How To Introduce Your Dog To A Baby

It is important to learn how to introduce your dog to a baby. No dog or dog should ever be left alone with a baby or child. Babies have no control over their personal space, and dogs can lack emotional and physical control. This is why it is so important for dogs to learn social skills at a young age.

A dog that is allowed or encouraged to put its paw on adults will do so with children, toddlers, and adults carrying babies. This isn’t the dog’s fault, it is just what they have been taught. 

Teaching your dog good social skills will mean that it doesn’t have to be crated or locked away when the baby is around, but rather stays with the family unit, behaving appropriately. 

Our strong advice is that your dog and baby should not physically meet. The dog does not need to smell the baby or its clothes to understand its presence.

Dogs have an amazing sense of smell. They can smell and identify the baby from a safe distance. 

Where To Start

Putting the dog in a pen when a baby is brought into the room is a good place to start. The pen provides freedom for the dog and a safe area, where we can gauge and respond to its behaviour around the baby. A dog pen is a good tool for this initially, as it allows some freedom to train the dog while the baby is in the room.  

Create a positive association for the puppy by giving it treats or a nice chew in a calm, quiet manner. Any negative behaviour from the dog, like jumping up at the pen, barking or overexcitement, can be challenged with verbal correction. 

Good behaviour should be recognised with treats and calm praise. 

This can be repeated over a prolonged period of time, days or weeks, depending on the dog’s response. Most dogs will quickly progress to being free outside of the pen, and this should only be done if their behaviour is calm and stable. 

How To Introduce Your Dog To A Baby

As best you can whilst looking after your baby, try to include hands-on affection time for your dog, to let them know they are part of the family group too. 

Encourage your dog to entertain themselves by giving them a chew or toy. Dogs should never be on the same level as the baby, and we definitely should not offer the baby to be licked or sniffed by the dog. 

This is another good reason to teach dogs that they don’t get on furniture. It creates a safe space for our children and guests. 

When feeding a baby in a highchair, put your dog in a pen out of the way. The area around the button of the baby’s highchair will quickly become a magnet for a dog. As they develop, you could end up with a child deliberately dropping food for the dog, or worse, the dog jumping up to snatch it. 

It is important that your dog isn’t constantly being told off around the baby for jumping or being intrusive. We want their association to be positive. If you can’t control your dog’s behaviour around them, then go a step back and use the pen.