Should You Have a Dog Around a Baby?

When you bring your miracle to the world, you will always want to take 100% care of it. Whether that, to you, is your baby or your puppy, you will constantly think twice before forming new introductions.

Assuming that miracle to you is your baby, one question you will have is whether or not a dog can stay near this baby. In general, there is no reason why you should not have them both in the same place, especially if your dog is trained. Of course, as you still may be worried, below are some steps you can take to ensure the coexistence of both lives in your home. 

Research the Breed

Dog breeds can really differ from one to the other. Some are needy, some are quite independent, some are adventurous, and some are shy. It depends on their nature. Their nurture depends on whether you got this puppy from the start, or you adopted/purchased it later in its life. If on the off chance that you did not raise your dog in your home, you may have to rely on its nature.

To do so, you will have to open your trusty browser and look up your dog’s breed and understand its tendencies and its personality. You need to take into consideration that you do not have to pick one or the other if the breed is not that suitable. It just means that some puppies or dogs do not readjust to change quickly, so you will have to take more time or put in more effort to allow it to adjust to your baby.

Related Article: The 10 Most Dangerous Dog Breeds That You Should Know For Your Own Safety

Readjust Your Puppy’s Routine 

Depending on the type of dog you have, they may need extra attention. For instance, a Chihuahua is one of the breeds that can be extremely needy. If you do happen to have a needy dog, you may have in fact, given it all your attention.

With the introduction of a baby into your home, it will be very difficult to continue giving the same amount of attention to your dog. If you are still expecting, an option that you have is to give less attention to your pet with time.

When in doubt, again, research the breed and do not take away all the time you spend with them – this website is a great resource if you need to understand more about the relationship that can happen between your puppy and your baby.

Start by at least decreasing the amount of time you spend with your pet each day or each couple of days so that it can readjust and not be as needy when the baby arrives.

Carefully Plan an Introduction

When the baby arrives, or puppy, depending on which you want to get first, plan an introduction. Make sure that you are keeping a keen eye on the whole situation, even hold the puppy on a leash while it is getting to know and smell your baby so that it understands “who this is”.

You need to prepare your pet beforehand and make sure that you have taken all precautions and all measures to ensure the safety of both. Do not be alarmed when your pet comes too near to your baby, after all, that is how dogs get to know and understand what it is that is in front of them.

Make Use of A Doggy Day Care

If you are unsure of whether the dog will readjust properly with a baby in the house and you are unable to constantly watch over both of them simultaneously, your best option will either be to have someone to dog-sit or take your pet to doggy daycare.

However, this may not be a permanent solution, this can just be for a couple of days or weeks until you are able to readjust your own life and make time to help your pet adapt to the existence of a baby. Some doggy daycares offer services or have numbers of people who can train your pet which could take a load off of you and make your life a little easier. 

The picturesque white picket fence home with the perfect family and the adorable dog is something extremely sought after. When you have a dog that you have had for years or would like to introduce a new dog to your home to complete that picture, it will be difficult to give up one or the other.

But at the same time, there is no need to if there are no monetary or space issues. When in doubt, seek some help, but besides that, all should work out okay if some extra work is done to create that peaceful relationship.