Puppy Baby Prep

Kevin, our dog trainer and good friend, came over this week to start some new training exercises with Kella in preparation for our little one's arrival. One of the exercises we've incorporated into our daily routine is playing baby noise recordings. The first time I played the "newborn baby cry" Kella immediately woke from her deep sleep and ran over to me in the kitchen. She frantically searched the area trying to determine the source of such a loud and uneasy sound. I kept calm and said, "It's okay... Good girl". Within seconds she came over to my feet and remained there even after the recording was finished. The next day when I played the recording Kella came over to me, this time not so frantically, and again laid next to my feet. No barking, no growling, or any other signs of aggression or stress. I know it will be different when there is an actual baby in the room crying much louder and for much longer than the six minute recording, but what a relief it was to see Kella's reaction to the sounds of distress. It was also so fascinating and reminded me just how in tune dogs are to human emotions- because I was calm, Kella was calm. 

Kevin brought us great comfort when he agreed to not only take Kella once our girl is officially on her way, but to keep her for as long as we need. He also committed to taking Kella whenever we just simply need breaks from keeping up with a puppy while tending to a newborn.

 Our little girl will obviously ALWAYS come first, but we do love our pup and want to insure that the relationship between the two of them is off to the best possible start. Through our own mental preparation and physically working with Kella now, we're confident she will adjust quickly to having a new family member around. And I'd like to think that this new little friendship is already in the works.