Toddlers & Dogs: Tips for Harmony

Toddlers and Dogs: Tips for Harmony

Dogs and toddlers can be overly excited when interacting with each other.  This can result in pulled hair or tumbling children.  They can also be shy or afraid in uncertain interactions.  A misunderstanding can be dangerous. Both children and dogs need to be taught about appropriate behavior and both need a sanctuary place where they can retreat to be undisturbed.  Here are some tips to promote safe and happy interactions.

Safe Space for both your dog and your toddler

Your dog and your child both need a safe space where they can retreat when they’ve had enough. Your toddler should have a place to play energetically and your dog needs the choice to be there or not.  A kennel is ideal, but a dog bed works, too. Teach your children that the kennel is off-limits and not to interact with the dog when she is in there. Enforce the idea that the bed or kennel is the dog’s private space. A dog needs a comfortable, safe place where the children never go.

Encourage Positive, Supervised Interactions

Encourage predictable and positive interactions to foster good relationships. Involve your child in the things your dog likes – feeding, treats, walks and play. When these things are positive experiences for your child and your dog, they will each grow more comfortable with one another. 

Always supervise interactions between your toddler and your dog. No one thinks their dog would bite their child. Yet it happens.  Each year in the US, about 400,000 kids receive medical attention for dog bites.  Young children are at greatest risk and are frequently bitten by familiar dogs. Stories of what can quickly go wrong during unsupervised interactions are harrowing. “I have examples of 2-year-olds getting bitten in the face, and no one in the family saw it,” says Dr. Berger of the San Francisco SPCA. “I think that oftentimes parents have a false expectation of what should be tolerated from the dog’s end because we all have a story of a dog that does tolerate that. But oftentimes that can later lead to problems when the dog either gets older or if the dog has just had enough, and [the child’s behavior] pushes the dog over the threshold.” Books like Tails Are Not For Pulling, written by Elizabeth Verdick and illustrated by Marieka Heinlen, can help teach your toddler how to interact gently with the family dog.

Identify Body Language

Learn to identify body language that indicates stress. Usually there are subtle signs of distress before a growl, which is a serious sign of fear, anxiety or stress. These early signs can include looking away (averting just the eyes or turning the head or body away), yawning and tense/rigid body postures. If you can recognize these indicators, you can intervene before there is any serious trouble. Looking away is usually the first sign of concern. From the dog’s perspective, a growl is a scream for help.

Always ask permission to approach or pet unfamiliar dogs. Not all dogs are comfortable around kids, so they may not react well to being approached or touched. It’s also good to ask the dog to do something, like “sit” or “shake”, rather than simply reaching out to pet the dog, as this can provide a more predictable interaction for the dog. May I Pet Your Dog?, written by Stephanie Calmenson and illustrated by Jan Ormerod, can help teach your toddler the cardinal-rule of interacting with unfamiliar dogs: ask permission first.

Written by: Shelia Newenham, DVM
Companion Animal Hospital Mount Prospect

Why Does My Pet Do That?

We often get questions from clients about their pets behaviors that can be quite interesting at times.  I thought I would answer some of the most commonly asked questions today and see if you get an answer to something interesting your pet has been doing at home.  If you have other interesting questions don’t hesitate to send them our way we love to hear about things your pets are doing at home and try to make sense of what sometimes seems to be senseless.

Why is my cat not using his litterbox?

This is a common complaint for cat owners and it can be due to a medical problem, a problem the cat has with it’s litterbox (litter type, location, cleanliness etc), or a problem a cat has with a housemate or a neighborhood cat.  If your cat has started doing this it is best to have them seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible because the sooner we start working on it the better chance we have of fixing the problem.

Why does my dog lick, chew or eat strange things?

Puppies tend to do this because they are learning and investigating the world around them.  However if this continues into adulthood there was a recent study that indicates dogs that lick / chew / eat strange things could have an underlying medical issue with their stomach or intestines.  If your dog likes to eat strange things they should be seen and have their gastrointestinal tract fully evaluated.

Why does my cat prefer to drink from the sink?  Dog from the toilet?

Animals have an instinctual nature to be drawn towards running water because stagnant water in the wild is often a place where high levels of bacteria pool that can make an animal sick.  Other reasons are cool water from a running faucet or porcelain bowl doesn’t tend to be tainted with the taste of plastic or stainless steel and just tastes fresher.

Why do dogs circle / scratch / paw before lying down?

Dogs haven’t always lived indoors.  This is an instinctual behavior to make a nest and if the nest is made well it will help them to retain their body heat better.  Many wild animals also display very similar behaviors. 

Why does my cat rub their face on everything?

Cats that are rubbing their faces on things are displaying friendly cat behavior and leaving their scent behind to let other cats know that this amazing thing is theirs and they love it very much.  Don’t you feel special that your cat rubs his face on you now!

Why does my dog pull me on the leash?

This is a very common question and the answer is simple he wants you to walk faster than you are going.  Dogs are very excited to get outside and go for a walk and most dogs naturally walk at a faster pace than their people.  The best response for a pulling dog is to stop dead in your tracks and refuse to move one step forward until there is slack in the leash.  Do this on every walk and your dog should be much better behaved in no time.

Do you know how to smile at your cat?
Cats are always communicating with us and often times you can calm down your stressed cat or let them know you love them with a simple cat smile.  The way to do this is to make your eyes soft (eyelids half open) and close them very slowly and open them very slowly.  That’s it – pretty simple way to smile at your cat (avoid the normal primate toothy grin though because that can be very scary and aggressive to your pet).  Watch our doctors and staff next time you are in and see – are they smiling at your cat and more importantly is your cat smiling back!

Why does my dog always jump up on everyone?
Dogs are very social creatures and most of them really love people.  In the dog world the normal sequence of things is to start by sniffing each others hind ends and then work up to the face.  We humans put our face in a very inconvenient place since we walk around on two legs and the dog just wants to say hi.  If you say nothing and always ignore the jumping then bring your face down to your dogs level once they are sitting and calm this behavior will eventually go away as well.  *Never put your face near an unfamiliar dog though as this could result in a bite*

Do dogs like hugs?
Unfortunately the answer to this is no, unless they are trained to.  A hug or tap on the head to a dog is incredibly unpleasant.  In the dog another dog that comes along and puts a paw over the dogs back is asking for a fight.  If you want to test this theory hug your dog and have someone take a picture I bet you will see a dog with very wide nervous eyes with a happy smiling humans arms wrapped around them.  If you love to hug your dog (and believe me I do) give them a treat when doing this will help them to trust you more and they will eventually grow to enjoy (or at least tolerate) this silly primate behavior.

article written by:

Lorene Rockwell, DVM

previously of Wolf Merrick Animal Hospital, Kenosha, WI