Tips To Create Harmony Between Dogs And Children

When it comes to your dogs and children, harmony is important to create within the home. The last thing you want is to have any problems between your dogs and children, that would mean your dog needs to be sent to a shelter.

A dog has feelings too and when it comes to children, especially young children, they can often be a little heavy-handed. That’s why it’s important to make sure the interactions between them are supervised and handled correctly. Here are some tips on creating harmony between dogs and children in your home life.

Separate your dog and child when required

When necessary you might want to have some separation time between the dog and child. For example, if the child is being too hyperactive, then you might want to keep the child in a separate room from the dog in order to give your dog a break from the chaos. 

The same can be said for your dog, as some dogs might be a little overexcited when it comes to chasing around and knocking off little children by accident. 

Teach your children to pet not smack the dog

When it comes to avoiding any conflict between a dog and a child, you want to teach your children to pet a dog and to never tug, smack, or irritate a dog to the point that they defend themselves.

Encouraging children to be gentle is a lot more appropriate than allowing a child to playfully tug on a dog’s ear or tail. This is the type of behavior that is going to make even the most relaxed dog uncomfortable. 

Provide dog training for dogs who need it

Dog training might be required if you have a dog in your home before a child arrives, or vice versa. It’s important to make sure that the dog knows the difference between right and wrong. At the same time, as a dog owner, it’s your responsibility to know what to look out for when it comes to signs that the dog is distressed or acting differently towards your child.

There are plenty of Denver dog training options locally, or in another location near you, so be sure to find one that matches your budget and needs.

Always supervise your dog and child together

Be sure to always supervise your dog and child together. It’s essential that you never leave your child alone with a dog. You might have complete trust in both your dog and child but you can never truly predict how a dog is going to react towards a child when you leave them alone together in a room.

Make sure that you’re always present, even if that means carrying your child to and from a room.

Give your dog some time alone with you

A dog should have some alone time with you. When you have a child, there’s often a lot of time spent with the child and not enough with the dog. Therefore, it’s important to give your dog some of that attention where possible. For example, when the child goes to bed, have some of your time in the evening, spent with the dog.

These tips will help to continue and create that harmony you need with the little ones in your home.