Top 2 tips for baby-dog safety

This dog is concerned about the baby’s nearness.

See how he leans his body away, has a tightly closed mouth, and is pulling his head back a little.

A dog in such a situation may not choose to move away.

Being with my visiting 8-month-old great-nephew recently was (as it always is) delightful. The fact that the household also has two large dogs set my Family Paws training buzzing. All went well and the dogs were curious, respectful, well-managed and never, ever alone with the baby.

Prevent an issue before it becomes an issue

I regularly hear from families with dogs and children in their lives after there has been an incident of some kind. This could be anything from the dog hiding from the child to a growl, snap, or bite. “It came out of nowhere” is a common refrain.

Other times, the guardians have understood that their dog is becoming increasingly uncomfortable (particularly with a more mobile and vocal toddler), and were just unsure what to do in a particular situation.

Most dog guardians know that when a dog barks, growls, snaps, or lunges, they are upset about something and, chances are, they’re trying to make it go away. That is, they’re using their dog-specific body language and vocalizations to create distance between themselves and what’s bothering them.

Think of what it feels like for a human walking down a dark, unfamiliar street and seeing something vaguely menacing in the distance. We might start with something basic, like calling out “Hello? Is someone there?” and when we get no reply or the object gets closer, we might repeat that a little louder. If the worrisome object continues to come closer, we might start yelling, waving our arms, and possibly even charging toward it, to make it go away.

Our dogs have a similar sequence of communication, from the basic to the much more dramatic.

Tip 1: Learn your dog’s unique body language

In order to keep babies and toddlers safe, learn your own dogs’ subtle stress signals. These typically include:

• Glancing at the trusted human guardian for direction (“I’m not sure what’s happening. What do I do? Help me!”)

• Yawns when not normally sleepy

• Shuffling feet while standing

• Slow eye blinks

• Lowered or tucked tails

• Hard staring

• "Whale eye" - showing the whites of the eyes

• Stiff body postures (in the photo above, the dog’s pushing his body away from the baby and pulling his head back)

• Lip licks that are not around food, a meal, or treat time

• A puckered or tightly closed mouth

• Ears rotated backward or downward, or on high alert

• Sudden grooming

• Sudden stretching

If these subtle signs are ignored, a dog may progress to more obvious body language such as hiding, cringing, growling, barking, lunging, snapping, and biting. These are all behaviors designed to make the dog feel safe by creating distance. Problem is, babies don’t understand what the dog is “asking” them to do - move away.

With body language, context is critical. Some dogs shuffle their feet and do a dance when anticipating mealtime, for instance, a happy event.

This dog may be anxious about a child’s approach, or may be anticipating a treat.

Some great resources for learning your dog's body language are at ispeakdog.org and Lili Chin's book, Doggie Language.

Make it stand out

Here’s a great image by illustrator Lili Chin on different types of supervision, where the most safe setup has a plan for where the dog, adult, and child will be.

You guessed it: #5 is the best example of supervision.

Tip 2: Have a solid supervision plan, in which:

• The adult is fully present in the room (reading, but not napping or distracted with a phone call).

• The adult is positioned between the dog and the child and can prevent the child from approaching the dog relaxing on the other side of the gate.

• Adult and child may approach the dog together (if the dog enjoys this) and the adult can guide the child’s hand to gently toss the dog a treat (when she’s awake of course!)

Bonus tip: Do a manners brush-up

Does your dog come when called … sometimes? Around distractions? Does she leave stuff alone when asked? Will he remain cozy in his crate while you interact with the baby? All these good manners help make life with a baby and toddler much easier.

Do you have a baby in your life? Do you have a dog and babies visit your home?

Set up everyone up for success by scheduling a Families and Dogs consultation; click here to get started.