Ever wonder how to keep the peace between your kids and dogs? Managing both can feel like a juggling act, but trust me—it’s so worth it when everyone gets along!
In this episode of The Well-Mannered Mutt, we’re diving into the world of kids and canines. Dogs can bring so much joy to your family, from teaching kids responsibility to being their furry stress-relief buddy. But let’s be real—things don’t always go smoothly.
That’s why I’m here to help you understand dog behavior, prevent those scary bite situations, and show you how to teach your kids to communicate with your pup in a way that works. Plus, I’ve got some fun ideas for getting your kids involved in dog care so everyone can bond and thrive together.
You’ll learn:
- Why dogs are awesome for kids (think responsibility, empathy, and less stress!).
- How to read your dog’s behavior and avoid bites.
- The power of supervision: Why you should always keep an eye on those kid-dog interactions.
- Teaching your kids how to “speak dog” and communicate effectively.
- How to set realistic expectations for the relationship between kids and canines.
- Fun ways for kids to bond with their pup through play and care.
- Simple tips to help kids show affection safely (no more bear hugs!).
Having kids and canines under one roof can be an amazing experience—if you take the time to set everyone up for success.
Thank you for taking the time to help your dog become a more well-mannered mutt! Be sure to tune in to all the episodes to receive more training tips, canine wellness advice and fun activities for dogs and their owners!
If you have questions about today’s episode, or if there’s a topic you want to learn more about, come connect with me on Facebook and Instagram @mannersformutts. If you enjoyed this podcast, head over to Apple Podcasts and leave a review – I’d love to hear what’s been helpful for you and your canine friends. Talk to you next time!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
5 Types of Supervision Poster:
Pet Pat Pause Poster:
Connect with Staci Lemke:
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:
Staci Lemke 00:00:00 Are you living the double life of raising both kids and dogs under the same roof? Kids and dogs together can create some of the most cherished memories, but let’s be honest, they can also present a few challenges. In today’s episode of The Well-Mannered Mutt Podcast, I’m going to talk about practical ways to make sure both your kids and your dogs are happy, safe, and learning to respect each other’s boundaries. Whether you’re bringing a new puppy into a home with kids, or adding a baby to a dog friendly household, these tips will help you foster harmony and connection in your family. Hello and welcome to The Well-Mannered Mutt Podcast. I’m your host, certified professional dog trainer, and registered veterinary technician, Staci Lemke. Join me as I discuss all things dog, from canine well-being to basic training to modifying problem behaviors. Whether you’re a first time puppy parent or have had dogs your whole life. This podcast will help you have a better relationship with your best friend. My passion is to help you have the well-mannered mutt you’ve always dreamed of.
Staci Lemke 00:01:09 Now let’s dive into today’s episode. There’s no doubt that dogs make amazing family pets, but dogs also provide many benefits for children. Dogs can teach kids valuable life lessons such as responsibility, respect, compassion, and patience. Dogs are natural stress busters. Simply petting or snuggling with a pet dog can lower kids stress levels. Learning to deal with stress and childhood has lifelong consequences for emotional health and well-being. Dogs teach responsibility. Dogs require food, exercise, and attention when kids are involved in the daily routine of caring for a dog, they learn responsibility. Dogs are never judgy. Dogs can even help children to become better, more confident readers for kids nervous about reading in front of others in a classroom. Reading out loud to a dog is great practice. Dogs lure kids outside. Walking or playing with a dog in the backyard helps keep kids active. Most dogs are always up for a good game of fetch. Dogs provide companionship. Dogs can be a great source of comfort for kids. Childhood isn’t always easy, and having a dog to tell your troubles to can help ease the bumps in the road.
Staci Lemke 00:02:28 After all, dogs are wonderful listeners. Dogs make kids healthier. Growing up with a dog can help lower a child’s risk of developing asthma and allergies. Studies done in Sweden found that canine exposure during the first year of life was associated with a 15% lower probability of developing childhood asthma. However, things don’t always go as planned. 77% of dog bites come from a family or friends dog. That means these aren’t crazy, stray, vicious dogs running loose in our neighborhood. These are our pet dogs. It’s grandma’s dog or Uncle Bob’s dog. So why are so many children bitten by the family dog? Dogs rarely bite out of the blue. Most often, bites are caused by miscommunication between humans and canines. Here are some examples of why dogs may bite. Dogs may be startled or surprised if a dog is sleeping or isn’t expecting to be approached. A sudden disturbance can cause a bite reaction, and an example of this may be a child who leaps on a sleeping pet like they would leap on their mom or dad.
Staci Lemke 00:03:40 Dogs may be protecting food, toys, or space. Dogs can be protective over items that are important to them, such as toys, bones, or food. An example of this may be a child that approaches a dog while it’s eating or chewing on a chew toy. Dogs may feel trapped. Dogs can become defensive if they feel trapped by a person or another animal. A good example of this is a child that might tightly hug a dog as a sign of affection. And dogs may also be in pain. It’s natural for a dog to be more defensive and warier when in pain. This is because the dog feels less able to protect itself, and an example of this might be when a child tries to touch an older dog that suffers from arthritis. The first step toward creating harmony between kids and dogs is setting realistic expectations for both. Dogs will have different personalities and levels of tolerance. Some dogs are naturally patient and tolerant of kids, while others might take a bit longer to get comfortable around kids. Depending on their age, kids will have different levels of understanding when it comes to interacting with the dog.
Staci Lemke 00:04:42 Setting realistic, age appropriate expectations is essential because both kids and dogs are learning to navigate each other’s world, and it takes time and patience for them to understand how to interact with each other. I think we can all agree that humans and canines are two completely different species. We communicate with each other in very different ways. We humans are a verbal species. We love to talk. Canines, on the other hand, are a visual species. They communicate through body language. Children do not behave, move, or talk like adults do. Their jerky movements, high pitched yells and unpredictable behaviors are difficult for many dogs to tolerate. And since dogs are never going to learn to speak English, we need to learn to speak dog. We need to learn to read and understand their body language. This can go a long way to preventing misunderstandings between dogs and kids. For example, did you know that a wagging tail doesn’t always mean a happy dog? It can indicate excitement, nervousness, or other emotions, depending on the context.
Staci Lemke 00:05:48 By teaching kids the difference between happy dog signals like a loose wiggly body, relaxed ears, soft eyes versus the dog that might need space, like yawning, licking their lips, turning their head away, or hiding their tail. We can teach kids to recognize these cues, which will help them better understand when the dog wants to interact and when it’s best to give the dog space. The second step is supervising all interactions between kids and dogs. Now, I realize that everyone recognizes that supervision is important, but what exactly is supervision? Family Paws is an organization that provides specialized programs and support exclusively for new and expecting parents with dogs, and they talk about five types of supervision. Absent supervision occurs when no adult is in the location with a child and a dog. Without an adult present, there is no way to supervise interactions between dogs and kids, and this can be a dangerous situation which should be avoided. Passive supervision is when an adult is in the same location but is distracted and not watching. Maybe you’re working on the computer or you’re involved in a project.
Staci Lemke 00:06:58 When this happens, the dog is often approached or handled by the child, and the adult is unaware of the interaction until it’s too late. Reactive supervision is responding to the interaction after the dog and the child are already too close. People will often yell no, no, no! Stop to the child or grab the dog and pull them away. Proactive supervision is planning and preparing for safe interactions. This means having a management plan for safely separating dogs and kids using crates, baby gates, tethers, and doors. Any time that you can’t be actively supervising the interactions, you must use some form of separation and management. Active supervision is fully awake and present. Adult supervision. This is the type of supervision that Family Paws recommends for all interactions between kids and dogs. And finally, it’s important for parents to have realistic expectations Patience too. There will be times when kids and dogs don’t get along perfectly. Misunderstandings will happen. Children may need reminders, and dogs may need help in order to understand each other’s needs.
Staci Lemke 00:08:07 Building any relationship takes time and patience. Don’t expect an immediate connection or new best friend for your kids. Successful relationships are built on trust and mutual respect. They’re also not created overnight. They take time and effort. The same is true for relationships between kids and dogs. Once we’ve set realistic expectations, understand supervision, and have put management into place for those times when we can’t actively supervise. We can introduce structured playtime. Structured play is a fantastic way for kids and dogs to bond under supervision. Choose games that allow both your dog and child to participate in a calm, controlled manner like fetch, hide and seek or find it. Games. Games like fetch and hide and seek. Teach kids that they can interact with the dog without direct contact, while hiding treats for the dog to hunt for. In find It games encourages teamwork and allows the child to feel involved in a fun activity. Avoid rough play like wrestling or any games that encourage your dog to jump or mouth your kids. Setting boundaries for physical attention is another area we need to address as humans, which classifies us as primates.
Staci Lemke 00:09:20 We are huggers. For us, hugging stimulates the release of feelgood hormones like oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin, which promote feelings of happiness, bonding and comfort. For dogs, being hugged can feel uncomfortable and even threatening in the dog world. Wrapping limbs around each other isn’t a natural form of bonding. It can feel more like a sign of control or an invasion of personal space. When humans hug dogs, dogs often feel trapped, which can then trigger a stress response. Kids often don’t understand that dogs dislike hugs because they naturally see hugging as a way to show affection for kids, hugging as a way to connect and express love. So it’s hard for them to imagine that dogs might feel differently. Fortunately, we can teach kids other ways to show affection that don’t make dogs uncomfortable. I like to teach kids Pat pet paws. Pat pet paws is a concept that was introduced by another fantastic organization specializing in kids and dog safety, called the Family Dog. Pet Pet Paws works with both familiar and unfamiliar dogs.
Staci Lemke 00:10:28 The first step is to always ask a parent, and if it’s an unfamiliar dog, ask the dog’s owner if it’s okay to pet the dog. Next, pat your leg to invite the dog to come to you. If the dog comes over, then you may pet it. If not, then the interaction is over because the dog has chosen not to interact. If the dog accepts the invitation to interact, then pet the dog with one hand in a comfortable place such as the shoulder, under the chin or on the side. Never reach over a dog’s head. This can be interpreted by the dog as scary or threatening. Pet the dog for three seconds, then pause and see what the dog does. If the dog moves away, then you’re done. If the dog stays close or moves closer, then you can continue petting for another three seconds. And I’ve included a poster that illustrates this for you in the show notes. Feel free to download it and share it with anyone you think would benefit from the information.
Staci Lemke 00:11:24 One last thing that we can do to help kids and dogs bond is to include kids in the day to day care of dogs. Doing this is a great way to teach kids about responsibility, empathy, and teamwork. Younger kids can help by filling food and water dishes, putting dog toys away after playtime, and accompanying parents to the vet or groomers. Older kids can help walk, brush, train and clean up after the dog. Raising kids and dogs together is a journey. It takes time, patience and an understanding of each individual needs. With a bit of effort, you can create a loving environment where both children and dogs feel safe, appreciated and respected. Nobody ever gets a puppy and says, I can’t wait to clean up my first potty mess. If you’re a new puppy owner, you know that potty training can be frustrating and stressful for both you and your new puppy. If you’re ready to stop feeling overwhelmed with puppy potty training, then my online course, Easy Peasy Puppy Potty Training is for you.
Staci Lemke 00:12:29 In this course, you’ll get step by step instructions on how to potty train your puppy with less stress and less mess. Head over to manors for mutts. Com backslash Potty Training to learn more. Welcome to Trainer’s Choice. This is where I share with you my favorite toys, treats, and activities for you and your dogs to enjoy. Since today’s podcast episode was about creating harmony in a home with both kids and dogs, I’d like to introduce you to a truly great organization. Family paws family paws specializes in dog and baby safety and dynamics. They work with expecting parents, new parents, and toddler parents. They also work with veterinary professionals, dog professionals, and birth and family professionals, teaching them how to educate families to create what they call dog aware generations. Family paws has specially trained family educators nationwide to help guide families through the unique situations they experience when raising kids and dogs together. In addition to personalized help, families can sign up for webinars and online classes. They offer two programs Dogs and Storks for Expecting Families and dogs and toddlers for families with kids soon to be crawling or walking.
Staci Lemke 00:13:52 Both programs offer positive, proactive, and fun solutions to the most common issues that can occur as your family grows. If you’re struggling with dog and kid issues, please reach out to Family Paws and be sure to share this information with anyone you know who may benefit from it. I’ll include a link to the Family Paws website for you in the show notes. Thank you for taking the time to help your dog become a more well-mannered mutt. If you have questions about today’s episode, or if there’s a topic you’d like to learn more about, come connect with me on Facebook and Instagram at Manners for mutts. You can also find any links and resources mentioned in the show over at mannersformutts.com if you enjoyed this podcast, head over to iTunes and leave us a review. I’d love to hear what’s been helpful for you and your canine friends. See you next time!
