[Himannv]

My dog, Sadie, is now 1 year and 10 months and we now have a new baby. This is our first day with Sadie and baby in the same house. We only allowed her to smell his feet but she seemed unused to the sounds he was making although we played as many baby sound videos as possible before his arrival. She seems overly excited and even gave a few half barks and growls in reaction to the sounds he makes. We've been calm and stable about it so far and they wouldn't be in the same room together unless the baby is in the cot. We've also made sure to spend as much time with Sadie as possible as well. I've put myself between them and made sure interactions are through me so far, but this is still our first day.

I'd appreciate some tips and advice on how to go about integrating the new family member with Sadie. Is there anything I can do to make this process smoother?

 

[Himannv]

Thank you so much. A treat is a great idea!

 

[Himannv]

So I tried the treat thing and it worked like a charm. Thank you for that suggestion! Keen to hear any more tips and tricks.

 

[Himannv]

Sadie is a lab mutt. Got her off the streets when she was a pup.

 

[Himannv]

So, it's 4 months down the line now and Sadie seems to be used to having the baby around. But there are few things I could use some help with.

We still haven't allowed much interaction between them apart from allowing her to sniff his legs. I'm concerned about her playing too rough with the baby if/when she gets the chance. At times when I've allowed her to sniff his baby sleeping suit covered foot, she's tried to give it a playful nip. I'm guessing the baby will start crawling etc. soon. She also seems to stare at him a bit when he's closer to her.

- What should my next steps be in building their relationship and when do I make these moves?
- How do I encourage good positive interactions and make sure Sadie plays gently when they do start to interact more?