Growing Up Together: Children & Dogs Programme
Helping Children and Dogs Build Safe, Happy and Lasting Relationships
The relationship between a child and a dog can be incredibly special.
But children and dogs do not automatically understand one another.
Children may move quickly, make sudden noises, hug, grab, stare or approach a dog while they are eating or resting. Dogs communicate very differently and may find some interactions confusing, uncomfortable or overwhelming.
The Growing Up Together Programme helps families create safer routines, understand canine communication and build positive relationships between children and dogs.
Whether you are preparing for a new baby, bringing home a puppy or simply want clearer guidance for everyday family life, you will receive practical support tailored to your household.
Programme Investment — £395
The programme includes your Growing Up Together Assessment and four personalised family coaching sessions.
Individual follow-up sessions are also available at £75.
Start with a Growing Up Together Assessment
Could This Programme Help Your Family?
This programme may be suitable if you are:
✔ Expecting a baby and want to prepare your dog
✔ Introducing your dog to a newborn
✔ Bringing a puppy or rescue dog into a family with children
✔ Living with babies, toddlers, school-aged children or teenagers
✔ Helping children understand how dogs communicate
✔ Managing jumping up, excitement or over-arousal
✔ Creating safer family routines and boundaries
✔ Teaching children how and when to interact with a dog
✔ Helping a dog feel more comfortable around children
✔ Preparing for visits from children, grandchildren or young relatives
✔ Supporting a child who feels nervous around dogs
✔ Looking for preventative guidance before difficulties develop
You do not need to wait until something goes wrong before asking for help.
Small changes to routines, supervision and communication can make family life feel clearer and more manageable for everyone.
Has Your Dog Growled, Snapped or Bitten Around a Child?
This programme is designed primarily for education, prevention and everyday family support.
If your dog has:
- Growled, snapped or bitten a child
- Guarded food, toys, resting places or people
- Become stiff, frozen or visibly uncomfortable around a child
- Redirected onto an adult during an interaction
- Shown escalating behaviour
- Caused you to feel concerned about immediate safety
Please begin with a Behaviour Assessment rather than the Growing Up Together Assessment.
This gives us time to explore the behaviour, assess risk and create an appropriate safety and management plan.
Depending on the situation, the Behaviour Support Programme or Aggression & Complex Behaviour Programme may then be recommended.
Until professional support is in place, children and dogs should be safely separated whenever close, active supervision cannot be maintained.
Start with a Behaviour Assessment
Supporting Both the Child and the Dog
Children need help learning that dogs have feelings, preferences and boundaries.
Dogs also need protection from interactions they find frightening, overwhelming or uncomfortable.
The aim is not to expect the dog to tolerate everything a child does.
Instead, we help the adults create an environment where:
🐾 The dog has safe places to rest without being disturbed
🐾 Children learn age-appropriate ways to behave around dogs
🐾 Adults recognise early signs that the dog needs space
🐾 Food, toys and resting areas are managed safely
🐾 Interactions are supervised and guided
🐾 The dog is not forced into contact
🐾 Calm, positive experiences are encouraged
🐾 Everyone has clear and consistent family rules
Supporting children and dogs safely is not about blame.
It is about giving both of them the guidance, protection and understanding they need.
What We Can Work On
Every family is different, so your plan will be shaped around your children’s ages, your dog’s behaviour and your everyday routines.
Preparing for a New Baby
We can help your dog adjust gradually to changes such as:
- New sounds and equipment
- Changes to routines
- Walking beside a pram
- Reduced access to certain rooms
- New boundaries within the home
- Settling while adults attend to the baby
- Safe introductions after the baby arrives
Preparation should begin before the baby comes home wherever possible.
Bringing Home a Puppy
Puppies and children can easily become overexcited together.
We can work on:
- Managing puppy biting and mouthing
- Preventing chasing games
- Calm greetings
- Safe play
- Rest and sleep
- Protecting the puppy from overwhelming attention
- Helping children take part in simple training
- Using gates, pens and safe spaces appropriately
Understanding Canine Body Language
Children and adults can learn to recognise signs that a dog may be uncomfortable, including:
- Turning the head away
- Moving away
- Lip licking
- Yawning
- Showing the whites of the eyes
- Becoming still or tense
- Lowering the body
- Hiding
- Growling
Growling is communication.
