Preparing Shadow for Your New Baby

Dog attacks on children are never entirely unexpected. There are some warning signs that should alert parents to the possibility of increased risk. The arrival of a new baby, the toddler stage and raising a dog with older children each presents its own problems. Fortunately there are also sensible precautions that can be taken to minimise the risk of disaster.
Shadow was already displaying several warning signs. He was used to being the centre of attention.  He demanded attention, initiating play and soliciting patting, but was standoffish when Lisa or Craig wanted to pat him. He tended to resent being handled, groomed or restrained. He resisted and moved away if Lisa or Craig tried to force him to drop. He had played and won games like tug of war and keepings off with a knotted rope and other toys, as well as chasey and wrestling. He barged out the door first when they went out, and always pulled on the lead, determined to go first and make them follow where he wanted to go. He never listened when he was in the park. His behaviour inside the house was unruly. He jumped all over visitors at the front door. He had started to be jealous when friends approached Lisa. She had encouraged this in the mistaken idea that he was being “protective”.
This added up to a dog who acted like pack leader. Others signs of bossiness to watch for include :
•    food-guarding
•    unwillingness to get off the bed or couch
•    jealousy when members of the family express affection to each other
•    hostility to visitors or friendly “outsiders”
•    obsessive interest in small animals
Any of these factors could mean that your dog will be resentful or difficult to handle around your new baby. A dog like this has an “attitude”, and might one day use his teeth to enforce his dominant status.
I advised Lisa and Craig to make changes in Shadow’s status and routines well before the baby was due, so that he would not associate a change for the worse with the baby and develop hostility.
 “At the moment, Shadow is bossy and possessive. What will you do if he decides he owns the baby too? We need to teach him to accept a different status in your  family - namely being happy at the bottom of the pack.”
Instead of being allowed to sleep in the bedroom, Shadow was given a spot downstairs. “Where you sleep is the heart of the den, the centre of privilege. What message does it give your dog if he is in the bedroom and the baby is down the corridor?”
Although he would come up and solicit attention when he wanted it, he was not prepared to work for his petting. Lisa and Craig were instructed not to give Shadow attention when he demanded it, but instead to turn the tables on him. “Ask him to sit. If he doesn’t, you should walk away. At other times, you should ignore him, or initiate contact by giving him a command before rewarding him with any attention.”
A new rule was introduced : every morning, either he responded to a simple command to come and sit (given once, pleasantly, without yelling or pushing him into position) and was rewarded with food. If he couldn’t be bothered to walk across the room and sit, he forfeited breakfast.
Using “hands-off” training methods which rely on hand signals and rewards rather than force or physical handling, Lisa and Craig taught Shadow to lie down on a mat next to the TV. We even practiced this using a life-sized baby doll, which Lisa pretended to nurse while Shadow lay on his mat. This really tested whether Lisa could control the dog with her hands full.
Shadow was taught to approach the cradle quietly and sit automatically. Respect for physical space is part of the dog’s understanding of who runs the pack. A follower does not knock a leader flying, even through good-natured carelessness. Shadow was quietly curious about the doll, sensing that it was being treated with importance. He sniffed it and then lay down.
Shadow’s main pleasure in life was possession of his toys. It was especially worrying to think that a lower status member of the pack, such as a toddler, might one day touch one of his toys and be disciplined.  All toys were therefore removed, and we taught Shadow to fetch and give on command. He learnt that he was only allowed to play with them if he played by the new rules.
All the benefits of pack leadership - food, toys, the best place to sleep, company and play, the right to decide who can come in the front door , the right to initiate and end contact between pack members - were to be controlled by Lisa and Craig, not by Shadow. His demotion was achieved without confrontation and force, which would have created hostility and possibly aggression, putting his owners at risk.
A dog that has accepted your leadership will learn to follow your emotional reactions. If you are tense and fearful when your dog approaches the baby the dog may well assume that there is something to worry about, that the baby is a threat. If you are calm, pleasant, cheerful and relaxed Shadow will associate those emotions with the presence of the baby.
If you deal with a dominant, unruly dog by putting him outside and giving him less attention when the new baby arrives, this sudden change for the worse from the dog’s point of view caused could create resentment, hostility or jealousy.
No matter how well you have prepared, and how calm and accepting Shadow has become, you must not leave the dog and the baby unsupervised.
Your dog regards your new baby as an alien animal that smells strange and makes funny noises. The most benevolent dog will show at least curiosity and want to sniff. Praise him calmly and call him to sit next to you. He may become curious, excited or even a little disturbed by a new baby’s cry. Ask Shadow to lie down, while you go over to the baby. He will learn to let you know the baby is crying (as if you hadn’t noticed) but will also learn that it is up to you to take the necessary action.