By Shakinah Brzezinski, Dog Trainer, Tully's Training
Check out Shakinah's Class at The Pump Station - Puppy Love: Introducing Your Dog To Your New Baby
As a dog trainer and behavior consultant, here are five of the cues I recommend to most clients who are expecting their first baby. These skills are most effective when consistently practiced for at least 3 months before baby arrives as that’s a minimum of how long it takes for a new habit to be formed for dogs. Training for 5-10 minutes per day is the ideal session length, any longer and your dog will get tired, bored or frustrated. Find ways to incorporate training into your daily routine and serotonin helps the human and canine brain retain information, so have fun with it!
Leave-it: A cue for the dog to change their focus and not take whatever they were going for.
You only want to practice this cue with things they are never ever supposed to get like trash on the street, the cat’s litter box or food on the kitchen counter. For expecting parents I suggest practicing Leave-it with the baby’s toys as you acquire them. It can be tough for humans to tell the difference between a baby toy and a dog toy, so of course we have to help our dogs out with it. Just remember, that if you dog is eventually going to get the item (like their food bowl or their toy) then the cue is a Wait and release, not a Leave-it!
Drop-it: A cue for your dog to drop whatever they are holding.
You can think of Drop-it as the other side of the coin to Leave-it. Where Leave-it means “don’t take that” vs. Drop-it means “let go of what you already have”. Both are equally important to practice for your dog’s safety in thinking about kids toys and food once you are introducing solids to your new baby.
My favorite way to practice Drop-it is to turn it into a game! Play fetch or tug with your dog and while they are holding one toy, offer another or a treat as a trade. This makes it so your drop-it cue is fun, your dog WANTS to engage in it, and when it’s a matter of safety and your dog steals the baby’s pacifier or a small toy that’s incredibly important.
Place: A cue to go to a specific spot (usually a bed or mat), lay down and stay there until released.
If your dog struggles with noise sensitivity (barking frequently at outside noises), overexcitement about food or tends to have poor body awareness (thinks they’re a lap dog, when they are decidedly not lap dog size), this cue is for you! It takes some time to create that automatic down and stay, but it is so useful! Especially in the nursery so your dog can be close to you when nursing or new baby is sleeping without being on top of you. When you are introducing solids to your baby, your dog can be in their place nearby with a frozen food toy without being underfoot or stealing food. Often, when baby is doing tummy time your dog might be a bit concerned that the baby is suddenly a creature that moves or they might get over excited about licking baby’s face, when that happens you can have your dog hang out in place while safely giving baby space.
With Me: A cue for your dog to walk at your side.
Loose leash walking is incredibly difficult, I don’t know about y’all but I know I wouldn't walk well on a leash. The most important tip I can give new or expecting parents with dogs is walk with your dog and the stroller without a baby in it to start. Walking with a stroller and a dog is hard enough coordination wise, even without a fragile infant. The idea of this cue is to turn it into a game where you excitedly move around in different directions and reward your dog when they get to your side. This way they are constantly looking for what direction you went and when you stopped, make it fun and change up your pace (even running around)! It might look ridiculous but practice this even inside of your home to start and then slowly increase the level of distraction. Once you feel confident about your dog being able to walk at your side, then add in the stroller and practice in your driveway or calm familiar area.
Touch: A cue for your dog to touch their nose to your hand.
This cue is very useful when built up as a fun game as recall, a polite greeting routine, and loose leash walking! The biggest tip I can give to make this a reliable cue in scenarios where there are a lot of exciting distractions is to practice it regularly and make it fun by making your dog chase you to get that “touch” hand. Anytime your dog chases something whether it is a ball, a cat, or your hand it releases dopamine in their brain!
One last training tip: Every time your dog does something you want them to repeat (like a sit or a touch) tell them “Yes!”. Be consistent with this marker word so that when the behavior is easy for them you can fade out the treats and just use the marker word to tell them “good job, do that more”.
If you are looking for a group for dog adventures try our Training Hikes around LA on the east and west side! And for the dogs who are learning how to be calm and comfortable around dogs, people or loud noises check out our spicy dog’s club; a training community meeting on a weekly basis around the LA area.
Training Hikes:
https://www.meetup.com/feet-and-paws-pack-walk-los-angeles/?eventOrigin=home_groups_you_organize
Spicy Dog’s Club:
https://www.meetup.com/spicy-dogs-club-by-tullys-training/?eventOrigin=home_groups_you_organize
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