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Home / Available / Boys / Debarking / Elsewhere / Girls / Growing Old / Links Nursery / Rainbow Bridge / Retired / Rule of Seven / The New Baby / Youngsters
Your
Dog and the New Baby
Protocol
for Introducing a New Baby and a Pet
(courtesy
of Dr. Karen Overall)
The
addition of a new baby to a household can upset the social environment
of that household and can upset the pets in the household. Steps can be
taken to greatly reduce the probability of this happening by following
the following instructions below. These instructions are primarily
designed for two-parent families. However, it is possible to implement
most of the instructions if only one parent is available; notations
about this have been made throughout. Please remember that
no
animal should be left alone unsupervised with an infant for any reason.
This is not because most animals are innately aggressive towards
infants, but rather because no infant would be capable of pushing an
animal away if that animal cuddles up to them either for love or for
heat. Until the child is old enough to behave absolutely appropriately
with the pet (and that could be as old as 10 years of age), do not let
children interact alone with the pets until you know how they will
respond in those circumstances. This protects both the child and the
pet.
Step
1
Before
the baby comes, get the pet used to a regular schedule that you believe
is realistic and that will be kept when the infant is present. Start the
feeding and walking schedule that the animal will experience once the
infant comes. This schedule will probably be radically different from
the current schedule, and it is best that they do not experience all the
changes at once when the baby arrives. Include in the schedule a 5- to
10-minute period daily when you will attend only to the pet's needs.
This period will represent its quality time and can occur either in one
bout or in two. During this time, pet the animal, groom it, scratch it,
play with toys, talk to it, massage it, and so on. Maintain the schedule
no matter what, and make it one that can be implemented in the presence
of the infant. This may necessitate setting an alarm clock 5 minutes
earlier or agreeing that even if a baby cries at some point, you will
not interrupt the interaction with the pet during those periods if the
baby is not overly distressed and if the pet is not distressed by the
child's cries. You might also find that this is a time you can set aside
for you to relax; the grooming, massage, and conversation with the pet
will help you relax. Be realistic and do not feel guilty. Five or 10
minutes of concentrated attention is probably more time than you give
the animal as a block now. Although everybody will have to adjust to an
infant's schedule, this is one way that you can tell the animal that it
is still important to you and it counts. Realize that if you have
multiple pets, each will need at least 5 minutes of undivided attention
each day. If you have pets that get along particularly well with each
other, you can certainly team them up to play with or talk to them, but
remember that the more animals you have, the more difficult it will be
to give them all of the things that they need.
Step
2
Start
the dog on a leash-walking schedule that you anticipate can be
maintained with a baby. Make your schedule realistic and implement it
before the arrival of the child. It would be preferable if the schedule
changes could be made as early as possible before the arrival of the
child. This is a good time to consider changing the mechanism you use to
walk your dog. If you are using a choke collar or a regular buckle
collar and the dog does not behave properly instantaneously, now is the
time to teach the dog to walk in a head halter (either a Halti or,
preferably, a Gentle Leader Promise System Canine Head Collar) or teach
it to walk on a no-pull harness (Lupi or Sporn harness). This is the
time to get the pet under control so that you are able to take the dog
with you everywhere you go with the baby where the dogs are welcome,
and
you want the dog to behave well. In addition, you do not want to
struggle with a baby in a backpack or in a stroller and a dog that is
pulling. That is a potentially dangerous scenario that is potentially
injurious for all three of you. You may want the protection of the dog,
the company of the dog, and the necessary exercise for the dog when you
are with the baby. A well-controlled dog will give you this. In
addition, if you are unable to take the dog everywhere you take the
baby, the dog will learn that the baby has displaced it in that role in
the family. Although it is inappropriate to use terms such as
jealousy
when discussing the manner in which the pet treats the baby, any dog or
cat will realize that it is not getting the same amount of attention.
Pets will also realize that this attention has been transferred to
another individual. This phenomenon could then promote attention-seeking
behaviors that are designed to be competitive with the attention the
infant is now getting. The more often you can exercise the dog (or cat,
if the cat enjoys the exercise) with the child, the better everybody's
relationship will be. As soon as you learn that an infant will be
arriving, obtain and learn to use a device such as the Gentle Leader
Promise System Canine Head Collar, a Halti, or a no-pull harness.
Step
3
Again,
before
the baby arrives, allow the pet to explore the baby's sleeping and
diaper changing area. For the same reasons discussed previously, you do
not with to wholly exclude the dog from every place the baby will be.
These areas will provide smells that are interesting to the dog or cat.
Let the dog or cat become familiar with them. You will be using baby
powder, lotions, diapers, and baby objects before you have the baby. Let
the dog or cat become accustomed to these by sniffing and even pawing or
nosing at them.
If
the dog or cat tries to drag any baby items off, correct it by telling
it "No" and asking the animal to relinquish the object. If you
are unable to get the dog to relinquish the object, now is the time to
start teaching the dog more appropriate manners, such as
"sit," "stay," "drop," "down,"
"take it," and "drop it." If your dog cannot do
these before the arrival of the baby, you will have serious management
problems. Now is the time, when you have some time, to address them. It
is insufficient to say that you dog has been to an obedience class if
the dog still does not respond to you instantaneously for a vocal
command. Mechanisms for teaching dogs these types of behaviors are
discussed in the "Protocol for Deference: Basic Program" and
"Protocol for Relaxation: Behavior Modification Tier 1."
