Baby + Dog

[porchpotty]

Kids should never be left alone with dogs. I remembered a story in one of the forums when basically, the dog and kid both grew up together and were like best friends. But dogs have fangs, and when they play, there might be a misunderstanding between them. Thus, parents should keep an eye on them.

[Romy]

Originally Posted by Greenmagick

I let em lick...as long as both are content and enjoying it. The germ issue, eh, the kids get into way more germs playing outside, or at "playplaces" etc. Thats a non issue for me.

Sometimes my dogs eat raw and chew on raccoons, otherwise it wouldn't bother me as much.

[Miakoda]

My kids don't like being licked in the face, so I've worked with the dogs to not do it. My boys are also old enough now to tell the dogs "No lick!", and the dogs know what it means.

[JacksonsMom]

Lilly, my dads JRT mix, is a big licker. She's always given my brother kisses. I think he was around 3 or so when we got her. But licking doesn't really bother me... I let her smother my face too, LOL...

We never had a dog when the kids were young but I remember the cats weren't too impressed with babies. One of our boys Jaime used to sleep in the crib with my oldest...
until those teeny, perfect hands found kitty tail

never knew that cat could run so fast heeheehee

[Greenmagick]

Originally Posted by Romy

Sometimes my dogs eat raw and chew on raccoons, otherwise it wouldn't bother me as much.

My dogs do eat raw I wouldnt let them do full on face licks immediately after a meal but other than that. That being said, my dogs are not huge face lickers, they are more a quick swipe on the way by type.

But, I guess what I mean is if the baby/child and dog both enjoy it there is no harm

[Kat09Tails]

We always had the you may sniff but do not touch rule until the kids were a lot older and understood that fur isn't for deathgrips and we had time to practice soft touch as opposed to whacking the dog in the head.

[vanillasugar]

I'm really appreciative of all the posts for this post! Thanks guys

I think I like the idea of training Sierra to work more on toes/feet than face. Actually it's something I'd like to work on for ALL people for this, not just Carter. I've never had a problem with her licking, but it's something that drives other people, and she's the kind of dog that just wants to give you kisses. A lot. So changing away from face is probably a good idea...

[Kilter]

Just use common sense, unless your dog has worms etc. or just ate a big raw meal, she's likely fine. My kids get a lot of doggie attention and oddly enough we don't have a long history of going to the doctor because they're sick.

I think the germs and dirt they consume scares away any viruses that might think about making them sick.