This wasn’t an idea I came up with by myself, a nurse at the hospital recommended this. She told us to take my son’s hat that he was wearing along with his swaddle blanket home and place them on the floor so Rugar could get used to the smell. I had my FML take them to the house and allow Rugar to sniff them. She placed the items on the floor where my dog usually lounged, and he didn’t really seem too interested in either.
2. Energy Release
Being away from my dog for 4 days was a long time, and I knew as soon as I walked through the door, he would go crazy. So, I left the baby outside with my SO before bringing them up. Of course, without a doubt my big fluff ball was jumping all over me and running up and down the halls. This was the longest we’ve been apart. Then I went outside and allowed my SO to go up while I watched the baby. After we both went up, we let him outside to run for a few minutes to let all the piss and vinegar out. This was probably the most important thing because if we took the baby in right away, I could only imagine what could have happened.
3. Don’t Make a Big Deal Out of it.
There is no need to force interaction between your newborn and dog, they have plenty of time to bond. When Rugar wasn’t looking and was calm I placed my son on the floor in his car seat. To my surprise Rugar gave him a few sniffs and walked away. Rugar showed no interest at all and my son didn’t seem to be bothered by him sniffing.
4. Let Your Dog Be Curious
Rugar didn’t really show too much interest in my son at first, he was kind of just thrown off by the fact that there was something new. Rugar would go around and sniff the crib and clothing. Most of my family were hesitant about me letting my dog so close to my son but I knew nothing was ever going to happen because I was right there. When I would put my son down for tummy time Rugar would go and sniff his feet and then go on his marry way. When your dog is ready to interact, they will.
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