And Baby Makes Four.

And Baby Makes Four

Penny-Scott Fox, CPDT, author

Ingrid Kallick, illustrator

T.F.H. Publications

1 TFH Plaza, 3rd & Union Avenue, Neptune City, NJ 07753

0793805678, $9.95 www.tfh.com 1-800-631-2188

Written by dog behavior specialist Penny-Scott Fox, And Baby Makes Four: A Trimester-by-Trimester Guide to a Baby-Friendly Dog is a practical, easy-to-use guide to dog training written especially for expectant parents. The first trimester covers a health check and status reduction program; after ensuring that one's dog is healthy, one must acclimate the dog to accepting a lower rank in the family and not getting its own way--not sleeping in the human bedroom, not feeding the dog before anyone else in the house, teaching him to respond to commands always, and not just when he feels like it, etc. The second trimester involves professional training if needed, teaching the dog not to destroy or bury baby toys, desensitizing the dog to baby sounds, and modifying problem behavior, particularly aggression, jumping up, or fear of strangers. The third trimester involves acclimating the dog to baby smells, leash training, and jumbling the dog's routine so that it doesn't expect or demand to be fed/walked/etc. on a precisely specific schedule (a schedule that the coming of a new baby will be likely to sporadically mix up). Written in plain terms, with professional techniques spelled out in easy-to-follow steps, And Baby Makes Four is a "must-have" for any dog owners who plan on becoming parents.