I’ve had the pleasure of introducing many furry and feathered family members to our bundle of joy a year and half ago, and will be doing so again in the near future. My biggest concern was would they accept him or her. Having a Great Dane and a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, I was concerned about their size, strength, and apparent unawareness of where their tails and feet are at times. A tail to the face as I was sitting on the couch or my toes pinched beneath their giant paws, was not unheard of, as they looked around dumbfounded as to the cause of my reaction.
Unfortunately,
injury to an infant or toddler by a dog is not always an accident and indeed
can be preventable. Aggression or fear
of a new addition to the family is not breed specific, even your tried and true
Labradors and Golden Retrievers
have made the list of breeds that have injured children in their own home. All dogs have teeth and all dogs have the
potential to develop new behaviours, which you would have previously thought
uncharacteristic of their personality, when a huge change is made to their
everyday life. Why does this
happen? Prey drive, jealousy, pain in
our senior pets, or most commonly fear.
Does Fluffy the teacup poodle really have prey drive? Of course, when she picks up her stuffed toy and shakes it or when she chases squirrels in the park, this is prey drive. But why would your family dog see a new baby as prey? Well, as far as your dog is concerned, baby’s noises and movements aren’t far off from his squeaky toys or wounded prey, respectively. Baby also isn’t far off the size of some dog toys and even better, seems to be off limits, all things that peak your dog’s interest. Even toddlers and older children make sounds and movements that enhance prey drive, running/yelling/flailing arms. Many friendly dogs may see this as play at first, but if a child gets scared or screams or flails, this can arouse the dog further, to the point of a bite.
Another potential scenario which may lead to a dog bite is jealousy. I use this term loosely, as it may be better understood as a possessiveness or territorial behavior towards the dog’s toys, food, or even their owner. When possessive of their owner, this may be interpreted as by many as jealousy. When a new family member suddenly becomes the centre of attention, requiring the furry baby to share his owner’s time, this can result in a displeased canine. Some dogs may simply “pout” due to lack of their owner’s attention, others may nudge or even force their way closer to the owner, i.e., between the toddler/child and parent. If the message is still not clear, a growl/snarl or even simple look may be offered as a warning. Dogs are often reprimanded for this behaviour, and may start to associate the toddler with getting into trouble. Even more dangerous, is when baby becomes mobile, and wants to explore Rover’s toys and food dish.
Let’s not forget our senior furry friends. Just like people, as our dogs age, they may develop arthritis and resulting pain/stiffness. They are less able to move quickly to get away from baby if they need to, and may resent what we think is normal touching/petting, due to pain. It’s important to see your veterinarian to ensure that Old Blue’s joints aren’t causing him some discomfort and that perhaps he would benefit from some pain management.
Last, but certainly not least, is fear. The most common reason for dogs to bite children is fear.
A dog friendly towards adults does not necessarily translate into a dog that is friendly towards children. For those dogs that were not exposed to kids, the sounds and movements of children are foreign to them.
When children become mobile, dogs are less able to keep away, and may resort to giving a warning signal, which is often punished by the owner. This will actually increase the dog’s fear/anxiety, possibly even causing them to hide their warning signs. Eventually, the warning signs are skipped, and they may go straight to a bite. Parents are often proud of their fur babies being so tolerant of children, who may impinge on their space, but dogs have limits too, and we need to respect that. It’s not just about training our dogs, it’s about teaching our children to play and interact with pets, so that the pet enjoys, not simply tolerates, the interaction.
Bringing baby home for the first time is a big change for everyone in the family, but at least we get to prepare. Think if one day by complete surprise you found a baby in your home. As humans we have 9 months to prepare mentally for this big change. For our dogs, they find out the day baby comes through the door. Although they may sense an impending change, they do not know exactly what it entails. It is our job as responsible pet owners to prepare our dogs for this momentous event.
So, what do you need to do?
- Set your dog up
to succeed, teach him boundaries, and what to do to get what he wants. This all needs to take place before
baby comes home. We want to teach
manners and patience, for example, teach him to ‘sit’ for everything, yes
literally everything—treats, toys, meal time, play, going outside, even
attention/petting. It’s not mean to make
a dog work, it gives them a means to communicate politely and the comfort of
knowing what they need to do to get what it is they want. You want him to look to you for instruction,
especially as many new situations will soon present. Frequent short training sessions at home (10
mins a few times/day) is an excellent way of getting yourself into the habit of
interacting with your dog to achieve the appropriate behavior.
- It can help to expose your dog to recordings
of babies, and train during these sounds, making sure to give lots of treats
and praise. Start with a low volume and
work your way up.
- If possible, bring a
blanket home with baby’s scent prior to baby’s arrival, with which your dog can
familiarize himself with the scent. This
item is not for him to have, only to smell politely as he sits calmly. He should understand that this is your
blanket and that he needs to respect it. This will help to decrease his
curiosity when baby arrives, as the scent will not be brand new.
- When you
arrive home, hold baby safely out of his reach, have him sit and reward him for
being calm (no whining/jumping).
- Practice scenarios that may occur once baby arrives, such as walking
with a stroller, controlled walking up and down stairs, having visitors to your
home. Make sure your dog has an escape
that he is familiar and comfortable with, such as a crate, gated area, or own room,
for once baby becomes mobile.
- Teach your
dog that when people approach his food bowl, good things happen to him, or that
it’s fun to give his toys because he gets treats or the toy back for doing
so. Train him to love handling. I’m sure that you will teach your child to
stay away from your dog when he’s eating or sleeping or to pet him nicely, but
accidents do happen, so remember to give your dog the tools to deal with these
situations appropriately.
- The key is to
anticipate and prevent. It’s always
those cases where people get too comfortable and say ‘Oh, he would never
bite’. So, what do you do if your dog
does give a warning (e.g. growl)? Best
thing is to redirect the child to another activity first. If the child is persistent, then you can call
Fido over and praise him for ‘coming’.
This avoids punishing him for communicating with a warning and rewards
him for the correct behaviour (to simply leave the situation).
- Counterintuitive, but ignore your dog to some
degree when baby is away or sleeping, as opposed to dotting on him because you
have the time; you want to reward him for good behaviour when baby is nearby,
so that he’ll learn that good things happen to him when baby is around. Along these same lines, ensure that guilt
doesn’t push you to increase the attention paid to your dog in the time frame
immediately before baby arrives home, this only creates a more drastic change
for Fido.
- Finally, do not allow your dog
into your baby’s sleeping area as he pleases.
You can allow him to investigate the nursery, but ultimately, he should
understand that he is allowed in only at your request. This plays a part in making your dog
understand that baby, as small as he/she is, ranks just as high as you in his
pack.
Formal obedience classes will also help to generalize these behaviours outside the home and in the presence of distractions. Ultimately, no matter how much training you do, never leave your dog alone with an infant or small child.
You are the mediator, so recognize the warning signs, and know if your dog needs more space or if your toddler needs help understanding how to interact with animals. If you need help with specific training techniques or recognition of warning signals, don’t hesitate to visit your veterinary team, as they are well versed in these areas.
Dr. Lauren Brownell, DVM
No comments:
Post a Comment