I am a mom to two fur babies, Giggles and Dottie. Giggles is our 11-year-old, laid back Greyhound and Dottie is our almost five-year-old, hyper Labrador Retriever mix. I am convinced that there are no two dogs more opposite. The only thing they have in common is that they both have black fur coats and they are both rescues. Giggles enjoys relaxing and napping for about 20 hours a day, and Dottie enjoys hiking, swimming, playing fetch, and all things to help get her energy out. Giggles loves nothing more than to be left alone on her comfy dog bed, but Dottie has to have all the attention at all times. When I found out I was pregnant, I knew Giggles would not really be phased by the new addition, but I knew all along that Dottie would require some adjustments.
I’ve seen the quote “Dogs can tell you’re pregnant. They just don’t know how many puppies you’re having yet” and I 100% believe this. Dottie, being more personable and attached to me than Giggles caught on fairly quickly. As my pregnancy has continued, I have noticed she is extra clingy and protective. She even rests her head on my stomach and sometimes feels her baby brother kick. Giggles has started to notice new things coming into the house and has sniffed my stomach, but she does not seem to be bothered by it.
Throughout my pregnancy, I have taken these steps to make sure I am preparing my fur babies (mostly Dottie) for my human baby:
1. Introduce the dogs to all the new baby stuff.
Any time we receive anything new for the baby, we encourage our dogs to check it out. They sniff furniture, toys, clothes, bottles, and more. Dottie has even tried out the crib!
2. Invite the dogs into the nursery.
The baby’s nursery was changed from a guest room which happened to be Dottie’s favorite napping room. One wall is full of windows letting the warm sun come in and every afternoon Dottie would climb on the bed and take a nap. As we were changing this room from a guest room to a nursery, the dogs were encouraged to come into the room and see the whole process. Dottie is not happy that the big bed was taken out, but she still loves her afternoon naps on the new rug.
3. Let the dogs feel/sniff the baby.
Most nights we relax on the couch, and most of the time, Dottie’s head is on my stomach. She feels the baby kick and is a bit confused by it, but I think she knows her baby brother will be here soon. As Giggles is not much of a snuggler, she just walks up and sniffs my stomach sometimes.
4. Take something of the baby’s from the hospital home to the dogs first.
When our new arrival finally makes his debut, we plan to take clothes, blankets, etc. home to give our dogs to sniff and get familiar with his scent before he comes home.
As the days get closer and closer to when our fur babies will meet our human baby, we have a plan in place for the big introduction:
1. Have the dogs spend a couple of nights away from home.
When we first come home from the hospital with our baby boy, we plan to have our dogs spend the night with the grandparents for the first couple of nights. This will help us get used to our new routine and family addition with all of our attention on him. This will also allow for our baby to be in his territory when the dogs arrive back home, instead of him coming into their territory while they are there.
2. Let the dogs greet mom and dad first.
After a couple of nights away from home, we plan to have our dogs greet us first when they get back home. We will strategically have the baby placed in a different room so that they get their excitement out when they first see us.
3. Bring the baby into to introduce to the dogs.
Once our dogs are back in the house, I assume they will start noticing the baby’s scent more. As they sniff around and take it in, we will bring the baby in to meet them. I am sure this will be a few different introductions, letting the dogs get a little closer every time depending on their behavior.
4. Bring out the distractions.
Just in case the dogs get a little too excited, we will definitely have tennis balls, peanut butter, and more of their favorite treats on stand by as a distraction.
