Dogs and children

Dogs and children can be great friends and having a dog can help children develop kindness, understanding and respect for living things. Dog companionship can improve a child's social skills with people while caring for a pet can encourage responsibility.

Because of this, many families have dogs. Children quickly understand and learn to treat the dog as part of the family, but it's important that parents teach children how to stay safe around dogs, to protect both the child and the dog.

Dogs and children communicate differently

Children tend to treat pet dogs as their peers; they hug them, try to cuddle them, pick them up and scold them. Children express their affection for their family and friends through very close facial contact, often kissing. Much of this is exactly the opposite to dog social behaviour and your dog may find it threatening. Children – especially toddlers – are still quite clumsy and can inadvertently stand on feet, tug ears, hair or tail, fall on top of or otherwise hurt a dog.

From a dog’s point of view, children communicate very differently from adults; they cry, yell, shriek, crawl and run about unpredictably. It's not surprising that dogs find it hard to understand children and even harder to tell them when they want to be left alone.

For these reasons, young children are far more likely to be bitten than any other population group. Research also shows that people are far more likely to be bitten by a dog owned by their own family than an unfamiliar dog. This means that children are in the highest risk group of being bitten by their own family dog.

Learning to recognise important body language signals may help communication between your dog and your children.

Preparing for a new arrival

A newborn baby is likely to mean big changes in your lifestyle, which may influence how you relate to your dog. For example, you may not have time to walk your dog as much, or be hampered by a pram when you do, or lack of sleep might make you a little less tolerant. None of these things may have a direct effect that causes aggression, but they may make your dog feel more unsettled.

It’s a good idea to prepare your dog for the changes before they actually happen, so you can anticipate their reaction. Dogs that have no experience of children and babies may take longer to adjust than those who are familiar with them. Things you can do to prepare your dog include:

bring out the cot and pram before your baby comes home so your dog can get used to them
play CDs or stream the noises that babies make so your dog can get used to hearing them (crying can be worrying for a dog that hasn’t heard it before)
teach your dog to go and sit on a ‘day-bed’ (such as a blanket or cushion) where they can relax out of harm’s way when you need to look after your baby. Train your dog to sit on the bed by giving them a chew when they go there. The bed should be in the same room as you, but away from where you will be busy with your baby

Keeping children safe around dogs

Dogs and children communicate very differently, but they can be great friends and help children develop kindness and a sense of responsibility. Just remember our six golden rules for keeping your children safe and your dogs happy.

1. Stay with your children around dogs – never leave your child alone in the same room as your dog, even your own.

2. Interact with dogs at the right times – teach your child not to approach dogs when they're:

eating or having a treat
playing with a toy or something else they really like
sleeping
unwell, injured, or tired
blind or deaf

3. Be gentle – teach your child to be kind and polite to dogs. Don't let your child climb on dogs, pull their ears or do anything you wouldn't allow them to do to another child.

4. Play nicely and teach tricks – teach your child how to play nicely with your dog. Your child can teach your dog some really fun tricks like shake a paw, play roll-over, for example.

5. Give your dog space if they need it – supervise your child when they're with your dog. If your dog looks unhappy, let them go somewhere they feel safe and happy.

6. Don't let your children approach dogs they don't know, such as when you're out in the park.

7. Dogs like a break sometimes! Give your dog a cosy spot in a quiet room where they can have their own space. Teach your child to leave your dog alone when they're in a private spot.