How old should a baby be before introducing the baby to a dog?
miss me! asked:
My son is 4 months, and the lady i have watching him when im working is a family friend. She has a bloodhound puppy that is 4 months too. Right now she has both the puppy and the baby… do you think that it is too soon for my son to be around a puppy??
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My son is 4 months, and the lady i have watching him when im working is a family friend. She has a bloodhound puppy that is 4 months too. Right now she has both the puppy and the baby… do you think that it is too soon for my son to be around a puppy??
January 14th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
I think that the baby can meet the dog as long as someone is supervising.
January 17th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
yes and no. if the puppy is being hyper as all puppies are sometimes he could hurt your son unintentionally. but if he’s been playing for awhile and is calm then it’s fine for the puppy to see your son. As long as the woman is a competent care give I’m sure that she won’t let the puppy hurt your son.
January 19th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
i dont think so, i think this is a great expirience for him being around a dog for the first time. and if it’s your friend’s dog i’m sure she’d never let the dog harm your baby.
January 22nd, 2009 at 12:58 pm
As long as the dog isn’t agressive (or TOO playful) it shouldn’t matter what the age of your child is.
January 23rd, 2009 at 1:50 pm
We had a full grown dog before I got pregnant. After our son was born, I came home from the hospital and let the dog check out the new addition. He was two days old. Why would 4 months be too early? Just keep an eye on the two when they are together, because neither a baby nor a puppy has any sense of what’s right or wrong.
January 24th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
no i introduce my dogs to my baby’s the day i bought them home that where a lot of people make mistakes not letting the dog around the baby then it get jealous but by now means leave the dog alone with he baby
January 26th, 2009 at 10:37 am
I don’t see a problem with introducing them to each other - just keep an eye on them - puppy likes to nip and babies likes to pull ears and tails — but in the long run - the pupply will watch out for the baby - my brother’s dog won’t let strangers near my SIL nephew if no one else is around.
January 28th, 2009 at 12:10 am
I have been around/had dogs all my life (over 65 years), and during that time my observations have remained fairly consistent. Most introduce dogs and kids to soon, and that will always involve risks.
January 28th, 2009 at 9:35 am
im sure their will be lots of people who disagree with me but i am a certified veterinary assistant and it is not a wise idea to have a dog or any pet around a baby unless you watch them every second .i have a neighbor that got a stray cat and brought it home a few days later she found the cat laying on top of her child so she couldnt breathe and she was in the house at the time turned around for just a few minutes i suggest waiting until at least a year but even then id never ever leave a dog alone with a small child even for a little while no matter how friendly he might be and good luck
January 28th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
As long as there is supervision, everything should be okay. I would really only caution against it if the dog is still a puppy, or has a tendency to be hyper and jumpy.
Both dogs and babies are naturally curious, so they’ll inspect each other. From my experience though the dog can get the short end of the stick if baby decides to start being grabby and pulls the dogs tail/fur/ears. I’ve seen a few dogs react to this with a nip, and parents freak out because the dog did this, but it’s very important to be understanding and observant whenever you introduce a baby to an animal. Don’t automatically assume that it’s the pets fault, even if baby doesn’t know any better.
Just keep an eye on them while they play, and make sure the appropriate one is told “No” if either one starts crossing the boundries of what you think is okay.
January 29th, 2009 at 5:33 am
Now should be fine, let the dog sniff an article like a blanket or coat that belongs to the baby first. then take it from there, just supervise and let the dog smell the feet first then work your way up. good luck:)
January 31st, 2009 at 6:13 pm
As long as he is away from the dog, Not on the floor with the dog. And the dog can`t reach him. he should be fine.
February 2nd, 2009 at 5:41 pm
A four month old bloodhound can be pretty big and rowdy.
ANY time a dog and small child are together they must be supervised CONSTANTLY.
February 5th, 2009 at 6:09 am
They are really being reared together,they will get use to each other fine.Never too soon if he will be around the dog daily.