Start with the routine he will actually live on
The biggest shock for most dogs is not the baby — it is the sudden collapse of their own routine: walks at odd hours, a different person holding the lead, long stretches where nobody has a free hand. Map out what his days will realistically look like after the birth and drift toward that schedule over the preceding months. If a partner or dog walker will take over morning walks, hand those over gradually now. If he will spend feeding times behind a gate or on a mat, build that habit while you still have the time and patience to train it kindly.
Refresh the four skills that matter most
You do not need a polished obedience routine; you need four behaviours that survive sleep deprivation. A settle on a mat that holds for twenty minutes buys you every feed. Loose-lead walking beside a pram — practise with the empty pram in the house, then the street — keeps walks possible. Waiting calmly behind a gate or door lets you move around the house without a dog underfoot. And a reliable leave it plus a habit of dropping carried items matters once small socks, toys, and muslins start appearing at dog height. Train each in short sessions and pay generously; these are his job description for the new household.
Introduce the sights, sounds, and smells in advance
Set up the cot, chair, and changing gear early enough that they become boring furniture rather than novelties he must investigate on the first day. Play recordings of baby cries at low volume while he does something pleasant, raising the sound slowly across days so the real thing is unremarkable. Let him sniff baby lotion, washed newborn clothes, and a blanket from the hospital before the baby comes home in it, always at his pace and paired with treats — he should be allowed to walk away from anything he finds strange.
Plan the homecoming like a drill
The dog should be out on a walk when the baby first enters the house, then brought in once things are settled. Greet him yourself first, without the baby, so his excitement at your return is spent on you. The introduction itself is quiet: dog on a lead at a comfortable distance, baby held by the other parent, treats for calm glances, then distance again. He does not need to sniff the baby closely, and he should never be carried toward, placed beside, or left alone with the baby at any age — management, gates, and supervision carry the safety load while training catches up.
Brief every helper on the same rules
Grandparents, night helpers, and friends who pop in all become part of the dog's new world, and one person letting him bounce around the nursery undoes another's careful gate routine. Update his written routine — feeding, walks, the mat rule, the never-alone rule — and put it where every helper can see it. KinsLe's Family Sharing keeps that shared profile and care information in front of everyone helping with the dog, so his rules stay consistent even when the household running them is running on no sleep.