It should not be punished. It tells us that the dog is uncomfortable and needs the situation to change.
Safe Everyday Interactions
We can create guidance around:
- Touching and stroking
- Hugging and close facial contact
- Approaching a resting dog
- Dogs on sofas or beds
- Feeding times
- Toys and chews
- Doorways and busy household moments
- Children’s friends visiting
- Calm greetings
- Appropriate games and activities
Creating Safe Spaces
Your dog should have somewhere they can rest without being followed, touched or disturbed.
We can help you create:
- Child-free rest areas
- Safe use of gates or barriers
- Calm settling spaces
- Clear rules for children
- Predictable routines
- Separation plans for busy or noisy times
Using barriers or separation is not a failure.
Good management prevents difficult situations and gives both the dog and child the opportunity to feel safe.
Helping Nervous Children
Some children may feel frightened or uncertain around dogs.
Support can be adapted to help them:
- Understand dog body language
- Develop confidence gradually
- Learn what to do if a dog approaches
- Practise calm and safe movements
- Take part without being pressured into direct contact
Children will never be forced to touch or interact with a dog.
How the Programme Works
Step 1 — Growing Up Together Assessment
We begin with an assessment to understand:
- Your family and household
- Your children’s ages and needs
- Your dog’s history and behaviour
- Your current routines
- Any areas of concern
- How interactions are currently managed
- What you would like family life to look like
Where appropriate, I may observe your dog and family routines.
I will not deliberately create an uncomfortable or unsafe interaction to see how your dog responds.
You will receive initial recommendations and a personalised plan for moving forward.
The assessment can be booked as a standalone service if you are not yet ready to join the programme.
Step 2 — Personalised Family Plan
Your plan may include:
- Family safety rules
- Management and supervision arrangements
- Safe spaces for your dog
- Training exercises
- Child-friendly learning activities
- Changes to daily routines
- Guidance for visitors and children’s friends
- Preparing for family changes
- Clear goals for the household
The plan will be realistic and designed around your family rather than based on a generic set of rules.
Step 3 — Four Family Coaching Sessions
Across four private sessions, we will put your plan into practice.
Sessions may involve:
- Coaching parents or carers
- Practical dog training
- Reviewing the home setup
- Teaching adults to recognise canine communication
- Age-appropriate activities for children
- Practising calm family routines
- Adjusting the plan as circumstances change
Children may be involved where it is appropriate, safe and helpful.
Adults remain responsible for supervision and for carrying out the main management and training plan.
Step 4 — Continue Practising at Home
You will receive clear, manageable guidance between appointments.
Often, the most valuable changes are small everyday habits such as:
- Giving the dog uninterrupted rest
- Using a gate during busy times
- Teaching children to call the dog rather than approaching
- Separating dogs and children around food
- Rewarding calm behaviour
- Ending an interaction before the dog becomes overwhelmed
Step 5 — Review and Move Forward
We will review what has improved, what still feels difficult and whether any part of the plan needs changing.
Additional family coaching sessions can be booked if you would like further support as your children grow or your circumstances change.
What Is Included?
Your programme includes:
✔ Growing Up Together Assessment
✔ Four personalised family coaching sessions
✔ Individual family and dog plan
✔ Safety and management guidance
✔ Age-appropriate support for children where suitable
✔ Practical exercises between appointments
✔ Family guidance sheets and safety checklists
✔ Child-friendly learning activities
✔ Relevant Ravendale guides and worksheets
✔ Progress reviews throughout the programme
✔ Reasonable email support for brief questions
✔ Support from a Canine Behaviour Practitioner and Kids Around Dogs Approved Professional
Programme Prices
Growing Up Together Assessment — £125
A personalised assessment of your family’s current routines, your dog’s behaviour and the support you need.
You will receive initial guidance and recommendations.
If you join the full programme within seven days, the £125 assessment fee will be deducted from the programme price.
Growing Up Together Programme — £395
The programme includes:
- Your £125 assessment
- Four family coaching sessions
- Personalised family plan
- Supporting resources
- Between-session guidance
Purchased separately, the assessment and four £75 sessions would cost £425.
