Dogs and Children

How to ensure your dogs and children live together without any dramas

Dog attacks on children are mercifully rare, but when they happen the results can be tragic. But with the right breed of dog, and by educating your kids, you can ensure that a mutual sense of love and companionship develops between them, setting both up for happy coexistence.

According to the Raising Children Network (RCN), ‘the dog most likely to bite a child is not a strange dog. It is the family dog, or one the child already knows well’. The organisation says that 40 per cent of attacks take place in the house or backyard, while 30 per cent occur at the homes of friends or neighbours.

Awareness works
Dogs are most likely to bite if approached when eating, startled by sudden movements, woken suddenly, cornered, jumped on or climbed on, or are looking after puppies. Accordingly, RCN recommends the following preventative measures:
•    Keep dogs away from babies and young children;
•    Always supervise if dogs and young children are in the same place;
•    Keep a close watch on dogs when a new baby joins the family and it’s best not to leave the baby alone with a dog;
•    Make sure you and the dog’s owner are both present if you want to introduce your child to a dog.

Also ensure that you have covered the basics, like teaching your children not to shout at or surprise your dog, not to pull your dog’s tail and not to disturb him when sleeping. The old saying ‘let sleeping dogs lie’ really means something!

It is also important to have the right breed of dog for a family. Check out the Breed of the Month information on this site or talk to your vet for advice. The RCN particularly stresses that ‘if your dog is taught, encouraged or bred to be a guard dog, keep it away from children.

Bringing home baby
It’s not unusual for a dog to feel neglected when a newborn baby is brought home, particularly if it’s the first child. Ensuring your dog has received obedience training and can obey simple commands will make the process much easier. It’s also a good idea to give the dog something of the baby’s to sniff before bringing the little one home.

Strange dogs
Children learn from adult behaviour, so if you treat dogs respectfully and cautiously, they will learn to do the same. The Raising Children Network recommends that you tell your child the following:
•    Do not approach an unfamiliar dog, even if it looks friendly;
•    Never run screaming from a dog as it might encourage it to give chase;
•    Let a dog see and sniff you before you pat it and then only pat it on the back, never the head or nose;
•    Be still like a tree and look at the ground when a strange dog comes up to you;
•    Roll into a ball and lie still if a dog knocks you over.

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