Family Paws: Help toddlers approach dogs the right way

Jennifer Shryock, a Cary mom of four and founder of the national program Family Paws, is a recognized national expert on child-dog interactions. She'll share weekly tips for the next month starting today.

Posted 1:00 a.m. May 30, 2012 — Updated 1:00 a.m. May 30, 2012

Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

I introduced Jennifer Shryock, a Cary mom of four and owner of Family Paws, on Monday.

Shryock has devoted her career to helping parents introduce their dogs to their babies and kids. She offers programs locally for expecting parents and parents of babies and young children, including one-on-one consultations. And she has a network of 120 presenters around the country and in Canada offering similar programs.

For the next month, Shryock, a certified dog behavior consultant and a recognized expert on child-dog interactions, will be offering dog safety tips here on Go Ask Mom every Wednesday starting today.

Her first topic focuses on helping toddlers approach dogs the right way.

"Toddlers approaching a dog is almost always going to make a dog a bit uncomfortable," she tells me.

Find out how to invite a dog over and what "pet, pet, pet, pause" means by watching the video, which features one of Shryock's four dogs, Bailey.

For more about Family Paws, go to its website.

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