How To Prepare Your Dog for a New Baby

Luckily, man’s best friend is also man’s most adaptable friend. The vast majority of dogs will do great with kids — just remember to start training as soon as possible so that your pooch has plenty of time to prepare.

BEFORE THE BABY ARRIVES:

* Let your dog observe kids. When your dog meets your newborn, it shouldn’t be the first time he or she is introduced to a child. Take your dog to a playground to experience children running, playing, and yelling, or keeping the television tuned to a kids’ station so your pet can get used to the sounds. If the dog seems stressed around children, seek professional help before the newborn arrives.
* Practice grabbing your dog gently. Your baby will most likely tug on your dog’s tail, so it’s essential to teach your dog to be patient when this happens. Practice gently grabbing your dog in different places and tell him how good he is each time.
* Give your dog a baby blanket to smell. Since your baby’s blanket will be a new object in the home, it’s important that your dog is comfortable with it before the baby makes an appearance. Buy the blanket in advance and get your scent on it. Your dog will sniff it and realize that it smells like one of the family.
* Teach your dog the difference between baby toys and dog toys. Baby toys will be popular items around the house, and they tend to look very similar to dog toys. Teach your dog that baby toys are off limits early on. Wilson recommends putting vanilla extract on the toys and saying “leave it” while touching them.
* Change your praise word. Refrain from calling your dog “boy” or “girl” to avoid confusion and jealousy when there’s a newborn around. If your dog comes up to you when you say ‘boy’ and realizes you were talking about the baby, he’ll become very upset.
* Teach your dog to leap only when invited. An uninvited jump on the couch or bed will cause trouble when you’re holding a newborn. If a dog is accustomed to uninvited leaps, gently lead them off by the collar. Wilson recommends pausing, telling them to sit on the floor, and then patting the couch.
* Train dogs to eat above face level. Babies and dogs will be at the same head level, so pups need to learn to eat above that level in order to avoid snatching the baby’s food. Wilson recommends holding a treat near the dog’s face, pausing, giving your dog a clear, verbal “okay,” and then lifting the treat up and allowing them to grab it.

WHEN THE BABY ARRIVES:

* Don’t force interaction. Many dogs will be curious about the newcomer, but others might ignore the baby. Either way, allow dogs to move away from the child and investigate at their own pace. Animals are fight-or-flight. You definitely don’t want to remove the flight option. In addition, make sure the child doesn’t pursue the pet. Most of the issues between dogs and babies occur when a child interrupts an eating dog or pursues a pup who wants privacy.
* Be happy around your dog and baby. If the dog is ignoring the baby, they probably will still pay attention to you. Wilson recommends acting loving towards your dog when you’re holding the baby. This will help the dog have positive associations with the baby.

War Dogs

Antis a war dog who protected soldiers from bomb drops in Berlin.

Bamse, a Saint Bernard, was a symbol of the Free Norwegian Forces in World War II.
Bamse lifted the morale of the ship’s crew, and became well known to the local civilian population. In battle, he would stand on the front gun tower of the boat, and the crew made him a special metal helmet. His acts of heroism included saving a young lieutenant commander who had been attacked by a man wielding a knife by pushing the assailant into the sea, and dragging back to shore a sailor who had fallen overboard.

Chesty, one of a family of Bulldogs, serving as the official mascot of Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C.

These dogs are actually enlisted in the US Marine Corps, most attaining the rank of Corporal.

Chips the dog was a hero wardog of World War II. He served with the 3rd Infantry Division in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France and Germany. His handler was Pvt. John P. Rowell. Chips served as a sentry dog for the Roosevelt-Churchill conference in 1943. Later that year, during the invasion of Sicily, Chips and his handler were pinned down on the beach by an Italian machine-gun team. Chips broke from his handler and jumped into the pillbox, attacking the gunners. The four crewmen were forced to leave the pillbox and surrendered to US troops. In the fight he sustained a scalp wound and powder burns. Later that day, he helped take 10 Italians prisoner.

Horrie the Wog Dog, found in Egypt by Australian Forces in 1942 during World War II, saved the lives of many Australian soldiers. Horrie was refused admission back to Australia after service in Europe; he was saved by his mates smuggling him to his new home in Australia. He acted as a guard dog, giving early warning of enemy aircraft. He survived the sinking of the troop carrier, the Costa Rica, while being evacuated from Greece. He was also wounded by a bomb splinter in Crete.

Judy, was an English pointer, and was known for pointing out the approach of hostile Japanese aircraft long before any of the human crew could hear them. Later on when the ship was sunk in action, and the crew became Prisoners of War, Judy, as an honorary POW, would do what she could to help out, find food, etc. She was the only animal to have been officially registered as a Japanese prisoner of war. She was adopted by Frank Williams (1919–2006) and smuggled back to England after liberation.

Just Nuisance, the only dog to have been officially enlisted in the Royal Navy, was buried with full military honours upon his death in 1944. He never went to sea, but fulfilled a number of roles ashore. He continued to accompany sailors on train journeys and escorted them back to base when the pubs closed. While many of his functions were of his own choosing, he also appeared at many promotional events, including his own “wedding” to another Great Dane, Adinda. Adinda produce five pups as a result, two of which were auctioned off in Cape Town to raise funds for the War effort.

