Preparing your dog for a baby’s arrival: equipment and method
Published by Planète Pets · managing editor: Clément Lacaille · how our guides are written
Preparing your dog for a baby’s arrival ideally starts two to three months before the birth: installing the gates and the dog’s refuge zone, changing rules and schedules progressively, and getting the animal used to a newborn’s sounds and smells. A dog prepared in advance experiences the birth as an evolution, not a rupture. Equipment budget: 80 to 200 €. The details, backed by the dog travel and safety section.
Contents · 5 sections
What equipment should be installed before the birth?
- Safety gate at the nursery door: 30 to 80 €, to be fitted weeks in advance so the boundary becomes routine.
- Refuge zone for the dog: a bed in a quiet room where the baby will never go, treated as sacrosanct by the whole family.
- Occupation toys: 20 to 40 €, to keep the dog busy during the baby’s care routines.
- Short indoor leash: useful in the first weeks to manage gentle introductions.
How do you prepare your dog for the baby’s arrival, concretely?
Change everything that will need to change before the birth: walk times, access to the sofa or the future nursery, the bed’s location. If those rules flip on the day of the return from the maternity ward, the dog will associate the frustration with the baby. Play recordings of crying at increasing volume paired with treats, walk the empty pram, and let the dog smell a cloth worn by the newborn before it comes home. If your dog already shows signs of anxiety or possessiveness, see a veterinary behaviourist during the pregnancy, not after.
How does the first meeting go?
The dog first greets the parent who was away, without the baby, to burn off the excitement of the reunion. Then, with the dog calm and on a loose leash, let it sniff the newborn’s feet for a few seconds while praising it. Never a forced face-to-face, never a dog kept away as a punishment: the baby’s presence must predict pleasant things. Then multiply the positive three-way moments: the dog gets strokes and treats when the baby is there, not only when it sleeps.
Which safety rules must never be broken?
A dog and a baby are never left alone in the same room, not even for thirty seconds, not even with the gentlest dog in the world: that is the absolute rule of vets and paediatricians. The gate isn’t a sign of distrust but a tool for peace of mind, just like the general home set-up described in our guide to the apartment dog. Finally, keep up the walks: an under-stimulated dog copes far worse with upheavals.
Frequently asked questions
My dog growls near the baby, what should I do?
Don’t punish the growl, it is a precious warning: calmly move them apart, then quickly consult a veterinary behaviourist.
Should the dog be allowed into the baby’s room?
The simplest rule is accompanied access only, with the gate handling the rest of the time. Decide the rule before the birth and stick to it.
Can the dog sleep with the baby later on?
Not for several years, and always under supervision. Find all our guides on the dog hub.
In our shop, for this use: Dog car seat belt with elastic shock absorber (€30.90) · the whole shop
In our shop, for this use: Folding wire dog crate 24 in (61 cm), single door, with tray ($62.90, ships from the US) · the US shop
This guide is part of Planète Pets’s Dogs universe. Our advice is general in nature: for any health concern, your veterinarian remains the only reference.