First of all, whoever says bringing a baby home for the first time is a walk in the park is full of it. To make things more complicated, throw your beloved 'first born' fur child into the mix. Stressful as it may seem for you to bring this bundle of joy into your world, can you imagine what your furry companion must be thinking?
"What is this small human?"
"Why is it in my territory!?"
"Can we take it back?"
If you invest a bit of time into establishing a good relationship beginning, the resulting mush-fest of baby and puppy loving will be well worth it. So this is what worked for us.
-- Pre-baby Prep Work --
To get Chewbacca (Chewie) ready for the homecoming of little man we spent the weeks prior to his arrival getting her ready for their first introduction. As ridiculous as it may seem, I actually played a recording of a crying baby every once and while (here are loads of hideous noises to make you cringe and build your tolerance). I also trained her not to touch the moses basket (adorable one we used) where he would be sleeping for the first few nights.
-- Nose Works --
So obviously dogs think with their...noses. Come on smut-bags what did you think I was gonna say?! It therefore makes sense that you should send an article of the newborn baby's clothing or blanket home from the hospital with a family member or friend for the furry one to sniff on. DO NOT let them chew on it or destroy it in any form. The goal here is for the dog to become familiar with the baby's scent and respect the new smell as something you consider 'important'.
-- Slow Introductions --
When we brought little man home we left him in the car briefly while I reunited with Chewie and gave her some 1 on 1 attention. Then we brought little man into the house. One person holds the dog on a leash, the other holds the baby. Slowly reduce the space between the two in a calm manner until the dog is close enough to sniff and, if you're comfortable with it, have a little lick of their cute toesies!
-- No Segregation --
We always wanted Chewie to feel like a part of the 'pack'. I figured the worst thing we could do would be to segregate Chewie from little man and the countless chores surrounding him. Chewie was always allowed to join us (supervised) for bath time, changing, ect. She even earned herself the coveted position of 'bath supervisor'; responsible for pre-wash duties and keeping all those rowdy bath toys in line.
-- TLC --
Don't forget that your dog still has needs. Take them for walks and spend undistracted time with them if you can. Exercise helps dogs focus and stay on their best behavior. Also don't forget the dog deserves a little respect too. You wouldn't let your dog bite your child, so why would you let your child hit your dog? It's a great opportunity to teach your child how to respect animals from a young age.
At the end of the day, dogs just want to be part of the pack. Pecking order can be negotiated down the line.
Little man and Chewie ignored each other for a while but now they are buddies. They even play together and entertain each other. They just needed the time and parameters to come to terms with each other.
As for cats, I'm afraid you're on your own. They are in a league all their own. And quite frankly, I'm scared of them.