Dogs + Kids
Help your child and dog live together more safely and calmly.
Learn how to prepare your dog, teach safer habits, and create a home where kids and dogs coexist with less stress. Whether you're bringing home a baby, managing toddler chaos, or reducing risky dog-child interactions, this course gives you practical strategies that protect both your child and your dog.
$99 · 41 lessons · 1.5+ hours · 15+ downloads · 12 months access
Instant access · Self-paced · Can be added to another course for $39 · HSA/FSA eligible
Dog-and-kid advice online tends to swing between "dogs are always fine with kids" and "never trust a dog around children" — neither of which helps you in your actual house, with your actual dog. This course helps you read real dog body language, set up routines that reduce stress for everyone, and know when a situation calls for extra support. The goal isn't a picture-perfect relationship — it's safety, predictability, and trust.
What's inside the course
Preparing Your Dog
Get your dog ready before baby arrives, and build routines that reduce chaos as your family grows.
Reading Body Language
Recognize stress signals and early warning signs so you can step in before things escalate.
Safer Interactions + When to Get Help
Set boundaries that protect both your child and your dog, teach kids how to interact respectfully, and know the red flags that call for professional support.
You also get printable checklists and guides for introducing dogs and babies, plus real-family lessons on what worked and what didn't.
Who this is best for
- Expecting parents with dogs
- Families preparing a dog for a new baby
- Parents navigating everyday dog-and-child safety
- Families introducing babies, toddlers, or young children to a dog for the first time
Bonus resources
Explore a few helpful dog and child safety resources:
Who teaches this?
This course was created by the Nurtured Nest team — parenting educators, healthcare professionals, dog-informed safety educators, and real parents — so it's grounded in research and real-life experience.
Meet the educator team →
Have a question along the way? Send it through the platform or by email, any time during your 12-month access. We route it to the educator whose background fits best, and you'll hear back within 24 hours.
A quick note: This course offers general safety education and doesn't guarantee any dog's behavior, prevent all incidents, or replace individualized support from a dog trainer or veterinarian. If you have specific safety concerns about your dog, please consult a qualified professional.
Already getting Childbirth or Baby's First Year? Add this course for $39 instead of $99 standalone — or get it included in the Complete Bundle. View the bundle option →
Trusted by 3,000+ families · 501(c)(3) nonprofit · Used by UNC Health
Take a quick look inside Kids & the Family Dog.
Every family's situation is different. Here's a peek at how the course helps you read your dog's signals, set up safer routines, and build a home where kids and dogs can both feel secure.
Hide and Seek, Pup Style
Watch a simple, low-stress game that helps build trust and positive associations between your dog and your family — the kind of practical tool you can start using right away.
Not a course that assumes the worst about your dog.
This course helps you notice what's actually happening — in your dog's body language, your child's behavior, and your daily routines — without assuming your dog is a problem waiting to happen, or that kids and dogs are automatically fine together.
A look at the resources included.
The reads and tools are there for the moments you want a real family's experience or a practical checklist to lean on.
Babies & Dogs: Creating a Safe Home
Practical guidance for setting up a home environment that works for both your dog and your baby.
Read the article →Introducing Dogs & Babies: A Real Family's Story
Lessons learned from a real family's experience introducing their dog to a newborn.
Read the article →Safer Introductions Checklist
A step-by-step checklist for introducing your dog to a new baby or child, built into the course.
Watch before baby arrives
Get your dog acclimated and your routines set up before the household changes.
Revisit before big changes
Come back before visits from kids, new pets, moves, or anything else that disrupts routine.
Share with caregivers
Use the lessons to get grandparents, sitters, and family on the same page about safe interactions.
A quick note: This course offers general safety education and doesn't guarantee any dog's behavior, prevent all incidents, or replace individualized support from a dog trainer or veterinarian. If you have specific safety concerns about your dog, please consult a qualified professional.
You don't have to have a perfectly calm dog or a perfectly careful kid. You just need a plan that keeps everyone safer while they're both learning.
They were nervous too.
Then they took the class.
Cassidy & baby Hudson · Nurtured Nest family
"I felt like I knew what the doctors were talking about every step of the way — it made a huge difference in my childbirth and postpartum experience."
"As a nurse, having instructors explain both medical terms and real-life meaning helped me and my non-medical husband. Exactly what we were looking for — on our schedule."
"Feeling reasonably prepared and very well informed about all options, without pressure to choose one method as best."
Ready when you are
The goal isn't a picture-perfect relationship. It's safety, predictability, and trust.
Kids & the Family Dog gives you short lessons, practical checklists, and real-world guidance for preparing your dog, reading body language, safer introductions, and building routines that work for your whole family.
$99 standalone · $39 add-on with select courses · Included in the Complete Bundle · 12 months access · HSA/FSA receipt available · 15-day guarantee