Safety is a key concern in households with children and dogs, especially when adding a new family member. Planning safe setups with these dogproofing and childproofing tips for families will help set kids and dogs up for success!

Bringing home a new member of the family, whether human or canine, is exciting and can be more than a little bit terrifying. It’s hard to know what to expect in the coming weeks and months, especially when you’re introducing kids and dogs for the first time. It can change the dynamic of the household and presents potential safety issues that will need management.

The good news is that with a little bit of planning, it can be easier than you think to create safe setups that allow everyone to be included in the daily activities of the household. Here are some dogproofing and childproofing tips for families that can help to promote healthy relationships between dogs and kids in a safe way.

What is a Safe Setup?

Safe setups are ways you can set up the environment of your home to ensure the safety of both your child and your dog. Simply bringing a new dog (or baby!) home and expecting everyone to get along right away puts unfair expectations on both dogs and kids and can lead to stress, a lack of boundaries, and safety issues.

Being prepared to arrange your home environment to promote harmony and healthy boundaries will set your dog and child up for success. Before we go into what a safe setup looks like, however, it’s important to note that your safe setups will look different from other families,’ based on the personalities of your kids and dogs, the layout of your home, and the ages of your kids.

Setup Tools and Options

To create a safe environment, you will need some basic management tools. A safe setup often involves a barrier of some kind, especially when very young children are involved. Some of the management tools you might need include

Crate(s)
Baby gates
Playpens/ex-pens
Tether stations
Separate rooms, if possible

Having all of these tools available will give you options when it comes to creating safe setups. Keep in mind that your environmental setups will change over time as your child gets older and the relationship between your dog and kiddo gets stronger.

Setups for Different Types of Supervision

The biggest question to ask yourself when you’re considering how to set up your home is, “what kind of supervision will I be providing in different scenarios?

There are five different levels of supervision, and making sure that your dog and child are directly interacting only when you are actively supervising is an important part of building safe dog/child relationships. When you can’t actively supervise interactions, a safe setup comes into play.

Some setups might involve two different barriers: one for the dog and one for the child. A baby gate, paired with a crate, for instance, can keep everyone safe by preventing a mobile, curious child from interacting with the dog when their parent is unable to supervise. Or, the crate might be placed in another room with the door closed. A baby might be in a jumper, with the dog safely behind a gate, or in an exercise pen.

Baby gates can also be a great option for setting up parallel play. During parallel play, the child is playing independently on one side of the barrier while the dog plays independently on the other side of it. This can take some of the pressure off of interactions and help kids and dogs get used to each other.

Setup Changes Based on Age

The age of the child (or dog) can make a big difference in what a safe setup looks like. Babies, toddlers, and school-age children have different ways of interacting and moving through the world, which can affect the setup you’ll need.

Tether stations, which involve having the dog tethered to a stationary object in the home (while supervised) to restrict their movement, can be a great tool for newborn babies who are not yet mobile. They allow the dog to be involved in the family’s activities and get used to baby while still preventing direct interaction.

Once a child is mobile, however, tether stations can become a liability. They restrict the dog’s movement but not the child’s, meaning that the dog has no way to escape if they feel uncomfortable. Once a baby is crawling and mobile, barriers are a better solution.

For puppies getting used to human siblings, solutions like a crate and an ex-pen or playpen can be helpful. They can reduce normal puppy biting when the puppy gets too tired and needs a break. They can also help for reducing overwhelm that can sometimes occur in child-puppy relationships.

Young, active children who are past toddlerhood might need activities to keep them busy when the dog needs a break, especially because gates and other barriers are likely to no longer be effective. At this age, healthy boundaries become especially important–children need to learn how to respect their dog’s space and vice versa.

As a child grows up, environmental management will gradually become less intense, assuming that the relationship is positive, with the dog and kiddo getting along well. Eventually, barriers and other separation measures are likely to be unnecessary unless the parent is absent.

Safely Setting Boundaries and Expectations

As the responsible adult in a dog-child relationship, it’s important to help kids and dogs set safe, clear, and healthy boundaries with one another. Very young children can’t always conceptualize gentle, safe handling, and many dogs act in ways that are overwhelming to children.

Parents need to be able to understand basic canine body language and give both the dog and child breaks from interaction when needed. It’s also important for parents to set consistent rules and expectations, teach children and dogs how to interact safely, and be on the lookout for early warning signs of problems. Setting healthy boundaries takes place over time, with management and awareness as top priorities.

Keeping your expectations realistic is important. If you have a dog that is super kid-friendly, then your job will be easier and less management will be needed. If your dog is less tolerant of kids or has trouble sharing resources etc., then you might need to work with a professional in addition to employing additional management techniques or more intensive setups.

Managing your own expectations is critical. Every dog and every child is an individual and has their own unique needs. Keeping your expectations in check will help to minimize risks and problems as you work on the relationships within your household.

Setups for When You Have a Sitter (No Parent Present)

Safe setups when you’re at home will look quite different than setups when no parent is present. If you have a sitter coming in or a family member who will be looking after your child, know that the normal steps you take might not work as smoothly as they do when you’re home. Your dog might be on edge, especially if the sitter doesn’t know the normal rules and routines.

For everyone’s safety, it is usually best if a sitter is not expected to manage dog and child interactions or setups. Instead, having the dog in another part of the house while you’re away (either in a crate or in a secure room) is often the best option. This is especially true if the dog or child is new to the household and there isn’t a lot of relationship history yet.

Supervising Appropriate Engagement and Interactions

The goal of safe setups is to ensure that no one gets hurt during daily life in the home. Sometimes, these setups can help kids and dogs learn how to coexist safely. However, they are usually a form of management for when a responsible adult is unable to provide full supervision or when someone needs a break.

It’s important for kids and dogs who live together to have plenty of opportunities for appropriate engagement and interactions. Providing safe activities, positive reinforcement for appropriate behavior, and enjoyable experiences that allow dogs and kids to get to know each other will help to create a strong bond. There’s nothing better than seeing your child and dog become the best of friends!

Need advice on safe, healthy dog-kid relationships? Sign up for our Patreon to get help and reassurance from our instructors through bimonthly study halls, feedback in our SuperPup Academy Facebook group, or private coaching. We can offer dogproofing and childproofing tips for families, activities that kids and dogs can enjoy together, advice on red flags that might come up, and more!

Disclaimer: If your dog is very uncomfortable around your child and you are worried about safety issues, it’s important to add extra layers of management (i.e. separation of the dog and child, muzzle training, etc.) as you decide on next steps, preferably with the help of a behavior expert!

Dogproofing and Childproofing Tips for Families: Creating Safe Setups