Desensitizing dogs living in your household to the cries of your baby is one of the single most surprising things to those taking the Dogs to Diapers online course.
People assume that when their dogs have previous exposure to any kid, they don’t need to prepare much before bringing a newborn home. How your dog perceives a child is an entirely different picture then exposing them to the screams and noises of an infant.
I want to take a moment to describe what desensitizing is and why it is a 100% must do to help prepare your dog for the fascinating sounds that come with your newborn. I’m sure it comes as no surprise the sound of your newborn crying is by nature alarming. But, let’s face it, it’s supposed to be right? Of course, it’s how we know they need us and how we, as moms, can wake up from a dead sleep. Here’s the thing; it can end up being the same “alarm system” for your dog. In some cases, a dog can become overstimulated by an infant screaming and moving. Those paired together can trigger a predatory response in your dog and endanger your baby. Here are some statistics to support this:
*” The age group with the highest number of fatalities in children under the age of one year old. These account for 19% of the deaths due to dog attacks.” “Of these, 72% of deaths were newborns less than 90 days old.”
That is a disconcerting fact, but the truth is, these dogs most likely never perceived those newborns as human. Attacks occur when an infant is in a crib, bassinet, asleep next to a parent, or the baby swing. Something triggered the attack, whether it was them crying, moving, or even breathing.
There are ways we can test our dog to help us know how to train and prepare them for the arrival of a newborn, desensitizing them to baby cries. Desensitizing your dog to sound of your baby crying means they are indifferent, unaware, or unresponsive. If your dog becomes overstimulated by your baby crying or even just stressed, unsafe situations may be the result. Therefore, it’s critical to desensitize your dog beforehand.
Dogs to Diapers shows you how to randomly play downloaded baby cries until your dog is non-reactive or indifferent to them. Recognizing your dog’s innate response to the first times you play the sounds will help determine how often you will need to practice this to desensitize them.
If you have a dog that gets overly excited about the baby sounds, you can teach them to do a “place” command every time you play the baby cries. A place gives an easily excitable dog a job to do, also known as a coping behavior. Then, when your newborn cries, your dog will know to go over to their “place calmly. If your dog displays actions such as being exceptionally still, focused, ears-perked, or redirected, you must seek professional training. These are signals of high predatory drive.
Some dogs are just unsafe to have around a newborn, and you need to know this before bringing your baby home. Dogs that have a high predatory drive and have a known history of killing small prey are dangerous to have around an infant. The baby cry can trigger an instant attack. Even if you expose them by playing the sounds, this will not change the genetic predisposition of your dog’s predatory drive. However, it will help you to become more knowledgeable about your specific pet and instill the correct management precautions for the safety of young children.
Any dog, no matter how they respond to the cries, should never have access to where a baby is sleeping. They especially should not be allowed to sleep under a baby bassinet, crib, or baby swing.
Following these guidelines will help you prepare your dog for when your newborn starts crying. Predict the response your dog will have. Reassure your dog that an infant’s cry is not something for them to become excited or stressed over. This method also helps with dogs that have started howling when they hear a baby cry!