While I am fairly certain Dora, our two-year-old English Springer Spaniel, will be quite indifferent to our new addition in 7 weeks (she's a pretty mellow dog), I'm wondering how to go about creating this delicate balance between fur-baby and...real baby. While I originally wanted the extra time off before baby arrives to spend with her, my recent reading says to actually start distancing myself from her now so that when baby arrives, it won't be such a shock to her to no longer be the centre of attention.
Gee. Good thing someone wrote that down cuz I never would have thought to do it that way. Really!
So that has left me contemplating what other tips and trick I may not know about incorporating a baby into a home with a dog. I know we should bring home baby's first hospital blanket for Dora to smell before she meets it so the scent will be familiar. I also know the husband should carry the baby in first and I should come into the house afterward to greet the dog without the baby in my arms. But so far, that's it.
My other concern is that Wayne has been gone for eight months and Dora will be thrown for a loop when he shows up for two or three weeks next month. While she'll just start getting used to having him back, we'll introduce our little bundle, throw her for another loop, and then he'll leave again for 10 weeks. Not exactly a trauma-free experience for a dog who LOVES her alpha to bits.
Has anyone else found anything helpful in terms of familiarizing a family dog with a new baby?
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