Do
not let the pet make a habit of sleeping in or on any of the baby's
furniture. It will only seem like a further correction when you do not
allow the pet to do so once the baby arrives. Do let the animal become
familiar with the area.
If
your pet has had toys that are stuffed animals that may look just like
infant or baby toys, expect that the pet will think that it can play
with the baby's toys. If you are willing to wash these, there is nothing
wrong from a health standpoint; however, the big problem will be that
the dog may round up and take all of the infant's toys. As the baby
ages, the dog may drag the toys from the baby's hand. Babies can be
unintentionally, but tragically, injured under such circumstances. It
may be preferable to shift the dog to toys that do not closely resemble
the toys the baby may have. Such toys can have different scents or
different sounds associated with them. If your dog can "sit"
and "stay" and take an object and "drop it" at your
request now, you can use that behavior to teach both the baby and the
dog how to interact appropriately with each other later in life.
Step
4
When
the baby is born, have your spouse (or whomever is caring for the pet at
that time) take home some articles of clothing that the baby has used.
This will teach the animal that these new clothing smells are part of
its new repertoire, but also that there is an infant involved. Allow the
pet to smell these items. Leave them around the house.
It
is also best to make arrangements for the pet to be cared for in your
home in advance of the arrival of the infant. Advance notice is good
because the animal will be rushed around in a surprising manner, left
with strangers, and shifted quickly from one place to another, only to
return home to discover the infant. It is preferable to have the dog
watched for in your home because this decreases the dog's stress level.
A dog, especially if it does not like being in a kennel or has never
been kenneled, may become more anxious and fearful when removed to the
kennel. The pet can learn to associate the advent of this fear and
anxiety with the advent of the new arrival.
Step
5
When
the baby comes home, you will need help. Someone, whether or not he or
she is your spouse, should hold the baby while you go in to greet the
animals. You have been missing from the household while either having or
going to meet the baby, and the pets will have missed you. You should be
able to greet and pay attention to the animals without having to tell
them to go away and without having to to risk them inadvertently
knocking you over or scratching the baby. If you have a dog that jumps,
the dog should be put in another room until everything is calm and you
can get inside to greet it. You may want to introduce any jumping dogs
or dogs that are difficult to control or exuberant to the rest of the
family on a leash if it provides more control, but first you should
greet the dog or cat exuberantly. Remember, you have been gone and that
is potentially scary for pets. After the greeting process, the baby
should be held by someone else and kept out of the way. When you are
ready to start to introduce the pets to the new baby, harnesses and
leashes can be very helpful. Introductions should only be begun once all
pets are already quiet and calm and everything is back to a more normal
situation. This could take 15 to 30 minutes. During this time the pets
might be curious about the baby, but they must first calm down from the
earlier rambunctious mode.
Step
6
Once
the initial pandemonium has ceased, you are ready to start formally
introducing the pets to the new baby. Your spouse, or a friend who is
helping you, should sit comfortably on the couch with the baby. You can
then be responsible for controlling and monitoring the pet. The pet
should be able to smell the baby and explore. Pets should be leashed or
otherwise restrained in case they make any sudden aggressive (or even
nonaggressive) movements toward the baby. If the pet is fearful of the
baby, talk to the pet gently, rub it, massage it, and encourage it to
smell the infant.
Do
not hold or dangle the child in front of the pet.
This could cause the pet to lunge. It is a wholly inappropriate and
potentially dangerous behavior. The animals and the baby will get used
to each other on their own terms; certainly, any infant that is dangling
over a pet is in an abnormal social circumstance. If you are alone, you
can put a harness on the pet and tie the harness to solid, stationary
pieces of furniture with a leash. If you do this, you can then sit down
at a distance where the pet can sniff the infant but not lunge. You can
still verbally reward the pet while enforcing this safe distance.
Remember
to be calm at all times. Although one lick might be acceptable, you
should be able to tell the animal to stop
instantly.
If the animal is unable to respond to a verbal correction, licking is
not acceptable. If the animal hisses or growls at the infant, you must
be able to verbally correct those behaviors. If not, take the animal and
put it in another room until it is calm. As soon as it is calm, you can
try this again in the same circumstances. Do not reassure the pets that
it is "okay" and that "Mommy" and "Daddy"
still love the pet; an aggressive behavior toward an infant is
not
okay. The animal must learn that if it wants favorable attention from
you, it must behave in a favorable manner toward the newest addition of
the family.
If
you have trouble getting the animal to calm down or getting it to
respond to a verbal correction (this might be particularly true with
cats), you can try using a water pistol. Squirt the animal as it begins
to hiss or look aggressive. Remember that cats that take showers will
not respond quickly to water, and you may have to use a higher power
water pistol or one that has a small amount or lemon juice or vinegar
added to the water in it. Remember that the point of any correction is
to
startle
the animal so that it aborts the behavior,
and
you can then reinforce a more appropriate behavior. The point of these
corrections is not to terrify the animal. In fact, terrifying the animal
or brutally punishing the pet will grossly misfire and will teach the
animal that any time the infant is present horrible things happen.
