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245: How Kids & Dogs Communicate

Jennifer Shryock, Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC) and  Licensed Family Dog Mediator, is the owner and founder of Family Paws® LLC. She has a certification from the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and a duo degree in special education and Elementary Education with more than 30 years of experience. She’s served on multiple boards, including the International Childbirth Education Association, and was Vice President of Doggone Safe, a non-profit dedicated to dog bite prevention and victim support. (2001-2016)

A recognized expert on dog and baby/toddler interactions and safety, Jen has mentored hundreds of dog professionals, written and spoken extensively about these topics. 

While working with the rescue organization she adopted her dog from, Jen found herself supporting families with babies or young children overwhelmed by the challenges of their situations. This need for support and education led her to build resources for new and expecting families through Family Paws®. This specialized service led to creating the highly endorsed international program Dogs & Storks® for expecting and adopting families, followed by Dogs & Toddlers™. This ultimately led to the creation of Family Paws® Parent Education, now offering programs and services worldwide. 

Jennifer lives in Cary, North Carolina, with her husband, children,  2 dogs, 5 cats and an 

adorable guinea pig.

 Time Stamps - 

0:00 Introduction

3:17 Supervision

4:30 What sensitivities does your dog have? 

5:10 Proximity

6:20 Learning each member of the family’s body language can be a huge help

9:00 Developmental Stages

15:15 Little ones are taking it all in

16:00 Believe the signals

16:30 My dog would NEVER…..

17:25 Observing body language helps make things more predictable

17:50 Babies grow, dogs age

19:24 Empower yourself to understand your family members

20:05 What body language signals are often missed

20:45 Lip Licks - What they mean 🙂

21:26 Each dog is a study of one

22:07 Corrine’s face had subtitles

23:00 Lip licks are often not facing you but they do still mean stress

25:00 Video your dog doing regular things to learn body language… they give us tons of info.

26:20 Things change over time.

26:55 It’s easier to read other people’s dogs than our own. How weird?!?!

30:00 High chairs!

31:00 Previous behavior matters

32:00 Sequencing - what it is and why I love it!

34:30 What’s a signal parents sometimes miss with kiddos?

35:35 College students can even be tough for our dogs

36:45 What do families miss that worries dogs?

37:28 Cat & Digital Frame

38:17 All kinds of things impact our dogs

39:00 Sensitivities can come and go

40:09 What are your child’s sensitivities

41:19 Behavior and Body language is communication!

47:30 Does your dog get one on one time

48:00 What helps overwhelm? Grace & Management

49:05 Everyone is doing the best they can!

50:00 Keep it simple

50:20 Types of supervision

51:24 We all get distracted - How to adjust management to make that ok

54:50 Management goodies in the freezer

55:19 Plans ahead! The kids can help

57:13 Ideally we want active and proactive supervision. If passive, let’s manage the dogs differently. Have a plan for the difficult times of the day.

59:12 Flexibility helps

1:03:01 Small connections matter

1:04:20 Proximity - He snuck right past me!

1:05:05 Invites decrease bites (invite the dog over vs approaching the dog)

1:05:08 Dog & Baby on the scene, Parent in between This makes inclusion so much easier.

1:05:38 Crawl around and see your home from your dog & baby’s perspective, you will see where you can adjust to give extra exits.

1:10 : 20 Kids Around Dogs & The Family Dog

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The Your Family Dog Podcast is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. The content provided on this podcast does not constitute professional veterinary, behavioral, or training advice. Always consult with a licensed veterinarian, a positive reinforcement-based professional dog trainer, or a qualified pet professional before making any decisions regarding your pet’s health, behavior, or training.

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