Toddlers can be erratic, unpredictable and noisy. They may also have food or smell like food. These are desirable attributes to a dog which may ignite their instinct to chase. If you find yourself and your dog in the company of a toddler, keeping your dog on leash is the best way to prevent a chase or an adverse encounter and to keep them both safe.

This applies to your dog around your toddler as well as to your dog around other people’s toddlers and other people’s dog around your toddler. You dog should never get the opportunity to practice chasing a toddler. Use gates and/or a crate to keep them separate when you are not directly supervising. Give the dog lots of exercise and opportunity to play games that don’t include running around with the toddler or preschoolers.

How to Teach Your Puppy to Run with Kids Without Chasing Them

Here’s an example of a way that your child can be involved with a small puppy that teaches the puppy to run with kids without jumping and biting at their clothes. With young children, it’s the adult’s job to take the toy back and get the game going again. This is suitable for puppies less than 4 months old if the puppy is significantly smaller than the child. If your puppy is large and your child is small, this is not a suitable game.

More Resources

Family Paws Parent Education: Expert  support and resources for families with dogs.

Clicker Puppy Training Streaming video – Essential training info for kids – 40% off sale – use the code PUPPYSALE40

Doggone Crazy Board Game – have fun while learning about dog body language and how to act around dogs

Doggie Detective® Teacher Kit – for humane educators who want to teach kids to be Dog Aware®