If you introduce a baby into your family, your dog may feel as if they are getting less attention now that the infant has been born. They may even feel completely ignored by you, or show jealousy when meeting a new partner. Dogs don’t tend to share affection well, so they could act out in turn. We’ve got advice if you’ve noticed signs that your dog is jealous of your baby.
Before scrolling down this article “Signs That Your Dog Is Jealous of Your Baby,” check out: 6 Common Signs Your Dog Needs to Be Neutered! (2023) and Signs That Your Dog With Diabetes is Dying – Vet Advice! (2023).
How Can I Tell If My Dog Is Jealous of My Baby?
Dogs are often jealous of new babies because they think they are taking their attention away. If you are worried that your dog may be showing jealousy, watch for some of these telltale signs.
Acts Pushy
Even though most dogs enjoy the close company of their owners, when a baby is introduced into the home, some dogs will become even more attached to their owners — especially when the baby is involved. If you are holding a baby, your dog may put its head on top of your feet and whine. It may also try to get between you and the baby whenever it has the chance.
Appetite Changes
In their daily life, dogs have control over eating. It is common for your pet to stop eating or overeating if they feel jealous about their environment. Jealous animals may experience anxiety and be unable to eat or may compulsively consume food if given a chance.
Depression
Your pet may experience depression or anxiety as a result of jealousy when there is a baby in the house. You may notice behavioral changes in your dog if you stop paying attention to it. Depressed dogs may find it difficult to play with toys or go for walks as they did before.
Aggression
Dogs often act aggressively toward babies when stressed or jealous. They may growl, bark, and display teeth to the baby or their crib as a result of this behavior. There is also a possibility that your dog will take an aggressive stance with the baby, almost as if it wants to pick a fight. The dog is trying to establish dominance over the baby by treating it as another dog.
Avoidance
There will be some dogs that react contrarily, becoming insecure and wanting to isolate themselves from this strange new creature. In addition, if your dog leaves the room whenever the baby is present, this could indicate that it is jealous, but is not communicating it as well as it could. A good-natured dog may be able to sense the importance of the newborn.
Potting Training Accidents
Another sign of jealousy is house-training accidents. It is well known that this can happen even with highly trained and well-behaved adult dogs. A dog’s bladder and bowels are elements it can control, making this behavior a way of communicating its displeasure with a new baby.
Behavioral Changes
Animals may misbehave in an attempt to gain our attention. A dog cannot tell the difference between good and bad attention, so they will do anything to get any attention. You might notice chewing, jumping, or engaging in other inappropriate behaviors.
Whenever your dog uses negative behaviors to gain your attention, you shouldn’t make a big deal about correcting them. Positive reinforcement should be used instead of giving them excessive attention to adjust their behavior. When they listen and behave, reward them with a treat or praise to let them know they have done well.
Overgrooming
For some jealous dogs, grooming themselves is an automatic reaction. This may be indicative of low self-worth or feeling unwanted when there is a baby around. Furthermore, licking occurs when a dog is stressed and unable to communicate this to its owner.
Dogs that lick excessively can develop other health problems, so it’s important to stop this behavior before it gets worse.
Offer treats or attention to your pet if they begin to lick while the baby is present so they will stop. Eventually, your pet will realize the baby is not a threat and will stop being afraid of it.
Begging for Attention
Dogs can also perform tricks they have been taught. When they know what will generate praise, they will do it rather than seek attention. Depending on what trick your dog likes to do, it may perform them for praise. If your dog feels jealous of the baby, it may “act out” on this basis, since these actions usually draw attention.
How Do I Stop My Dog From Being Jealous of My Baby?
If you are seeing signs of jealousy between your dog, there are some things you can do to stop it.
Assert Your Dominance
Now is the time to reinforce your status in the home if your dog has grown to act more dominant. The result shouldn’t be that you treat your dog badly or try to make it feel bad. However, you must reassert authority and control, just like a mother would with a newborn child.
Be more disciplined and stop letting certain things go. When you first let your dog eat from your plate, stop right away and use a more “dog-friendly” approach: put it in their bowl instead. Reinforcing respect and reassuring the dog that they are not on an equal level with you and other humans in the house will prevent problematic behavior.
