While we were in the hospital, my parents kept our dogs for a few days…and last night, they brought them back home. Obviously I was more than a little nervous about how Lucy and Virgil would react to the new addition – yeah, they’re sweet and miniature, but they’re still dogs, and dogs can be unpredictable. As it turns out, though, there wasn’t a whole lot to worry about.
This was the level of excitement in our apartment approximately ten seconds after Lucy and Virgil met Indy:
So…
you might say they’re over it.
I did a ton of research online before attempting the introduction, but a lot of the advice seemed to conflict (some articles said to keep the dogs on-leash; others said that this would make them feel threatened; stuff like that), and what it seemed to come down to is that there are a few things that you can do to help the dogs acclimate…but ultimately, you know your pets better than anyone and should tailor your approach accordingly.
What we did:
– Sent the baby’s hospital clothing home with my parents so that the dogs could sniff it (they ignored it completely)
– Created a calm environment for the dogs to come home to, with just Kendrick and me in the living room, and Indy in his bassinet in the nursery
– Gave the dogs lots of love when they came home, and waited for them to calm down a bit before starting the introduction
– Allowed them into the room with the baby one at a time, and let them discover him on their own (Lucy ran straight to me and snuggled my leg; Virgil literally ran through the room in search of toys and tossed the baby a cursory glance and sniff as he went by)
– Plied them with tons of treats throughout the process
And…it was fine. The dogs look a little bummed out today, but I guess that’s to be expected, and we’re giving them lots of extra love to compensate.
Success!
Or, rather: whew. That’s done.
