Nanny watch

When there is anyone other then Mom or Dad supervising a baby in the home there is likely to be a change in dynamics for the dog. Dogs are senstive to the changing of people coming and going. Some, more then others. This is often reflected in articles of major dog bite incidents that hit the news. Many times it is not the parent who is the caretaker when the bite takes place. Some reason for this may be:
1. The caretaker is less familiar with the dogs responses and signs indicating stress or agitation.
2. The supervision is not as strong or is overly protective ....indicating something wrong to the dog or creating stress.
3. The caretaker is nervous or fearful of dogs
4. Structure that is normally expected and established for the dog is not in place.
5. Structure for the child is not in place
All of these are just some of the many factors that can contribute to the cause of more frequent bites while children are in the care of someone other then their adult people. Childcare providers and anyone responsible for babies can take advantage of our materials via our podcasts, DVD, presenters and so on. We hope that this is helpful in prevention. We invite caretaker also to join us during our free support teleconferences.

Baby Raven playing with 4month old great dane (from you tube) Uncomfortable dog

It is never a good idea to physically force a dog over to a baby by the collar. This dog is hesitant to come over to the baby for whatever reason. A much safer way to do this is to invite the dog over and reward him for calm behavior but not force him to engage. Holding by the collar increases the feeling of being confined and not being able to get away. Several times you can hear Apollo vocalize from the conflict of the situation. This was not comfortable. Might
What could have made it better and safer?
1. Baby sitting on Mom's lap upright.
2. Call Apollo over to you.
3. Hold the baby's hand with yours over top to touch Apollo.
4. Reward Apollo for nice interaction.
This will allow him to gain trust in the interaction and build a nice association.
5. Allow him to opt out if he is not in comfortable or showing signs of stress. It is important that we respect the signs of stress our dogs offer. Pushing them past their comofort level can often get us and them into trouble. For more information about introductions and safe interaction you can visit us at www.dogsandstorks.com