This photo is one of my favourites from the whole pregnancy. Buddy started parking himself beside my bump on his own, no training, no treats, just something he decided to do. I remember sitting very still so I would not disturb him, half amazed and half already crying about it (pregnancy hormones do not discriminate). I did not plan for that moment, but looking back, it was the start of him adjusting long before Joy ever arrived.

I will be honest, training was not high on my list of things I felt like doing in my third trimester, and if I am honest again, recall is the one thing I wish we had worked on properly before Joy arrived. This is exactly the window the RSPCA points to: before the baby comes is when your dog most reliably learns to sit, stay, lie down and come, because you still have the time, patience and energy to practise it properly. Once your hands are full of a newborn, a nappy bag and whatever else you are juggling, a dog who comes back the first time you call is not a nice-to-have, it is what lets you actually relax on a walk.

Buddy was never a puller, if anything his stubborn streak shows up differently. He will flatly refuse to move when it is time to leave the park, lying down like the walk is simply over when he decides it is over. Better recall would certainly have saved me from a lot of standing around, bribing and waiting him out. Instead I spent a lot of afternoons standing there, coaxing, bribing, occasionally just waiting him out. If you take one thing from this section, let it be that one. We did not get everything right, and this is one I would go back and fix.

These are the four we would prioritise, and no, we did not get full marks on all of them either.

Recognised veterinary and animal-welfare guidance recommends teaching useful behaviours before the baby arrives, while there is still time to practise them gradually. RSPCA Australia specifically identifies sit, stay, lie down and recall as valuable skills when preparing a dog for a newborn. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior recommends using reward-based methods for all dog training and behaviour modification.

Dogs are creatures of habit, more than we sometimes give them credit for. Shifting walk times, attention patterns and sleeping arrangements gradually, a few months out rather than in the last frantic week, means the change lands as a gentle drift instead of a shock on top of everything else that is about to change in his world.

Preparing changes in advance is also supported by recognised animal-welfare guidance. RSPCA Australia recommends introducing changes to routines and sleeping arrangements before the baby arrives, giving the dog enough time to learn and adjust rather than facing every change at once.

Look into dog daycare or a walker now, while you still have the headspace to research it properly, not three weeks postpartum running on no sleep. Give it a few months so it becomes something your dog genuinely looks forward to, not a strange new person showing up the same week his whole household changed. And I want to say this plainly: getting help for your dog is not failing him. It is one of the kindest, most practical things you can do for both of you.

The care arrangement does not need to look the same for every family. Some dogs may be most comfortable staying at home with a familiar person. Others may be happy with a trusted walker, family member, daycare provider or holiday carer they already know. The most useful preparation is to introduce the arrangement before it becomes urgent and confirm a backup option where possible.

Try not to rearrange the whole house in one weekend. Bring in the cot, bouncer, pram, change table and toys one at a time, and let your dog have a proper sniff and investigate each piece before the next one arrives. Buddy treated every new arrival like it needed a full inspection, and honestly, I let him. It seemed to help him feel like part of the process rather than a bystander to it.

Gradual familiarisation can help make new equipment, sounds and movements less surprising. Let your dog investigate at their own pace and pair calm behaviour with rewards. Do not force them towards an object they are worried about.

Buddy has never been a puller. If anything, it is the opposite. As a puppy, he once launched himself at a passing bike in pure over-excitement and got his paw caught in the spokes. I can still hear him yelping. Nothing serious came of it physically, but it left a mark on him all the same, and ever since, he has been a little wary of anything with wheels. A pram rolling along beside him was never going to be the exception. That is a big part of why we put so much deliberate effort into the pram practice below, not to stop him pulling toward it, but to help him feel safe walking calmly next to it.

Start with an empty pram on your usual walking routes. Reward the calm moments. By the time there is a baby in it, the pram should feel more familiar and less surprising to your dog.

Introduce baby sounds at a very low volume while your dog is relaxed. Pair the sounds with something positive and increase the volume gradually only while your dog remains comfortable. If your dog becomes worried, reduce the intensity or stop and seek professional guidance where needed. Reward-based, gradual exposure is consistent with the humane training principles recommended by the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior.

It is not just the sounds either. Get your dog used to seeing you carry something the size and shape of a baby around the house too, a wrapped bundle, a doll, even just a rolled blanket held against your chest. Walk around with it, sit down with it, potter about the kitchen with it. Your dog will pick up on the change in how you move and hold your arms long before he understands why, so let that be familiar before it is actually Joy in your arms.

Pain, illness or discomfort can affect a dog's behaviour and tolerance. Before the baby arrives, arrange a veterinary health check and make sure vaccinations, worming and external parasite prevention are current.

Use the appointment to raise any behavioural concerns too, including fear, guarding, reactivity, irritability or difficulty coping with changes.

RSPCA Australia recommends checking both physical and behavioural health as part of preparing a dog for a newborn. Where there are concerning behaviours, seek help from a veterinarian with expertise in behaviour or a suitably qualified reward-based behaviour professional before the baby arrives.