New Baby And Dog - Tragic Disaster?

There are things that health professionals and many many websites advocate which are totally incorrect.

Firstly, some people say have a doll in the house, and treat it like a baby - your dog will get used to sharing your attention.

No. Dogs operate primarily on their sense of smell, this means they will easily smell that the doll is not a human. They may also smell that the doll is plastic, as are the dogs toys. So the dog may try and take the doll - this could frighten the parents and make them think the dog will do the same to the baby, which is not necessarily the case.

Secondly people say give a blanket that smells of the baby to the dog. This will not acclimatize the dog to the baby, acclimatization takes a long time. The dog needs to respect the baby as one of the leaders of the pack. Because the baby is human he is higher than the dog and should be treated as such. This is vital for new baby and dog.

Everyone needs to know about how to prepare the dog for the new baby, and that means grandparents, aunties and uncles, really any member of your family that the baby will visit, that owns a dog.

New baby and dog will get along when the rules are clear and consistant.

Fortunately there is help at hand. Have you heard of John Wade? He is an eminent ethologist (he studies animal behaviour) and he has written a book named How To Prepare Your Dog For Your Baby.

John Wade has been working in the field for many years, and has great professional recommendations:

* He has worked with the Courts, Children's Aid, Humane Societies, Municipal Animal Controls, Canada Post, Ontario Veterinary College and many more.

*He assisted in the development of Canada Post's National Employee Safety Around Dogs Program, including the DVD now used to Train Postal Workers Across Canada.

*He has had countless veterinarians, their technicians, veterinarian students, dog trainers, and dog groomers attend his seminars ranging on topics from puppy socialization strategies, to creating extraordinary adult dogs, to assessing and treating aggressive dogs.

*He has taught many veterinary students his behavior assessment techniques during their graduate year.

* He is a Nationally Syndicated Newspaper Columnist - "Pet Talk with John Wade"

*His articles have been featured in Dogs in Canada, The Mom and Caregiver, The Parent Guide, Real Woman, and Animal's Voice.

*He hosted the Radio Show "Pet Talk Live" and was a regular guest on "Ask the Experts"

*He has been interviewed by newspaper, television and radio media on local and national levels countless times

*He has over twenty years experience assessing literally thousands of dogs with huge ranges in behavior, from unruly family dogs, to the highly anxious, to the dangerously aggressive.

You will agree, that looks very impressive! But what have his clients said about him?