How to get your dog used to being around kids

This is a serious matter to deal with. If you are having extreme difficulty you should seek out a professional.

Did you know that back in 90’s and early 2000’s that ACS had a lot of cases where dogs were killing kids.

I don’t say this to scare you, but this is no joke.

If you need help with training click on the link below.

Now a lot of people trust their dog enough to leave it with their kid alone and then an accident happens.

Keep in mind, babies are small and do weird things to dogs like riding them like a pony or pulling their tail.

Dogs do not usually intentionally want to hurt your kid, but something might of triggered it.

I’d invite you to look up the story of a family pit bull that killed a 5 day old infant.

This happened in Dunnellon, FL. The mother told investigators that she was in the other room when the family dog leaped up and attacked the infant. The infant died sadly.

75% of the victims of dogs attack on humans were under 1 years old.

Imagine if you were in this situation.

I don’t even want to think if this was my child.

And I don’t want you to have to either.

This story is not unique as this has happened to a lot of families.

Now I didn’t just go looking up this info.

I kinda stumbled upon this idea while I was working out at the boxing gym.

Everybody who knows me knows I can talk about dogs forever. In this case, the manager asked me a simple question about her dog being aggressive at weird times. Her dog even bit her son and this worried her.

He was upset because he thought that if he took care of the dog then why didn’t the dog love him.

I see a huge flaw in this thinking.

You must teach your dog to respect you. The loving part can come after.

How you live with your dog

This is what it all comes down to.

Many people live poorly with their dog and wonder why their dog doesn’t listen.

Hey! back up off my child!

That won’t be you though because after this article you will know what to do.

1. Structure

   This is one of the most important thing you can give your dog. A lot of anxiety in dogs comes from not knowing what to expect. If you have a different routine everyday then your dog will never learn what to expect.

   It is very important that you have a schedule for your dog.

   What time does your dog eat breakfast?

   Where does your dog supposed to go after you guys go for a walk?

   Are they allowed on your bed?

   What time do you put them in the crate?

   These are some questions you should ask to get a better idea of structure.

   Not only will it make it easier for your dog, but also easier for you.

   You probably are busy and have enough things going on in your life.

   Am I right?

   I want your mind to be eased just like your dog’s mind.

   If you are okay, I know your dog will be too.

2. Desensitizing before the baby gets here or around the kids slowly

   If you leave things to chance then there is a chance bad things can happen.

   It is important to teach your baby or child how to be around your family pet, but also teach your family pet how to behave.

   Get your dog used to strollers. Take your dog near an area where there will be a lot of babies, but not in direct contact, such as outside of a schoolyard.

   Also get your dog used to a baby whining.

   This is the most annoying noise for me, so I’m sure it will irritate your dog.

   No worries!

   Just put your dog around a lot of baby noises. You can even buy or play a recording on your computer.

   Also get your dog used to kids pulling on your dogs tail( although I do not advise your child does this).

   Someone mentioned to me that they grabbed their dogs tail, put their fingers in their dog’s mouth, and would frequently take the bowl away from their dog to densensitize him to these things.

   My response to that is that the dog will respect you , but maybe not your child.

   What happens if you kids grab your dog’s bowl away and your dog gets upset. There is nothing your child can do to defend themselves.

   Would you take this chance?

   We have to go beyond this and teach your dog something I will explain below.

   How to get your dog to respect your kids

   KIds are off limits.

   I know this is the obvious, but few people actually teach their dogs this.

   Most people pick a dog with a easy going temperament and expect them to be calm around the baby.

   I have yet to see someone who has a hyper dog think its okay to leave their dog with their child.

   This is why accidents occur.

   Become relevant to your dog and claim the space around your dog.

   This is so important and many people don’t realize this.

   Instead of claiming space they want their dog to be a walking pinata or something to keep their couch warm.

   When you claim space you are telling your dog what they can and cannot claim.

   If this sounds confusing I will give you some examples to help you.

   Ex#1: When the mailman comes to your front door and your dog barks to send the mailman away- your dog is claiming your home as their space.

   Ex#2: When your dog is on the couch and you tell them to get off, but they growl at you-you dog is claiming the couch as their space.

   Ex#3: When you and your dog are on a walk and your neighbor walks up to you, but your dog lunges at them and shows teeth- your dog is claiming you as their space.

These are just a few examples, but i know you get the point.

At the simplest level, it comes down to claiming the space of the child.

There are 3 things you want to do when you are claiming space for your child.

1. Nurture calmness

   Do not get your dog so excited.

   Also be mindful of objects that gets your dog excited.

   These could be balls, ropes, water bottle, your kids’ toys, etc.

   If they excite your dog I would put them away so they don’t get too aroused.

2. Create a bubble around your child that your dog can not enter

   You are not going to let your dog play with you baby. (maybe with your older child you would)

   Create an imaginary circle around your baby. When your dog heads over in that direction, remind them that the baby is off limits while at the same time nurturing calmness.

   How do you do this?

3. Become so relevant in your dog’s life

   You should be able to move your dog when they are in the middle of the doorway. As soon as you walk toward your dog they should back up.

   This is called respecting space.

   If you dog just stands there or challenges you, then you need to work on teaching the dog how to yield to you. Check out the picture above again and you will see how this is done.

If you have any more questions click on the link below.

