Children learn a lot of things by watching their parents and others. One great way to teach children about responsibilities and respect is by including them in the care of the family dog. Everything from exercising and grooming to watering and feeding the dog. That includes taking them to the vet for check ups as well.
Research has shown that a bond between a dog and a child has many benefits including emotional, cognitive, behavior, and social development. Studies have shown that children with pets are more empathetic and compassionate. A dog for a kid is a life long friend who never judges them which may lead to more confidence and better social skills overall. Helping take care of the family dog will learn them about commitments and responsibilities and just make them overall better adults.
Getting Started With The Care Of The Family Dog
• Kids can start out by helping feed and water the dog. Learning to clean the feed and water bowls daily and picking up after the dog. If you have a puppy their will be lots of toys at the end of the day that needs to be put away.
• Help to give the dog a bath. I can’t imagine this one being easy or not being messy but it will be a lot of fun. You may be better off learning outside in a kiddy pool first.
• Helping to groom the dog. Learn them to sit quietly and brush the dog.
Not All Dogs Will Have The Right Temperament So be Safe
Never allow young children to do these things unsupervised. There are warning signs a dog may give off that a child just simply don’t understand that tells you they are not tolerating all of the experiences well like grooming or bathing.
There are certain rules kids need to learn about dogs.
• Never pull or tug on a dogs coat or tail.
• Do not put your face in the dogs face.
• Never scream at the dog. Always talk in a calm voice at all times to the dog.
• Never hit the dog with your hand or with an object such as a stick or throw objects at them such as rocks.
Warning Signs A dog Is Uncomfortable or Worried
If they do any of these things its time to leave the dog and evaluate the situation. Just because an adult can do certain things with the dog does not mean the kids can.
• Dog freezes in place suddenly
• Dog drops his head and just stares
• Lays his ears back
• Curls his lips and bares his teeth
Dogs are meant to be with families and be part of a family. I could not imagine my life without my dogs in it. We owe so much more to a dog than a pat on the head every once in a while. Dogs enrich our daily lives and help us in tough times. Get those kids involved with the family dog so they can grow up never missing out on what it was like to have a friend who loved them unconditionally. Bama Huskies has been breeding and training dogs for over 20 years. Want to learn more about our breeding program and kennel? Check us out here About Bama Huskies