Corrections are best done in the first 30 seconds of the beginning of
the behavioral sequence, and that behavioral sequence usually starts
with a look. Cats' eyes usually become huge, the ears are moved back,
the hair is up, and the cat might arch its back, duck its neck and
retract its lips or sound nasty. Please do not wait for a pounce or a
swat to correct any animal.
Step
7
When
there is only one spouse at home with the infant during the first few
weeks, pets should be restrained or confined in the presence of the
infant. It is impossible for you to be sitting on the couch, ministering
to a baby, and prevent a pet attack if the situation arises. The key is
to avoid any aggression of any circumstances in which the pet might be
unsure of what the appropriate behavior would be. If the pet is a dog,
it can be leashed at a distance with either a head halter or a harness
or, if the dog does not pull, a neck collar. The animal can still be
close to the baby and the client can pet it, but the dog cannot lunge
and reach the baby. If the dog is prone to run through baby gates, a new
baby is a potent stimulus. If you are tying the animal, make sure that
the full extent of the animal's reach, including the extent of the neck
and head, is at least one dog length away from the child. This is
because you will invariably be nursing the baby, typing on a computer,
and the fax machine and the doorbell will ring at the same time. Any dog
that is problematic may wait for a moment when your guard is lowered to
lunge at the baby. Cats are more difficult, but many cats adjust well to
leashes and harnesses; otherwise, many cats do not object to being
banished from the room for short periods of time.
Step
8
If,
after 3 weeks or so, the pet accepts the baby with no untoward behavior,
it can be unleashed. Regardless, the pet still needs to be closely
supervised and observed. It is best if one spouse tends to the pet while
the other tends to the baby. It is important that if two people are to
share caretaking duties and the responsibility for reinforcing
appropriate behavior, that one person does not always reinforce the dog.
Sharing and trading off the attention for the dog and the baby is
critical for both people so that the dogs learns to associate the warm,
loving environment with everybody. For dogs that do not respond well to
voice commands and for whom the baby is a strong stimulus, the dog
should never be left alone with the child, even in passing, until the
child can fend for himself or herself. In many cases that dog should not
be alone with the child if only one adult is available until the dog can
be taught to react more appropriately to the child. Please do not
believe that a muzzle could protect an infant or a young child from
damage from a dog. Muzzles may prevent bites, but they do not dissuade
the dog from lunging and pushing on the child. Infants and young
children are particularly susceptible to crush injuries and, in many
cases, skulls have been fractured by a dog that lands on a child in play
without the intention to do damage.
Step
9
If
the pets do not pose a hazard (tripping, falling, jumping, grabbing) and
they are truly just being social, there is no reason, once they are
accustomed to the new baby, that they cannot accompany the parent around
the house and be with the baby while he or she is being changed, bathed,
and so on. In fact, this helps facilitate the future interaction between
the child and the pet and may help the child become a kinder, more
humane individual by learning age-appropriate pet behavior. Regardless,
any dog so treated should be very responsive to voice commands so that
no struggle should ever ensue in getting the dog to comply with a
desired behavior.
Step
10
Under
no circumstances should any pet be allowed to sleep in a room with an
unattended infant or young child. Use a baby monitor, an intercom, or a
room monitor, and close the door. Predatory tendencies are far less of a
concern than is the fact that a dog or cat could inadvertently smother a
child. The amount of guilt associated with a tragedy would be unbearable
for both the new parent and for the pet.
Step
11
If
the pet is aggressive or frightened around the child, you should start
exposing the pet to children very gradually. Go back to steps 5 and 6.
Such pets must be supervised in all interactions with children. Remember
that even muzzled animals can harm infants. Predatory aggression is the
most common form of aggression shown by dogs to very young infants,
whereas aggression caused by pain or fear is frequently associated with
older children (18 to 36 months of age). These children are often
uncoordinated and may inadvertently hurt a pet by their play or their
ambulatory capabilities. Older pets that may be arthritic or that have
painful hips or shoulders are particularly at risk, as are those with
chronic ear conditions. These are areas that children frequently grab.
Young children should be taught to treat pets gently: no pulling, no
tugging, and no pounding on them. Again, this is especially important if
the pet is old, ill, or arthritic because any dog that is in pain may
use a bite as its only defense against a rambunctious child.
Finally,
there has been a well-documented link between animal abuse and child
abuse. Children who abuse animals will progress to abuse of other
individuals and will abuse their own children in the future. In turn,
many children who are abused will abuse pets. If your child has a
problem complying with age-specific, appropriate, humane, and gentle
handling conditions of pets, it could be that the child has a problem or
has observed this behavior from friends. If so, this potential problem
should be explored. On the very positive side, appropriate pet-child
behavior can be a wonderful experience and can help make the children
more humane and socially well-adjusted.
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