Dogs and Children: How to Train Your Dog to be Good Around Kids

Your baby is crawling on the floor and starts splashing in the dog’s water bowl.  Your dog looks at the baby and then at you.  Everyone smiles and laughs.  Some may take videos and post to social media.  But, what’s really going on with your canine companion?  How does he feel?

  Most people look at this scenario and think “Oh how cute!”  The problem is that they are missing the dog’s cue’s.  A baby plays with a dog’s water bowl and the dog’s ears pin back, she hangs her head, and is looking to mom as if to say “Are you going to take care of this?” (clear signs of stress).

  Both children and dogs look to us as parents and expect us to handle things.  If situations like this continue the dog may take it upon himself to correct the child.  And how do dogs correct?  Through measured bites.  Something that isn’t going to cause damage to another dog, but as humans, and babies in particular, will cause injury as we are not as sturdy as them.

  As parents and pet parents we should be managing these situations.  We keep the baby and the dog separate and monitor any short interactions. A mother dog naturally expects other dogs to give her litter space and as humans we should teach the same.  Eventually, and gradually allowing for slow, controlled, and observed interaction between our children and dog. 

  Teaching our dogs to give children space, as a general rule of training is great. But,we must also teach our children how to approach and interact with our dog appropriately.  Don’t get in the dog’s face, don’t be rough with the dog, we leave the dog alone while they are eating or chewing a bone.   By taking this approach you’re making both your child and dog feel better and keeping them safe.  They understand that mom and dad will handle things and all is well.

  As our children get older, we should be educating them on how to properly spend time with our dog.  As a trainer I’ve seen too many instances where a parent finds it funny that their child will go up to their dog and pull on their ears, tail, etc.  This could cause a dog to lash out.  Often people see the dog as being a problem or aggressive.  But, when you look at it from your dog’s point of view, no one is coming to control the situation, your dog may just be responding the way a canine would.

This isn’t to say that there aren’t instances when a dog will respond inappropriately and that’s a different story. 

By teaching both our children and our dogs how to interact properly early on we ensure that everyone is safe and happy.

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