Protecting the Kids and Dogs We Love

Whether your dog lives with children or meets them on walks, there’s a lot you should know. Colleen Pelar, dog trainer, parent and author of Living With Kids and Dogs … Without Losing Your Mind, presented a workshop for Your Dog’s Friend on child-dog interactions. . Below is a summary of what Colleen had to say, followed by a chart further explaining some of her points. If you’re a parent, we know that you love your child and your dog. We hope that Colleen’s tips will help your child and his friends become companions that your dog can’t wait to see.  And for those of you without children of your own, we hope these tips will help your dog develop good relationships with children who visit, as well as those your dog meets in public.

For additional safety advice, visit Colleen Pelar’s website, http://www.livingwithkidsanddogs.com.

Good dog myth

Any dog can bite, even a "good" dog.  If your dog lowers his head, turns or walks away, if he licks his lips, shakes off or yawns, he is trying to tell you that he's stressed and needs to get away. We sometimes ask our dogs to put up with situations that make them uncomfortable, miss their signs of distress, and then get angry if they growl a warning that they have had enough.  Listen to what your dog is trying to tell you and intervene.

Conditioning is not a guarantee

Pulling tails, ears, and bumping into dogs to prepare them for children won't guarantee that your dog will tolerate your child doing the same. Your dog has a unique relationship with each person. Focus your attention on building a good relationship between your dog and child. You want your dog to associate your child with good things happening.  So, give him special treats when your child is around, and help your child have toys and activities of his own, even though your dog is in the same room.

Tolerance  vs.  Enjoyment

Your dog may tolerate some of your child's more rambunctious antics, but he probably doesn’t enjoy them.  When your child chases your dog, pulls on his ears or tail, falls on him, steps on him, picks him up, hugs him, or grabs his hair to steady himself, your dog, if he's especially mellow, may tolerate it.  Does he enjoy it? NO. Should you intervene? YES. Likewise, when your child has had enough of your dog's nipping, jumping or nuzzling, give your child somewhere safe to go.  It’s unlikely that a bond will form if either one of them is unhappy when they’re together.

Good intentions are not enough

Almost all children mean well when they're with your dog, but that's not enough.  Your dog can still be unhappy when children do things that are uncomfortable for him – things that we think are cute, like hugging, kissing, patting the dog’s head, going into his crate, or sharing a blanket.  In public, help children that run up to your dog learn what your dog likes and how to read his signals.  Teach them that if your dog backs away or looks away, it’s time for a nice good-bye. They may even be pleased that they have learned some “Doglish”.

Supervision is critical

This means more than being in the same room with your child and your dog. Your dog will be around your family because he wants to be with you, the adult whom he trusts. Keep in mind that even if your dog seemed okay around your baby, once that same child is crawling or walking and falling, it's a new ballgame. If you recognize that, you’ll understand why the same dog that liked your baby may move away from your toddler. Your dog and child are more likely to enjoy each other if you supervise their play and help your dog escape when he needs to.

Teens can be as tough as toddlers

Your field of vision has to grow as your child does. Young children and teens present their own set of dangers, like riding bikes, throwing balls, having friends over, running around the house.  Just because your teen has grown up with dogs and can reason (kind of), that doesn't mean that he won't do mindless things that will stress your dog.

The chart that follows is presented, with the kind permission of Colleen Pelar, to help you understand what’s happening when your dog is with your own child, your child’s friends, or children your dog encounters on walks and at kids’ activities, like soccer games, playgrounds and school events.