News & Information

Are you or someone you know about to have a baby join the family and you already have a dog? If so, Congratulations! This is a wonderful and exciting, life-changing event! It’s often so exciting that we completely forget to prepare the family dog for all the changes that are about to happen. The first few months can often be a stressful time of sleep deprivation, varied eating schedules, many people coming to visit the baby, new sounds, smells and of course, the new little bundle that everyone carries around. This is a tremendous amount of change for anyone to adapt to overnight and as people, we understand what’s going on, your dog doesn’t. Preparation and education is the key to preventing confusion from Fido. Safety is always my number one concern. Many people think if they don’t have a dog with aggressive behaviors or an aggressive breed then they don’t have reason for concern. Unfortunately, that is a misconception; any sized dog or breed can become confused by all the change, if not prepared and some dogs simply don’t understand what a baby is. There are documented cases of mixed breeds, Jack Russell Terriers, Huskies, Pomeranians and a Labrador Retriever puppy of 9-12 weeks old having severely injured or killed newborns within the last decade, in addition to the commonly thought of breeds; Pit Bulls, Rottweilers and others. In almost every case, that horrendous accident was preventable. Early education is so important! My intent is not to scare anyone or to have anyone rush out and rehome their dog, only to  stress the importance of taking proper precautions to set everyone, including the family dog, up for success!  We’ve restructured our Baby course to make it more readily available. We’re now offering a 1.5 – 2 hr lecture-style, dog-free, course geared primarily toward expectant parents of 5+ months. We cover many topics from setting early boundaries with Fido or Fifi, preventing negative association with Baby, toy choices, the desensitization process of bringing home Baby, essential commands to make the transition process easier and more manageable, all with a strong emphasis on safety. As a parent, dog lover and trainer, this is a topic I feel so strongly about.  Studies show that children raised with pets have more compassion and empathy as younsters and adults, towards both animals and humans, we just have to foster the bond through preparation.