What age can a child and a dog be left along together??

[HayleyMarie]

I saw this on another thread and was wondering what you guys think.

what age do you think a child could be left alone with a dog?

I know growing up I would roam our farm when I was six years old with my Bouvier shadow and Westie Maddie. I always felt protected and safe with my dogs and I know shadow would have done anything to protect me. There was never an accident with my dogs and me and my brother.

 

[smkie]

Depends on the child. I was with them always. Mom said even the cats jumped inside of my play pen. THe dogs were always at my side but I was a different kind of kid.

I don't trust my dogs around any age of child that I do not know. Not even teen. Well actually I don't trust them around anyone adult either that I don't know.

 

[milos_mommy]

It depends on the child, and the dog. I personally wouldn't even be letting a six year old child alone at all, not even with a dog. But let's say I'm going to take a shower or something, and my six year old has been raised around dogs and is pretty calm and mature and the dog is gentle and has been around children, I would let the dog and the child alone unsupervised (ie in earshot, not in my line of sight).

If I had a visiting child from a non-dog household, I would NEVER turn my back on them and the dog, and likewise, if I didn't know the dog well, wouldn't let my child, no matter how dog-savvy, alone with it.

 

[MPP]

About 23.

 

[ACooper]

It depends on the child, and the dog.

Agreed.

If you are talking say playing in the backyard alone together.........or maybe in the kids room, or front room unsupervised? I'd say most generally, given the kid has been around dogs, understands how to behave with them, and the dog is kid friendly.......about 10-12 years old is fine.

Zac is 10 and Phoebe is 11.........I trust her completely, and Zac has been alone with her out back, in the family room, or any other place most of his life. Not as a toddler of course, (he wasn't always the nicest toddler, LOL) and I wouldn't want him to fall on her or hurt her accidentally.

I don't think there is a child Phoebe wouldn't love. I guess there probably IS a child so terrible out there she might run away, but we've yet to meet them, LOL

 

[mrose_s]

Would depend on the dog/kid. I was left alone with the dogs from pretty early on, as were all my siblings but we were 100% aware that you treat dogs gently and the dogs knew that about us to.

 

[darkchild16]

Depends on the kid and the dog. I leave Bev with our two but they think the sun rises and falls with her and never more then for me to pee or grab something in the car. Connor hes not allowed alone with them or even in the yard with them.

 

[AGonzalez]

I think it really depends. I see how Lacey interacts with all 3 of them and I trust her completely. As it is the baby falls on her a lot, and pulls her tail, she tolerates it or when it gets to be enough will move away. So I don't stress if I need a shower and the kids are running amok with the dog, even at 6, 3, and 1 yrs old.

Now with Lily in the house, no way did I trust her, she was certainly not as tolerant as Lacey is with the kids.

 

[FoxyWench]

for me it would depend on the children.

my ex's 5 yr old, i personally wouldnt leave alone with ANY animal at last i knew, i felt i wouldnt trust her untill she was in her mid-late teens unless she made some major changes in behaviour and attitude.
my brothers 24 and i dont feel safe leaving him with the dogs alone...
i was left alone with my dogs form the age of 5 and fine, because i understood their motivation, knew how to treat them and honestly understood them better than i understood (and still do) most people...

every child, and every dog is different...

 

[colliewog]

About 23.

Sadly, in many cases that's the truth!

I agree it depends on the situation and the dog. Honestly, I was left alone with dogs at a very young age, but I was a good kid and they were very good dogs. It was never long term until I was maybe 8 or so, though ...

 

[Tankstar]

Depends on alot
Dogs mentality.
Childs mentality. How trained both are.

I know I was out running around the neighboor hood with our 3 dogs, plus all the neighboors children were out with their dogs, and we were all around 5-9 y/o. We were only allowed out alone with the dogs. otherwise we were not allowed out lol. I guess the dogs were our babysitters. Wonder how bad I was to need 3 lol

 

[ACooper]

Wonder how bad I was to need 3

ROFLMAO!!

 

[TexasRanger]

Depends on the kid and the dog. Heck, I walked a 16hh horse when I was 8, and this weren't no "bombproof".

 

[puppydog]

Depends totally on the situation. My sister left her kids alone with her dogs from day one. Her dogs are idiots, but not mean spirited.