Post by Admin on Oct 15, 2013 10:28:42 GMT -7
If you have a newborn baby or have just introduced a new pet to your home, then this article is for you.
Not many people realize the dangers of not effectively introducing your pets and children to each other, and teaching them how to behave around one another in a calm and caring way is the best way to make sure they can live together in peace. The best thing you can do is start teaching your children and pets what to expect for each encounter with one another as early as you can. If you've had a cat or dog long before you had your child, try carrying a baby doll around the house with you, putting the baby doll in the crib or on a play mat and letting your pet interact with the doll, this will give the pet a heads up that something else will be coming into their life. Of course a baby doll and a real baby are very different from one another, think of it as a gentle introduction for your pet, this will make the real baby's involvement in every day life less intrusive and shocking for your animal. From the day your baby is born, make sure to teach them how to respect an animal. Do not let your child pull your pet's hair or go into your pet's territory. It may be a good idea to mark off territories for where a pet or baby can and cannot go, but make sure that you can be able to cross those boundary lines and anytime of your choosing.
If you have pets in the house and are about to have a baby, introduce your pet slowly to the idea of having a baby around the house in the following ways.
* Mark your baby's territory. Since your baby is young and will not be able to mark his/her own territory, you'll have to do it for them, before they arrive on the scene. You can do this by making your baby's room off limits. Do not allow your pets into the baby's room before they arrive or while they are still in the nursery.
* Never leave your child and pet unattended together.
Until they are about age 2 and can easily call for help, or help themselves in certain situations, never leave a pet and your child in the same room alone. Things can escalate quickly between your pet and your child, especially if your pet is territorial or if your child likes to pull hair. Make sure that you or another adult is there to break up a fight or disarm any escalated tension, if a fight or small spat occurs remove your child immediately and tend to any wounds or hurt feelings your child has, Talk to them, even if they can't understand and let them know what happened. If your child instigated this encounter, let them know what they did wrong. Most of the time, your animal was probably just defending it's self or it's territory, take your pet and put him in his own space where they can feel comfortable and not threatened, then leave your pet there until they are ready to come out of hiding on their own, at that moment let your pet and child reacquaint on their own terms. Never force a meeting that they are not ready for.
* Make sure your child and your pet know who is in charge. It's you, by the way. Always be present when your child and pet are together, and always let them know that your in charge, and that if something happens they will both have to deal with the consequences. holding your child out of reach of the animal but still letting your animal be able to sniff around or sit next to you will show your pet that the baby is off limits but nothing to be afraid of.
* Never yell, make load noises or move to suddenly when you are with your child and animal, especially if your child and pet haven't been acquainted for very long. this can raise the tension and make it hard for the two to become friends. Also, remind your child not to scream and your dog not to bark, they can scare one another, and being scary isn't a good way to gain trust or friendship.
* do not hit or abuse your child or pet, ever! First off, it's not right and secondly, if your child watches you hit your cat your child will now think it's ok, and possibly even funny to do the same and vice versa. Physical abuse or retribution is never the answer.
Since the two most common house pets are cats and dogs, below is a list of things you'll need to watch for when you have a cat or a dog in the same house as your child.
CATS:
* Will often try to cuddle up with a small child because they are warm and do not move often, so they won't disturb a cat's sleep. As with many cats, sleeping on your child's face may become a problem, please make sure that your cat is not around your child while your child is sleeping and vice versa.
* Will often mark their territory, especially un-neutered males. Cats may end up marking your child's crib and other belonging or even your child themselves. One thing you can do to stop this is to make sure the litter box is constantly clean. You can also keep your baby's toys and other belongings out of reach from your cat so your cat cannot mark it. Keeping baby away for a while until your cat doesn't feel the need to mark it's territory anymore may also become a necessity. Your cat's need to mark it's territory will lessen as it grows accustomed to having a child around.
DOGS:
* May feel the need to actually nurture your child. Please be aware that if this happens your dog may grab your child by the neck or sleep on your child like it would with it's own puppy, in order to keep it safe an warm. however this can be very dangerous. if your dog begin to try and parent or nurture your child you do not have to stop it's actions, simply monitor them to make sure that your child will not be in danger. make sure your dog dose not try to carry your child away and that it doesn't sleep on your child as well. This may be a small phase that your dog grows out of or it may not grow out of it at all. In any case, please take precautions by being with your child when the dog is present and have your dog understand that your are the pack leader.
* May see your child as a new toy or play mate, especially if you play rough with your dog, like wrestling or tug-o-war. And ware it may seem like a little harmless fun to your dog, it can be dangerous for your child. Make sure your dog is never alone with your child, if your dog begins to play roughly with your child, stop the actions immediately and try to direct your dog's attention else ware for the time being. Make sure your child is okay and then speak with some one (like a dog trainer) who can help you come up with a training program specifically tailored to your dog's needs and behaviors.
* will also try to mark their territory when feeling threated or has their home being invaded by a child. Do like you would with a cat. keep your dog out of your baby's room and keep your baby and baby's belongings out of reach. The territorial actions will calm down when your dog is more accustomed to having a baby in the house.
If you have serious problems with your pets acting up around your child then pet adoption may be a good idea, or having a family member/ friend take care of your pet in a different house until their aggression is curbed. Please do not put your child in harms way when having a pet in the house, seek the correct and immediate attention if a problem occurs. Asking doctor or a trainer to help you identify problems before they happen and taking precautionary measures would be one of the best things to do.
