You’ve heard the stories before: new parents are rehoming their beloved dog because it does not get along with the new baby. A family is giving away their cat because it has become neurotic around the children. Check out the tip below to keep your kid and pet get along.

A couple banishes their pet to the backyard because the kid won’t leave them alone. These are sad stories- stressful for the adults, potentially dangerous for the children, and unfair to the pets. What can you do? When forced to choose between your children and your pets, the answer is obvious.

But before you rush your pets to the shelter. Make sure you are doing everything in your power to foster and maintain a good relationship between your babies and fur babies.

1. Know Your Pet’s Body Language and Boundaries

Both dogs and cats are typically predictable animals with behaviors that are easy to read if you know what to look for. Pets can’t verbalize their discomfort but they can tell you a lot with their body language. For example, a fearful cat will run away or hide its legs beneath its body, switching its tail forcefully.  Ears pointed sideways, tails held high, and arched backs are other signs that cats are stressed.

An uncomfortable dog will press its ears close to its head, widen its eye. Make its body rigid, and close or twitch its mouth. Any animal that cowers in fear or feels cornered could become aggressive. This is why, for the safety of your kid and the well-being of your pet. You must constantly chaperone your little ones around your pets and stop the interaction at the first indication your animal feels uncomfortable.

Even if your child is being perfectly friendly, prioritize your pet’s comfort and it will pay off in the long run. Praise the child for being gentle and friendly before explaining the animal wants to be left alone and divert the child’s interest.

If your pet comes to realize you will carefully monitor all interactions and step in to protect their peace. Your dog or cat will come to trust you more and will feel more comfortable interacting with your child.

2. Never Punish a Growling Dog or Hissing Cat

This may seem contradictory, but scolding a dog for growling or a cat for hissing will only make them more aggressive. Growls/hisses are the final warnings your pet will issue before becoming violent and if you eliminate this behavior, you are only making your pet resort to aggression sooner.

A dog that is punished for growling will become a dog that bites without warning! If your pet hisses or snarls at your child, immediately separate the two, reassure the animal. And only reintroduce the two when both are in calmer frames of mind. These behaviors are scary but try to remember that this is your pet’s attempt to avoid aggression while setting boundaries for its comfort and safety.

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3. Set and Enforce Clear Limits With Your Child

Teach your children about your pet’s body language so they know when it is safe to pet their furry friends and when they should leave them alone. Remind them to stroke their fur gently and avoid petting faces, ears, paws, tails, and other sensitive areas.

Even if your pets would never attack your child, they still do not deserve to be climbed upon, poked, or pulled. Set clear boundaries with your children so they understand what behaviors will or will not be tolerated. Enforce these rules consistently.

If your pet is extra sensitive or your child is very young, set a rule that the child can only pet the animal under your supervision. Remember that this is an ongoing process! Children can be impulsive and forgetful. Regularly remind them how to care for their animals gently and why these rules exist. As a result, your home will be a happier place for all!

4. Encourage a Relationship, But Don’t Push!

If your pets and children are interested in one another, encourage the relationship! Many dogs and cats enjoy children’s company and love playing together. Do activities that both your pet and kid will enjoy doing- such as going for walks, throwing a ball for your dog, or shaking a ball of yarn for your cat.

Activities done together will encourage bonding between them. A healthy relationship between your pet and child is beneficial to both and there is no need to step in and regulate as long as everyone is comfortable and happy. Just remember to always supervise.

5. Respect Your Children’s Boundaries, Too!

If your child is afraid of your dog or cat, do not force interactions between them. Even if your pet is perfectly friendly, respect your children’s space and do not force them to confront their fears. Like any animal, a fearful or cornered child is more likely to strike out and hurt others.

Forcing children to tolerate an animal they fear or dislike will only worsen the relationship between them and will teach your children that you do not take their concerns seriously. Keep a comfortable distance between your pet and children. Show them the friendly ways you interact with the pet, and they will likely come around in their own time.

6. Seek Professional Help or Rehome Lovingly

Tried everything and still, nothing is working? Don’t give up before seeking professional help! A quick Google search or a phone call to your local SPCA or pet store will help you track down a professional animal trainer. A trainer can come to your home, observe the situation. And offer professional advice on how to help your pets adapt to the little ones in your home.

If this option is unaffordable or otherwise unavailable and you have to rehome your pet, do so with love and care. Choose a child-free home with loving owners who are willing to provide a lifetime of care for your pet. As a last resort, select a reputable, no-kill shelter in your area to find new owners.

Dogs, cats, and kid are alike in many ways: they’re excitable, innocent, generally friendly, and occasionally mischievous. Although they play in different ways, both children and pet enjoy social interaction and often delight in each other’s company. If you are a proud caretaker of both, you strive to nurture a loving relationship between them. Because pets and children communicate so differently, there is often discord between them.

Our job as adults is to be intermediaries in their relationships- soothing your pet. And communicating with your child on how and when to play with their furry friend. Constant communication and supervision is the best way to foster a healthy relationship between your animals and children. We hope these tips will keep those dogs’ tails wagging, cats purring, and kids smiling!