Your dog and children can have a great relationship if you follow some
simple guidelines:
1. SUPERVISION. Young children and
dogs should always be supervised when interacting with each other. No
matter how well trained your dog may be, you should always error on the
side of caution. When you're present, you can stop inappropriate behavior
from either the dog or the children immediately!
2. Do not make it your children’s
responsibility to train and raise the dog. Give them age appropriate responsibilities.
Establish behaviors before having your kids work with the dog. For example,
establish a reliable "heel" before handing over the leash to
your child.
3. Always be mindful that what your
dog tolerates from your kids may not tolerate from your neighbors, or
friend's kids.
| 4. Socialize your dog to children. Have a child meet and greet your dog regularly. Have your dog on leash. Give the child some special treats. Have your dog approach the child (make sure child is calm and not staring at the dog), and have the dog sit. When the dog sits, have the child give the treat. Repeat this often and with a variety of children of all ages and sizes. |  |
5. Teach your children to respect
animals and how to, and not to, behave around them. Teach them to "be
a tree" when the dog is being "hyper" around them. If the
child remains still, calm and quiet the dog will leave them alone.
6. Play games that are not confrontational
(tug, roughhousing, etc.) Encourage your children to play games that will
bring them and the dog closer to each other such as fetch, hide-and-seek,
etc.
 |
7. Spend time working on getting your dog used to being handled the way a child might handle and touch the dog. Children grab, hug, pull, poke, trip over, etc. Getting the dog used to this could be the insurance you’ll need if in the event your (or someone else’s) child unexpectedly grabs, hugs, or pokes your dog, he or she will not react negatively to it. |
8. If your children and puppy/dog
are just not getting along, put the puppy/dog up for a nap and consult
a professional. Do not let the dog practice behavior you don’t want!
9. Even if you do not have children
of your own, it is still your responsibility to make sure your dog is
well behaved and safe around children. With some forethought and good
management, you can have a wonderful experience watching your dog and
children grow up together.
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