Lava, a mixed breed dog, was adopted as a puppy by the 1st Battalion 3rd Marines Unit nicknamed the Lava Dogs. He was rescued from Iraq in 2005 by Lieutenant Colonel Jay Kopelman. Lava is the subject of the book From Baghdad, With Love by Kopelman and Melinda Roth.

Lex, the first actively working Military Working Dog to be adopted by family members of its handler, prior to being retired. Wounded in Iraq in March 2007, in an attack that killed his U.S. Marine Corps handler, he was awarded an honorary Purple Heart.

Nigger, a black Labrador Retriever belonging to Guy Gibson, gave his name as the codename for the Dam Busters mission in World War II. His name is usually edited out of modern versions of the film about the mission.

Rags, a Signal Corps mascot during World War I. He learned to run messages between the rear headquarters and the front lines, and provided early warning of incoming shells. Rags achieved great notoriety and celebrity war dog fame when he saved many lives in the Meuse-Argonne Campaign by delivering a vital message despite being bombed, gassed and partially blinded.

Scudbuster the dog was adopted by the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, a unit responsible for firing Patriot missiles to combat the Scud missiles fired by Saddam Hussein against Israel, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. He was found outside Daharan by soldiers of the 11th ADA in January 1991 after a Scud missile attack and after the war Scudbuster was brought to the United States and eventually was adopted by a family in El Paso, Tx. He died at the age of 14 in May 2007 after spending 11 years with the Ramirez family in El Paso, TX.

Sergeant Stubby, the most decorated American war dog in US history, served during World War I. He was also a mascot at Georgetown University. After being gassed himself, Stubby learned to warn his unit of poison gas attacks, located wounded soldiers in no man’s land, and — since he could hear the whine of incoming artillery shells before humans could — became very adept at letting his unit know when to duck for cover. He was even solely responsible for capturing a German spy in the Argonne.

Sinbad, the Coast Guard’s most famous mascot. He was adopted by a crewman from the cutter Campbell prior to World War II. He was so beloved by the crew that they actually enlisted him in the Coast Guard. Sinbad served faithfully through thick and thin, surviving combat with the Germans and Japanese, causing a few international incidents with his antics, and even having a book written about him.

Smoky, hero war dog of World War II, was a Yorkshire Terrier who served with the 5th Air Force in the Pacific after she was adopted by Corporal William Wynne. Smoky was credited with twelve combat missions and awarded eight battle stars. Wynne authored a book about his adventures with Smoky entitled Yorkie Doodle Dandy.

Space Dogs - Orbital Flights

During the 1950s and 1960s the USSR used a number of dogs for sub-orbital and orbital space flights to determine whether human spaceflight was feasible. In the 1950s and 60s, the Soviet Union launched missions with passenger slots for at least 57 dogs. The actual number of dogs in space is smaller, as some dogs flew more than once. Most survived; the few that died were lost mostly through technical failures.

Orbital Flights

Laika (”Barker”), originally named Kudryavka (”Little Curly”), became the first living Earth-born creature (other than microbes) in orbit, aboard Sputnik 2 on November 3, 1957. Some call her the first living passenger to go into space, but others claim sub-orbital flights passed the edge of space first. She was also known as Zhuchka (”Little Bug”) and Limonchik (”Lemon”). The American media dubbed her “Muttnik”. She died between five and seven hours into the flight from stress and overheating.
Her true cause of death was not made public until October 2002; officials previously gave reports that she died when the oxygen supply ran out. The Russian scientist responsible for the project has since expressed regret for allowing Laika to die.

Belka and Strelka
Belka (”Whitey”) and Strelka (”Arrow”) spent a day in space aboard Korabl-Sputnik-2 (Sputnik 5) on August 19, 1960 before safely returning to Earth. They were accompanied by a grey rabbit, 42 mice, 2 rats, flies and a number of plants and fungi. All passengers survived.
They were the first Earth-born creatures to go into orbit and return alive.
Strelka went on to have six puppies with a male dog named Pushok who participated in many ground-based space experiments, but never made it into space. One of the pups was named Pushinka (”Fluffy”) and was presented to President John F. Kennedy’s daughter Caroline by Nikita Khrushchev in 1961. A Cold War romance bloomed between Pushinka and a Kennedy dog named Charlie resulting in the birth of 4 pups that JFK referred to jokingly as pupniks. Two of their pups, Butterfly and Streaker were given away to children in the Midwest. The other two puppies, White Tips and Blackie, stayed at the Kennedy home on Squaw Island but were eventually given away to family friends. Pushinka’s descendants are still living today. A photo of descendants of some of the Space Dogs is on display at the Zvezda Museum outside Moscow. An animated Russian feature film called Star Dogs: Belka and Strelka is currently in production and expected to be released in 2009.

