Growing Up Together: Teaching Your Child How To Love and Respect Dogs.

Whether you live with a dog or meet them in public, it’s your job to teach your child dog skills. Some children are scared of dogs and some are overconfident around dogs, both can cause problems if they don’t know how to act safely. As a parent your goal is to build a positive relationship between children and dogs based on respect and understanding - you have to train your dog and your child!

Here are some key things to teach your children:

1. How to act around dogs

• Don’t run and yell around unknown dogs as it might scare them. 

• Always ask the dog’s person before patting the dog.

• Let dogs come to you – ask the dog to come over to you, don’t enter their space.

• Pat their back, not their head.

• Pat, Pat, Pause - take your hand away and see if the dog asks for more. If not, leave them alone. 

  
  

2. What to do if an unknown dog comes up to you:

• Pretend that you are a tree.

• If you run or scream the dog can get scared of you and chase you.

• Stand still, cross your arms and look away. 

• Use your calm but strong voice to ask an adult for help.

• If you are alone, stand still and wait for the dog to walk away.

  
  
  
  

3. If they see a dog tied up outside a shop

• Teach your child to walk past calmly and leave the dog alone. A dog tied up is unable to move away, and may feel trapped or worried if approached.

Dog Body Language – What’s the dog telling us?

You can teach your child this as you are out walking around and observing other dogs and watch some YouTube videos.

A happy dog:

• Loose, wriggly body.

• Soft face.

• Tail wagging, might do a play bow.

  
  

A worried dog: 

• Stiff body, tail low or tucked.

• Yawning, lip-licking, turning away.

• Ears back, head low.

• Always walk away from a worried dog.

  
  

A scared or warning dog:

• Staring hard/Intensely fixated

• Backing away or freezing.

• Growling, showing teeth, might bite.

• If your dog is warning your child, don’t yell, get between them immediately and then remove the child. Talk about it later - what was your child doing to upset the dog and how can they avoid it in the future. Parents need to supervise or separate to avoid these situations. 

  
  

Child and Dog cues

Cues to teach your child

• “The dog is sleeping – go around”

• “The dog is eating – only watch”

• “That’s the dog’s toy – you can’t take” - give them their toy instead.

  
  

Repeat the words above and show them, over and over and over again. Eventually they will do it on cue and then it becomes a habit and natural behaviour. It’s beautiful to watch.

Cues to teach your dog

 These are great for kids to use too:

• “Go to bed” – sends the dog to their mat or bed.

• “Away” – tells the dog to give space.

• “Get off” – jump off whatever they are on.

• “Leave it” – ignore tempting things like a snack in your child's hand.

• “Oops!” – a fun cue for cleaning up spills after meals etc.

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Important Tips for Parents that live with children and dogs.

• Supervise or separate – be present or use barriers if you can’t watch closely.

• Always sit between the baby/child and dog if you are on the floor or couch – dogs can feel trapped if babies crawl right up to them or touch them. Don’t trust dogs and children alone until at least school age.

• Most dog reactions/growls/bites happen during transitions – like your baby learning to roll over, crawl, starting to walk – be extra careful then as dogs can get spooked by new movements.

• Remember that all dogs can bite if pushed too far for too long, even if they’re usually sweet and soft. Dog’s shouldn’t have to be tolerant of a toddler sitting on them or hugging them. 

• It’s always a good idea to call in a dog and child expert if you are worried about anything or just want to learn how to read your dog or better understand how to teach your child dog skills.

Final Thoughts

Dogs and children can become the best of friends when we take the time to teach and respect the dog’s space. Understanding dog body language and following simple rules helps keep everyone safe. Most of all, let dogs choose whether they want to say hello or play—never force them to interact. With respect and understanding, dogs can be the most wonderful companions for our children, and lifelong bonds can grow.

Ps. I'm just going to say it one more time: SUPERVISE OR SEPARATE

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