Meet Our Dog Ella
Ella is an almost 9-year-old Brittany mix. Ella loves swimming, playing with tennis balls, and cuddling her many plush animals. While Ella loves our city-living life in the North Loop, she also loves adventure! She loves going on cabin trips Up North, riding in the car, and going hiking.
Ella is not big on socializing with other dogs. She is a little shy and gets nervous. When I take her to the dog park, she just sits on the bench next to me. Ella loves people (and she’s great with kids!) but she mostly just loves me and Tony. She is very protective over me especially and will barks at the door when we are home alone. Ella is very attached to both of us, and cries when we leave the condo. For this reason, we don’t often stay in hotels with her!
I rescued Ella nearly 9 years ago while still in college. For her first few years of life, it was just me and her. We did everything together! I took her to restaurants, bars, and shopping (pretty much everywhere she was allowed!) When Tony and I started dating, they were not the best of friends! But over the course of a few years, they fell in love, and for the past five years, it’s been just the three of us!
Ella and the New Baby
Ella’s world is about ready to get rocked. In approximately 4-7 weeks, we will be bringing home a new baby! They say that dogs can tell when you are pregnant, and I agree. Between the change in my smell and the growing baby bump, they say that dogs just get it. This may or may not be true, but Ella does lay her head on my belly or my thigh (near the baby) and cuddle and she is so sweet around me.
Regardless of whether she understands that I’m pregnant, Ella knows that something is up. I’m not sure what she understands, but she is very uneasy a lot of the time. She regularly sees us unpacking giant boxes, assembling furniture, organizing, and cleaning. Maybe she thinks we are moving? Or going on a trip?
Changes in Dog’s Behavior
We’ve had a few incidents with Ella over the past couple months. She has had a few more accidents than normal, one of which was in our bed and the other was in the stairwell of our building. Our sweet and shy dog all the sudden has us worried! I’m not at all concerned about her behavior or temperament with the baby, I’m more just concerned that she will act out and try to get our attention.
I have been doing some research on how to get your dog ready for baby. I also polled you all on Instagram to see what the heck we should do. Thanks to those of you that sent feedback, it was awesome! Here are some good ideas for how to get your dog ready for baby. We are planning to use the next few weeks to help ours with the transition.
Here are some of the tips I have gathered:
Acquaint the Dog with Your Nursery
- Hang out with your dog in the nursery and play with them in there
- Hold a stuffed animal like a baby in the nursery (we have this lion which is a good baby size!)
- Show your dog baby’s items and say “baby’s” (ex: car seats, toys, bottles, etc.)
Get the Dog Used to Baby’s Scent and Sound
- Have Dad or grandparents bring the baby’s blanket or other items home from the hospital for them to smell
- Play baby noises and cries for them (for longer and longer periods of time)
- Introduce dog to other noises (ex: lullabies, unwrapping a diaper, etc.)
Thoughtfully Introduce Dog to Baby
- Have Dad or grandparents take the dog on a long walk so that they are nice and tired before the introduction
- One parent should greet dog first without the baby (the dog misses you from your 3 days in the hospital and will be excited to see you!)
- Let dog sniff baby from a safe distance
Involve Your Dog with the Baby
- When you go into the nursery to nurse, bring the dog with you
- Never leave the dog alone with your baby
- Teach the baby what is okay ant not okay for touching and petting the dog
Don’t Forget About Them
- Keep dog’s feeding, walking, and playing schedule
- Cuddle them and give them lots of attention
- Let them know you still love them!
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