How to introduce my dog to a toddler? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

CaponeTheYorkie · 04-11-2016, 12:53 PM

Please, help. My friends from Houston are coming to visit me. They are bringing their toddler with them (3 yr old). Capone can be a mean dog, especially when he feels like something is competing with him for attention. How should I introduce them? Should I set certain rules/boundaries? I would be mortified if he tried to attack the baby. Any suggestions welcome!

gemy · 04-11-2016, 02:32 PM

Oh boy I would yes set rules n guidelines But first crate your dog and only introduce him to the toddler on lead. That way you can immediately correct his behaviour. Some instructions to the parents on how the toddler should interact would not be amiss!

Rules are the toddler is not allowed access to crate. Put crate in your bedroom to help faciltate this.

If you are very concerned just keep him crated for the duration of your visitors stay.

Nancy1999 · 04-11-2016, 02:43 PM

I have a two year old granddaughter and it took lots of specialized training with a trainer before I could trust Joey with her. I wouldn't even call Joey mean, but he did get aggressive when he felt threatened. Luckily, his bite is more of "soft" bite, but that's not true of all dogs and if your dog breaks the skin, he could be legally in a whole lot of trouble. I personally would keep them apart except for a few minutes of extreme supervision, maybe allowing the toddler to give the dog a few Cheerios or something like that. You've got to remember that toddlers are so unpredictable, their hugging can become too forceful and a dog might feel threatened. Going for walks might be an activity that is safe to do with the toddler, but mainly, I would keep them apart, unless you want to do intensive training before they visit!

Jellymint · 04-11-2016, 07:33 PM

Yes a tricky situation considering that Capone could have a natural dog reaction to something that could scare the 3 year old and that would be a shame. In circumstances like this working with small children, my preferred method is to find a story to tell the baby that will help him/her keep some distance. My first thought is some sort of the dog is on some sort of medicine and the doctor has said he needs to stay calm so people aren't supposed to give him a lot of attention? Or something.... Something a 3 year old brain could comprehend - or at least play with. It would be different if it was a continuing relationship but if it's only 3 days, then distraction is a good thing.

Wylie's Mom · 04-12-2016, 03:36 AM

Great suggestions above. To add to this, you also really need to consider what kind of parents they are - are they willing to set boundaries for the toddler and will they stick to it, or does the toddler run the show? And does the toddler have any experience w/ pets at all already, bc that would make a huge difference to no experience at all...

canana · 04-12-2016, 07:29 AM

Unless this toddler is a more calm and gentle child, I would keep them separated whenever possible. Most (not all) toddlers have sort of erratic behaviours, like sudden screams/laughs/bursts/zoomies, and that usually freaks out Yorkies. And if it's only three days, it's not really worth the effort to get them accustomed to each other...

But yes, if they do have to interact, I'd keep him on the leash. And make sure the parents are willing to teach the toddler to follow some ground rules as well. It's just always harder when it's other peoples' kids. Those without dogs sometimes find it hard to understand our worries and when/if something goes wrong or the toddler cries, it'll be the dog's (or your) fault

Maximo · 04-12-2016, 09:42 AM

I would keep them separated. How is Capone with visitors to your home in general? With Teddy, it helps to greet the visitors outside first.

My doggies are fearful of toddlers because they tend to move to fast, make loud noises, and are often unpredictable with their hands.

When Max was a puppy and my 4 young nephews visited for a week, it ended up being safer for Max to keep him on my lap or in his xpen.

CaponeTheYorkie · 04-12-2016, 05:44 PM

Wow, thank everyone so much for all the advice. I wish I had thought of posting to YT earlier because they arrived before anyone had posted. However, now that I'm reading the post. Ill definitely do things differently from this point forward and apply some of the helpful tips you all have given.

