Let Sleeping Dogs Lie!

One of the safety tips that we offer for parents and dog owners, is that it is best to leave a dog alone who is sleeping. Dogs can be startled if awoken suddenly and can bite by accident. Teach children to leave the dog in peace if he is sleeping. If it is necessary to wake a dog up, do so by calling to him and not by touching him. Teach children to respect the dogs sleeping place and to snuggle with a stuffed animal if they want to nap.

Watch this video and think twice about allowing your child to sleep with the dog - adorable as that might look!

Warning! Cuteness Alert!

This is a funny video, but it shows clearly that dogs can be very caught up in their dreams. It is not hard to imagine that a dog dreaming about chasing and catching prey or play-fighting with another dog might bite in confusion if wakened suddenly from a vivid dream. If your child were to kiss or hug the sleeping dog, it would be their face in the path of those teeth if the dog bit as part of the dream. The last dog in the video shows this especially well.