Safety First
Setting children and dogs up for success is vital to having a conflict free home! Dog’s and kid’s need help learning appropriate and safe interactions. Neither are born ‘knowing’ how to behave with the other.
If you have recently adopted an adult dog, have an adult dog and are welcoming a baby, or even have a puppy and young children, it’s vital to help both the dog and child through the learning process.
FIRST RULE of Safety for children and dogs is Active Supervision. Active Supervision is:
- Parent or caregiver is focused on the child and dog with no other distractions. (cooking, phone, reading, etc)
- Parent or caregiver is directly involved in all interactions between dog and child, proactively.
- Dog is being rewarded for calm behaviors around child.
- Child is being monitored and shown how to properly pet the dog and if old enough howto read dog body language
- Child is not allowed to interact with sleeping dog or dog chewing on a bone or toy
- For kids under 5, Parent or caregiver is always acting as a physical divider. Kids do notknow how to properly engage and all dogs CAN bite.If you find yourself saying how patient and tolerant your dog is, You need separation of dog and child.
SECOND RULE of safety is management:
If you cannot actively supervise pup and kiddo, the dog should be behind a barrier, crated, in an exercise pen, or other secure area the child cannot reach. There should always be a PHYSICAL barrier that neither child or dog can get through.
Do’s and Don’ts
A child should NEVER be allowed to: pull on their tails, hit them, bother them when they sleep, mess with their faces, poke them, hug them, lay on top of them, sit, or ride the dog like a pony.
How bites happen: hugging dogs, putting their face in a dog’s face, cornering dogs, chasing dogs, running with something in their hands (can activate prey drive), approaching dogs when they eat, bothering them when they sleep, laying on top of them, riding them like a pony.
Advocate for your children and your dog: Dogs do not bite out of the blue. To keep your children safe, learn how to read your dog’s signals, provide supervision and management.
https://www.familypaws.com – this website has some great resources on setting up safe interactions with dogs and kids.
