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Animals are a gift from God, in my opinion. They can make us smile or laugh even when we are feeling at our worst. If you have an animal who is use to being in the middle of attention when you first arrive at home, or lounging around watching television, reading or just relaxing, make sure you take this under consideration if you're going to be bringing home a new addition to the family.

Animals can get a little confused if the amount of attention suddenly changes, without warning. This can cause them to go into a depression, which can cause serious life-altering symptoms, such as: not eating, anxiety, excessive gnawing, aggressiveness, etc '

If you're expecting a baby start cutting down the amount of attention you're giving your animal now and work down to the amount of attention you think you'll be able to give them when your baby arrives. Make sure to still give them adequate attention and not to take away the amount too quickly. Also, it's important to let them smell items you are bringing into the home, such as the baby clothing and furniture. Let them walk around the baby's room, where the smell will not be foreign to them. It's also a good idea to bring home an article of clothing the baby has came into contact with after s/he is born, before bringing him/her home from the hospital.

Most animals will feel a certain amount of jealousy. The way the owner responds to this kind of behavior will determine how far the animal takes this emotion. Let the animal smell the baby when you bring him/her into the home. If you think your animal will react violently to this new addition, then you may sadly have to think about finding your animal a new loving home.

All animals know is how we treat them. They get use to receiving attention, just as a human does. This is our fault, as owners. We are the ones who made them this way, so we are the ones who need to get them use to sharing the attention with another. They can turn out to be your child's best friend and protector, as your child grows. You must set limitations with them, just as you would a sibling. This may sound funny to a few people reading this ' but many times an animal gets away with doing things we wouldn't let a child do. Animals need discipline as well. This does not mean hitting on them, or yelling at them. Usually a very stern voice with a quick touch on the dog will work. For example, if your dog keeps barking at everyone who walks into the door (especially people who they know), you can stand in-between the dog and the person and sternly say, 'NO' while touching them quickly on their neck. This startles them into listening, as well as the act of standing in front of them, teaches your animal that you are the boss ' the leader.

Letting your animal know you are the leader and giving them discipline, will actually make your animal a happier, more secure pet. They need boundaries and they need to know you are the leader (just as they would have a leader in a pack). This will also make bringing a new addition into the home a more pleasant experience and add to making you all one complete, happy family.