October 26, 2020

Helpful Tips for Introducing Kids to Pets

Kids and pets can be great friends, and can really help a child to appreciate, respect and love another living creature.

That's not all: there are a number of reported benefits for children that have pets. A few years’ ago, a study by JAMA Paediatrics suggested that having a dog can reduce the chances of asthma, and possibly colds.

The study looked at a million children and found that those growing up on farms with animals were 50% less likely to develop asthma at school age.

Nonetheless, when introducing children to our furry friends, there's a couple of helpful tips we can consider, here's a few:

What to do when introducing dogs to newborns?

With nearly a quarter of the UK population owning a dog, it’s likely that your child will encounter a furry friend in its first year. Whether it’s a family pet, friend’s pet or a stranger’s dog that you can’t help but coo over on the street, what should you know when it comes to introducing babies and toddlers to dogs?

Always Supervise

Dogs are loving creatures, but it’s always wise to supervise a newborn and young child in their company, never leave them alone according to the RSPCA. Also, be mindful of your child’s toys and gifts lying around, that can easily end up in the dog basket. Fun kids toys are universally loved, one minute in your pouch’s mouth – the next in baby’s!

Observe your pup

There’s a special bond shared between pets and their owners. If you’re one, this will prove useful when observing your dog and learning to predict and read its behaviour around baby and young children.

By focusing on this, you will soon be able to anticipate your pet’s temperament and act accordingly. When it comes to introducing your dog to baby, don’t forget they need attention too, this will help prevent unnecessary jealous behaviour around children. And as all dog owners know, it’s always important to reward and recognise good behaviour.

Socialise

If you want your beloved dog to be comfortable around children, it’s important to ‘socialise’ them from the puppy stage. Finding a good puppy trainer will help your pet get the right kind of exposure to new people, dogs, cats and children from the early days, making it easier in the long run. This can range from teaching them where to eat (not your kids plate!) and how to behave around other animals, to discourage anti-social behavior from the get-go.

Teach good behaviour

According to the RSPCA, children can be overly comfortable with dogs by hugging and cuddling them in ways they aren’t use to. Plus children can accidently hurt a dog by standing on it, tugging its ears and so forth. Sometimes this can be seen as threatening to a dog, and is the reason why young children are more likely to be bitten than any other age group.

With proper adult supervision and teaching your child how to act lovingly (but not overbearingly) to a dog, it can help minimise this happening.

Examples include, telling your child to give a dog space while it’s eating, playing with a toy, sleeping, or is sick or injured.

Always Ask

It’s good manners as well as general practice to ask a dog owner if you can approach their dog. Most will tell you their dog is very child friendly, or loves attention and you can go forward and give them a stroke. This is great practice for your little one too, understanding that it’s best to ask permission before touching stranger’s animals.

The Dog Father!

How do you introduce children to pets?

In the event that you’re a dog owner going to meet friends with a young child, it’s best to ask if you can bring your dog beforehand. If they don’t mind, be mindful that parents are naturally very protective around newborn’s and it would be respectful to keep your dog on its reigns and at arm’s length. Slowly introduce him to baby from a safe distance. Keep introductions brief – you can increase interactions in each subsequent visit. Or, if you decide to keep your dog outside or even in another room, be sure to keep an eye on their welfare too.

Define boundaries

And finally, if you’re bringing your baby home to a new pet, you may want to consider a ‘dog-area’ and ‘baby-area’ to define boundaries for them both. You may want to do this in advance of bringing your child home, so your dog is familiar with their dedicated space.

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