Dogs and Children

I found it is far easier to teach a child what you expect from the beginning than it is to change the rules midstream! At two, my son helps me feed the dogs, aids in bathing (his is Soap Man!) and is learning how to gently brush them. He is a far cry from a former neighbor's toddler who would grab their dog so hard that the dog would snap. No one taught either dog or child proper behavior. This was a serious accident waiting to happen. Already, they had gotten rid of one dog as opposed to training the dog and their children.

With work and luck, your dog and child will grow to be a wonderful team, but not all parents are so lucky. Should you notice your dog acting dominant, snapping at or even biting the child and the child has done nothing to provoke it, seek professional help. Even if the child did provoke it, the dog must learn that biting is not acceptable and to walk away. Should there be ANY question in your mind at all about your dog's response to your child, seek professional help immediately.

If your dog is known to be aggressive before you have children, seek help long before you have a child. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Make certain you do all you can long before pregnancy to prepare your dog for children - is far easier than fixing a problem allowed to go on too long. Even if you do not have children of your own, your dog must be accepting of them.

Insist that all children around your dog know the rules and follow them. I have banned children from visiting my dogs since they repeatedly refused to follow the rules. Children will be children and forget, but rules must be followed or they will not have the privilege of visiting my dogs. Safety for child and dog is always first priority!

Dogs and kids can be the best or the worst matches. Timmy and Lassie are not reality. However, there is no reason why your dog and you child cannot coexists happily if you are a responsible dog owner and parent. The worst thing for a dog is to be banished or ignored when a child is born. Many dogs will die in shelters when a new baby arrives. With planning and forethought on the part of dog owners, this need not happen.

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