DOGS AND KIDS? SET THE RULES EARLY!
Dogs and kids are like peas in a pod, right? Well.... not if the kids are afraid of dogs and not if the dog isn’t comfortable around children, then we have some rules to set, some boundaries to enforce and some work to do! The way I like to handle situations involving kids and dogs is through mutual respect, coexistence and firm boundaries for both the dog and the kids about staying out of each other’s space. Dogs and kids can share space together without conflict by having dogs hold place or down/stay command calmly while kids stay out of the dogs personal space and the kids learning and respecting that dogs in command are always off limits to everyone including kids and other pets.
Kids shouldn’t have to tolerate rowdy and rude (and dangerous!) behaviour from a dog, and likewise dogs shouldn’t have to tolerate pestering or unwanted attention from kids. Let me say that again, dogs shouldn’t have to tolerate pestering and unwanted attention from kids... this is the biggest cause of dog bites on kids. It’s up to us adults and handlers to advocate for our kids and our dogs by making sure that both dogs and kids are behaving respectfully towards one another at all times. That way, everyone can have a great experience together through coexistence and both kids and dogs can learn how to be comfortable and gain confidence in one another’s presence without getting into one another’s personal space. And if you have kids that are too young to understand the rules then the best place for the dog is safely in her crate. Make sure that children have been taught how to behave respectfully towards dogs by staying out of the dog’s personal space, and the vice versa for dogs, while we adults/dog handlers are supervising every moment and ready to advocate for both kids and dogs at all times. The responsibility for the safety and appropriate behaviour of our kids and our dogs sits squarely and solely on the shoulders of us adult humans.
Learning how to heel politely on leash thanks to the remote collar heel and extending our work to include walking with a handler and stroller!
When it comes to kids and dogs, safety must always be our top priority and both our pups and our kids need to learn respectful and appropriate behaviour when in each others company. We don’t want our dogs bumping into or knocking over or ‘harassing’ our kiddos in any way and we also don’t want our kiddos pulling on ears, tails, the dogs toys or food or ‘harassing’ the dog in any way. Likewise, on the walk, it’s super important that the dog is first trained to heel politely on leash with his handler (no pulling, no sniffing, no reactivity, no marking, no shenanigans) before joining the family walk with the stroller and we want the dog to heel behind the stroller so that he can’t bump into it or pester/disturb the child and so that he also doesn’t get bumped/rolled on by the stroller or grabbed by tiny hands 😉. In this video, I’ve added some text to highlight the important points that I’m watching for to make sure that Puddle is following his commands and his training and also about how I’m holding the leash, the remote, the stroller, doing potty breaks, etc. so that I can keep both Puddle and the stroller safe while we enjoy a great outing and walk together! It takes a lot of coordination and also dividing your focus on the child in the stroller, the dog, and traffic/people/dogs around you when walking the dog along with a stroller so I always recommend that folks work on walking the dog alone first and getting super comfy with the the techniques, the tools and the rules of the structured walk before adding a challenge like the stroller. Small consistent successes lead to the biggest accomplishments!