Help your dog adapt to baby in the family
An Australian veterinarian couple Lewis Kirkham and his wife Debra, who work at the University of Melbourne's Veterinary Hospital, have developed a guide Tell Your Dog You're Pregnant so that families can prepare their dog for the noises and household changes that a new baby brings. They are hoping that their book can help in building a strong bond between dog and baby. The veterinarian Lewis Kirkham said that dogs need help adapting to life with a new baby.
"As a vet I am very interested in understanding the bond between owners and their pets, which prompted us to develop a guide to assist in bonding between the dog and a newborn baby," Kirkham said. "To many couples the dog is their 'fur' child and there are a lot of changes that will occur when a human baby arrives."
Preparing the dog early for these changes can help prevent behavioural issues such as house-soiling, aggression, destruction and attention-seeking. The book provides a step-by-step guide to preparing a dog for a baby in the house, including the latest in animal behavioural psychology to helping owners introduce their baby to their pet, read and interpreting a dog's body language and adjust ing the household to keep the dog calm. Kirkham has provided advice to many dog owning couples who were expecting a baby and found there was a lack of good quality baby and toy noises available.
"When our first daughter was born, we recorded some of her sounds and then expanded and remastered these sounds to create a CD, which accompanies the book, to familiarise dogs with a range of baby sounds, including squeaky toys, crying, sneezing, giggling and bath splashing," Debra Kirkham said. The book also includes information on recognising a dog's warning signs if it is not adapting to the new family structure and to know when to seek professional assistance for behavioural problems.
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