Getting a toddler used to a dog they only see occasionally?

[Chrestomanci]

Hello

DB has a border collie, who is very nervous of our DS. (Understandably so as DS when not restrained will run at him waving his arms and shrieking with excitement). The dog has been very good & only ever growled twice at DS, but the situation does make me very anxious. They only visit every couple of months, but short of keeping them apart all the time, and moving the furniture slightly so the dog has escape routes and safe places which DS finds it hard to get to, is there anything we can do to help DS learn how to behave around the dog, or is it just a matter of time until DS grows up a bit? Visit is coming up & I'm dreading it slightly TBH.

Many thanks. for any suggestions.

Since you already know the bc is nervous around your DS, it seems like a good idea to keep them separate if possible. If they are together, watch them very closely. As you've noted, make sure the dog has an escape route and a safe place to go.

Most bites of small children occur when the child approaches the dog and starts interacting with it (see here), so teach your DS not to approach the dog.

There is some really useful advice on Dr Sophia Yin's blog with a video here and some to read here, including posters to download for kids about how to behave around dogs.

The Blue Dog project has some good material for kids, although last time I looked at their website they were in the middle of updating it.

I'm sure other people will have some good suggestions too. I'm glad you're thinking about it - as other threads on here show, it's really important to take dog bite prevention seriously. I hope you have a great visit and ds has a nice time learning about dogs :)

Thank you that's really useful. Good to know we're doing some stuff right as well!