Tips for rescuing dog with small kids

[Anonymous]

Adopting a dog (thought to be ~2) from a rescue. She was fostered in a home with young kids and did very well with them. We have a toddler and an infant. Looking for tips on the transition. I read a lot about bringing a baby into a home with a dog, but not the other way around.

We are committed to getting the dog, so this is not a question of “should we” but a post looking for advice on the best way to welcome her into our family. We are dog lovers who will get her into training classes right away. Toddler already knows not to chase/ hit/ pull tail/ etc and is very gentle with dogs. Baby is, well, a baby. We will be very cognizant of her space. I can’t stand seeing social media pictures of little kids laying on dogs!

TIA!

[Anonymous]

Holy mother of god you are a fool.

[Anonymous]

Grab the book "living with kids and dogs (without losing your mind)". Great tips!

#1 rule when we brought home dog number 2 (when DS was 2) is that DS is never allowed to approach the dog. He can try to engage her from a distance, but she always gets to choose to come to him or not. It has made things much easier!

[Anonymous]

Even though toddlers "know" things, they are hugely impulsive. Watch and supervise at all times.

Make sure the dog has a crate/space/area that is child free that he can retreat to. The children cannot under any circumstances crawl into the crate. A doggy door leading to a fenced yard is also a great idea.

Little kids lying on dogs is not that big a deal. Do you have any idea how a dog pack works? First of all, personal space to dogs is not that big a concept. Secondly, you want the dog to know that the children are higher up than him. They can and should be able to lie on him. What you you don't want is them grabbing, squeezing, slapping, hitting, throwing things at him, snatching his food.

[Anonymous]

My dog would be very uncomfortable with our kid lying on him—he wouldn’t like it, so we don’t allow it.

[Anonymous]

You. Are. Nuts.

[Anonymous]

Bring some blankets/shirts that have your kids' scents to the foster home so the dog can get acquainted with the smell. Ask if your kids can come to the foster home to visit the dog before the transition. Remember to not "smother" the dog with love and affection and attention for the first few days. Give her time to explore and settle in without too much excited over-stimulation.

Does the dog have experience walking beside a stroller? What kind of dog?

Ignore some of the crazy PPs. We adopted our 1-year-old dog when my kids were 1 and 3 years old. He is now close to 11 and has been a perfect family dog the whole time. If you are a dog person, it is easy to tell whether dogs get along with kids or not.

[Anonymous]

it will be fine, OP. do exercise general good caution. have the toddler sitting down calmly when dog arrives and coach the toddler on giving dog treats and pets. never ever leave dog and kids alone together. for at least the first few weeks, have dog on a leash or otherwise contained and have lots of small training treats on hand whenever kids are around. give the dog lots of positive reinforcement for calm behavior, for tolerating kid behavior, and for anything else you want to reinforce. and teach the toddler about gentle hands all the time. work with a trainer on basic canine good citizen stuff if you're not pretty experienced yourself.

make at least one or two rooms off limits for the dog. (I always made the kids rooms off limits.) and teach the kids that dog food and crate are offlimits for them.

[Anonymous]

Ignore the haters.
You want to make sure that neither of your kids is ever left unsupervised around the dog. The kids are never to disturb the dog while its eating, and don't have food around them where the dog can grab. And set up a safe space for the dog where she can retreat, like a crate. Baby gates and pens will also be useful till they are get used to each other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Even though toddlers "know" things, they are hugely impulsive. Watch and supervise at all times.

Make sure the dog has a crate/space/area that is child free that he can retreat to. The children cannot under any circumstances crawl into the crate. A doggy door leading to a fenced yard is also a great idea.

Little kids lying on dogs is not that big a deal. Do you have any idea how a dog pack works? First of all, personal space to dogs is not that big a concept. Secondly, you want the dog to know that the children are higher up than him. They can and should be able to lie on him. What you you don't want is them grabbing, squeezing, slapping, hitting, throwing things at him, snatching his food.

Good stuff. And if it did well with kids in foster (great that it was fostered) then people are probably telling you you're crazy because of the extra work, not any danger. It is more work, more slobber, more mess, more love! And your kids will be healthier. And you (dogs help our stress!). Good luck.

[Anonymous]

I second the book recommendation, OP.

Know that some shelters and rescues will not adopt out to you if you have children younger than 7. The risk is significant.

[Anonymous]

What kind of irr3sponsible per rescue would give a rescue dog to a home with a toddler and an infant?

What kind of stupid parents would bring a rescue dog into their home with a toddler and an infant?

Some people should not own pets.

Other people should not have children.

[Anonymous]

Make sure the dog does not have even a shred of pitbull in its lineage

[Anonymous]

Don't be afraid to return a rescue if it does not work out.

Don't get a dog unless you can pull it, lay on it and take its food.

We have a few rescues in our neighborhood and they have attacked and killed other dogs.... simply because the owner could not admit that they got an aggressive dog.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Don't get a dog unless you can pull it, lay on it and take its food.

You are a moron.