Dog Meets Baby Blog

Holidays, as wonderful as they are, can be stressful for parents and dogs when friends and family are visiting and routines change.
Planning ahead of time when you’re expecting visitors or you will be visiting someone who has a dog, will keep everyone safe and comfortable.

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When deciding what to do with your dog when there are visitors, consider the following:
the temperament of your dog
the type and length of visit
everyone’s comfort level

Here are a few ideas on how to proceed:
A brief greeting with the dog and visitor, then separate.
Separate as visitors arrive, then let the dog come out for a quick
greeting, then separate again.
Completely separate from the start and remain separate until
everyone leaves.
Let the dog hang out with everyone, but separate during tricky times
(like serving a meal, kids holding food, or kids running around).
Let the dog hang out depending on everyone’s (including the dog’s)
comfort level.

Make your...

I bought my Mom a robotic vacuum (Roomba) for Christmas a few years ago. The following year I bought her a stand-alone mixer. To this day, she talks about those two presents because they made her daily life EASIER.

Dog hair everywhere, dog barking, the guilt because you don't have time for your dog anymore.

I am a much happier mom when the robotic vacuum cleans my house, the dog's barking doesn't wake up the kid (white noise machine!), and my dog just spent 30 minutes working on her meal offered in a snuffle mat.

This gift guide is meant to be practical and make your life EASIER.

If you are tracking Black Friday deals, add the products you like from the Gift Guide to your list. You can find more products I, my clients, and Dog Meets Community like and recommend in the Dog Meets Baby Amazon Store.

For your baby, your dog, and you

Bringing home a baby is a big change for a dog.

The new sounds, smells, baby items, change of routines, and the actual baby,...

“I have young kids, how do I choose the right dog for our family?”

I get asked this question all the time, I even asked myself the same question when we were thinking of adding a 2nd dog to the mix.
My decision process now – as a mom with two young kids with busy social life, aka many playdates – was different from when I was single and adopted Lola in 2011 from Animal Haven.

Puppy vs. Adult

Both choices have benefits and challenges. It’s important to consider how much work you want to put in initially and what will be the best fit for your family.

Puppy

One of the benefits people feel about puppies is, of course, their adorableness and fun nature. Puppies can be raised in your family from a very young age, and you will be there throughout all the stages of their life. However, puppies are a LOT of work and have a lot of energy.

Puppies need to be well socialized (teaching them to feel comfortable with people, sounds, other dogs,...

There is so much advice on the internet when you type in ‘How to introduce your baby to your dog.’ Some tips are great, some are common myths, and some are plain dangerous.

I probably wouldn’t be talking about it so much if it wasn’t for my own experience.

Lola, my well-socialized, well-trained Labrador Retriever, was 5 years old when I had my twins. Typical for her breed, she loved everyone.

But when I brought my kids home, their early-term cries and movements switched on Lola's predatory instincts. The moment she saw them, she was hunting.

My first baby was ready to hurt my 5.5 pound twins. It was one of the most terrifying moments of my life.

As a dog trainer, I knew what to do—and we had a solid foundation of obedience to work from. But what if I didn’t have my kids in a crib? What if I gave her free access to my kids? Just the thought of it makes me nauseous.

I don’t want any parent to go through that fear that doesn’t go...

When it comes to behavioral training, punishment works. Or at least, it appears to…at first.

But what most owners fail to realize, punishment as a training tool often comes with detrimental side effects. So, what are the side effects you can expect?
That’s the problem. We don’t know.
Dogs make associations all the time.

When I first started training dogs, I didn’t know much about various training philosophies and approaches. My mentor trainer was actively using choke collars, prong collars, physical punishment, and leash corrections. There were some treats but given very sparingly. It wasn’t until I started Academy for Dog Trainers in San Francisco, CA that I learned that you can effectively train without the use of aversive methods. I never looked back.

TO PUNISH?

If a dog growls and lunges at fast-running small children and is punished with a spray bottle, sometimes it is enough to stop that behavior. Frequently, “success” is...

