Patient Dog's Calm Attitude While Toddler Sister Covers Her in Stickers Has People in Awe
When my daughter was just a toddler, I remember hearing a same sound emanating from the living room one night while I was making dinner. Rushing in, I found her on the floor with our dog, her chubby little fist wrapped around my sweet retriever’s eye whiskers. She was pulling and the dog, terrified in equal measure by the pain she was feeling and the concern that doing anything about it might inadvertently hurt my baby. The sound I was hearing was her repeated whines for help.
I rescued the dog and gave her more praise and treats than she’d gotten in years for her patience and gentleness. Even when my toddler was hurting her, she knew that she could not retaliate. Now that’s a good dog. And so is the dog in this video.
In this clip, we see a small child absolutely covering her dog with a sheaf of stickers, and clearly having the time of her life. The dog, a mixed-breed named Zoe, is lounging on the couch, staying very still and not looking particularly happy about the proceedings. In fact, the expression on the poor pooch’s face is communicating one thing only: “Help me, Mom.”
Whom amongst us has not been in a similar situation, with an exuberant toddler that we cannot bear to disappoint?
“Dogs like these are priceless,” says one person in the comments. “They just go with it.”
“Dog said: come get your kid,” writes another.
“How long are you going to allow this to go on, Mom?” said a third.
Children Raised With Dogs
A video like this shows the beautiful bond that a dog and a child can have when raised in the same home. Studies show that kids who grow ups with pets learn all kinds of important lessons about empathy and responsibility—though perhaps it doesn’t start with covering your pet with stickers.
Or maybe it does. After all, when my kids were this age, they liked to cover themselves with stickers, too.
Of course, not every dog is going to be as patient and gentle with small children as this one is (and as mine was). A well-behaved, family oriented dog with instinctively understand that small children are delicate and need to be handled with kid gloves (um, paws?) But some dogs are reactive around rambunctious children and need calmer and more patient surroundings themselves.
How to Train Your Dog To Behave Around Babies
When it comes to some dogs, their natural “nanny” instinct kicks in as soon as they see a baby. They are calm, patient, and adorably gentle with little humans, and you can tell that it’s a match made in heaven. But other dogs need a little education to understand the special needs that come with little humans.
If your dog shows signs of being impatient or reactive around babies, the first step is to separate them. Always supervise your dog when around children, and, if necessary, put them on a leash or behind a gate. Allow the dog to have alone time and their own space that is baby free, and provide limited, controlled interactions with the baby. I’ve your dog plenty of attention and reward and treat them generously for any positive interaction with a child.
Likewise, teach the baby to be just as gentle, patient, and responsible around dogs. The message must go both ways for true harmony.
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