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Can Pets and the New Baby Get Along?
Preparing Furry Friends for the New Baby
By Heather Larson
If your dog doesn't have a firm grasp of the "sit", "stay" and "leave it" commands, now is the time to freshen up his obedience skills. A dog must be able to sit and stay on command when a new baby is expected.
If the dog jumps up on people, if he is overprotective of his food, toys or even family members, or if he is aggressive with people or dogs, you'll want to hire a dog behaviorist to eliminate those behaviors.
"This is the time to establish boundaries with the dog," says David Reinecker, a dog behaviorist in Los Angeles, Calif. "In the cases where I've been hired to change the dog's behavior, very rarely has the dog had to be removed from the home."
Reinecker suggests preparing your pet by doing the following:
- Apply baby powder or lotion to a baby blanket and hold the blanket as though it's wrapped around a baby and carry it around the house. Set the blanket down and let the dog sniff it and get familiar with baby scents.
- Practice talking to an imaginary baby while keeping your dog in a "down-stay" position in another room.
- Get rid of dog toys that might resemble a baby, such as dolls and stuffed animals. Don't take any chances your dog might think your baby is a toy.
- Take your dog to the park and introduce him to small children.
Besides acting and smelling different to your pet, babies make strange noises. To get your pet used to the odd and unusual baby noises, play an audiotape of a baby crying or a CD of baby sounds. Both Peterson and Brannan suggest a CD titled Preparing Fido
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