Socialising: Dogs and Children

There is no reason why you can’t have children and dogs living in harmony. Dogs thrive in a family environment as they love affection, and are essentially a part of the family. However, there are some precautions that you should take when introducing children to a new dog. Children and dogs are very different – children like to cuddle, scream and play whereas some dogs may prefer to rest or play by themselves. It is important therefore to make sure that when your child is playing with the dog that they are supervised and interactions are watched closely to alleviate the risk of danger. It is important to make sure the dog has somewhere of its own to go to when they are tired, agitated or bored of the interaction and teach your children that the dog needs to rest.

Tips on socialising dogs and children:

• Supervise all interactions, ensuring their playtime is safe
• Make sure the dog can eat their their food in peace with no distractions
• Allow the dog to relax by themselves and if they want interaction, they will seek it
• If you have a puppy you can train them to be loving but only allow the children to love them when supervised
• Don’t allow them play fight with each other
• Make sure your children know to ask a dog owner’s permission before petting them