Help your pet cope with their kid anxiety
Is your dog nervous around children? Does your cat run for the hills when family members with kids come to visit? This is a common reaction for many pets. Kids can be noisy and unpredictable, which can be scary for an anxious pet. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to help your pet learn to love their little human friends!
Prevention is the best medicine. The best way to ensure your pet never feels anxious around kids is to socialize them to children at a young age. Kittens and puppies have a critical period of development between one and three months of age during which they learn the most about the world around them. Exposing your puppy or kitten to positive experiences with children during this time can help them be more comfortable around kids throughout the rest of their lives.
Teach kids to interact with pets appropriately. You can also help alleviate your pet’s anxiety by making sure the kids in your life know how to play with pets appropriately. Kids should always be supervised when interacting with pets, and they should be taught to stay calm and quiet and to avoid grabbing or chasing the pet. A fun game is to have the kids sit in a circle and let the pet approach voluntarily. Each child can then reward the pet with a tasty treat, creating a fun and positive experience for everyone!
Introduce your pet to kids slowly. Gradual introductions and lots of positive reinforcement can help your pet learn that kids aren’t so scary after all. Depending on your pet’s level of anxiety, you may need to start with the child far away or held in the arms of an adult. Even if your pet doesn’t go anywhere near the child, offer plenty of positive rewards—like treats, praise and toys—to help them learn to enjoy the experience.
Only once your pet becomes comfortable with the child’s presence over several training sessions, allow the child to get closer, but never force your pet to interact with the child. Instead, let your pet approach voluntarily. If your pet seems happy and relaxed, you can even have the child give the treats. Keep the interactions short, upbeat and fun so that your pet always looks forward to seeing the child again.
It’s important to remember that fearful pets may scratch or bite if they feel threatened or cornered, so the key to safe, successful interactions is to go slow, plan on many training sessions before letting the child within touching distance of your pet, and always pay attention to your pet’s behavioral cues for signs of distress.
