“What Is This?” – Bringing a New Puppy Home

When you brought your new puppy home, you were so excited! You couldn’t imagine anything cuter or cuddlier that you could possibly want in your life. Tiny paws, soft fur, that precious little face – you never knew how important something that small could be. Your husband and you change your break schedules around at work to make sure someone can always come home and let little Max out during the day. You make sure that anything dangerous lying around your house is picked up so that he can’t get to it and hurt himself. You love him and protect him and treasure his health and happiness.

And then you discover that you are pregnant. You are again filled with joy and love. You slowly get bigger and anticipate the arrival of the new baby. You move furniture and buy baby items, you paint the nursery and decorate it perfectly, and finally you go to the hospital and bring home your brand new baby. You are so excited and can’t wait to enjoy every day with this new little bundle.

“Um…..what is that? It’s so little…and smells REALLY funny!” Max is a little confused. He has never been around children before and does not really know what to think. You have to introduce him to your new baby with confidence and soothing words. Max is loving and affectionate, but his whole world consists of his mother and his father. You. Suddenly there is a new person in his life that is nothing like the two people that he is used to. It is your job as a good puppy parent to make sure he understands that this new baby is a brand new, but vital, part of the family circle.

“Mom! I wanna play!!! Put that down and come play with me!!! We haven’t played in SO long!” Max is used to being the center of attention in your home. Bringing a new baby home will change all of that for him and it is something he will have to get used to. Because you are his parent and you love him, you want him to be well adjusted and to love the baby as much as he loves you. The last thing you want him to feel is neglected. Make sure that you spend time with him whenever you can. Include him in your time with your new baby when it is possible. If you are sitting on the floor dangling toys over your child’s head, make sure that your furry child knows he can come and lay beside you and get some attention, too.

“NEW TOYS!!!! WHOO HOO! I wanna chew em, I wanna chew em, I wanna chew em!!!” Puppies love to play and chew. Whether Max is playing with his own toys or he has gotten hold of the cord to your brand new digital camera, he will toss it and throw it and gnaw on it until it has become just a few tiny little pieces of material. While you are used to disciplining him over playing with your belongings, your first instinct may be to overreact if you catch him playing with one of the new baby’s toys. Max is your child and feels that the things in the house are his, so it is logical he will want to play with these new toys. You need to be a fair and reasonable puppy parent in this instance. Try to keep the baby’s items up where Max can’t reach them. Because these kinds of things always end up on the floor, no matter how hard to try to keep them up, simply admonish Max and let him know that those things are not his. Repetition and consistency are the key to showing Max what he can and cannot play with.

Your new child is a very important member of your family, but so is the furry one you already have. In order to ensure that every single member of your family, whether two or four legged, knows how essential they are, you have to take the time to show them. Make sure Max knows that he has not been replaced…his family has simply grown.