Dogs and Babies - building trust and staying safe
Dog and Baby Safety Awareness Seminars
Upcoming: 1pm - 2.30pm, Saturday 15th June at The Snug, 71 Leadmill Road, Sheffield, S1 4SE
For new and expectant parents (for babies already crawling, see our private sessions below)
Your dog is part of your family, but your family is growing! I want to help you navigate this new phase of life as smoothly as possible and ensure that both you and your dog feel comfortable and at ease. Setting yourselves up for success and preparing in advance can decrease stress for parents and dogs alike.
Too often new parents will prepare themselves, their homes and their freezers for the new arrival but forget about their dog! This seminar aims to equip new and expectant parents with the tools and information required to prevent confusion or conflict in those early months of parenthood. Family dogs are likely to experience changing stress levels and hormones in their humans, new behavioural expectations, and broken routines, all of which could contribute to unexpected or undesired responses. This seminar focusses on understanding the ways dogs communicate and how to support and advocate for them as they take on their new role as fur-sibling!
LEARN:
how to prepare your dog for a new arrival
how to manage introductions
how to read your dog’s body language - understand how they might be feeling and what they might be saying to you
how to grow your dog’s confidence around children
the golden rules of enjoying time together as a family and setting up for success
Please email dogsandbabies@landeladogs.com for more information or for a private consultation if you are expecting or have a baby that is not yet mobile and would like to understand more about dog and baby dynamics and cannot attend the seminar.
Dog and Toddler Safety Awareness Consultations
If you have an increasingly mobile baby and have any concerns about safety in your home, please contact dogsandbabies@landeladogs.com to arrange a private consultation to learn more about how to keep your dog happy and your child safe as you navigate these new milestones together.
About me:
I have owned or lived with dogs since I was 11 years old. I recently became a mother and am soon to have ‘2 under 2’! My current dog is an ex-street dog rescue mix who had some suspicion around children. As a family we decided on robust measures around how our dog and baby would interact and now my son is 16 months old he delights in our dog’s presence and enjoys calling her in from the garden and watching her play and she is relaxed and calm in his company. Simply understanding that our dog needed to feel comfortable and safe around our rapidly growing and moving infant meant that we have strengthened the bond of trust between us and now have no concerns about how she feels towards him or how she will adjust to a second baby. Family dog walks are a highlight of my son’s day, even if he’s only allowed to hold the lead when it doesn’t have a dog on the other end! We still adhere to the golden rule of never leaving child and dog together unsupervised and will do until my son is old enough to have developed impulse control and can reliably follow directions - we will still have the fire guard up for that length of time too. We love having the fireplace, but we don’t want our child crawling all over it. Simple when you think of it like that, right?
