Question: I am expecting a baby in the spring and I am wondering what type of commands I should I be working on with my dog?  He’s a 5- year-old Golden Retriever, and has never been formally trained.  He’s great around people, but he gets so excited that I’m afraid when the baby comes he might accidentally hurt her. 

A: First of all, congratulations! I’m glad you are thinking about this now instead of waiting until the baby comes and finding yourself stressed out over it.  Think of it this way, the more you and your dog have a mutual understanding of each other, the better your relationship is going to be and the safer your child.

Here are some of the commands that I feel every dog owner should work on especially when children are in the equation. 

You have your basic SIT, STAY, DOWN, and COME when called commands. 

However, your dog needs more than just a mechanical understanding of these words.  You have to build an extended SIT, an extended DOWN and an extended STAY.  So many dogs will perform the task but then break before their owners have released them.

I like to teach my students to keep the command unless they are given a release word or given another command.  I like to use the word FREE as a release word because it implies that the dog is free to be a dog and is not under any command.  This way, the word has true meaning.  Sit means sit until I tell you.  It doesn’t mean sit until you get bored and feel like getting up. By teaching a dog to hold these positions, you are teaching the dog to look to you for direction instead of acting on their own impulses.  

You should also incorporate the LEAVE IT command in to his vocabulary.  This means don't even think about putting that object in your mouth  (i.e.…the cookie that is being waved around by your child, or the stuffed animal that is making strange noises  or anything else that you deem off limits.) On the other hand, you will have to teach DROP for those objects that do make it in to your dog’s mouth.  This will allow him to release quickly without putting up a fight.  Some dogs can become very possessive of objects once they have them in their mouth, while others will think it’s a game and make you chase them.  So this is a MUST.   

If you are like many pet owners and have allowed your dog to get up on to your furniture without permission, I would start incorporating the UP and OFF commands in to his vocabulary so he doesn’t take it upon himself to jump up when the baby is lying on the bed, couch or chair.  If he does jump up out of habit, it’s good to be able to get him off without a screaming match.  As a nice alternative to your bed, try to teach him to go to his own place bed. (See previous column for teaching the PLACE command).  

I always recommend teaching a WAIT command which is very different from a STAY command.  This will allow you to have control of your dog when he is up ahead of you like on a stairwell.  When your child starts to crawl, this will be invaluable. On the other hand, you should teach him to GO which will allow him to continue moving on either away from the baby or away from you.    

More important than verbal commands, you will want to teach your dog to YIELD to you and your child.  Yielding will allow him to move out of your way while you find yourself entering the house with a car seat in one hand and a 10 lb. diaper bag in the other.  It’s nice to be greeted with such loving affection by our dogs, but when kids enter the picture and you find yourself trying to just get inside without dropping your keys, your bag and your baby, the last thing you want is a dog that demands to be in your space.   

The amount of attention your dog gets will definitely change when baby arrives.  You will be trying to figure out how to adjust to the world as a new mom, which I can say from experience is quite exhausting.  Emotions will be high and your dog will pick up on all of this.  If you work with your dog now, he’ll be the best friend you need to get you through even your toughest days ahead. 

Editor's Note: You can send your questions to jenn@bigcitydogs.net