8 Tips for Your Family and Nanny to Maintain a Safe and Happy Home with a Dog
Did you get a dog for the first time or did you add another dog to your household during the pandemic? If you did, you’re not alone. In Canada, over one-half of households have a pet with 55% of these homes having at least one dog. And according to this same study from Narrative Research, 18% of Canadian pet owners report having obtained a new pet since the start of the pandemic. (Source: https://narrativeresearch.ca/canada-has-seen-a-significant-increase-in-pet-owners-since-the-start-of-the-covid-19-pandemic/)
So what happens if you have a nanny and your dog becomes a new family member afterwards?
We spoke with Michael Thomas, a dog trainer in the York region of Ontario, who has worked for Petsmart for 13 years. He’s the area trainer for Petsmart, which means that he is the trainer of dog trainers and he also runs his own dog training programs within his own Petsmart location in Richmond Hill.
This blog summarizes his tips for a safe and happy home with your nanny, children/elders, and your dog.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS AS YOUR NANNY’S EMPLOYER
- Consider what is outlined in the employment contract. Were there any expectations that a pet could be in the mix? If not, it may be time to revisit the contract to ensure that you and your nanny are aligned. What are your expectations of the nanny to be part of training the dog when a new dog comes into the household? You should have this clear in your own mind before any discussions with your nanny.
- Don’t assume that because your nanny is a professional caregiver of children or seniors, that she/he will also know how to handle a dog. You will need to provide your nanny with the tools and training to help take care of your dog. Here are some questions you need to answer for your nanny.
- What are your dog’s needs for food, water, and exercise?
- Do you expect your nanny to walk the dog? How many times and when?
- Is there any particular behaviour that your nanny needs to be mindful of because of safety? For example, does your dog have resource guarding behaviours, protecting his food or toys, and is it important to keep kids away in these situations?
- What are your dog’s needs for personal space or time alone?
- What is the normal routine? Rituals can help create a sense of safety, so if your dog gets a bone at a certain time of the day, your nanny should be aware of this so she/he can maintain that routine.
- Empower your nanny and children with training resources.
- Mike recommends checking out https://www.thefamilydog.com/. This site provides easy videos, some free resources, and they have a helpful podcast… all geared towards families with young children. This will help raise your kids to be advocates for the safety and the prevention of dog bites, the majority of which happen with kids.
TOP DOG TRAINING SKILLS FOR YOU AND YOUR NANNY
- Use the daily intake of food to reward throughout the day. This helps with weight management while having enough food for reinforcing positive behaviours.
- Learn how to read a dog’s body language. Is your dog feeling submissive, calm, scared, or angry? Dogs are incredibly expressive with their faces and bodies if we know how to understand them. This is important for your nanny’s and kids’ personal safety. Check out https://fearfreepets.com/ for resources and tips.
- Keep the dog mentally engaged.
- Puzzle toys which are designed to make it challenging for dogs to access their food or treats, are great to alleviate mental stress. Some examples are recommended here: https://bit.ly/3l3sXMk (Note that NannyTax is not part of any affiliate program and does not earn any commission from the sale of these products.)
- If you have a fenced backyard, your nanny can scatter treats in the yard to engage your dog’s scavenging behaviours. This has the secondary benefit of buying some time for your nanny to take care of other tasks when it’s easier without the dog around.
- Once you’ve created a “safe” space for your dog in the home, your nanny should know how to ask the dog to go to its “safe” space. This could be a room, a crate, or some other confined space. Your nanny should always reward the dog for going in and then leave a treat behind in that space. Your nanny should never force your dog into its safe space. The key is to be able to send your dog happily there.
- Make sure the dog is comfortable with your nanny putting on its leash. Your nanny should practice some regular physical contact with your dog and treat the dog each time. So when it’s time to put on a leash and go for a walk, it’s not stressful for your dog or your nanny. It should feel like a normal routine.
- Practice the basic “sit” command. The value of this command is often underestimated but consider that if your dog is sitting, it means it’s not jumping or running around! Your nanny should practice this throughout the day in different contexts and treat the dog each time. A treat should be no larger than the size of half a pinky fingernail.
- Praise, pet, or treat a dog when it’s relaxing on its own. This will signal to your dog that you appreciate this behaviour and that it works to get your attention.
- The dog should go to your nanny when asked. Your nanny should practice the “come” command. If the kids start getting rowdy, it’s a lot easier to control a dog if they know how to go to your nanny on command. Consider what the dog values (being pet or a treat) and then treat the dog when he comes.
Come, sit, put on a leash, go to the safe space. Used alone or in combination, these practices can make a world of difference to the safety of your nanny and children.
If you have questions specific to dog training, you can reach Mike on Instagram (@Th3endlessadventure). Mike has a dog named Rogue, an 11-year old Siberian Husky, who is the joy of his life. He seeks to help families and their dogs to better understand one another to foster safe and happy homes filled with adventures inside and out!
