April is Animal Cruelty Prevention Month

If you’re reading this article you’re most likely a great lover of animals, 

and you hate the thought of cruelty toward them. For some of us, cruelty to innocent animals can be even more upsetting than violence against people. 

But even without rising to the level of outright cruelty, certain ways of treating our pets can still cause them to feel unhappy, lonely, frightened and without help when they need it. While people may not mean any harm when treating their pets in the ways described below, the results can still be hurtful, sometimes extremely so, to our sensitive pets. 

Here are three examples.

LEFT ALONE IN THE BACK YARD

Being left outside in the yard 24 hours a day. These poor dogs, isolated and alone, are often described as “outside dogs”, as if they were a special, different kind of animal. Sometimes a large dog will be left in the yard day and night, even in extremes of hot and cold weather, while a smaller dog lives in the house.

Sadly, sometimes new parents feel overwhelmed and don’t know how to handle the dog around their new baby, and move the dog to the back yard, where he may end up staying for weeks and months. Being left alone is a sad state for a dog, and in addition to being isolated from the family, the dog has no way to learn about the baby and develop a warm, loving relationship with her. If you’re finding it difficult to manage your dog around your baby, there are many suggestions in other blog articles, as well as Ebooks that will give you lots of help (check them out on the home page of this website).

Dogs are social animals who live in packs in nature, where they interact with each other, cooperate in raising their young, hunt together, play, and maintain strong bonds with each other. When domestic dogs are deprived of social contact by being left alone in a manner similar to solitary confinement for human prisoners, they can become chronically lonely and increasingly depressed. 

As a dog trainer, I hear about these sad dogs when people call me asking for help because their dogs are digging up plants, chewing yard furniture, licking themselves raw, and barking loudly for hours at a time, in a desperate effort to sooth themselves. Sometimes the call to a trainer is made only when the neighbors complain about the noise.

For these isolated dogs, a brief visit once or twice a day from their human family does little to alleviate their isolation, boredom and sadness; dogs have a strong need to be part of a family, joining in the interaction that is a normal part of family life. 

If you have a baby and a dog, please don’t give up on including your dog as a member of your family. If you need help integrating your dog and baby, let me know at jane@yourdogandbaby.com. I can help!

DOG TRAINING USING ROUGH METHODS

Training with harsh, outdated methods that rely on corrections, equipment such as prong collars, electric collars, spray bottles, throwing things at the dog, yelling at him or jerking the leash when the dog makes a mistake, or any other treatment that causes fear and/or pain.

Harsh training of this sort used to be the norm, and dogs who were trained in a way that punished them for unwanted behaviors were likely to be nervous and untrusting of the people who trained them. That lack of trust often extended to other people as well, and their nervousness could carry over to a new baby. 

Fortunately, since the time when dog training was done harshly, science has demonstrated that dogs learn much more effectively when treated with kindness and rewards; dogs trained with positive, rewarding methods are happier, more trusting and less likely to react defensively to people.

This information is great news for you if you have a dog and baby! The more relaxed your dog is around you, around other people, and the world in general, the more likely it is that he’ll be calm and trusting around your baby. Of course, there’s always a “getting to know you” process for dogs around a new baby, but that process is likely to go much more smoothly if your dog knows that he can trust you to treat him well.

This leads to a third situation that can cause stress dogs:

LETTING DOG “FIGURE IT OUT” ON HIS OWN

Letting the dog cope with problems by himself, rather than helping him when he’s nervous or frightened.

It’s well established that children are happier and more confident when they can trust their parents to help them handle difficult situations. But did you know that dogs react in a similar way?

It’s common for people to believe that when dogs are nervous about something, if nothing bad happens to them, they’ll learn not to be afraid, and their fear will magically disappear.  

But that’s not the way dog think or react. It’s normal for animals in the wild to be suspicious of anything unfamiliar; that new thing might be dangerous, so best to avoid it. This reaction is genetically programmed in all animals, including people.

If people ignore their dogs’ fears, the dog learns that he’s on his own when he feels frightened and without help, and he may resort to defensive, self-protective behavior.

On the other hand, helping your dog when he’s nervous or afraid will cause him to feel less frightened and more confident; it will also show him that his family will be there for him when he needs help.

Guiding and helping your dog with nervousness or fear around babies is especially important; the baby is there to stay, and your family will be happier and safer if your dog is able to make a calm, safe adjustment to the baby. So how do you help your dog feel comfortable around your baby so he can develop a warm, friendly relationship with her?

First, be aware of your dog’s feelings. Check out the article: Dog Nervous Around Your Baby? This article will show you what to look for, and give you lots of suggestions for helping your dog feel less nervous.

Second, create a safe space for your dog. This should be a nice, cozy place where your dog can relax, away from the baby, and enjoy a good time with a chew toy, an interactive food toy, or just a quiet snooze.

Third, it helps to keep baby and dog contact brief, just a few minutes at a time, especially if your dog seems nervous. Be ready to move your dog away when needed, perhaps to that safe space you’ve made for him.

Fourth, don’t use food to coax your dog toward your baby. If the dog isn’t approaching the baby on his own, he may not be ready to be close to her and may need space. Offering him food as a bribe to come closer can backfire, increasing the dog’s nervousness and making it harder for him to get to know the baby.  

These suggestions will show your dog that he’ll be treated with kind understanding and will contribute to his comfort with a baby in the house. Your dog will be more relaxed, knowing he can rely on you for support, and that will make it so much easier for him to be calm and safe around your precious baby!

If you want to know more about your dog so you can help him develop his best response to your baby, get one (or more) of the free Checklists offered by Your Dog and Baby, at www.yourdogandbaby.com.