Positive reinforcement is the best form of training for dogs. When you punish or reward your dog for bad behavior, you will create a lack of trust, which results in a lack of confidence in your ability to lead the dog. Training in that manner can also increase a dog’s anxiety, leading to more problems in the future.
Make Boundaries Clear
In addition to working on dog obedience training, establish boundaries between dogs and newborns both personally and territorially. The gentle play command, for example, creates verbal cues that establish boundaries. To help your dog understand what they may and may not do around your new baby, you can create a number of commands.
Offer Distractions
A new addition to the family is likely to cause your dog to fall by the wayside a bit. Simply put, you don’t have enough time to walk, play with, and spend quality time with your dog. To combat boredom, puzzle toys, whether commercial or homemade, can be an excellent option. Make sure you have a few boredom-busting ideas on hand to help you take care of your dog with a baby along.
Expose Your Dog to Children Early
Go for walks with your pooch near places where there are likely to be small children. Reward with tasty treats for being calm and relaxed or ignoring the children.
Slowly get closer. When you’re out in public, remind people not to startle, grab, or grab your dog. Make use of your friends’ children to stage and control some practice runs. Your child should be taught how to give the dog treats and safely approach them.
Make Sure Your Dog Feels Safe
Make your dog’s safe haven well in advance of your baby’s arrival, whether in a crate, on the floor, or in a corner at home. When your baby becomes mobile, you can teach them to leave your dog alone.
After the space is set up, reward the dog for visiting the baby. Additionally, you can feed your dog meals there or practice sending them there. This is its place of solitude — a safe space away from everything.
Make Time for Your Dog
Is your dog acting up? It might be because you aren’t giving them enough attention. Your dog used to be the “baby” of the house, but now they’re sharing it with a new baby brother or sister.
Include him as much as possible when you’re around the baby and make him feel like he’s a member of the family. Walking with the stroller daily is an easy way to get out of the house and get exercise for both of you.
Consider Hiring A Trainer
Bring in the big guns if you think you need extra help. Hire a professional dog trainer to make the transition as smooth as possible. If your baby is not safe, be prepared to find your dog a new home so that both your baby and dog can be safe and happy in their surroundings.
Do Dogs Get Jealous When You Have a Baby?
It is common for dogs to get jealous of babies, especially if they believe the baby is getting more attention. It is possible to help your dog get used to a baby by allowing it to sniff the baby slowly.
If you don’t trust your dog around the baby yet, let the dog sniff the baby’s clothes or blankets as a first step. It won’t fix everything, but it’s good to start.
When you have a baby or child around, you should not leave your dog unattended. If your dog’s lead is attached to a flat collar, you can easily control it, so that everyone can feel comfortable interacting with it.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s believed that dogs can tell some differences between an adult and a baby, however, it’s unclear if dogs fully comprehend what a baby is in our terms.
There are a few reasons why a dog might like a baby’s face, but common explanations are playing, showing affection, and asserting dominance.
Whenever the baby is around and your dog is behaving well, give your dog as much positive encouragement as you can. That could mean treats if they’re food-motivated, praise, or playtime.
Conclusion for “Signs That Your Dog is Jealous of Your Baby”
Sometimes, it can be difficult to tell if your dog is jealous or just overprotective. It’s common for a dog to feel protective of its owners and to defend against the new baby.
It can take a dog time to accept a baby into the home, and once it does, you may notice jealous or overprotective signs. If you are trying to determine whether your dog is jealous or protective, consider its behavior.
Does it seem to be aggressive towards the baby or does it like to be around it? When the baby is nearby, does your dog act more protective towards you or the baby? It may take some time and you may need to closely monitor your dog in order to determine what type of behavior the dog is exhibiting and who is directing it.
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If you’re worried, you can learn more about this theme by watching “My New Dog Is Jealous Of New Baby? | Ask Bondi Vet” down below:
Garrett loves animals and is a huge advocate for all Doodle dog breeds. He owns his own Goldendoodle named Kona. In addition, he volunteers at the Humane Society of Silicon Valley, where he fosters dogs and helps animals. Garrett enjoys writing about Doodles and believes that dogs can teach humans more about how to live than humans can teach a dog.
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