A dog responds to his humans' verbal cues and body language with an infant. Thus, when owners display a calm, protective demeanor, the dog can learn to be sensitive and cautious.
Most dogs are very gentle and good with children—even babies. Not all dogs can be trusted near children, however, and that's why you should always take precautions when bringing your dog near babies.
Dogs can easily tell that babies are babies. Not only their size they can sense that these babies need more care and attention. Many dogs will become very protective over new babies and claim them as their own.
Dr. Hohenhaus believes it is imperative for newborn puppies to be around people from the very beginning. “A canine mother is very protective on day one, but after a couple of days, the mamma will let other people near her babies,” she explains.
Dogs will make friends with a kitten because they are social animals and would rather have company than be alone. Once they have established that bond, the dog will take care of the kitten as part of its pack. Taking care of other species' young is not exclusive to dogs and cats.
If your dog has a strong prey drive (the inclination to seek out, chase and potentially capture animals seen as prey — usually smaller animals such as cats or rabbits), she might become very focused on the cat. She'll stiffen, stare, and may start barking or whining. If you see these signs, do not let her near the cat.
The majority of cats can happily coexist with a dog if they are given time to comfortably get to know each other. If a puppy and kitten are raised together, they generally will learn right away to tolerate each other, and some cats and dogs grow to be real friends, even playing and napping together.
Canines are smitten with babies and can form strong connections because of the amount of time spent together. Both a baby and a dog, especially a young pup, have a common desire for a playmate and someone who will give them attention.
Generally, dogs will want to sniff the baby and may nudge the baby with their nose or even lick the baby. For the most part, unless the baby was born with a particularly weak immune system or other health concern, these actions are perfectly fine and are a normal investigation process for your dog.
Fortunately, most dogs look upon a baby with curiosity and show no signs of aggression. However, some dogs perceive an infant as a strange mammal and a potential item of prey. Dogs that have never seen a baby probably do not view them as young human beings or even as small people.
A dog's mouth carries a lot of germs, which can easily be passed to people. This is especially problematic for babies and immune suppressed adults. Both are at an increased risk of contracting infections and parasites from dogs. So, even though it may look cute, a dog licking a baby's face should not be allowed.
Don't assume that what looks like jealousy, is truly jealousy. Many dogs are not comfortable around babies and may be scared of them. If your dog seems scared, don't force her to interact with the baby.
It is their way of showing how comfortable they feel around you and how much trust goes into your relationship. It could also be that the momma is extremely proud of her puppies and she simply wants to show them off.
Professor Ruffman states that this indicates the presence of empathy, meaning that the dogs subconsciously felt upset in response to the baby's distress. Canine behavior experts have also stated that dogs pick up on the energy around them and that the energy of a crying baby causes the dog to feel upset.
Settling into Life with Baby
Your time is without a doubt now divided between your fur-baby and its new “sibling.” Some dogs will naturally adapt to this change, but some may become destructive as a way to get attention, while others may become overly protective of their new human.
Try to give your dog lots of attention when the baby is present. Teach her that when he's around, she gets treats, petting, playing—and anything else she likes. When you feed the baby, you can feed your dog, too. When you walk your dog, do your best to take the baby along.
Dogs have great relationships with children and are often protective of them, so it comes as no surprise that they are just as protective of babies, if not more. This is definitely a behavioral trait that needs to be looked at a bit more closely.
There are many viral videos of dogs “ tucking a newborn in.” Based on the comments, most people assume the dog is trying to keep the baby warm or showing love—great big sister, caring big brother type of thing. Unfortunately, those seemingly “sweet” and “cute” behaviors are actually food caching behaviors.
Social bonding between dogs and humans occurs in mostly younger puppies as they are beginning to form relationships through first time interactions. Dogs are more attention driven to dog-related words or content when spoken in “baby talk” than when “baby talk” tone is used with non-dog related words.
Never leave the baby alone with the dog even for a second. Dogs can become agitated by the sounds and movements of a baby. Dogs have been know to try to move a baby by carrying the baby in their mouths the way a mother dog might do with her puppies.
Signs Dogs Can Smell Family Members
Think about when you or another member of the family walk into a room, your dog will look up and wiggle their nose at you. This shows that they recognize who you are and usually even before they've even set their eyes on you.
Put your dog's lead on and make sure that your kitten has places they can climb onto or hide inside if they want to get away. Take your dog into the kitten's room. Focus on your dog, giving them lots of praise and attention when they behave calmly and just let your kitten come and investigate.
If a dog attempts to aggressively chase, pin, pick up or otherwise “manhandle” any cat, it is best to not even consider getting a cat — or at least to proceed with caution. Additionally, a dog who growls, lunges at or obsessively barks at a cat would probably do best in a cat-free environment.
Kittens may not be scared of adult dogs or puppies at first. Nevertheless, kittens are small and fragile and can be easily hurt, especially if an adult dog has a strong prey drive.