Preparing your dog for a new baby
The guide lands in January. Leave your email and I'll tell you the day it's ready.
You've probably already noticed something.
She's following you more than she used to. She's lying somewhere different. She's watching the room in a way she didn't a few months ago.
Or the baby's here already, everyone says she's been so good, and something about her has gone quiet in a way that doesn't sit right with you.
Nobody prepares you for the dog part. You get a hundred lists for the hospital bag and nothing at all for the animal who's been your first one for six years.
Three parts, in the order you'll actually need them.
Before.
The months out, the weeks out, the last fortnight. The bassinet, the pram, the sounds, and the question almost nobody asks — has your dog ever actually met a child?
The first weeks.
When it's happening and nobody's slept. Why she's clingier rather than more distant, what "fine" really looks like, and the ten minutes a day that matter more than the hour you can't find.
When it's already gone wrong.
The part nobody else writes. For the ones reading this four months in, exhausted, watching their dog change and quietly wondering whether they've ruined something.
I'm Ciara.
I work with dogs who are anxious, grieving, or living in a house that changed without anyone explaining it to them. I'm in Perth and I work over Zoom, so I've done this for families all over the world.
Advanced Certificate in Animal Science and Behaviour (FETAC Level 6, Ireland). Intuitive Reiki Master and certified animal communicator. Fifteen years around dogs before any of it — rescues, vet practices and daycares.
This is me and my bestie Archie. Even with all my qualifications and experience with Dogs and knowing Arch inside out I still felt the shame and guilt when we took our second son Riley home from the hospital. And for the months that followed among all the love and gratitude there were still moments of guilt that his life had changed so much.
Our first son Rian passed away just 14 months prior in Oct 2023, he was sadly stillborn at 40 weeks so it was an extra anxious time for us all. Archie had been carrying a lot of that stress and grief too along with the introduction of a new human into his world. We prepped him quite well but even still the guilt followed.
Riley is almost 2 now and I feel like I could write a book on what works, what to do/ not do too. So I did, well kind of, I decided to go with a step by step guide on whatever stage you are, whether its pregnancy, new born stages or even toddler times.
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What this guide isn't.
I'm not a dog trainer and this isn't a training programme. There's no obedience in it and no protocols to drill.
It's about what your dog is actually experiencing while your house changes around her, and what you can set up so it doesn't land on her all at once.
And if anything about her changes suddenly or physically, that's a vet first. If you are Perth based I can recommend some amazing holistically minded, experienced vets.