The natural social structure of canids--wolves and dogs, for example--is usually a family group, consisting of two dominant adults and related individuals of various ages. Generally, only the dominant individuals breed, but all members of the pack help take care of the mother and pups, bringing meat back to the mother and pups and guarding the pups. Subordinate females in the pack may even "baby-sit" and help nurse the puppies. Domestic dogs do Not commonly bring food back to a mother and pups but may guard her during pregnancy and while she is lactating, as well as guard or watch over the puppies.

Pet dogs probably relate to the people they live with as though all were members of the same family group. Ideally, a new-born human infant would be accepted by the dog as an offspring to be included in this family unit. In fact, dogs are more likely to protect an infant from strangers or visitors than they are to be "jealous."

For various reasons, most problems between a dog and child do not occur until the child reaches the crawling and walking stages, at about a year or so. Nonetheless, you should be attuned to the small possibility of a problem occurring and play it safe with your infant. The most serious problem that can occur is that your dog may not recognize your baby as a human being to be included in its family unit. Obviously, a baby will not be perceived as another dog; nor does the baby look, smell, or sound like a person. If a dog is not familiar with infants, particularly within the family, the dog may interpret the infant as a prey item.

Most dogs are curious about infants. This is particularly true if a dog has had little exposure to infants or a long time has elapsed since it has seen a baby. If you have observed its reaction to other babies, either in your home, on the street, or in other people's homes, you should be aware of your dog's typical reactions and take any precautions that are necessary. Most dogs adapt quickly and easily to the presence of a new baby. Since the consequences of a problem can be so severe, however, it is wise to assume that your dog could act adversely and to take all the safety precautions possible, regardless of your dog's previous encounters with babies.

A baby could be accidentally hurt as a dog attempts to play with or investigate the infant. An extremely active dog that cannot be well controlled by its owner could also accidentally injure a baby -- for example, while jumping up on the owner or running around.

Any dog with a known history of aggression toward people requires particular caution. A dog that is aggressive towards visitors, mail carriers, or even other dogs could injure a baby if the child happens to come between the dog and the object of its aggression. Dogs that are aggressive when approached while eating or in possession of a bone, toy, or other favorite item or those that are aggressive if startled or when awakened require very close supervision in the presence of a baby. The most potentially dangerous situations involve predatory responses. You should be cautious about breeds known to be particularly predatory and extremely careful about individual dogs of any breed that are known to chase and/or kill small game. This point is of special importance if the dog has had little or no exposure to infants. It is important to realize that exposure to and interaction with small children is not the same as exposure to and interaction with an infant. If your dog plays in a friendly, gentle manner with children, it cannot be assumed that the dog will react the same way to an infant. Infants are very different from children. Children are probably interpreted by dogs as people: infants may not be. Few infants are severely injured by dogs, and the number of infants killed by dogs is very small, probably no more than 10 per year throughout the entire United States. In contrast, many thousands of infants in the U.S. are victims of automobile accidents, burns, drowning, choking, suffocation, and poisoning. It has also been estimated that each day in the U.S. one child under 10 years of age is killed in a handgun accident. Despite the small risk, there is still cause for concern about a dog's reaction to your infant and precautions are well worthwhile.

The interaction between infants and dogs that have questionable histories should be monitored very carefully over a long period. As an owner, you should monitor and supervise interactions until you are sure that either the dog is paying no attention to the infant or is completely friendly toward the baby. It is difficult to assess when close monitoring should cease, but it is better to be overly cautious than to reduce your vigilance too soon. In order for your dog to learn that your infant belongs in your family and for you to be able to assess how safe your infant is with your dog, the dog must be exposed to your infant in a very gradual and controlled manner. The exposure should be positive so that your dog does not associate unpleasant situations with the baby nor does he perhaps learn to become anxious and even aggressive in the baby's presence.

If you are concerned or unsure of how your family dog will react to a new baby, you might consider following the procedures listed below.

1. GETTING READY FOR THE ARRIVAL. Preparations should begin months before the baby arrives. If your dog does not know how to sit, stay, lie down, or come when called, it should be taught to do so. If your dog already knows these commands but is unreliable, you should practice obedience exercises with the dog. Even if you consider your dog pretty good, that may not be good enough and could lead to your having a false sense of security. Imagine how your dog, if excited, will react when you bring the baby home. Would it reliably sit and stay or lie down and stay without rushing toward the infant?

   If you have had some experience training a dog, you might try obedience procedures at home. Otherwise, it would be best to take your dog to a good humane training class. It is our belief that dogs should associate commands such as sit, stay, and come with pleasant experiences. The dog may need to be corrected occasionally, but harsh punishment should be avoided. After all, the goal is for the dog to learn to like both the owner and the baby, not simply for it to obey because it is frightened or afraid of being punished. Once your dog first learns the basic sit, stay, come, stay and down/stay commands in class, you should then work on these behaviors at home.

