Carrying and interacting with a lifelike baby doll means your dog can see you holding and talking to a ‘baby’. 

If your dog jumps up, make sure you don’t give them any attention for this but do get ready to reward them for keeping all four paws on the ground. 

You could try dropping treats onto the ground whenever you pick up the doll until your dog starts to automatically put their nose to the floor when they see you pick up the doll. 

Then you can continue to reward them for not jumping up. They’ll learn that keeping their paws on the ground is always a good choice when you’re carrying the baby.

Once your baby arrives, your walks will be very different. You’ll potentially be juggling baby, buggy and your pooch all at once. Things will be easier if your dog already knows how to walk alongside the buggy – so why not practice before your baby arrives?

Put some treats in your buggy bag and use them to reward your dog for being next to you as you walk along. Our walking nicely on the lead page provides further details on how to teach this important skill.

Recall training is useful as you can exercise your dog, knowing you can call them back to you quickly. Always reward your dog for reaching you and practise in the house or garden first until you are confident your dog will come when called. Our recall training page gives lots of useful guidance on how to teach this vital skill.

When everything is so new and you’re concentrating on building a happy family, it’s hard to think about going back to work. However, when you do start making plans to return remember your dog might find this difficult too, as their daily routine will change again.

Help them out by preparing them for their new routine just as you did before your baby arrived, so it won’t be such a shock for them that you’re no longer at home as much.