Pchelka and Mushka
Pchelka (”Little Bee”) and Mushka (”Little Fly”) spent a day in orbit on December 1, 1960 on board Korabl-Sputnik-3 (Sputnik 6) with “other animals”, plants and insects. Due to a navigation error, their spacecraft disintegrated during re-entry on December 2 and all died. Mushka was one of the three dogs trained for Sputnik 2 and was used during ground tests. She did not fly on Sputnik 2 because she refused to eat properly.

Chernushka
Chernushka (”Blackie”) made one orbit on board Korabl-Sputnik-4 (Sputnik 9) on March 9, 1961 with a cosmonaut dummy (whom Russian officials nicknamed “Ivan Ivanovich”), mice and a guinea pig. The dummy was ejected out of the capsule during re-entry and made a soft landing using a parachute. Chernushka was recovered unharmed inside the capsule.

Zvezdochka
Zvezdochka (”Little Star”), who was named by Yuri Gagarin, made one orbit on board Sputnik 10 on March 25, 1961 with a wooden cosmonaut dummy in the final practice flight before Gagarin’s historic flight on April 12. Again, the dummy was ejected out of the capsule while Zvezdochka remained inside. Both were recovered successfully.

Veterok and Ugolyok
Veterok (”Little Wind/Breeze”) and Ugolyok (”Little Piece of Coal”) were launched on February 22, 1966 on board Cosmos 110, and spent 22 days in orbit before landing on March 16. This spaceflight of record-breaking duration was not surpassed by humans until Skylab 2 in June 1973 and still stands as the longest space flight by dogs.

Space Dogs - Suborbital Flights

During the 1950s and 1960s the USSR used a number of dogs for sub-orbital and orbital space flights to determine whether human spaceflight was feasible. In the 1950s and 60s, the Soviet Union launched missions with passenger slots for at least 57 dogs. The actual number of dogs in space is smaller, as some dogs flew more than once. Most survived; the few that died were lost mostly through technical failures.

Sub-orbital flights

Dezik, Tsygan and Lisa
Dezik and Tsygan (”Gypsy”) were the first dogs to make a sub-orbital flight on July 22, 1951. Both dogs were recovered unharmed after traveling to a maximum altitude of 100 km. After the flight, Tsygan was adopted as a pet by Soviet physicist Anatoli Blagonravov.[4] Dezik made another sub-orbital flight in September 1951 with a dog named Lisa, although neither survived.

Lisa and Ryzhik
Lisa (”Fox” or “Vixen”) and Ryzhik (”Ginger” (red-haired)) flew to an altitude of 100 km on June 2, 1954.

Smelaya and Malyshka
Smelaya (”Brave” or “Courageous”) was due to make a flight in September but ran away the day before the launch. Russian officials feared she had been eaten by wolves, but she was found the next day and went on to make a successful flight with a dog named Malyshka (”Little One”).

Bolik and ZIB
Bolik ran away just days before her flight in September 1951. A replacement named ZIB (a Russian acronym for “Substitute for Missing Bolik”), who was an untrained street dog found running around the barracks, was quickly located and made a successful flight.

Otvazhnaya and Snezhinka
Otvazhnaya (”Brave One”) made a flight on July 2, 1959 along with a rabbit named Marfusha (”Little Martha”) and another dog named Snezhinka (”Snowflake”). She went on to make 5 other flights between 1959 and 1960.

Albina and Tsyganka
Albina and Tsyganka (”Gypsy girl”) were both ejected out of their capsule at an altitude of 85 km and landed safely. Albina was one of the dogs shortlisted for Sputnik 2, but never flew in orbit.

Damka and Krasavka
Damka (”Little Lady”) and Krasavka (”Little Beauty”) were to make an orbital flight on December 22, 1960, but their mission was marked by a string of equipment failures. The upper stage rocket failed and the craft re-entered the atmosphere after reaching a sub-orbital apogee of 214 km. In the event of unscheduled return to the surface, the craft was to eject the dogs and self-destruct, but the ejection seat failed and the primary destruct mechanism shorted out. The animals were thus still in the intact capsule when it returned to the surface. The backup self-destruct mechanism was set to a 60 hour timer, so a team was quickly sent out to locate and recover the capsule. Although the capsule was reached in deep snow on the first day, there was insufficient remaining daylight to disarm the self-destruct mechanism and open the capsule. The team could only report that the window was frosted over in the -45 degree temperatures and no signs of life were detected. On the second day, however, the dogs were heard barking as the capsule was opened. The dogs were wrapped in sheepskin coats and flown to Moscow. Damka was also known as Shutka (”Joke”) or Zhemchuzhnaya (”Pearly”) and Krasavka was also known as Kometka (”Little Comet”) or Zhulka (”Cheater”).

Bars and Lisichka
Bars (”Panther” or “Lynx”) and Lisichka (”Little Fox”) were also on a mission to orbit but died after their rocket exploded 28.5 seconds into the launch on July 28, 1960. Bars was also known as Chayka (”Gull”).

Other dogs that flew on sub-orbital flights include Dymka (”Smoky”), Modnitsa (”Fashionable”) and Kozyavka (”Little Gnat”).

At least four other dogs flew in September 1951, and two or more were lost.