Children and Dogs: Important Information for Parents

Research into the human-animal bond indicates that living with a pet may have some important benefts for
children. Pets may enhance their self-esteem and help them to learn empathy. However, having a pet can also
result in some negative consequences for both the child and the animal. Each has the potential to inure the
other, and both can !get into trouble! for either not ta"ing care of or not behaving correctly with each other.
#ood relationships between "ids and pets don$t ust passively happen. %s a parent, you will need to ta"e an
active role in forming the relationship between your children and your dog in order to ma"e their interactions
pleasant as well as safe for both the children and the animal.
Selecting a Dog
Age
&any people have a !warm and fu''y! image of a puppy and a child growing up together. (f you are
thin"ing of getting a young puppy )less than * months+ and you have young children, there are a few
things to be considered. %dding a puppy to the family will feel somewhat li"e adding a new baby. ,nly
this new baby can$t wear diapers and it has needle-sharp puppy teeth- Puppies require lots of time,
patience and training. .hey require almost constant supervision in order to wor" with normal puppy
behaviors such as house soiling and chewing. Puppies also require sociali'ation for normal behavior
development. .his means they need to be ta"en places, to be e/posed to new things and to meet new
people. (f you already have young children who naturally require lots of care and time, will there be
time to care for a puppy 0 another baby 0 as well11
Puppies, because they are babies, are somewhat fragile creatures. .hey may become frightened, or
even inured, by well-meaning, curious young children who want to constantly pic" them up, hug them
or e/plore their bodies by pulling on tails or ears. %ll interactions between children and puppies should
be closely supervised to minimi'e the chances of either being inured.
Puppies, although they can be very active and playful, also need quiet times to rest and sleep. .hey
may also need to be fed three to four times a day, depending on their age. Parents will need to be sure
a puppy$s eating and nap times are consistently provided for, ust as the children$s are.
2ogs that grow up with children from puppyhood may be more tolerant of children, especially if they
had good e/periences with "ids. However, older puppies )* months to 3 year+ and adult dogs can still
do ust fne with children with some help from you. %ny dog new to a household is going to require
some training, but not as much as a young puppy. %lthough puppies are wonderful, and it is e/citing
and rewarding to help them grow into wonderful companions, they 4(55 require signifcantly more time
to train and supervise than an older dog. %re you up to the tas"1
Breed
&any families as" for a dog that is !good with "ids.! %lthough some general statements can be made
about breeds, the characteristics of an individual dog are ust as important, if not more, as its breed.
6mall breeds of dogs such as toy or miniature poodles, 7hihuahuas or coc"er spaniels may not be good
choices for young children as they are more easily inured than a larger dog, and may be more easily
frightened by lots of activity and by being pic"ed up. 4hen frightened, dogs can snap or bite in order to
protect themselves. 5arger dogs may be better able to tolerate the activity, noise and rough play that
are inevitably part of having children. &any of the sporting breeds such as 5abradors and golden
retrievers ma"e good family pets. 8reeds that have been selected for protective behavior such as
chows and Rottweilers may not be as good for families. (t may be di9cult for them to comfortably
tolerate the many comings and goings of lots of children and their friends 0 who may be perceived as
territorial intruders.
(t is unrealistic to e/pect a child, regardless of age, to be the primary careta"er and have sole responsibility for
caring for a dog. :ot only do dogs need basic things li"e food, water and shelter, they also need to be played
with, e/ercised and trained on a consistent basis. .eaching a dog the rules of the house and helping it become a
good companion animal is too overwhelming a tas" for a young child. 4hile responsible teen-agers may be up to
the ob, they may not be as interested in the family pet, as their own social need to be with their friends usually
ta"es over at this age. Parents who are obtaining a dog !for the "ids! or !to be our son$s;daughter$s dog! &<6.
be willing and prepared to be the dog$s primary careta"er. 7aring for a dog can be something that parents and
children do .,#E.HER.
=ids and dogs are not automatically going to start o> with a wonderful relationship. .hese are two di>erent
species, and neither really understands the behavior and the needs of the other. Parents must be willing to teach
both the dog and the children acceptable limits of behavior with each other.
Common Problems
.he normal behaviors of children often present problems for dogs, and vice versa. 7hildren move with quic",
er"y movements, have high-pitched voices, and they often run rather than wal". %ll of these behaviors
somewhat resemble the behavior of animals that wild canids )the dog$s ancestors+ prey upon. %lmost all play
behaviors in the dog are based on predatory behavior. 7onsequently dogs often react to these behaviors by
chasing the children, nipping at their heels, umping up at them, even trying to "noc" them down. 4hile all the
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behaviors described are normal play behaviors for both "ids and dogs, they can result in problems. 8oth your
children and your dog will need lots of help and supervision from you so they can all learn how to behave around
one another. %n approach that is not helpful is to do nothing but punish the dog for his behavior. (f he learns that
being around children always results in !bad things! happening to him, he may become defensive in their
presence. %t frst, children may need to play quietly around the dog until he becomes more comfortable and
calm and the children have gained more control over the dog. .he dog must also learn that certain behaviors on
his part are unacceptable, but he must also be taught what behaviors are the right ones. %n obedience class
may be helpful.
7hildren often want to hug the dog around the nec". .he dog may view this as a threatening gesture rather than
an a>ectionate one. (n reaction, a dog may growl, snap or bite. .o reduce such ris"s, a child should pet the dog
from underneath his chin rather than hugging him or reaching over his head, should not stare at or loo" him
directly in the eye, and should turn the side of her body toward the dog rather than facing him.
2ogs can be possessive about their food, toys, and space. %lthough it is normal for a dog to growl or snap to
protect these items, it is :E?ER acceptable. %t the same time, children need to learn to respect their dog as a
living creature that is not to be teased or purposefully hurt, and that needs time to himself. He is not a plaything
that should always be available to them. (f a dog is growling or snapping at children for any reason, the situation
needs (&&E2(%.E attention. @ust punishing the dog is li"ely to ma"e matters worse.
8elow are some tips to help ma"e encounters between children and the new dog go smoothly.
3. Holding
(n the beginning, it$s probably safest for both a child and a puppy for the child to always be sitting down
whenever she wants to hold the puppy. Puppies are squirmy and wiggly and may easily fall out of a
young child$s arms and be inured. (f held insecurely, a puppy may become frightened and snap or
scratch in response. %fter the child is sitting, the parent can place the puppy in her arms. (t would be
good to have a treat or chewie handy. 4hen puppies are teething, they tend to chew on everything,
including hands and arms. %n added beneft is that the puppy will come to associate pleasant
consequences )getting a treat+ with being held by the child.
Aor larger dogs, it wor"s well to have the child sit in the parent$s lap and the dog to approach them. (n
this way, the parent can control the child and not allow her to get !carried away! with pats that are too
rough. .he parent is also there to teach the dog to treat the child gently as well.
B. Giving Treats
=ids tend to become somewhat fearful and an/ious when a dog tries to ta"e a treat from their hand.
.his causes them to er" their hand away at the last second. .he dog may then ump up or lunge to get
the treat, which may result in the child being "noc"ed down. Have the child place the treat in their open
palm rather than holding it in their fngers. Parents may place a hand underneath their child$s hand to
help guide the child.
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