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Are they unpredicatable?

"Jennifer Shryock, a dog behavior consultant from dogsandstorks.com, a program that prepares families with dogs for life with a baby, said infants should never be left alone -- even for a moment -- with a dog, due to the animals' unpredictability. "
This is a quote from the Star Ledger article. I wanted to expand on this.
There is some truth to this, when we are not there, they are more likely to be unpredictable BUT......there is more truth to the fact that Dogs will PREDICTABLY behave as dogs.

That said we must predict that they will caretake, nurture, discipline, & respond based on the natural instincts of the dogs that they are. That is predictable.

Without a person present for guidance and direction dogs predictably will act like dogs. There are many variations of dog behavior that are considered acceptable and unacceptable in our in our human world but... still are part of our dogs. We must be aware of these behavior so that we can predict and therefore proactively prevent.

If we believe our dogs are unpredictable we become helpless. Victims. This creates fear and is no help to our dogs or anyone.

Knowing that dogs will behave as dogs and becoming familiar with dog body language and behavior through such programs as www.doggonesafe.com empowers adults and children to make safer choices and set themselves up for success. Dogs need our direction, supervision and guidance to be the most successful.

We love dogs for many reasons. When we choose to include them in our home we must also choose to be informed and educated about their behavior so that we can help them be successful in our very unpredictable hectic human world.

A dog, a baby ......the unimaginable.

My heart goes out to the Hennessy family at this time. As a Mother, dog lover, one being a husky, I am so so sorry for all that this family is going through. This is beyond tragic. I am dedicated to preventing this type of news from hitting our headlines through education before and after baby arrives.
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-11/122093492596820.xml&coll=1
This is why I began the Dogs & Storks program. Recently some of our team of presenters were reviewing what has been taught routinely over the years as nursery rules by dog trainers. We decided to make changes to our program and new recommendations based on the availability of monitors and safety considerations. Here is what we now recommend.
Nursery rules.....
1. If a parent is not in the room where a baby is in a crib or bassinet the wooden door should be securely closed locking the dog out.
2. We do not suggest a gate or screen door be used as a barrier.
3. We recommed that parents take full advantage of the baby monitors on the market to monitor their baby.
*****If there is a need to keep the nursery door ajar then an alternative option to secure the dog is to crate the dog or lock then in a room or have the dog on leash attached to an adult.

AT NO TIME

should the dog have

access to the baby without adult supervision.

This also means that if the new parents are sleeping the dog should be secured or the baby's room door is closed. Sleeping parents are not alert and can not be aware of their dog's actions.
PLEASE NOTE! these tips are general and are intended to increase safety and prevent another possible tragedy, not point blame or make a judgement of the Hennessy family. I have learned a great deal from my own mistakes in raising kids and dogs together and this could have been me or any one of us who have left the room for a moment. I am counting my blessings today and sending prayers to family.
http://www.dogsandstorks.com/
I hope that you find the information helpful.
http://www.doggonesafe.com/ has a dog bite victim support board for families who have experienced severe dog attacks. This too may be helpful.