Dogs and Dealing With Children

When it comes to introducing a dog into the family or bringing a new baby home to a house where there is a dog, you need to take a few precautions so that everyone becomes one big happy family.  They key is to do the introductions slowly so that everyone gets used to one another slowly. Never leave your dog in the room with your child unattended even if you have the most well mannered dog in the world.  Things can happen and the child may hurt the dog without meaning to which can cause the dog to bite the child in self-defense.

If you are bringing a new baby into the home and you have a dog at home, you should try to bring home the scent of the baby home before you actually bring the baby home.  You can do this by bringing a piece of clothing home that the newborn has worn and let the dog sniff it.  This helps the dog to get to know the scent of the baby so he will know that the baby is a part of the family and not a threat.  Some parents do this with a blanket that the baby has been sleeping wit.  You should do this a few days before the baby comes home to allow your dog a few days to get accustomed to babies smell.

When you bring a new dog into the home with children, you should introduce the dog to the children one at a time and do it for brief periods.  Kids can get over excited and try to play too much with the dog and their designer dog clothes.  This can scare him as he is not used the children yet.  Let them get used to one another little by little.  Gradually increase the amount of playtime that they have together but never leave children alone with the dog.  You do not want anyone to get hurt by accident and the best way to do this is to supervise the interactions between the dog and the children.

When you bring the baby home, you need to hold the baby and let the dog come up and sniff the baby.  Be sure to have someone else in the room with you to grab the dog should he get aggravated.  Keep the time together to a minimum so that neither of them get over excited.  The baby may swing his or her arms in excitement which can scare the dog back to their round dog beds and this is why it is necessary to hold the baby in your arms for protection just as you should have someone with the dog incase the dog gets exciting.

Introducing a new baby to a family dog or bringing a new dog home to the children can be a great experience if done properly.  Just do not move the introductions to quickly and always make sure that there is an adult present in the room with the dog and the children.