Introducing Dogs and Children

How to Introduce Your Rescue Dog to Children

How to Greet a Dog

A lot of us learned to reach our fist out toward a dog’s nose to let them sniff to say hi. If you think about this: a fist headed towards your nose! This is actually scary! 

A better way is to turn your side to the dog and let the dog approach you. Avoid looming down or reaching over the dog’s head.  

Dogs who want to say hi to humans will say hi–and you’ll see relaxed, wiggly body language. A dog who is not approaching to sniff is communicating something loudly. They are not comfortable. 

When first petting the dog, pet the dog’s side or chest. Avoid the top of the head. Again, think how it feels to be patted on the top of your head by someone you’ve just met. Weird!

 

Use Consent Tests

How do you know if a dog is comfortable with greeting, touch, or pets? The best way is to ask the dog. You can do this by observing body language. After a few seconds of pets, stop. Wait and see what the dog does. Do they lean into you? Nudge your hand for more? That’s a yes. 

Do they move away or stay still? That’s a no.  

This is a great thing to teach children to do. 

This also works for dog-dog introductions. If you aren’t sure if play is too rough or if dogs are enjoying each other, ask! Separate the dog’s briefly. Let the dog who looked like they were getting rough-housed choose whether to return to the play. If they go back for more, they were likely enjoying it. If not, they could use a break. 

Here’s a great video about consent tests: Does Your Dog Really Want to be Petted?

Respect the Growl

It’s a good idea (and accurate, from the dog’s point of view) to view growling as communication. When a dog growls, stop what you are doing. By doing so, you are teaching the dog that a growl works and they don’t need to escalate to a snarl, snap, or bite when they are uncomfortable with something.  

Then, you can begin to look for the less obvious signs your dog is uncomfortable, which could include: stiffening, staring, rolling over, raising a paw, crouching, tucking their tail, creeping, ears back, turning away, or yawning, blinking, or nose licking. 

The better you get at reading your dog’s quiet cues, the less they will need to shout.

Watch the following video from Fear Free Happy Homes on dog body language:

All Dogs Bite!

Some dogs may be very tolerant, however it’s important to know that all dogs may bite when in pain or scared. An important factor is “bite inhibition” – how hard the dog bites when they bite, which is something dogs learn as puppies. Always supervise interactions between children and dogs and teach children to give dogs space.

All animals in a home should have a sanctuary space –it could be a crate, bed, or room—somewhere they can go and count on not being disturbed.