Blog Post by Sara Enos
“My dog is great with
kids - he just let’s them do whatever they want. They ride him like a horse and
they hold on to his tail in the winter to slide around on the ice; it’s so
funny!” When sentences like these roll off the tongues of dog owners, the expression
on my face probably mimics that of someone who has just snorted lemon juice.
Oddly enough, it crushes people when you don’t find their stories about their
kids and dogs like these nearly as entertaining as they do.
They aren’t entertaining. They are accidents waiting to
happen. The sentence that often follows those incidents is usually along the
lines of “I don’t know what happened, the dog just snapped”. A phrase those of
us in the dog world hear far too often.
Most incidents involving dogs and kids are preventable. I’d
wager to say that 99.99% of them are preventable, (given that rare, freak
accident that no one sees coming). Education, responsible pet ownership, and good parental
skills are the ingredients to the recipe for successful kid/dog co-dwelling.
A big misconception
among parents is that dogs should learn to be tolerant to all behavior
presented by children, including ear and tail pulling, being in the dog’s bed,
climbing on the dog, etc.. The thought process there is reversed. Some dogs may
be tolerant situationally, however, it is the child that should be taught not
to pull on tails and ears or climb on the dog. Just as we teach our kids to
allow humans their personal space, we teach young kids to respect the personal space
of our dogs as well.
As mentioned in a prior article, dogs exhibit dog behavior, not
human behavior and will act and react as dogs.
It is up to parents to both gear the dog and child up for success by
teaching proper interactions. For dogs, that includes teaching them to not take
items from the children, to not jump up on children, and also to respect the
child’s space. Involving kids in training and routine at an early age can help
set the foundation for this. Basic manners should apply - teaching your dog
that he/she has to be invited on the furniture so that they don’t take over the
child’s, (or your) bed or become territorial of furniture. Teaching the child
to also not take food or items from your dog and not get into your dog’s crate
or bed.
As early as you acquire your dog or puppy, set them up for
success with positively associating palpation, (touching of various areas such
as the belly, feet, tail and ears). Start brushing teeth at an early age so that
they are more tolerant and comfortable with handling at a later age. This makes
handling them when it’s absolutely necessary less stressful on both them and
you, and also leads to the dog being less likely to become offended if a child
that doesn’t know the rules yet does not respect their personal space. Not to
mention, this makes veterinary visits much less stressful and your
veterinary staff will thank you too - bonus!
When involving children, or other family members, in
training with your dog, be sure you are using common verbiage so as not to
confuse the dog. For example, teach that the word “off” means to get off of
something, whereas the word “down” means to lay down. If family members use
different words for the same command, it will lead to confusion for the dog.
The following are a few key basics to teach your kids in
setting them up for success with dogs:
- Ask before petting a dog - even if the dog appears friendly. Not only is this a courtesy to the owner, it is the easiest way to avoid your child getting bitten in the event that you, or he/she is not appropriately reading what sometimes can be very subtle language
- When greeting a dog, have them first allow the dog to approach them. Do not allow them to stick their fingers out to the dogs face for them to smell first - it’s a great way to lose a finger if the dog is afraid enough to bite
- Stand like a tree in the event that a strange dog runs up. Kids need to be aware, (as do adults) that running away will encourage chase and increase the likelihood of a bite
I love hearing from children that their dog is their best
friend. Aside from all of the feel-goods it brings, it lets me know that the
child is in a family which encourages compassionate care. Encouraging a child
to treat their dog like their best friend helps to put their relationship on
the right path. They can share treats with their best friend and play ball with
their best friend. When the analogy needs to be there, it can be explained that
we don’t pull on our human best friend’s ears, so we wouldn’t pull on our
doggie best friend’s ears either.
In a nutshell: develop solid boundaries with both children
and dogs. Teach appropriate greetings and interactions. Learn more about dog
language and share that with
your kids. Teach your dog basic manners and expect
both your dog and child to respect each other’s space.
The result will set your family up for success.
