Before buying a dog, many people picture an idyllic scene of children playing happily with their new pet, learning to care for them and enjoying the benefits of outdoor exercise.

Safe behaviour As well as supervising your children when they're with a dog, you should teach them to:

Stroke the dog gently on the head or chest without 'hugging' it around the neck Avoid staring straight into the dog's eyes because it may think this is threatening behaviour Avoid running and screaming around the dog Leave the dog alone when it's eating or sleeping Treat the dog with kindness and respect

To minimise the risk of aggressive behaviour by your dog:

Do some research before you buy and find out which breeds behave best with children Buy from a reputable breeder Take your dog to a formal training class and teach it to behave well around children Make sure your dog has a 'retreat', such as a bed Avoid giving your dog toys that resemble children's clothes or playthings Don't allow your dog to play rough games with adults that wouldn't be safe with children

Change the dog's routine ahead of the baby's arrival so it becomes used to its new regime - it may have to cope with fewer daily walks for the first few weeks, for example Encourage the dog not to go upstairs if that's where your baby will be sleeping Test your dog's reaction if you lavish attention on a doll wrapped in a blanket

SafeKids recommends keeping your dog away from your baby for a few hours after you first come home. After that, introduce the dog on a lead.

Outside the home Most parents have known that nervous moment when a strange dog looms, especially if it's a big or boisterous animal.

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