Programme saving: £30, plus the additional resources and ongoing support.
Individual Family Coaching Session — £75
Available after the assessment or programme.
Additional sessions may be helpful when preparing for a new stage, such as crawling, walking, a new baby, house move or changes to the family routine.
Why Choose Ravendale?
Children-and-dog support requires an understanding of both canine behaviour and family life.
I am a Kids Around Dogs Approved Professional, a qualified Canine Behaviour Practitioner and a dog trainer.
Before working professionally with dogs, I spent more than 20 years supporting vulnerable adults and children within the care sector.
This experience helps me provide guidance that considers the needs, confidence and wellbeing of the whole family—not only the dog.
With Ravendale, you can expect:
✔ Kind, force-free and evidence-informed methods
✔ Practical family guidance without blame or judgement
✔ Support tailored to your children, dog and household
✔ Clear explanations of canine body language
✔ Safety and management strategies designed for real life
✔ Age-appropriate involvement for children
✔ Support for both the dog and the people caring for them
✔ Home visits across Horsham, West Sussex and surrounding areas
✔ Online guidance where appropriate
Important Safety Information
No programme can guarantee that a dog will never growl, snap or bite.
Dogs and children should always be actively supervised when together.
Active supervision means an adult is present, paying attention and able to intervene immediately.
Simply being somewhere in the same room is not always enough.
When active supervision is not possible, the dog and child should be safely separated using appropriate doors, gates, pens or separate areas.
Children should not be left responsible for supervising, handling or managing a dog.
If you are ever worried that a child or dog may be at immediate risk, create safe separation and seek professional guidance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is This Only for Families with Young Children?
No.
The programme can support families with babies, toddlers, school-aged children and teenagers.
The guidance and activities will be adapted to suit each child’s age, understanding and confidence.
We Are Not Experiencing Any Problems. Can We Still Join?
Yes.
Many families use the programme preventatively when preparing for a baby, bringing home a new dog or helping children develop safe habits.
You do not need to wait for a worrying incident before seeking guidance.
Will My Children Be Involved?
Where appropriate, yes.
Children may take part in age-appropriate activities, discussions or simple training exercises.
They will not be placed into an interaction that feels unsafe or pressured to approach a dog.
My Dog Has Growled at My Child. Which Assessment Do I Need?
Begin with the £175 Behaviour Assessment.
A growl is important communication and should be taken seriously, particularly where a child is involved.
The Behaviour Assessment allows for more detailed discussion of risk, triggers and immediate management.
Can You Teach My Child How to Stop the Dog Biting?
Adults are responsible for managing the environment and protecting both the child and dog.
Education can help children develop safer habits, but responsibility for preventing incidents must never be placed on a child.
Where biting or bite-risk behaviour is present, begin with a Behaviour Assessment.
Can You Help Us Prepare Our Dog for a New Baby?
Yes.
We can work on routines, boundaries, equipment, sounds, pram walking, settling and preparing for changes before the baby arrives.
The earlier preparation begins, the more gradually changes can be introduced.
Can You Help a Child Who Is Nervous Around Dogs?
Yes, where the situation is appropriate.
Support can focus on understanding dog behaviour, developing safe responses and building confidence gradually without forcing direct interaction.
Is This an Online or In-Person Programme?
Home visits are available across Horsham, West Sussex and surrounding areas.
Some family education, preparation and follow-up support may also be suitable for online sessions.
The most appropriate format will be discussed during the assessment.
Help Your Children and Dog Understand One Another
Safe relationships are not created by expecting children or dogs to get everything right.
They are built through adult guidance, thoughtful management, clear boundaries and positive experiences.
Whether you are preparing for a new baby, welcoming a puppy or simply want family life to feel safer and calmer, the Growing Up Together Programme can help you create a clear way forward.
Growing Up Together Assessment — £125
Full Programme — £395, including your assessment
Start with a Growing Up Together Assessment
Has your dog growled, snapped, bitten or guarded something around a child?
Start with a Behaviour Assessment
Not sure which assessment you need?
Book a Free 15-Minute Discovery Call
