

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6. 50

   megoegoposted 12 years ago

   One way to solve this problem would be to buy a baby doll (one that makes crying noises etc) and treat it as if it were the actual baby before your baby is born.  This gets your pets used to the sounds and attention demanding child.  When you bring your little one home, your beloved animals will already be used to you spending time with your new addition.

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7. 56

   consentinoposted 12 years ago

   I think it is, how do I introduce my cat or dog to my new baby.  Some animals can be very jealous, others will be more protective.  Just don't ever leave your baby in the room alone with either pet.
   
   
   
   www.petsareagift.com

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8. 84

   sholland10posted 12 years ago

   We tried to talk to our pups the same as we always did.  Our little Shi Tzu would sit on the bed and stare at the little "pink puppy" in the bassinet. She was so curious.  We let her watch our daughter.  Of course, we watched her, but we didn't make her/the dog feel like she was doing anything wrong.  We figured we didn't want her to have any negative feelings associated with the baby because that would make her not like the baby.  Use caution because our beloved pets don't want to feel completely uprooted.  If they are jealous, you probably want to separate them from the baby in a way that makes them feel that they are still loved.  (If that makes sense).

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