However, it didn't go very well. I forgot about the fact, when I was three i would pull my neighbors cats, from under the car, by their tails. ( yes, I feel horrible about it now that I'm older.) but I forgot about the fact that kids don't understand animals are living beings too, maybe empathy? Idk though. But the toddler started throwing capone's squeaky toy at him and was really getting Capone worked up. I don't crate Capone but I have multiple baby gates to keep the two separate. Also, this is a very close friend of mine, we discussed all possibilities with a toddler/sassy dog combo, and she accepted the possibility that when she is allowing her child to interact with a small anxious dog he could get bitten. We tried to be extremely cautious with the two so that wouldn't happen though.

gemy · 04-12-2016, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaponeTheYorkie

Wow, thank everyone so much for all the advice. I wish I had thought of posting to YT earlier because they arrived before anyone had posted. However, now that I'm reading the post. Ill definitely do things differently from this point forward and apply some of the helpful tips you all have given.

However, it didn't go very well. I forgot about the fact, when I was three i would pull my neighbors cats, from under the car, by their tails. ( yes, I feel horrible about it now that I'm older.) but I forgot about the fact that kids don't understand animals are living beings too, maybe empathy? Idk though. But the toddler started throwing capone's squeaky toy at him and was really getting Capone worked up. I don't crate Capone but I have multiple baby gates to keep the two separate. Also, this is a very close friend of mine, we discussed all possibilities with a toddler/sassy dog combo, and she accepted the possibility that when she is allowing her child to interact with a small anxious dog he could get bitten. We tried to be extremely cautious with the two so that wouldn't happen though.

You just posted yesterday and unless this was a surprise visit it does do take a bit of time for responses on here/

I think that I would have tried to set things up so there is not a dog *bite* and everyone can enjoy the visit.

CaponeTheYorkie · 04-12-2016, 07:43 PM

Yea she just told me two days ago she was going to come over. Im in college, live by myself and Capone in an apartment and I have friends over often, just never a baby
Also,there has not been a dog bite . That sentence was in reply to Cananas comment on if something did happen it would be the dogs fault. I meant it in the way that she would not want him euthanized If the worst possible scenario happened and he did get bit.

CaponeTheYorkie · 04-12-2016, 07:50 PM

But yes I do agree gemy, I should of posted this question as soon as I found out she was going to come visit.

04-11-2016, 12:53 PM	#1
CaponeTheYorkie Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: texas Posts: 52	How to introduce my dog to a toddler? Please, help. My friends from Houston are coming to visit me. They are bringing their toddler with them (3 yr old). Capone can be a mean dog, especially when he feels like something is competing with him for attention. How should I introduce them? Should I set certain rules/boundaries? I would be mortified if he tried to attack the baby. Any suggestions welcome!

04-11-2016, 02:32 PM	#2
gemy YT 2000 Club Donating Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Huntsville,Ont,Canaada Posts: 12,335 Blog Entries: 2	Oh boy I would yes set rules n guidelines But first crate your dog and only introduce him to the toddler on lead. That way you can immediately correct his behaviour. Some instructions to the parents on how the toddler should interact would not be amiss! Rules are the toddler is not allowed access to crate. Put crate in your bedroom to help faciltate this. If you are very concerned just keep him crated for the duration of your visitors stay. __________________ Razzle and Dara. Our clan. RIP Karma Dec 24th 2004-July 14 2013 RIP Zoey Jun9 th 2008-May 12 2012. RIP Magic,Mar 26 2006July 1st 2018

04-11-2016, 02:43 PM	#3
Nancy1999 I ♥ Joey & Ralphie! Donating Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Arizona Posts: 25,396 Blog Entries: 2	I have a two year old granddaughter and it took lots of specialized training with a trainer before I could trust Joey with her. I wouldn't even call Joey mean, but he did get aggressive when he felt threatened. Luckily, his bite is more of "soft" bite, but that's not true of all dogs and if your dog breaks the skin, he could be legally in a whole lot of trouble. I personally would keep them apart except for a few minutes of extreme supervision, maybe allowing the toddler to give the dog a few Cheerios or something like that. You've got to remember that toddlers are so unpredictable, their hugging can become too forceful and a dog might feel threatened. Going for walks might be an activity that is safe to do with the toddler, but mainly, I would keep them apart, unless you want to do intensive training before they visit! __________________ NancyJoey Proud members of the CrAzYcLuB and YAP! ** Just Say No to Puppymills – Join YAP! Yorkshire Terrier Club of America – Breeder Referrals

