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 guests aware of the safet...

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, can be hard on man...

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 away right away. I didn’t trust my dog for months ...

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 temporary. The dog growls and lunges because they ar...

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 airbags
• become incredibly forceful projectiles and injure othe
...

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, she is let i...

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 and could knock them
...

Meet Michelle: Michelle is a sought-after dog trainer and mom to a 4-year-old girl, two dogs, and one cat.

Meet her fur babies: Her dog Izzy is friendly with all people BUT nervous with younger kids and barks if young kids come too close. Frankie is neutral with kids but nervous of adult strangers if they rush her. She will bark if strangers are looming, staring, and trying to pet or touch her.

I asked Michelle to share her story and what she did to overcome the obstacles that come with introducing a baby to your pet-friendly home, as I know it could help many parents who are nervous about that transition.

Michelle’s story:

✔ will give you many ideas
✔ will help you to have realistic expectations about your baby and your dogs
✔ will give you HOPE!

Disclaimer: If your dog has displayed aggressive behaviors toward children, reach out to a certified dog trainer or veterinary behaviorist.

Pregnancy

I started prep work in the second trimester and focused on separating the dogs...

“My son can’t stop trying to pull the dog’s hair and tail, even if I repeat a thousand times that he’s hurting the dog. I feel like I’m constantly correcting one or both of them.”

“I have a 2.5-year-old who will not leave my English lab alone - grabs her face, tries to touch her eyes, grabs her fur really tight. All of these are uncomfortable for the dog.”

“My toddler is extremely rough with our dog. We don't let them alone together. We never let him rough handle her. But even when we are right there, he is super quick to grab her paw or jump on her when she is sitting. I am concerned that she'll snap at some point, or it's negatively affecting her.”

Does this sound familiar?

I asked Caley Kukla, M.Ed., for her advice, as a behavior specialist and parent coach who integrates brain science and empathy into discipline practices. Caley is also a mom to two young children and a dog. Here’s what she has to say:

To toddlers, dog tails are a funny sensory toy that moves. Because toddl...