Growing Families
Laying the foundation for life with dog and baby
Supportive education that facilitates harmony in your home
If adding a new family member to your household is stirring up feelings of excitement, alongside a fair bit of worry about the relationship between your new baby and your canine companion, you’re not alone.
Our live, virtual Growing Families program helps lay the foundation for positive, peaceful relationships between your dog and your new arrival.
Registration is closed for early 2024.
When: Our next cohort, held on Zoom, will be in Fall 2024, Tuesdays Oct 1-Oct 29, 7-8:15pm
Growing Families is a compassionate, interactive group course that empowers you with the knowledge and skills to prepare your dog for your new arrival. We provide strategies for gradual adjustments, such as familiarizing your dog with baby-related changes and managing your dog’s spaces and routines. We celebrate progress, commiserate on shared concerns, and encourage each other every step of the way.
What’s Included:
5 weekly 75-minute group workshops (on Zoom)
Development of case-specific materials and plans
Optional: additional 1:1 private coaching and planning sessions (four 45-minute meetings between group classes)
Investment: $345 ($635 with 1:1 private coaching)
Sliding scale spots are available, as well as one free Tier 2 spot for a BIPOC participant.
What You’ll Learn:
By the end of our 5-week Growing Families program, you will:
Understand the changes your dog might experience when a baby arrives and how these changes might affect their behavior
Learn to recognize your dog’s signs of stress and know when and how to intervene
Separate what you think you should do from what’s right for your unique family
Prepare your dog for new routines and situations
Establish and reinforce appropriate boundaries between dog and baby
Develop a personalized plan to bring your baby home, taking your dog’s needs into consideration
Leave with a sense of confidence and comfort in the well-being of all family members
“Taking this course was SO stress-relieving. It was the last piece of the puzzle I didn’t know I needed before the baby came. Pregnancy was more draining than I expected, so I ended up too tired to do all the prep work I thought I should. Ran was great about meeting me where I was.”
—Laura with Dan & Doug
You are not alone.
The stress of parenthood can be intense, and establishing a peaceful relationship between your canine companion and your new baby can be a slow process. Our inclusive, supportive group environment is designed around the truth that change takes time. We never push, rush, or judge.
This course is right for you if:
Growing Families is perfect for all expectant families: birthing parents, non-birthing parents, adoptive parents, kinship families, foster parents, and anyone else preparing to welcome a new little one. We welcome individuals, couples, or larger family groups.
Meet Your Behavior Analyst
This course is taught by Ran Courant-Morgan, a multi-certified dog trainer and Family Paws Parent Educator. Ran has also completed an intensive 3-day doula birth workshop through DONA.