Babies Best Friend

Meet Jude.

Our sweet pound puppy and our only "baby" for a long time. He's not perfect. Note the pink spot on his nose due to his incessant digging in the yard. (He's slightly anxious...especially when left alone.)

Jude, meet two BABIES.

When we brought the girls home from the hospital, he barely moved an inch.  For two weeks he was so quiet and cautious and reverent. It was as if he knew how much things were changing. It was amazing how still he could be. Then one day, he must have realized these babies weren't going anywhere and he just went back to his normal (rowdy) self.

So far our biggest behavior issue is the constant licking...

However, now that the babies are crawling and standing, I've noticed that Jude has gotten antsy and jumpy. He's acted on edge a few times.

So when I came across these resources from the news recently, I was intrigued and I wanted to pass these along to other parents of sweet babies and cute doggies.

Please check out these short and helpful videos at 9 news, where the crew interviews a dog trainer after one of their newscasters was attacked on set. This video about Dogs and Children was great in helping me understand that dogs interpret babies as unpredictable and dangerous. The trainer gives tips for how to set dogs at ease and how to teach children about approaching dogs. She explains that most dogs bite out of fear, not dominance. She notes the importance of treating a dog like a dog and not like a member of the family.

In other words, Jude is very likely feeling scared of the girls and I can remind him that it's okay and that the babies are not going to hurt him. Since I've started reassuring him, he seems less anxious around them and wags his tail instead of running away.

Of course, I don't think he loves the fact that they've decided his bed is the most amazing trampoline EVER.

So, watch the videos about "What the Dog is Saying" and in the mean time follow this general rule of thumb: