Kids and puppies are always portrayed as immediate best buddies. But sadly, this is often only true in fairy tales and movies. The reality can be a bit more challenging. We’re here to help you out by showing you how to introduce puppy to kids so that everyone gets off on the right paw.
Being completely honest, it can be harder than it sounds. It’s important to introduce kids to puppies slowly. To young pups (or even human adults), children can be noisy and scary. Don’t worry though, we’ll tell you all about it in our guide on how to introduce dogs to kids.
But first, a question: Have you downloaded the Zigzag App? If not, why don’t you get a free trial today? You can trust us when we say you won’t regret it. You’ll receive a full training program tailored to your puppy’s breed type and age, and even access to a team of puppy coaches who are available 24/7. They’ll help with all your burning questions and worries…they’ll act just like a family therapist at this point.
When to introduce your kids to a new dog?
How to introduce a new puppy to the family is an important question. It’s best to go slowly and gently when introducing a dog to kids. Ideally, while your puppy is still with their breeder, they will have had some exposure to kids to get them a little used to the potential commotion.
Before you bring your puppy home, it could be a good idea to take your kids to meet them.. Presenting a puppy as a surprise for your children might be exciting and insta-worthy, but if your puppy is met with loud squeals and boisterous hands, it can be quite scary and overwhelming. It’s already a stressful time moving to their new home, so it’s smart to keep it as calm as possible at this early phase.
Top tips for introducing your dog to kids and babies
- When introducing your puppy or dog to kids, choose a spot in the middle of a room where your dog has space to retreat and get away if they feel they need to. Children can be scary. They make jerky movements, move quickly and can make loud noises, so it’s important your pup knows they’re not trapped.
- Have your child sit on the floor. Make sure they know to be quiet and still. Allow the pup to approach them…only if they want to! You must let your dog approach in their own time and not force them to.. as it might build unnecessary fear and stress.
- Let the puppy sniff and explore your child without them trying to touch or pet your puppy..
- Give your child a few treats that they can pop on the floor for your puppy to find.
- Once your puppy seems comfortable, you can ask your child to offer their hand out to your puppy for them to sniff.
- Make children aware that puppies are bitey, and this is normal for puppies. They aren’t intentionally trying to hurt them!
- Babies and dogs will need close supervision. Babies can grab at waggy tails and pull floppy ears which can easily hurt your pup.
Ensuring your kids are careful with a new puppy
Your puppy is likely to have had limited exposure to kids while they are with their breeder. It’s really important that you teach your kids how to behave around your puppy. We appreciate that young kids are excited to meet a puppy, but puppies can get scared very easily. It’s best to talk to your children about calm slow movements and soft ‘indoor’ voices. Make sure your kids understand that a pup is not a toy to be grabbed, hugged tightly or picked up! We understand it’s tempting, but this is key so your puppy builds a positive association with them based on safety and trust.
Dogs and newborns – how to handle that interaction?
It goes without saying that dogs or puppies and small children should never be left unsupervised. Kids and babies can make loud squealing noises which can trigger puppies and dogs’ prey drive. You might wonder if dogs know to be gentle with babies but the truth is you shouldn’t assume that they do. You should always be careful with dogs around newborns. Whilst they may not mean to, puppies can get rather bitey when this happens. Those sharp teeth and claws can easily damage skin and leave them with bad thoughts about dogs. Best to avoid all that by simply being careful!
For older crawling babies and toddlers, puppies are the source of much delight and fun. However, supervision is still always required. Babies and toddlers like to grab at things, and can unintentionally hurt and scare your puppy. Puppies and small children can be great together, but do require your supervision at all times.
Overall, it’s also important that you know how to calm your puppy down and how to stop puppy jumping up. This will be particularly crucial when children and puppies come together.
Preparing your home for your puppy and children
The best way to prepare your home for children and puppies is to give everyone their own space. Your puppy will need to spend a lot of time sleeping, and it’s vital for them to remain undisturbed when they doze off for a nap. Yep, this means you’ll have to talk to your children about leaving them alone when this happens!
When you aren’t able to supervise, you can create areas of your home using baby gates, so puppy and kids can remain separated. It’s a really good idea to crate train your puppy and/or use a playpen so they have their own safe space to relax undisturbed, and to give your children a break from any puppy biting
The Zigzag app gives you a full behaviour and training walkthrough for your puppy’s first year and beyond. You’ll be surprised by how much you actually wanted to know about puppy training.
Train your Dog to behave around children
Here at Zigzag we’ll guide you through all the obedience and behaviour training you need to create a happy, sociable and friendly adult dog. It’s actually preferable to get the whole family involved in your puppy’s training, so we’ve kept this in mind when designing the Zigzag program.If you have other furry family members read our article on how to introduce a puppy to a dog.
