January 17, 2025, 8:40 am | Read time: 4 minutes
For many, a four-legged friend is part of family happiness. But small children and dogs? PETBOOK author Manuela Lieflaender doesn’t think that’s a good idea because many parents underestimate the danger and responsibility that come with such a decision.
For many, the perfect family happiness includes not only children but also dogs. In most cases, the four-legged friend is the first “fur child” before a real baby is born. Then, there are families who think they have to get a dog when their offspring are toddlers. A decision that I find irresponsible. Yes, there are some parents who have the situation between small children and a dog under control. But these are rare.
One Pull and the Girl Would Have Landed on Her Face
Just the other day, I saw such a horror scenario while walking with my Australian Shepherd, Elvis. A little girl, no more than five years old, was holding a five-meter retractable leash. It wasn’t a Chihuahua attached to it – no, it was a briard. The herding dog ran excitedly from left to right. A slight tug on the lead would have caused the girl to land on her nose.
Meanwhile, the mother was pushing a baby carriage with another child and chatting animatedly with a friend who also had a baby in tow. None of the adults noticed that Elvis and I were approaching. I turned around and went another way. I have no patience for such carelessness. Not to mention the fact that I don’t need strange dogs who think they have to defend their incompetent followers from Elvis.
Toddlers Are Often the Primary Victims of Dog Bites
I don’t even want to know what goes on in these people’s homes. There are several studies that show that small children are the main victims of bite attacks by the family dog. 1
There are several reasons for this: For one, young children do not yet have an understanding of danger. Children cannot interpret the body language or behavior of animals. They misinterpret a dog’s threat or retreat as a game and harass and stroke the animal despite these. This makes it all the worse that small children and dogs are often left unattended in everyday life.
The Dog Often Catches the Child’s Head
Most biting incidents occur because the dog has become frightened, for example, because it has been touched while sleeping. Or because it has been disturbed while eating. However, there are also plenty of cases where children inflict pain on dogs by pinching them, pulling their tails, hitting them, etc.
If the dog then snaps – usually after several warnings that are not perceived as such – it usually catches the toddler’s head due to its size. Hospitalization and often post-traumatic stress disorder are the consequences. This was the finding of a dissertation based on data from four Berlin hospitals. 2
Some People Would Be Better Off with a Soft Toy
A Belgian research team from Ghent University came to the conclusion in a study that most biting incidents in children could have been avoided if parents had been better informed about dog behavior or had been present. But there are simply too many people who would be better off with a stuffed animal than a dog, as they have no understanding of an animal and are not in a position to do it justice.
It is also a fact that most parents or single parents do not have the time to look after their child and dog properly. Both children and dogs need to be educated and given clear rules on how to interact with each other. But that’s another issue: nowadays, people prefer to have children educated by teachers (if at all) and dogs by dog trainers (if at all) instead of making an effort themselves. The priority seems to be to continue tinkering with one’s smartphone. In my opinion, that doesn’t work.
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No Dog is Born a Family Dog
One thing I definitely don’t want to leave unmentioned: despite claims by some breeders, no dog is inherently a family dog from birth. That is a myth. Many dogs find living with children to be highly stressful or even distressing. Such dogs are not suitable as family dogs. For example, because they are highly sensitive to noise. For these dogs, the noise level in a home with children can be overwhelmingly stressful. Long-term stress has consequences – one of which can be aggression.
About the Author: Manuela Lieflaender is a certified canine psychologist who has contributed to numerous specialty and lifestyle publications.