Bark-a-bye Baby

Published Tuesday 17 March 2009 by D. J. Thompson OBE, BA, MVB, MRCVS

There is no doubt that properly controlled and properly looked after animals are of tremendous value to any animal loving family. There are several criteria which must be satisfied to ensure that the first sentence applies for you and these criteria are different for cats and dogs. This article deals primarily with dogs and their relationship to children in the household. The family must be fond of dogs and the children must be taught to respect them. It is essential that all the circumstances are taken into account. Is there room for a dog? Is there someone around most of the day to look after it and supply the necessary company and exercise?

There are obviously many occasions when a young couple already own a dog before they start a family. In these circumstances it is common for the pet to have been the whole centre of attention in the household and in many cases has been treated as their child if not as a member of the family. It is not unusual in these circumstances for a significant chance of jealousy to occur in the dogs mind when a baby suddenly appears and becomes the centre of attention. It is wrong to suggest that the dog should be considered to be on the same level as the new baby because in all cases humans must take precedence over animals.

Training of dogs

I will assume that the dog has been properly trained in the first place and is friendly with people and children. Even if the animal has never shown any signs of being cross or aggressive it is never sensible to leave a dog alone with young children. With the best will in the world young children and dogs can be unpredictable and it can happen that the child will hurt the animal and it may react badly because of pain. This is obviously more likely to occur if the dog has not been used to being around children.

Conditioning the dog

A dog which has been the exclusive centre of attention is potentially more likely to be jealous of the new born
arrival than one which used to sharing with children. The best course of action is to create a situation where the dog receives less attention than it was receiving before the new baby appeared. By the time the baby is born the pet should be receiving significantly less attention. This part of the exercise is relatively easy. It is the next step which is more difficult to achieve. Having reduced the attention before baby's arrival and then increasing it after baby is born the dog does not feel neglected and associates the new arrival with pleasure. More exercise and walks are also added bonuses for the dog at this critical time. It is also essential to ensure that the dog is not excluded from the house or even the room when the baby is being fed or having its nappy changed.

By carrying out these simple procedures the dog automatically associates this extra attention with the baby and so any thoughts of jealousy are very much less likely. Common sense hygiene is also essential in these circumstances. Worming of the dog at least every 3 months is good practice. In spite of taking all these appropriate steps I cannot stress too emphatically that regardless of the pet's temperament a dog should never be left alone with either a new baby or any young child. Although there is this slight worry with jealousy this can be eliminated by careful management and a pet in an animal loving household with small children is of enormous benefit and fulfilment to the whole family.