Children and Dogs

• Wait: Wait until your child is six before getting a dog.
• Chaperone: Always supervise children under seven years old when they are around dogs.
• Fight worms and pests: Make sure your dog is treated for worms. Use a flea and tick preventative to avoid spreading pests from dogs to children.

How to Teach Children to Behave with Dogs

Children and Dogs: Dos

• Approach slowly, speak in a soft voice, and hold out your hand, fist closed palm down, for the dog to sniff.
• Stroke the dog in the direction its fur grows.
• Scratch the dog’s chin and around the ears, or stroke down the sides of its neck and down its side.

Children and Dogs: Don’ts

• Don’t pull the dog’s ears, tail, legs, or other body parts.
• Don’t taunt or tease the dog in any way.
• Don’t wrap your arms around the dog’s back or neck.
• Don’t approach if the dog’s sleeping or lying in its bed.
• Don’t take bones, toys, or food from the dog.
• Don’t stare into the dog’s eyes.

How to Teach Dogs to Behave with Children

• Gently touch your dog’s ear or tail and then offer it a treat, such as a small piece of hot dog or chicken. Work up to gentle pulling before giving the treat. This desensitizes your dog to children’s inevitable habit of touching and pulling.
• Repeat the same approach, this time putting your arms around your dog’s back and neck and applying some pressure. This will prepare your dog if children try to ride or hug the dog or hang on its neck­—all common childhood temptations.
• Drop treats near the dog’s bowl when it’s eating or near a bone or toy it’s chewing on. This will teach your dog to accept having people near its food and toys.
• If at any point your dog growls, snaps, or bites any family member, seek help from a professional dog trainer, who handles basic obedience training, or a behaviorist, a specialist with a degree in dog behavior (see Professional Dog Training Help).

How to Prepare Your Dog for a New Baby

• A few months before the baby is born: Train your dog to stay out of the baby’s room even when you’re in it. Reward your dog for lying patiently by the door. Teach your dog to stay for extended periods of time. Practice until your dog stays for 30 minutes at a time.
• A few weeks before the baby is born: Play a recording of a baby crying (search for a sound clip on the web). Start quietly and raise the volume as your dog adjusts. Carry an infant-sized doll and let your dog sniff and explore it, but be sure the interaction is gentle and not threatening. Sprinkle baby powder around the house so your dog adjusts to the smell.
• After the baby comes home: Lavish praise and treats on your dog, but only when the baby is present. After the first few weeks, your dog will make the connection between the positive rewards and the baby’s presence.