Is my dog safe with a newborn baby?
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
Most family dogs can live safely with a baby, but only with preparation and supervision. Start training and routine changes months before the birth, introduce the dog calmly, and never leave a dog and a baby alone together, even a gentle dog, even for a minute. Most serious bites to young children come from a familiar dog at home.
Watch for stress signs such as a stiff body, avoiding the baby, growling or showing teeth, and never punish a warning. If your dog has ever shown aggression, or does around the baby, get help from a qualified behaviour professional before the baby comes home.
- Meet your sitter first, free
- PAN-checked, first-aid trained
- A photo every day
- Pay through Petym, never cash
Why do dogs and babies need supervision?
Because the risk is mostly at home, from a dog the family knows.
A review of 277 children treated for dog bites at a South Australian children's hospital found the highest injury rates in children aged 0 to 4. In that age group, 89.5% were bitten by a familiar dog and 92.5% of bites happened at home, and the head and neck were the most common places injured. Almost half of all the children needed at least one operation under general anaesthetic.
A 2017 survey of 402 families with a child up to 6 years and a dog found that ordinary, friendly contact, such as petting, as well as taking things from the dog, often comes before a bite from the family dog, and that dogs who had lived in the home longer than the child showed more fear-related behaviour towards it. The authors call for bite prevention aimed at parents very early in the child and dog relationship. Dogs Trust's advice is short: always be actively engaged when supervising, and never leave dogs and babies alone.
How do I prepare my dog before the baby arrives?
Start as early in the pregnancy as you can. Changes made after the baby comes feel like the baby's fault to a dog.
Months before
Brush up training with rewards: sit, down, stay, leave it and settling on a bed or mat. Teach the dog to relax on the other side of a baby gate from you. ASPCA
Months before
Move towards the new routine now: walk and feeding times, who walks the dog, and any day care or walker you plan to use. ASPCA
Weeks before
Decide whether the baby's room is off limits. If so, close the door or fit a tall gate; if not, put a dog bed in the room. ASPCA
Weeks before
Play recordings of baby sounds, quietly at first, with treats. If your dog looks worried, stop and go down a volume level next time. Dogs Trust
Weeks before
Use baby lotion and powder on yourself so the smells become familiar, and practise walking the dog beside the pram. ASPCA
Before the birth
A vet check: vaccinations up to date, and the dog tested and treated for worms, as CDC advises; young children are most at risk from roundworm in dog poo. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
How do I introduce my dog to the baby?
Greet the dog first
Let other family members go in first so the dog can greet people with its usual excitement, then come in calmly. ASPCA
Lead on, helper ready
Have someone hold the dog on a loose lead and offer treats, in a quiet room. ASPCA
Short and calm
Let the dog sniff from a little distance while you stay relaxed. Keep it brief and praise calm behaviour. ASPCA
No forcing
Never force your dog to interact with the baby. Let it choose to come close or move away. ASPCA
What are the house rules once the baby is home?
Do
- Supervise every moment the dog and baby share a room. If you cannot watch, separate them with a gate, a closed door or a crate the dog likes. Dogs Trust
- Use baby gates to keep visitors' attention and the dog's excitement apart in the first weeks. Dogs Trust
- Keep giving the dog walks, play and attention, including when the baby is awake, so good things happen around the baby. ASPCA
- Wash hands after handling the dog and before feeding the baby, and pick up dog poo every time. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Don’t
- Never leave the baby on the floor, a low bed or a sofa with the dog, even asleep. Dogs Trust
- Do not punish growling or other warnings. It can remove the dog's way of telling you it is uncomfortable. ASPCA
- Do not let the baby or a crawling child near the dog's food, bones or toys. Taking things from a dog often comes before a bite. Frontiers in Veterinary Science (2017), Arhant C, Beetz AM, Troxler Jstudy
- Do not rely on 'he loves children'. Most bites to young children come from a familiar dog at home. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health (2014), Chiam SC et al.study
What signs tell me my dog is not coping?
Act on these early. ASPCA advises calling a qualified behaviour professional immediately if a dog shows aggression towards a baby.
What if the dog bites or scratches the baby?
If Any bite or scratch that breaks the skin
Wash the wound at once with plenty of soap and running water, do not apply chillies, oil or anything else, and take the baby to a doctor or a government anti-rabies clinic the same day. The doctor decides on treatment. National Centre for Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
If A bite to the face or head, or heavy bleeding
Go to the nearest hospital emergency department now.
If The dog growls, snaps or stares at the baby
Separate them now, and contact a qualified behaviour professional before allowing any more contact. ASPCA
Can a sitter or walker help in the first weeks?
ASPCA suggests practising new arrangements such as dog walkers or day care before the baby arrives, so the change is not sudden. A walker who comes at fixed times, or a sitter during the hospital stay, keeps the dog's routine steady when yours is not. Petym is not open for bookings yet; when it is, a free meet and greet comes before any booking.
Going away soon? Tell us your dates.
A checked local sitter feeds, walks and keeps your pet company at home, follows your care sheet to the letter and sends a photo every day. Petym is opening city by city: send your dates and we will tell you when a sitter can take them.
- Meet your sitter first, free
- PAN-checked, first-aid trained
- A photo every day
- Pay through Petym, never cash
Questions owners ask
Can my dog sleep in the same room as my newborn?
- Only if you are awake and watching. Dogs Trust says never leave dogs and babies alone, and a sleeping parent is not supervising. Give the dog its own bed outside the nursery or behind a gate at night, and practise that arrangement before the baby arrives.
Is my dog jealous of the baby?
- What looks like jealousy is usually stress at sudden changes in routine, attention and noise. ASPCA advises making routine changes before the birth and keeping good things, walks, play and treats, happening around the baby. If your dog seems anxious or tense near the baby, talk to a qualified behaviour professional.
Can my dog lick my baby?
- It is best avoided, especially the face and hands, and the dog should never be close to the baby unsupervised. Keep your dog dewormed and on tick prevention, wash hands after handling the dog, and pick up dog poo every time: CDC says roundworm from dog poo can infect people.
What breed is safest with babies?
- No breed is safe without supervision. In a review of children's dog bites in South Australia, 89.5% of bites in under-fives came from a familiar dog and 92.5% happened at home. The individual dog, its training and your supervision matter more than its breed.
Should I rehome my dog when the baby comes?
- Most families do not need to. Preparation, training and supervision let most dogs live safely with a baby. If your dog has a history of biting, or shows aggression around the baby, get a qualified behaviour professional's assessment first; if you do decide to rehome, do it carefully.
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Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- ASPCA: Dogs and babies (opens in a new tab)
- Dogs Trust: Preparing your dog for a new baby (opens in a new tab)
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: About toxocariasis (opens in a new tab)
- National Centre for Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: National guidelines on rabies prophylaxis (2015) (opens in a new tab)
- Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health (2014), Chiam SC et al.: Retrospective review of dog bite injuries in children presenting to a South Australian tertiary children's hospital emergency department (abstract read) (opens in a new tab)
- Frontiers in Veterinary Science (2017), Arhant C, Beetz AM, Troxler J: Caregiver reports of interactions between children up to 6 years and their family dog: implications for dog bite prevention (abstract read) (opens in a new tab)