Kids & Dogs
Your dog's genetics. These are unchangeable ingrained responses to the world surrounding them. There is nothing you can do to change them. Hopefully you have selected a breed whose temperment is suited to living in a family situation.. Not all breeds of dogs are good with children, especially small children. Take the time to research the breed of dog you are interested in for your family situation. Within a selected breed there are individuals as well. Just because you bought a golden retriever does not mean every one gets the good family pet seal of approval. Taking the time to select an appropriate individual for your family situation is one of the keys to having a successful "marriage" of kids to dog.
Well socialized pets take stressful and unusual situations in stride. Households with kids are noisy, unpredictable, busy and therefore, stressful. Animals who have received lots of positive socialization at an early age will be much less fearful and less likely to react to family life.
The animal's past experience with children. If your dog has had only previous experiences with kids that were pleasurable, then chances are he will enjoy their company. But if he has had several unpleasant, painful or frightening situations occur with children then he probably is going to be apprehensive around them; possibly to the point of being aggressive.
Lastly, and most importantly to the success of your dog getting along with your children, is your strict parental supervision and guidance for both your dog and your children.
Guidelines for Families With Dogs
Never leave any child 12 and under unattended with any dog or puppy. Strict supervision is a must. Every animal, even the so-called "fool proof" ones, have their limits. EVERY DOG BITES under the right circumstances, so keep supervision a strict rule in your household.
Children just like puppies, need to learn the rules. Children should be taught to pet softly, stay away from food bowls, toys and bones, and not to startle the pet while he is sleeping. All of these things can and should be done with the pet but only when you, the adult, are there to supervise AND you have first trained your pet to enjoy and tolerate all of the above, using positive methods.
Babies & toddlers should always be kept higher than the dog. Dogs see the world in a hierarchy. You are either a leader or a littermate. The smaller you are (meaning babies and small kids) the more likely you are to be considered a littermate. Littermates get bossed around by being jumped on, pushed over, growled at, snapped at and the final order, being bitten. Keep your small children up off the floor when the dog is in the same room.
Avoid tug of war, wrestling, ear pulling, pony riding, toy hitting, fur grabbing, chasing and any rough play. All these activities teach your dog or puppy to be rough with humans and to grab and bite. Do not allow any family member, including adults to engage in any rough play with your dog. Your pet will try and play these rough games with your children and the results will not be harmonious.
Avoid giving the dog things he may want to protect. Items such as pig's ears, rawhide, smoked bones or real bones may be much to valuable to your dog. So much they may want to protect them.
Play supervised games that foster cooperation and control . Games such as fetch, blowing bubbles, find it, hide and seek, etc. Avoid any game that gets your dog overly excited.
Teach your children the possum stance. Children are small, move erratically, yell and generally act crazy. Most dogs either would want to chase them or become very fearful of them. To a dog, a child running away is a great invitation to give chase, perhaps nipping and biting them. Teach your children that if a dog is chasing them, to immediately stand still. Arms should be folded across their chest or over their face. Your child suddenly becomes a lot less interesting to your dog. He will then calm down and move on to something else.
Involve you child in the dogs care. Have your child help you feed your dog, brush and walk the dog, etc. all under your close supervision. Even just the presence of your child in the same room while your dog is receiving his favorite things can help build a positive association.
Watch for signs of trouble. This includes your dog guarding food, toys, bones or resting places. Guarding starts with a simple freezing up of the body whenever the child comes to close and can quickly progress to growling, snapping or biting if not addressed immediately.
Do not hit, slap, yell, shake or use a shock collar on your dog for misbehavior or for aggression. These methods are unsuitable and can be very dangerous. These methods also show your children how you resolve problems and they may start to mimic them, putting themselves in grave danger. Consult a professional immediately if aggression becomes a problem and keep your children separated from the animal until the situation has been dealt with in a humane manner.
