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 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, and objects). Socialization is about exp

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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 behaviors as their dog being jealous of the...

“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...

If I had to name the number one behavior people ask me questions about, it would be LICKING. Some of you don’t mind it at all, and some of you can’t stand it.

The chances are, your dog doesn’t just lick the baby. Oftentimes, dogs have been licking their family members for years, it is not new behavior.

With consistency, training, and management, your dog can learn it is okay to lick you and not the baby. However, it is important to understand that if this behavior has been allowed and rewarded (even unintentionally), a negative reaction from you when they try to lick the baby, may be confusing to your dog at first. 

You might be wondering, how did you unintentionally reward licking?

 Anytime you:

• Let your dog lick you
• Pet them while they lick
• Look at your dog
• Sweet-talk them
• Show any type of positive (and even negative!) attention 

It could be rewarding to your dog.

Understanding why your dog is licking is key if you want to reduce it.

Here are the most common rea...