Dog Owners with Babies/Toddlers/Little Kids

[Anonymous]

What is your tolerance for your dog licking your kid's faces and mouths? And if you are intolerant, how much success do you have in keeping the dog from doing it?

With us, we try to redirect our dog to another part of the kids' bodies -- Lick her stomach! Lick her feet! But we can't always be there. And there's that special bond...

[Anonymous]

I have a three month old and a 50 pound mutt. I don't care if the og licks my DS 's face. I mean, it is not my favorite thing, but that is how much dog connects to people, despite our attempts to change that. If it goes on too long, or hen our og puts her paw in the carrier/infant chair, I put a stop to it.

Of all the things to worry about with kids and ogs, though, this seems like small potatoes. If you haven't yet read Linung With Kids and Dogs Without losing Your Mind, I really recommend it.

[Anonymous]

Been awhile since my kid was young so I don't remember whether our dog licked her at all. But I wouldn't worry about dog slobber on my kid's face and mouth. What I would worry about is the (albeit extremely unlikely) possibility that a dog could snap and bite. I never like having a dog's mouth so close to a baby/toddler's face. I've always loved my dogs but they are dogs and could do a lot of damage if for some strange reason they decided to bite.

[Anonymous]

As a caregiver who doesn't know your pets, I can't allow that kind of risk.

[Anonymous]

No licking kids. YUCK. It's not about biting. Dogs lick EVERYTHING and I don't want that on my LO.

[Anonymous]

It's fine. Instant cleanup!

[Anonymous]

I don't get overly stressed about it, but do try to discourage it. Remember that dogs are flexible and have long tongues and clean themselves...I don't really like the thought of them licking me after clean themselves after a poop...much less my kid However, don't stress, just try to curtail it until the child is older, then he will just move the dog away with his arm. Make sure you do regular dewormers! I do this twice a year, even with Interceptor etc. on a monthly basis. Just to be safe.

[Anonymous]

My dog isn't really a licker, so this hasn't come up.

[Anonymous]

I haven't issue with it.

[Anonymous]

I keep a close close eye. 25-month old and both dogs (50-pound dogs) are doing mouth to mouth, pretty gross but harmless. I'll say "ewwwww, yucky!" but DS just laughs. But I never let the dogs out of my sight with my DS for a second....

[Anonymous]

My dog licks feet obsessively so I let her. Face, maybe I would have tried to stop. But the way she loves licking feet, I'm not sure I would have had much luck stopping her.

[Anonymous]

I stop it if I see it (at least on face and food covered hands that are heading back towards the mouth) but don't stress myself out about it.

[Anonymous]

I try to discourage mouth to mouth contact, but licking everywhere else is fine. My dog mostly licks feet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a caregiver who doesn't know your pets, I can't allow that kind of risk.

What does this mean?