Adopting a Rescue Dog for a Home with Children
What special considerations are there when adopting a rescue dog for a family with children?
Rescuing a dog is a wonderful thing to do, and many people wouldn’t get a dog any other way. But what if you have a baby? Or young children? What special qualities should you look for in a dog you’re considering adopting?
And how should you introduce your dog and your children?
YOUR NEW DOG COMES HOME
When a dog first comes home to a new family, he needs quiet time to settle in and become familiar with his new home. That process can take several months, so remember that the dog needs time, and often space, to feel comfortable in a new home, where everything is unfamiliar to him.
The children in your family, especially older children, may want to bring their friends over right away to see the new dog. Several kids all at once can be confusing and stressful to a dog who’s coping with a brand-new situation, so give your new dog a week or two to get to know your own children before inviting other children in.
Encourage your kids to be quiet and calm around your new dog, and don’t overwhelm the dog with a lot of child contact. One child at a time is a good rule for the first week or two, as well as keeping those contacts brief. There’s plenty of time later for them to be together.
GUIDELINES FOR A NEW DOG AROUND CHILDREN
Whatever the ages of your children, supervision of your dog and children is essential. When you have a baby or toddler or a child under the age of 6 or 7, supervision should be a given.
Supervision means an adult is with dog and baby whenever they’re together, monitoring their interaction and separating them any time either becomes stressed.
Management is for the times you can’t be there to supervise, or you’re distracted. Management means using safety measures to limit dog and baby contact: baby gates, crates, separate rooms, and any other way of avoiding close unsupervised time together.
GUIDELINES FOR THREE SPECIAL AREAS
While the guidelines below should apply whether the dog is a recent rescue or a long-time family pet, they’re especially important when you have a new rescue dog. It can take as much as several months for a dog to settle in to a new home, so expect that you may see some changes in the dog’s behavior as he becomes more familiar with your family. Be extra careful to supervise closely when dog and babies or children are together.
FOOD:
Babies and toddlers - Food, dogs and babies together can lead to problems, so keep baby away when the dog is eating; no dogs around babies being fed; and when dog and baby are together, keep food out of the mix. More information is in this article:
Dogs, Babies and Food - Not a Good Threesome!
Children 4 years and older - Food around dog and baby only with close adult supervision.
Older children should feed the dog only with parents’ permission and supervision, and only after the dog has been in the family for at least several months. The dog should be taught to wait politely for food and treats and not grab for them. Children and dog should be calm for this.
SLEEP:
Babies and toddlers - The dog should never be in baby’s room unsupervised when baby is there. If baby and dog sleep in the parents’ room, make sure the dog can’t get to the baby at night. Do this by using baby gates, crates, or other safe barriers.
Older children may want the dog to sleep in their room and/or on their bed. Parents should decide if it’s safe, considering the child’s age and maturity, and the dog’s safety around children. The dog should have been in your home for at least several months before considering letting your dog sleep with your child, even if it’s an older child or teenager.
PLAY:
Babies - Close supervision is always important when dogs and babies are together. If the dog tries to play with a small baby, redirect the dog and give him some time away from your baby, perhaps with a chew toy or other way to expend energy.
Crawling babies and toddlers - When babies start crawling and walking, the dog may start chasing the baby. Or the baby may follow the dog around. In both cases, supervision is key to keeping things calm and safe.
Although toddlers are too young to monitor their own activity, you can start teaching your child safe, humane behavior around dogs by modeling good behavior and explaining to your toddler what you’re doing.
It’s easy for dog and/or baby to get excited about playing together, and that play may get rough, so some cautions are in order.
CAUTIONS: Toddlers may make sudden loud noises or gestures, throw things or hit and kick, so it’s an important safety measure to separate dog and toddler at those times.
Never let a child of any age tease or frighten a dog, bother a dog when he’s eating or playing with a toy, or when the dog is sleeping. Avoid roughhousing or wrestling with the dog.
Avoid hugging or kissing the dog. Dogs don’t understand hugs and kisses and can feel threatened by them.
Toddlers and young children sometimes want to pick up small dogs or puppies. This can be unsafe and scary for the dog and can cause negative feelings toward the child.
Older children - School-age children often love to play with the dog, and that play can go sour if it involves teasing, encouraging the dog to get excited, or rough physical play like wrestling.
It’s very helpful to show children other ways to play with the dog, such as games like hide and seek, find the treat, trick training, brushing the dog (if the dog likes being brushed), or just cuddling quietly together. For a child who wants more strenuous activity with the dog, a brisk walk or jogging together may be a good alternative to rough and tumble play.
Questions about your rescue dog’s reaction to children? Wondering if you should get a rescue dog when you have a baby or young child? I’ll answer your questions and offer helpful suggestions for your own situation.
Email me at jane@yourdogandbaby.com. I’ll get back to you right away!