Are dogs scared of babies? Here’s What to Expect

Why Do Dogs Fear Children?

There are two major reasons why dogs may develop a fear of children.

A lack of early socialization: Dogs who arent exposed to children as puppies may become fearful when they meet them later in life. When they encounter children for the first time as adult dogs, they may be extremely frightened by the unfamiliar size, smells, noises, and movements of children.

The aftermath of a negative experience: Dogs may also develop a fear of children after a painful or unsettling interaction. Young children often have a tendency to pull tails, grab handfuls of fur, steal toys, and even poke eyes. Some dogs are tolerant of childrens poking and prodding. Other dogs may develop a fear of children after only one bad experience.

Because its unlikely that a dog will go through its entire life without ever meeting a child, its important that you work on managing your dogs fear. This is not only for the sake of your dog; it is also important to prevent dog bites and other injuries to children.

Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to minimize your dogs fear around children.

If you have just brought home a puppy, start socializing it with children right away. Puppies got through a peak socialization period at around 8 to 12 weeks of age, during which time they should be exposed to as many different situations as possible. Keep in mind that all interactions should be supervised and kept as positive, upbeat, and calm as possible. Working on socialization now may save you lots of time, effort, and anguish later on.

Many people have pets before they have children. Then theyre surprised when their dogs growl or snap at the new infant or toddler. This can be a heartbreaking situation for the dog owner and the dog, but the key to preventing the problem is early and frequent socialization.

Never leave your dog unsupervised with children. This should be the rule for all dogs but especially for a dog whos afraid of children or if its not known whether the dog is afraid. Prematurely leaving them alone to play puts both the dog and the children in a bad position that can result in even greater fear in the dog or an injury to the children. When a fearful dog (or a new dog) is around children, dont take your eyes off them for a second and be ready to separate them at the first sign that the dog is becoming uncomfortable.

Dont force your dog to make friends with a child. Making your dog stand still while a child approaches it or pets it is asking for trouble. If a fearful dog is pushed too far beyond its comfort zone, aggression can be the result, particularly if it is prevented from leaving the stressful situation. Dont put your dog in a position where it feels forced to defend itself.

Because dogs can’t speak from themselves, adult humans need to speak for them. According to Debbie Martin, Veterinary Technician Specialist in Behavior, a dog who is politely communicating its unease with the situation (avoiding eye contact, looking away or walking away), will have to speak louder (growl or even snap) if the message is not responded to appropriately. Ignoring these signals and forcing an interaction will only intensify your dog’s fear of children and create an unsafe situation.

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Dogs depend on body language to assess their environment and the other beings in their world. A child can send out mixed signals for a dog, because this is not how humans tend to communicate.

As with all things dog, your veterinarian is your first and best resource about your dog. If your dog is afraid of children, you may need additional help from a veterinary behaviorist.

During a dog’s growth and development phases, he learns how to be a dog and also how to interact with humans. If there are no children present during this time period, a dog may learn to fear them or perceive them as a threat. But don’t worry: you can teach your dog to feel more secure around kids. Try to make the child’s presence into a harbinger of good. Ask your dog to sit and be calm and quiet in the presence of children and reward appropriate behavior. Be sure to use high value treats that she wants very much. Make sure that your priority is keeping everyone safe and never punish your dog for acting on her instincts.

Provide a Safe Space

All dogs need a quiet, safe space where they can be left alone. If your dog is afraid of children, make sure it has a safe, quiet spot it can get to when children are around but that the children cannot access. If your dog is crate trained, a crate makes a perfect hiding spot. Dont allow children anywhere near your dogs safe area.

If you have children and a fearful dog living in the same household, its important that your children have rules to follow. They should never be allowed to interact with the dog unsupervised, and they should know never to try to take the dogs toys or approach the dog while its eating or sleeping.

Its also important that you spend time teaching your children the right way to interact with dogs. This includes how to touch your dog with gentle petting rather than poking, prodding, and pulling.

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Dogs and children are the stuff of greeting cards, but not if you’ve got a dog that’s not a fan of the pint-sized crowd. It can be embarrassing if your dog is reactive around children, and depending on the intensity of the display, it can be downright dangerous.

Colleen Pelar, author of “Living With Kids and Dogs … Without Losing your Mind,” points out that a dog that’s “fine” with kids is not the same as a dog that’s “good” with kids. Merely tolerating interactions with children can easily tip over into reactivity if a dog is pushed beyond his comfort zone.

Being a pet parent to a dog that doesn’t like kids means that you need to be alert and aware to keep all parties safe until you’re able to pursue training to change your dog’s perception of them.