Properly restraining your dog can be the difference between life or death for the passengers and the dog in the case of a sudden stop or car crash.

Alyssa whom I met through my Instagram account, messaged me recently:
“My husband has a truck and I have an SUV. The dogs can go in my SUV trunk, although they aren’t secured to anything. And I’m realizing in my husband's truck there wouldn’t be anywhere for them to go besides right next to the car seat. My dogs have been amazing with the little one, but my anxiety just can’t help but think WHAT IF? I already feel like my trunk isn’t “secure” enough, but right next to the car sear is even worse!”

That WHAT IF question is the one that prompted me to look into it as having a 60 pound loose dog next to 6-pound babies didn’t feel safe at all.

No unrestrained dogs in the car, ever!

Unrestrained dogs can:

• interfere with pedal operation
• interfere with the effectiveness of...

Every dog and owner have unique and sometimes subtle ways of communicating with each other. When you have a baby, it is unavoidable that the unique language you and your dog have developed together will be interrupted. Your dynamic will change.

Pre-baby evening routine

Your dog brings you a toy and barks excitedly! Playtime! Yay!
Followed by snuggles on the couch, your dog’s face and paws in your lap.

Post-baby evening routine

You sit on the couch holding your newborn baby.
Your dog brings the toy over and barks! You tell your dog, “QUIET!” and take the toy away.
Your dog jumps on the couch to get attention, but your lap and hands are unavailable. You tell your dog, “OFF!”


Your dog will try the same behaviors that have worked in the past. When those behaviors don’t work, they may try other ways to get your attention, e.g., by demand barking or being jumpy and pushy. Or extra clingy.

What does it mean?

Many parents interpret these...

It is such an exciting milestone when your baby starts solids. But remember: 1) your baby will drop a LOT of their food, and 2) Your dog might try to snag it before it even hits the floor. Let’s talk about it!

Where should your dog be?

Main options:

Your dog waits under the highchair for all the dropped food.
Your dog stays on their dog bed or outside the kitchen during the meal but is released to clean up the floor at the end.
A gate or closed door separates your dog, and you let your dog clean up the floor after the baby is done eating.
Your dog is separated, and you clean up yourself.

My preferred option is the training option (#2). Lola is in a down - stays put until the kids are done eating. But life gets busy, and I don’t always have time to feed my kids, unload the dishwasher, cook, and train my dog.

I love using a retractable gate when my kids eat at their kids' table in the kitchen. After we clean up the table and if the leftovers are safe for her to eat,...

Anytime a child enters your home–with or without their parent – you are liable if a dog-related incident occurs. Playdates can be tricky to navigate, even if you have a great system at home with your child and dog.

I love to organize playdates, inside and outside our house. Pre-pandemic, we used to host drop-off playdates when my kids turned 3.5 years old. Me, Lola, often another dog (for training), and 4 to 5 young children.

Our first playdate:

I assumed supervision and going over the rules would be enough. Boy, was I wrong!

What I didn't expect:

• I learned very quickly that peer pressure is real. Your child who knows not to hug your dog might suddenly start doing it because another kid does it.

What is important to remember:

• Many children are afraid of dogs and may have a reaction that would definitely get your dog’s interest. Or scare them.
• Some children assume all dogs like physical attention.
• Some dogs get hyper around small running kids...

The dog training industry is unregulated in many countries. Literally, anyone can call themselves a dog behaviorist or a dog trainer. When looking for a trainer, ask for certifications*, especially if you don’t know much about that trainer.

*At the end of this blog post, you’ll find a list of the recommended certifications (the US and some international).

In-person or online?

If you have a local trainer you like a lot, great! But if you don’t–or prefer remote meetings–many trainers work online. During the pandemic, it was often the only way to “see a trainer.” Many behaviors can be successfully addressed with cameras during online training sessions or group classes. Some trainers work exclusively online and offer training packages and programs.

In some cases, online sessions are more beneficial than in-person sessions. For example:

Easily distracted pups
SF Puppy Prep is a reputable dayschool for young puppies in San Francisco, CA. At...