Dogs and Children - Intoducing Dogs to Children For The First Time

Unfortunately the combination of dogs and children has led to some dogs receiving a bad press due to very rare and over reported incidents. There is no reason why young children should not mix with dogs or puppies as long as you the owner/trainer have been responsible in using dog obedience training to appropriately teach your dog how to behave. Having said this it is also your duty as the owner, trainer or father/mother of young children that you teach your kids how to behave around dogs.

It is important that you socialize your dog with many different experiences from a very early age - including young children. As a father or mother it is important that you never completely trust your dog or puppy around children and vice versa. Always remain nearby so that you can supervise there interaction. I have seen many situations where a dog is being pushed, bumped into, had his ears tugged etc by a very small child and the owner has just assumed that this is play. By allowing this to take place the owner is seriously waiting for an accident to happen. I mean would you want to be pushed and prodded. Fortunately as humans we are able to give verbal cues by simply saying ‘get off’ but for a dog the only response would be to growl, snap or run away.

Try putting yourself in your dog’s shoes or paws - by trying to understand how your dog feels, you will be able to anticipate certain behavior. If you see your child exhibiting naughty behavior with your dog, rather than simply telling your child off – you need to educate him/her so that they can begin to understand empathy and how a dog may feel being prodded or poked. You can either do this through a variety of good books on dogs or by actually showing your child how the dog should be approached and stroked.

Introducing Children to Dogs:

-Make sure that your dog is attached to a leash before any children approach - ask children to approach one at a time.
-Ask any children to avoid eye contact with your dog and to look at you the owner. The reason for this is that a small child has less authority and is smaller than an adult which may lead to your dog trying to show his dominance.
-Ask any child to stroke your dog gently from the side and make sure that you make it clear that your dog is not to be stroked or patted on the head.
-If you have any doubt about your dog such as obedience problems - it maybe an idea to attach a muzzle for the first meeting. It depends on your dog and how much socialization you have used in your dog training regime.
-Let your dog smell and scent any child but only when you are supervising.
-It is important that only adults feed the dog - do not allow children to feed the dog or even walk past the dog with food.
-Don’t let young children walk a dog on their own unless supervised by an adult.
-You should have used dog obedience training to have trained your dog to lie or sit down on your command. This is important because if young children happen to be playing games nearby this could lead your dog to showing excited behavior. Consequently, you need to be able to use your command and know that your dog will respond, this will help stop any accidents from happening.
-If you have a small baby, always put a muzzle on your dog if you are introducing them for the first time. The reason for this is that a small baby may make sudden movements that may lead your dog to exhibit nervous behavior.
-Follow the above steps for a safer first introduction when introducing a young child and a dog for the first time.

For more puppy and dog information visit the author's information website on dog obedience training.