An example of why and how of structure and freedom with a dog

I've noticed something with a recent client and their dog. Not only was the dog hyper and unruly, he also did not like it when you told him what to do.

For instance, if the dog jumped on me biting my hand and I told him “no” he would jump even more ferociously. He would have his calm moments after a while but for the most part this was his normal behavior.

Now I am a firm believer in punishing biting by the dog. Some are against this and say that the dog will grow out of it. Some dogs do while others don't. I am not in the business of leaving things to chance.

So that is what I did first. I punished the biting at a correction suitable enough to make the dog not want to bite but not enough to cause the dog pain. It is a tricky balance.

The next thing I did was get the dog to stop taking advantage of the owner, who was a sweet woman. She didn't realize that she was giving the dog way too much freedom. He was allowed access to the whole house and whole yard. One thing always sticks out to me is that dogs with too much freedom can never sit still. They are like kids with adhd. These dogs need duration exercises to teach the dog how to calm down and relax in one place. I had the owner and her family sit still and not engage with the dog. The dog looked lost. He had to be in the grass sniffing, in the garbage sniffing, bothering the owner by biting on her shoes, etc. This dog needed something to do and told what to do. The best way to control is to keep a leash on the dog even in the house. Now it is time to give the dog something to do.

When we are in the house I want the dog to lay quietly on their bed. I will usually put the bed next to the couch where the owners watch tv. This makes it easier and no big deal or effort considering the owner is not doing anything they wouldn't do anyways(watching tv). The dog at first kept trying to get up. This is why the leash is handy. You can keep watching tv and feel if the dog is moving away from their bed by holding the leash.

Structure and limited freedom is the key to get your dog to listen to you without doing obedience.

The above example shows one way to live with your dog in the house. By keeping your dog on its bed for a duration of time, they learn to relax in place.

Another way to add limited freedom is to cut off certain areas to your dog. Areas that are off limits might include the living room, the bathroom, a special room. How do I stop the dogs from entering these areas?

I put up little baby gates that you can get from target the store. If you don't put anything across the doorway and rely on your voice then you'll be screaming a lot of “get out” to the dog. Also the dog is faster than you, so they will be in the room before you can get a word in. If you put up a baby gate the dog will respect the barrier and eventually stop without the barrier there.

A structured walk is also important. On a structured walk the dog is not allowed to sniff, pull, or stare at any dog or person intently. The dog can sniff the ground only when I give the okay command.

It is important that you realize that you don't need obedience if you just want to live peacefully with your dog. Rules and respect make a relationship thrive in the dog world.

Some places to adopt a dog in NYC

Bobbi and the strays

2 Rider place Freeport NY 11520  https://www.bobbiandthestrays.org/

Animal care and control

2336 Linden Blvd Brooklyn NY    http://www.nycacc.org

ASPCA

424 E92nd ST     https://www.aspca.org/adopt-pet

Mighty mutts and ollie's place

Southwest corner of Union Square Park (14th Street and Union Square West) and in the Petco - Union Square (860 Broadway, New York, NY 10003)
https://www.mightymutts.org/

ANIMAL HAVEN

200 Centre St NY NY       https://www.animalhavenshelter.org/

Mayor's alliance for NYC animals

244 Fifth Ave Suite R290 NY NY 10001-7604    http://www.animalalliancenyc.org/index.htm

Why I quit PetSmart And decided to start my own company?

Many dog owners go to PetSmart for the money deal. They have 6 week classes for $129. That sounds like a bargain right? Not really because its a lot of filler and making sure the classes are stretched out. I'm not saying that the training is all bad, it;s just low grade compared to what you could be getting from an actual trainer.

Since they are a corporation they are about money. I'm not complaining about that. They promise that clients get a money back guarenteed if they are not satisfied with the class. What I am complaining about is that that money comes out of my paycheck if a client does want a refund. Its not my fault a client wants a refund. They taught me the methods to use and I had to use their methods.

It was bad enough that they weren't paying enough, but this was over the top. Now business is business. I'm sure they were not in the business to lose money. Therefore I agree with those methods to market, but as an employee who loves dog training all around I was upset by the limiting tools and methods I could use.

I remember I had to train a boxer who wasn't aggressive, but he was hyper. The owner had an issue with the dog jumping up on people. I did the petsmart  way but the owner was very impatient. I let him know that it does take patience and consistency. Unfortunately, as a petsmart employee I was not allowed to go to a client's home to offer training. So I couldn't be certain what they were doing at home.

When a dog has behavior issues most of the time it has to do with how you live with your dog. Your dog can know all the obedience commands in the world, but not perform it if you live poorly with your dog.

What I mean by living poorly in simple terms is your dog not respecting what you say because your dog doesn't understand and you haven't explained the rules  the best you can or because you lack consistency.

The dog spent most of their time home and around the neighborhood so that's where I wanted to do my work. Another reason I quit and went rogue was because I hate working in retail. I don't know about how you feel, but to me it sucks. The hours cutting, the short lunch break, the constant standing on your feet looking aimlessly for something to do, the constant need to be pleasant to people who are beyond rude and look down on you. I think I'll pass.

I feel much happier now that I have the freedom to help my clients connect more with their dog in a deeper way. I don't have to smile at every person that walks by like a crazy clown. I can be truthful, authentic, and creative. I love it and my clients love it and do great also. I can't wait to see what the future holds. Some big plans coming soon.