04-12-2016, 03:36 AM	#5
Wylie's Mom Furbutts = LOVE Donating Member Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 35,889 Blog Entries: 2	Great suggestions above. To add to this, you also really need to consider what kind of parents they are - are they willing to set boundaries for the toddler and will they stick to it, or does the toddler run the show? And does the toddler have any experience w/ pets at all already, bc that would make a huge difference to no experience at all... __________________ ~ A friend told me I was delusional. I nearly fell off my unicorn. ~ °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° Ann \| Pfeiffer \| Marcel Verdel Purcell \| Wylie \| Artie °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨°

04-12-2016, 07:29 AM	#6
canana Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Canada Posts: 1,903	Unless this toddler is a more calm and gentle child, I would keep them separated whenever possible. Most (not all) toddlers have sort of erratic behaviours, like sudden screams/laughs/bursts/zoomies, and that usually freaks out Yorkies. And if it's only three days, it's not really worth the effort to get them accustomed to each other... But yes, if they do have to interact, I'd keep him on the leash. And make sure the parents are willing to teach the toddler to follow some ground rules as well. It's just always harder when it's other peoples' kids. Those without dogs sometimes find it hard to understand our worries and when/if something goes wrong or the toddler cries, it'll be the dog's (or your) fault __________________ ~ laughter is an instant vacation ~ https://scottieandcasie.com/ :: Custom Pet Portrait Paintings

04-11-2016, 07:33 PM	#4
Jellymint Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: surrey, bc, canada Posts: 117	Yes a tricky situation considering that Capone could have a natural dog reaction to something that could scare the 3 year old and that would be a shame. In circumstances like this working with small children, my preferred method is to find a story to tell the baby that will help him/her keep some distance. My first thought is some sort of the dog is on some sort of medicine and the doctor has said he needs to stay calm so people aren't supposed to give him a lot of attention? Or something.... Something a 3 year old brain could comprehend - or at least play with. It would be different if it was a continuing relationship but if it's only 3 days, then distraction is a good thing.

04-12-2016, 09:42 AM	#7
Maximo ♥ Maximo and Teddy Donating Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 25,041	I would keep them separated. How is Capone with visitors to your home in general? With Teddy, it helps to greet the visitors outside first. My doggies are fearful of toddlers because they tend to move to fast, make loud noises, and are often unpredictable with their hands. When Max was a puppy and my 4 young nephews visited for a week, it ended up being safer for Max to keep him on my lap or in his xpen. __________________ Kristin, Max and Teddy

04-12-2016, 05:44 PM	#8
CaponeTheYorkie Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: texas Posts: 52	Wow, thank everyone so much for all the advice. I wish I had thought of posting to YT earlier because they arrived before anyone had posted. However, now that I'm reading the post. Ill definitely do things differently from this point forward and apply some of the helpful tips you all have given. However, it didn't go very well. I forgot about the fact, when I was three i would pull my neighbors cats, from under the car, by their tails. ( yes, I feel horrible about it now that I'm older.) but I forgot about the fact that kids don't understand animals are living beings too, maybe empathy? Idk though. But the toddler started throwing capone's squeaky toy at him and was really getting Capone worked up. I don't crate Capone but I have multiple baby gates to keep the two separate. Also, this is a very close friend of mine, we discussed all possibilities with a toddler/sassy dog combo, and she accepted the possibility that when she is allowing her child to interact with a small anxious dog he could get bitten. We tried to be extremely cautious with the two so that wouldn't happen though.

04-12-2016, 07:43 PM	#10
CaponeTheYorkie Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: texas Posts: 52	Yea she just told me two days ago she was going to come over. Im in college, live by myself and Capone in an apartment and I have friends over often, just never a baby Also,there has not been a dog bite . That sentence was in reply to Cananas comment on if something did happen it would be the dogs fault. I meant it in the way that she would not want him euthanized If the worst possible scenario happened and he did get bit.

04-12-2016, 07:50 PM	#11
CaponeTheYorkie Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: texas Posts: 52	But yes I do agree gemy, I should of posted this question as soon as I found out she was going to come visit.