While the apprehension to leave big dogs around babies is perfectly understandable, there’s no denying how precious and heartwarming it is to witness an animal showing nothing but gentleness and love towards the little ones. Families who have raised dogs alongside their kids know this very well. They’ve also got the training bit down pat, and we’re not just talking “sit”, “stay”, and “fetch”. It’s the impressive way families train their dogs how to behave around humans, especially babies, and vice versa – kids need to understand that pets need the same respect and boundaries, too.
Consistent training and guided exposure are effective ways to teach both dogs and babies to safely interact and get to know each other well. Both are extremely curious and playful after all, so it’s only natural that they gravitate towards each other eventually, just like this delightful pair.
Loki the German Shepherd and Tallulah are best friends.
And since we live in modern times, it’s only natural that the Shepherd has an Instagram account where photos of the two are shared. The Instagram bio says Tallulah is Loki’s “pet human” and that he “loves his sidekick”, complete with the baby emoji. Ryan Symes, pet parent to Loki and proud dad to Tallulah shares that Loki has been part of the family for more than three years, and that he’s been great in helping raise Tallulah and just really making her happy.
Despite aging, Loki remains a puppy at heart – always playful and affectionate. Even if it’s as simple as pawing at treats or playing with toys alongside Tallulah, Loki’s antics never fail to make the little girl burst into fits of giggles.
He constantly gives Tallulah big, sloppy kisses too, which the little girl loves.
Loki may have been the ‘first’ child in the house but since Tallulah came along, the two have hit it off since. Ryan couldn’t help but enthuse about how his little girl never once showed fear towards the gentle dog.
“Tallulah has no fear. She was very intrigued at Loki,” shared Ryan.
“Before Tallulah was born, Loki wasn’t always so responsible. He very much grew up kind of doing whatever he wanted.”
The dad admitted he didn’t do his best as a trainer. It went as far as him questioning if Loki had this natural defiance to authority and if Loki was just going to end up as a naughty dog.
He would jump on tables, chew up paper, basically do everything he wasn’t supposed to sans the scolding. This inconsistency in training resulted in the German Shepherd not getting used to being told off.
That is, until Tallulah came in the picture and changed everything.
At first, the mischievous German Shepherd seemed to somehow be testing boundaries (and maybe pushing them at times?) while being his usual playful self. But when Tallulah was born, it didn’t take long for Loki to go into full on big brother mode.
He’s always conscious of where the toddler is.
When Tallulah would toddle around a room, Loki would always keep an eye on her. The protective nature and the sharp instincts of Loki countered every doubt Ryan had about his conduct. Who knew it would take welcoming a baby into the family to bring out this side of Loki?
Loki’s gentle and playful nature makes him the perfect big brother to Tallulah. The two share a special bond that no other dog or human can match.
See more precious moments from Tallulah and Loki by following loki_the_shep on Instagram.
Watch the sweet video below to see how much this dog really loves his little girl.
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