Getting your kids and your dogs to play nice is a major concern for many families, and for good reason. Either one could send the other to the emergency room. Thankfully, it has been the norm for animals and humans (including kiddos!) to live together for thousands of years, so we know it's very possible for us to live in harmony.
We are an animal household (dogs and chickens) and our kids have been safely involved to everyone’s great joy. We let them interact as soon as possible. Our dogs are sniffing and licking our newborns, and our crawlers are crawling on top of our dogs. Our two year old holds their leash on walks, and our four year old is feeding them.
Here are some things we have implemented to ensure our young kids are safely involved with our dogs.
1. Let Them Make Mistakes
It can be tempting for some families to think that harmony means perfection 100% of the time, but this is not a reasonable expectation. To be sure, you don’t want anyone getting seriously injured, but kids are going to pull and tug and puppies are going to jump and play bite. And in doing so, they are likely going to hurt one another. That’s just part of it! Certainly, we need to correct bad behavior, but don’t think your family can’t be a dog family just because your kid acts like a kid and your puppy acts like a puppy!
It can feel a little clunky at times as your child is learning how to walk a dog or how to pick it up, and that’s okay. Of course, you should be supervising, but you should expect your child to be too passive at times and too rough at other times, and then provide gentle coaching for them. Being good with animals is a skill set that will serve them well in life, so it’s important for them to get practice (and that means making mistakes!) early in life.
2. Teach Your Children About Dog Behavior
Be sure to teach your kids the basics about dog behaviors. Humans and dogs communicate differently and it’s the human’s role (no matter their age) to understand the dog. Your toddler has a better chance of speaking dog than your dog does of speaking toddler. They need to know simple stuff, such as not getting right in their face, not pulling their ears, and being extra careful around their food.
Depending on the age of the child, it can be helpful to explain to them that dogs and humans communicate differently. Staring a human in the eyes can be a sign of respect and engagement. Staring a dog in the eyes can be a treat. And it’s important to teach your kids these kinds of things as early as they can understand it.
3. Have Kids Help Train Dogs
Your child will probably naturally want to do this as they see you do it. Even a one-and-a-half year old will want to join you commanding the dog to “stay” and “sit”. The best part about this is that as your dog starts to submit to your child’s command, the family hierarchy will start to be developed in the correct order. Your dog will start to understand that your child has the authority to command them, and they have the responsibility to submit.
Some of the most helpful commands that we have found to get the kids involved with are “stay” and “come”. Another really helpful practice is having your child hold the leash on family walks. Implementing these practices regularly will help your child earn respect in your dog’s eyes.
4. Give Your Kids Responsibilities
Dogs are not unaware of who their caretakers are. One of the greatest opportunities for building a bond with your dog is food. For most dogs, food is the quickest way to their heart. If your dog sees your child providing food and water for them it will create a bond. Delegating this to your kid might even free up some of your time!
Our kids are also involved in taking the dogs to their crates, and letting them outside when we get home. They attach the leashes when it’s time for a walk. Anything we can get them involved with we do.
The main thing to keep in mind is to get them involved as much as possible with near constant supervision at first, and increasingly less supervision as your child takes the lead more and more. It can be difficult and down-right frustrating at times, but this skill set will serve your child well in their future, so just keep at it!