We asked one of the Fur Bae alumni how she successfully integrated a new dog in to a home with young children.

here’s LILY’S STORY

My approach was a little different, seeing as I have two kids at different stages of life and I needed to approach the situation individually rather than as a whole.

With my oldest son, who’s four, we had to have a lot of talks about what it might be like when Lily arrived. We talked about her needs a lot: she will be needing space, she may not know how to play right away, she won’t be walking great on a leash and may potentially be running away (so ensuring doors are shut), and also how she may be feeling anxious, etc. being in a new home.

With my youngest, who is just a baby, we continued to work on the term “gentle hands” and showing him how to properly pet dogs. I also preemptively connected with Shirley, who is the angel behind BC Dog Listener, and we worked on how to make a good transition. We set up assessments and training for after we received Lily so that I could feel confident about the best practices and continue to set our family up for success.

When Lily arrived, we assumed the worst in situations until we really got to know her (we are still getting to know her). After a week or two we saw some new behaviours that, although minimal, we hadn't seen up to that point. They were things like barking, increased leash reactivity, jumpy play - they were a bit concerning to me. It did cause me some stress, wondering if I made the right decision bringing a dog into a home with small children. It’s a big task keeping everyone in the family safe, and one I think that parents have to take very seriously. We stayed consistent — I stayed vigilant — and at around the one month mark, it felt like everyone was settling in to the new dynamics.

Having Shirley as a resource has been really helpful in building my confidence with Lily and helping her gain her own confidence as well. We know that no dog will be "perfect" and they will all have things we need to continuously work on. There are still days when something happens (a certain dog reacts or someone is skipping rope), and I can see Lily revert back to her old ways a bit, but that's okay. She's going to need time and patience, but I can already see her progress and that makes a world of a difference!

Ultimately if you're getting a dog and have this visual of kids snuggling up to their new best friend right away, just be aware that maybe one day that will be the case, but at first there will be some work, patience and precautions to get there safely.

Here are some rules and safety practices we have in place in our household:

• No face to face with the dog — we teach appropriate approaches and pets.

• Let sleeping dogs rest — with my infant I have to physically enforce this repeatedly by seeing if he's heading her way and intercepting.

• Don't touch her bones or treats once she has them — I also monitor for any food or treat protectiveness and noted that raw bones are TOO good to have with the kids around.

• Young children should never be unsupervised with a dog — this means I use baby gates when I can't closely supervise, or I take the baby to the washroom with me, etc.

• If my son walks Lily I have a back up leash attached to me as kids often drop the leash or panic

• If you can include the kids in training that is great!

• In new situations we always monitor how she's doing

• Let her come to the kids to interact instead of the other way around

• Take things slow - there is no point in rushing if it's only going to set you back further

• Teach older kids about dog body language — it's a great way to teach empathy and safety!

I know several kids that have been bitten by family dogs and it is not uncommon and it has nothing to do with dogs being "good" or "bad". We need to teach our children proper interactions and respect. We must supervise children when they are young and learning, as this is something new for them and the new dog you are bringing home. You are all in this together, and remember, patience is key!

KIDS & DOGS.

Here’s a few of Laura’s book recommendations.
Please email us if you have any useful resources.
We are all learning too!