   The next step involves requiring your dog to sit/stay as you begin doing things that resemble "baby activities" around it. For example, you might pick up a doll, cradle it, rock it, and walk back and forth. Periodically, you reward your dog with tidbits, petting, or praise for remaining in a sitting position while this is going on. The doll might also be wrapped in blankets and shown to the dog, which must learn to control itself and to refrain from moving. Because dogs also respond with interest to strange sounds, it might be beneficial to accustom your dog to recorded sounds of a baby crying, babbling, or making other typical sounds.

   If the opportunity is available, it would be ideal owner to expose your dog - in a controlled manner to ensure the infant's safety - to real babies of friends or neighbors. This procedure should be considered only if the dog is already reliably trained and controllable. The dog should gradually be exposed to babies until it can remain relaxed in their presence. This may require several sessions.

   If your baby is born in a hospital, your dog will probably remain at home. You can use this interval to familiarize your dog with the baby's smell by bringing home blankets or clothing the baby has worn. ( On the subject of diapers: It would behoove you to keep soiled diapers in a tightly closed container. One of the functions of a mother dog is to lick up the urine and feces of puppies to keep the sleeping area clean. Quite frequently, female dogs will ingest the feces of a human baby and may go to great lengths to clean up after the child, including raiding the diaper buckets! This is not an abnormal behavior but an aspect of canine maternal behavior.)

2. BRINGING YOUR BABY HOME. When mother and child come home from the hospital, it would be best if the mother greeted the dog without the baby present. The baby might be held by another family member or, better yet, put in another room as mother and dog greet each other. In this way, you can avoid having to reprimand an excited dog that merely wants to greet the owner and that inadvertently may jump at the baby in an attempt to get near the mother.

   Some time should be allowed for the dog to get used to the smells and sounds of the baby and the presence of another creature in the house. When the general level of excitement in the household has decreased and the dog appears fairly relaxed, your baby and dog can be introduced to each other.

   One parent should attend to the baby and the other to the dog. The dog should be in a sit\stay or down\stay position and on a leash. If there is any concern that the dog may leap at the baby, a halter or muzzle should be placed on the dog. The dog should be allowed to see the baby at a distance of about 10 to 15 feet. Then either the dog or baby should be slowly brought closer to the other, one foot at a time. If the dog appears calm and under control, it might be allowed to sniff the baby but at a safe distance. If the dog is extremely excited, however, this progression should not be attempted. If the dog has a history of predatory of aggressive behaviors, it may take many introductions before dog and baby are close enough for the dog to investigate the baby closely.

   It takes careful judgment to determine when to allow your dog to approach to the point that it can sniff the baby. Remember, a dog can sniff and smell a baby from several feet away. Over a period of several days, however, your dog should be allowed to smell the baby up close. After several such introductions, and when it is clear that the dog is not going to nip or lunge at the baby, you can allow your dog off the leash near your infant. If you wish to take further precautions, the dog can continue to wear a conformable muzzle when around the baby.

3. THE FIRST SEVERAL DAYS AND THEREAFTER. For a time after your baby's homecoming, your dog should not have unsupervised access to your baby. Times to be particularly careful are when the baby is screaming, crying, or waving its arms and legs. These stimuli could elicit a predatory, investigatory, or play-leap reaction by the dog toward the infant. During these times it is wise either to put the dog in another room or to call your dog to go with you, but then put the dog in a sit/stay posture several feet away from the baby.

   Frequently, dogs do begin to "act up" after a new baby arrives. It is unclear whether these behaviors occur because of "jealousy" or simply because the dog is being deprived of its usual and expected amount of social attention and affection. To ensure that your dog gets sufficient attention, you could talk to the dog for a minute or two or have the dog sit or stay for a tidbit whenever you begin to do something with your baby. This procedure allows the dog to associate pleasant experiences with the baby and gives the dog extra attention.

   If after the first several days you are still concerned that your dog might harm your baby, a screen door or gate could be fastened at the entrance to the child's room. The precaution allows you to hear the baby but eliminates your dog's access to the room.

   You should keep in mind when you take your infant to visit friends or relatives that the dogs encountered may not be accustomed to an infant in their homes. Furthermore, baby-sitters should be cautioned about bringing their dogs with them into the home of an infant. Tragic incidents have occurred when adults mistakenly believed a dog was in the backyard or securely confined away from a baby. A dog may push open doors and actively investigate the strange sounds and odors of an infant.