Not many people realize the dangers of not effectively introducing your pets and children to each other, and teaching them how to behave around one another in a calm and caring way is the best way to make sure they can live together in peace. The best thing you can do is start teaching your children and pets what to expect for each encounter with one another as early as you can. If you've had a cat or dog long before you had your child, try carrying a baby doll around the house with you, putting the baby doll in the crib or on a play mat and letting your pet interact with the doll, this will give the pet a heads up that something else will be coming into their life. Of course a baby doll and a real baby are very different from one another, think of it as a gentle introduction for your pet, this will make the real baby's involvement in every day life less intrusive and shocking for your animal. From the day your baby is born, make sure to teach them how to respect an animal. Do not let your child pull your pet's hair or go into your pet's territory. It may be a good idea to mark off territories for where a pet or baby can and cannot go, but make sure that you can be able to cross those boundary lines and anytime of your choosing.
If you have pets in the house and are about to have a baby, introduce your pet slowly to the idea of having a baby around the house in the following ways.
* Mark your baby's territory. Since your baby is young and will not be able to mark his/her own territory, you'll have to do it for them, before they arrive on the scene. You can do this by making your baby's room off limits. Do not allow your pets into the baby's room before they arrive or while they are still in the nursery.
* Never leave your child and pet unattended together.
Until they are about age 2 and can easily call for help, or help themselves in certain situations, never leave a pet and your child in the same room alone. Things can escalate quickly between your pet and your child, especially if your pet is territorial or if your child likes to pull hair. Make sure that you or another adult is there to break up a fight or disarm any escalated tension, if a fight or small spat occurs remove your child immediately and tend to any wounds or hurt feelings your child has, Talk to them, even if they can't understand and let them know what happened. If your child instigated this encounter, let them know what they did wrong. Most of the time, your animal was probably just defending it's self or it's territory, take your pet and put him in his own space where they can feel comfortable and not threatened, then leave your pet there until they are ready to come out of hiding on their own, at that moment let your pet and child reacquaint on their own terms. Never force a meeting that they are not ready for.
* Make sure your child and your pet know who is in charge. It's you, by the way. Always be present when your child and pet are together, and always let them know that your in charge, and that if something happens they will both have to deal with the consequences. holding your child out of reach of the animal but still letting your animal be able to sniff around or sit next to you will show your pet that the baby is off limits but nothing to be afraid of.
* Never yell, make load noises or move to suddenly when you are with your child and animal, especially if your child and pet haven't been acquainted for very long. this can raise the tension and make it hard for the two to become friends. Also, remind your child not to scream and your dog not to bark, they can scare one another, and being scary isn't a good way to gain trust or friendship.
* do not hit or abuse your child or pet, ever! First off, it's not right and secondly, if your child watches you hit your cat your child will now think it's ok, and possibly even funny to do the same and vice versa. Physical abuse or retribution is never the answer.
Since the two most common house pets are cats and dogs, below is a list of things you'll need to watch for when you have a cat or a dog in the same house as your child.
CATS:
* Will often try to cuddle up with a small child because they are warm and do not move often, so they won't disturb a cat's sleep. As with many cats, sleeping on your child's face may become a problem, please make sure that your cat is not around your child while your child is sleeping and vice versa.
* Will often mark their territory, especially un-neutered males. Cats may end up marking your child's crib and other belonging or even your child themselves. One thing you can do to stop this is to make sure the litter box is constantly clean. You can also keep your baby's toys and other belongings out of reach from your cat so your cat cannot mark it. Keeping baby away for a while until your cat doesn't feel the need to mark it's territory anymore may also become a necessity. Your cat's need to mark it's territory will lessen as it grows accustomed to having a child around.
DOGS:
* May feel the need to actually nurture your child. Please be aware that if this happens your dog may grab your child by the neck or sleep on your child like it would with it's own puppy, in order to keep it safe an warm. however this can be very dangerous. if your dog begin to try and parent or nurture your child you do not have to stop it's actions, simply monitor them to make sure that your child will not be in danger. make sure your dog dose not try to carry your child away and that it doesn't sleep on your child as well. This may be a small phase that your dog grows out of or it may not grow out of it at all. In any case, please take precautions by being with your child when the dog is present and have your dog understand that your are the pack leader.
* May see your child as a new toy or play mate, especially if you play rough with your dog, like wrestling or tug-o-war. And ware it may seem like a little harmless fun to your dog, it can be dangerous for your child. Make sure your dog is never alone with your child, if your dog begins to play roughly with your child, stop the actions immediately and try to direct your dog's attention else ware for the time being. Make sure your child is okay and then speak with some one (like a dog trainer) who can help you come up with a training program specifically tailored to your dog's needs and behaviors.
* will also try to mark their territory when feeling threated or has their home being invaded by a child. Do like you would with a cat. keep your dog out of your baby's room and keep your baby and baby's belongings out of reach. The territorial actions will calm down when your dog is more accustomed to having a baby in the house.
If you have serious problems with your pets acting up around your child then pet adoption may be a good idea, or having a family member/ friend take care of your pet in a different house until their aggression is curbed. Please do not put your child in harms way when having a pet in the house, seek the correct and immediate attention if a problem occurs. Asking doctor or a trainer to help you identify problems before they happen and taking precautionary measures would be one of the best things to do.