Dogs and Children

I was reading an article that was kind of interesting and I can honestly say I have no opinion since I've (in whisper....never seen the show by Cesar Millan on "Dog Whisperer"). I whispered that because I do love training and honestly, our TV rarely gets changed from Nickelodeon or Discovery Channel because I rarely sit down to watch it! So I can't comment on the show. I can comment on people's views and comments. Some seemed to be relatively good observations, others were just expressed opinions.

My experience with training has been from living with and training my dogs. My formal education in training has primarily been in horses, which being a prey animal they do have a set of slightly different instincts and responses. The rest of my knowledge just comes from behavior modification that I learned in my degree of Psychology. I haven't had formal dog training classes but really want to find time to take some with my friend and trainer, Ashli. I enjoy it all very much, it's just hard to make time! I come from the the thought of making good behaviors easy and bad behaviors difficult. I've read some books but the rest of my knowledge is from experience.

I did want to comment about dogs and children since I've lived that! Dogs are animals with a set of instinct first, and training brings out the ability to react in a thinking manner. Without training, dogs respond by their own instinct (which isn't necessarily socially appropriate in the world of humans). Dogs respond to others (including humans) with their own pack & dog social rules. Direct eye contact and an upright stance means aggression or domination. Since children are the same eye level as large breeds, and stand with an upright position, they appear aggressive to large dogs and this is why children often get bitten. Children also don't heed a dog's warnings, they don't speak dog and don't usually understand that a dog's growl is a warning- back off, quit, show me submission. If you're going to have dogs with children, it takes a great deal of training and teaching of both the children and the dog. The dog needs to be shown they are submissive to all family members, including the children. Dogs have a pecking order in the pack. Your family is their pack. Their ranking is at the bottom. Some dogs will challenge this ranking and try to be above the children. This should never happen, and if it does the dog will nip and dominate the child and you have a recipe for disaster. Children (whether you have dogs or not) need to be taught respect, empathy, and kindness to others. They have to be taught not to put their face in the dog's face, not to hit, pull the dogs ears or tail, jump on them, ride them, and all the things that children think must be good ideas at the time. My children are empathetic, loving little kids, and before the age of 4, you'll still catch them doing inappropriate things like chasing the dog with a stick. They can't think through their actions and understand that it would hurt the dog if they hit them. It just seems like a good idea at the time. Here's a stick, that dog is running, let's chase it! Young children aren't able to empathize and understand the point of view of the dog's. But what a perfect time (at age 3+yrs) to start teaching them and talk through what a dog might feel if you were to hit it. I've seen children who were not redirected and puppies who were being held by one leg or abused in public. Parents are at fault and then when the dog bites a child, it's "the dog's fault". Good dogs will defend themselves too. It's so important to never let it get that far.

If you have small children and are interested in getting a dog, choose a small but non-fragile breed that is good with children. Many large breeds are good with children, but choose the breed wisely due to the size and height of a child's eye contact. The Cairn Terrier is good with children, with parents who are willing to spend the time to train the dog and the child, monitor their interaction, and redirect the child or the dog when interacting inappropriate. This means a lot of work! Puppies have sharp nails, sharp teeth, and they go through a nipping stage. Their sign of submission is to lick in the face, but we don't want our children licked and/or nipped in the face. It takes a lot of effort to observe and control their interactions and ensure that they are good interactions. Prevent problem behaviors in both the dog and the child and as they grow, and they will have a relationship that can't be replaced by any other. Children who learn to nurture, be empathetic, and be kind to animals carries over to appropriate social interaction and they will become well adjusted children and adults.