How to ensure peace between your child and dog

Dogs may be man's best friend, but they may not be baby's best friend.

Many couples who are expecting their first baby may forget that their dog is not prepared for the bundle of joy, but it needs to be — especially if the dog is fierce enough to kill a lion.

"I was scared to death," said Angela Fellion, 36, of Kaysville.

Fellion and her husband, Kevin, bought a Rhodesian Ridgeback they named Sam almost a year before they brought home their first newborn, Jack.

"Ridgebacks are bred to be lion hunters," Fellion said. "I thought, I'm bringing a baby home to this?"

The Fellions wanted to make sure that Sam would be OK with the new family member.

This is a smart move, according to Ty Brown, a Salt Lake dog trainer who has been training dogs for 13 years. Every month he does five or six in-home dog trainings about child aggression.

"A dog views himself as the leader of the pack," Brown said, explaining dogs will think everything belongs to them — food, toys and even people.

"They have a strong sense of hierarchy," Brown said.

So, naturally, when a dog's owners bring home a newborn baby, the dog may see it as an intruder in his territory.

Stories of dog bites and attacks — many cases involving the family dog attacking children in the home — may motivate new parents to send their dog on a permanent vacation to the backyard once the baby comes.

"That's not appropriate," Brown said. "Training a dog around a child is difficult, but that's something that people need to consider before getting a dog. So stick with it."

Fellion said one reason she and her husband got a Rhodesian Ridgeback was because of the breed's protective attitude.

Two days after she brought Jack home from the hospital, she said she laid him down on the carpet and Sam stood guard over him, with his two front legs straddling the baby.

"I know they say even if you feel like you trust your dog, don't," Fellion said. "But I never got that feeling."

Aside from obedience school, Fellion and her husband had prepared Sam for Jack's arrival.

"I brought home one of Jack's blankets and let him smell it," Fellion said.