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Jennifer Shryock
Jennifer Shryock is a certified dog behavior consultant, who specializes in helping families keep things safe and fun between children and the family dog/s. She has a duo bachelor’s degree in Special Education and Elementary Education from Kutztown University. She combined her passion for working with families, children and dogs into a career in dog behavior, and founded Family Paws in 2002. She developed Dogs & Storks™, an original and complete program for new and expecting parents (and grandparents) who have a family dog.

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http://www.familypaws.com
Dog Safety with Baby Equipment [Edit]
6/17/2005

An article in CNN really caught my attention this week http://www.cnn.com this highlighted a very important topic and one I emphasize in our Dogs & Storks program with new & expecting parents, Grandparents and childcare providers. Safety with the family dog while using mechanical baby swings in the home. The article discussed several attacks that involved an infant in a mechanical swing. It suggested that the motion of the swing may trigger the instinct of chasing prey. Is this really true? Is this possible? My experiences strongly support this finding. I have seen some dogs become desperate to chase and catch the moving swing while others seem to find it soothing. A human moving in the air is not normal to dogs and can be quite confusing even though the swing is grounded. It is important to know your dog’s reaction to different situations and stimuli. Here are some things to take into consideration:
  1. Does your dog love to chase ANYTHING and everything?
  2. Is your dog reactive to sudden motion? Startle easily?
  3. Is your dog sensitive to noise? If so, loud, soft or sudden? High or low pitch?
Adults in charge of supervising a baby must never allow the dog to remain in the room alone with a baby for even a second! This is a consistent key factor in most reports of attacks with newborns and dogs. This point must not be taken lightly. If the adult is not there for the dog to defer to and the baby makes noises the dog may be the first to respond and possibly tend to the baby. This is very dangerous as dogs communicate and relate very differently then we do as humans. http://www.familypaws.com/communication

What can caretakers and parents do to prevent such incidents?

It is best to introduce baby swings and all baby equipment to the family dog prior to the arrival of the baby. Baby swings have all sorts of gadgets these days! They vibrate, make music and even
rotate. It is important to know your dog's individual sensitivities and prepare him well ahead of time. Some points to consider with baby swings:
  1. Once in motion some dogs find the natural desire to chase hard to control around baby swings.
  2. The noise of a vibration device in the swing can have an irritating humming noise for some dogs.
  3. Spinning objects that are meant to be visually stimulating to an infant may be enticing to a dog to catch.
  4. Noises of the music may be irritating to some dogs’ sensitive ears.
It is important that family dogs learn how to behave calmly around all baby equipment prior to its use with an infant. Practice before your baby is home with a doll in the swing. Some dolls make noises and blink eyes etc. It sounds silly but it does help you role play and visualize the real situation. This allows a time for your dog to safely explore as you teach him how you want him to behave. Reward positive and appropriate behavior. Make this a positive experience. Ignore unwanted behavior and teach desired behavior. You do not want the first time your dog sees this new equipment to be when you REALLY are hoping the baby will go to sleep! Many dogs learn that the swing is just part of the new furniture and ignore it. This is ideal but still does not mean that it is safe to leave the room when a real infant is resting in the swing. Refreshing and practicing obedience now goes a long way towards a smoother transition once baby arrives.

Have a plan for the situations such as the phone ringing. Here are some ideas.
  1. Close the door to where the baby is.
  2. Take dog with you.
  3. Put a leash on your dog in the house to keep him near by or to use as a tether to furniture to safely secure him.
  4. Use a baby gate that you must physically lock in place to gate off area when the baby is. (not for those that like the high jump!)
  5. Offer your dog some great outdoor activity in a secured area.
As always it is NEVER safe to leave a baby and dog unsupervised for any reason at any time.

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