# What age child is okay to introduce my dog to? Tips for very young children?



## Sandy.klo (Sep 4, 2016)

We were pleasantly surprised that our rescue Pit-Boxer LOVES kids. She is very calm generally, and we quickly learned she really really likes kids. But the youngest child she has met is four, an extended family member. During gatherings, she often likes to follow around the little kids, and tries to sit and lie with them without being too forward. She has been 'booped' by plenty of items and hands, and absolutely adores it, which is pretty cute and funny.
We have some neighbors with a young baby, and also some toddler cousins that may come into town for Christmas. We firmly believe any child-large dog interaction should be carefully supervised, but what age if child should you generally allow to pet a dog? Bf and I both have lots of experience with dogs, but very little with small children, or toddlers and dogs. I've worked at daycares and kennels, etc for several years, but have basically no experience with babies...


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## Joao M (May 30, 2016)

Both boxers and pits usually love kids.
My personal opinion is that as long as things are supervised there is no strikct "minimum age". 
I have 3 kids of my own and they started interacting with the dogs I have had in the past (always large or xl breeds) as soon as they started to crawl. The important thing is to see that both kid and dog are having a good experience.


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## Lillith (Feb 16, 2016)

Babies that aren't moving around yet are pretty much a non-issue because they aren't going to bother the dog at all. You could get infants a playpen so dogs can't accidentally step on them if you are worried about something like that. 

If they dog enjoys being "booped" and wants to be near the children, and she is gentle and well-behaved, then allow her to interact but make sure the children understand ear pulling, hair pulling, whatever is not allowed. Also, make sure your dog has a safe place to retreat to if things get too wild for her.

Another thing I do when my dog is around children is keep him on a leash until he understands his boundaries, but he is a 1 year old dog who has yet to understand 50lbs is not light, lol. He likes to sit on children like he would an adult....


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

There's a lot out there on teaching children to properly behave around dogs. See thefamilydog.com for some ideas. My son adopted a good sized adolescent dog and has 4 year old twins. His daughter is huge on hugging and pulling the dog around. Not okay. There's a video on the site, sit/pat/pause that has been helpful for them. Teaching them to freeze when dog is being bouncy is important and the twins use that a lot! Get a box of tissues and watch stop the 77 video.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Put the kid on a leash and let the dog be free. Only half joking. If you have a dog that likes kids, 90% of your problems or potential problems are likely to stem from the kid's actions rather than the dog's

Supervision is key but that doesn't just mean eyes-on, it means arm's length too in the beginning at least. Not across the room, not looking at your phone. It means being right there.

I introduced my dog Chester to my close friends' child basically from 3-4 months old. I introduced Eva when the kid was maybe a year old? (I didn't wait to have Eva around the kiddo, that was just timing)

Toddlers are just plain hard to control so i would only introduce my dogs to toddlers that I have a good reason to have to have the dogs around. Slightly older kids, around 5+, are much better at taking simple instructions about petting the dogs and such so they are allowed to meet the dogs on the street/in public.


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## Sandy.klo (Sep 4, 2016)

Thank you, everyone! This is fantastic info! Kathyy, I am very excited to check out the website you recommended.
I am also wondering, if she understands and loves kids, is it likely she'll understand babies are younger versions of human pups? I guess one worry is that if a child is young enough, maybe she wouldn't immediately realize it's a person puppy, and mistake it for an animal? O assume this sounds ridiculous, since she has clearly displayed she understands the concept of children, I just want to be sure. I've interacted with so many dogs, but almost never with children AND dogs. Thoughts?


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