Dogs & Kids

First comes love, then comes marriage … And a dog! For many couples, starting a family means sharing their lives with a dog before the decision to have kids. Later, with a positive pregnancy test in hand, many dog owners worry about how their first baby" will accept the "new baby." From a trainer's perspective

and quiet crates are always available for dogs who need time away from kids."

A new study shows that unsupervised children are most at risk for bites, and that the culprits are usually family pets. The study, by Vikram Durairaj, MD, of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, also found that if a dog bites once, it is likely to bite again, with the second attack often more brutal than the first.

not just tolerate them. And if she shows signs of discomfort (such as looking away or moving away from children)

Unless you've been living in a cave for the past year, you know that Malia and Sasha Obama will soon be getting their very first dog. Every year, children all over the world experience the joy of holding a dog or puppy in their arms for the very first time. We trust that the Obamas will select wisely, and make the right training choices for the newest member of the First Family. If a new dog is in your future, we hope that you'll do the same.For many kids, getting a family dog is one of the happiest experiences imaginable. However, disturbing dog bite statistics from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) suggest that all is not well in the kid-dog kingdom. According to the CDC, each year, 800,000 Americans seek medical attention for dog bites. Half of these are children. Your best insurance against your family being part of these statistics is a puppy-raising program that incorporates proper management and supervision and tons of carefully orchestrated, positive social experiences for your new dog. (For more about how to carry out an ideal socialization program, see The Social Scene

At one time, our culture was far more tolerant of dog bites than it is today. When I was a kid, if a dog bit a child, Mom's response was, So

One of the things that parents almost always say when they decide to add a dog to the family is, It will help teach the kids about responsibility." That's the hope

We've all seen similarly sensational headlines. In the article that follows such an alarming title, there's usually a quote somewhere about the tragic attack being unprovoked and totally unexpected. Yet dogs rarely attack without provocation, and in most cases the offending dog has been sending signals for quite some time that he was not comfortable with the presence of the child. If the parents had been better educated about dog behavior, and had been paying better attention, the tragedy quite likely could have been averted through proper management of child/dog interactions.

Statistically, dog bites are the number one health problem for children in this country, outpacing measles, mumps, and whooping cough combined, according to Jeffrey Sacks, MD, of the National Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia. The CDC estimates that some 4.7 million persons were bitten by dogs in 1996. Of these, approximately 830,000 of the bites required medical attention, up from 585,000 in 1986. Children are the most common dog bite victims, due to their size, vulnerability, and tendency to move quickly and make strange noises, especially when excited or frightened.

not to mention financial liability.

WDJ: Clearly