Introducing dogs and children: Safety first!

 First impressions are critical, both for young children and for the dog.  If you adopt an older dog, visit the shelter first to narrow down your choices, but do not bring the children with you until you have visited with and selected two to four nice dogs that you would be willing to take home.  The children like to help choose, but they need some guidance to choose wisely.  I have seen children beg their parents to bring home a dog that was actually growling at them!  But children take such pleasure in helping with this momentous family decision, it would be a shame to leave them completely out of it.

Once you have determined a particular dog is safe, perhaps even “the” dog for you, you should bring the children to meet him before finalizing the adoption.  You should do this even if you do not intend for the children to actually choose the new dog.  Why?  Dogs do not generalize well.  Among other things, this means they can be very specific in their likes and dislikes.  I have seen dogs that like me (and other women) quite well, but who growl and lunge at men.  I have seen dogs that are ok with most men, but will cringe if they hear a man with a deep voice.  And I have seen dogs that seem perfectly friendly to adults but that react savagely toward young children.  Sometimes these dogs have not been socialized properly as puppies; sometimes they have had bad experiences at the hands of men or children.  A dog that is fine with a ten-year-old boy might bite a toddler or vice-versa.  So it is very important to make sure the dog is fine with all of your children before you bring it home.

But there is more to consider than the children’s safety and comfort.  As the adult in the household, it is your responsibility to keep the dog’s comfort and safety in mind, too.  Just as you need to protect the children from a rambunctious dog, so you need to protect a dog from rambunctious children, not just during the critical period of “first impression,” but for as long as you have the dog.  This will not only protect the dog but protect the children from potential bites.  Even the most docile dogs have their limits!

Before you bring the dog home, talk to the children about your expectations.  Games like wrestling or tug-of-war should be off-limits for them, because dogs can easily become over-excited and injure the child during these kinds of games.  Wrestling can be downright traumatic, too, particularly for small dogs!  Games like fetching or chasing a Frisbee should be encouraged, instead.  Some dogs get overly excited or even dangerous when children scream, wrestle, and run.  Children should be taught to keep the petting, activity-levels and noise down to a level the dog can handle, and to hold very still and quiet if the dog gets overly-excited.  They should be supervised whenever they are around the dog, especially if they are under six years old (or even older if immature).  The children should understand and obey a firm, parental, “No!” 

Teach the children to keep their faces away from the dog’s, since most dog-bites to children are around the face and neck.  Teach them that dogs sometimes require their own space, such as when the dog is resting or sleeping, and that they should respect and honor this need.  There will be times when the dog requires some “down time” in its crate, with a chew-toy, or with its food-bowl.  Pestering a dog during these times, or whenever the dog withdraws, growls, or curls its lip, can be dangerous.  A dog that is excessively drooling, visibly trembling, tucking its tail, or showing other signs of stress also needs relief from the kids.  Should your dog begin to show aggressive behaviors toward children or other family members, especially with minimal provocation, you should consult the services of a dog-trainer or behaviorist as soon as you are able.  The earlier you treat aggression with the help of a humane professional, the better your chances of solving it!