HighRoller
05-08-2005, 07:34 PM
Children and puppies
Children and dogs are a natural combination, but children should always be taught to be gentle with puppies and parents should always supervise interactions.
All children past crawling stage can participate in puppy care in some fashion. A toddler can pick up puppy toys and put them in a box, help straighten puppy bedding, and learn to keep his own toys out of range of puppy teeth. A pre-school child can do these things and help fix puppy meals and accompany Mom and puppy to the veterinary clinic. A kindergartner can help teach the puppy to sit before he gets a treat and can help with leash training, and an older child can teach puppy tricks and actively participate in good manners training under adult supervision.
A few cautions, however:
No hugging. A puppy held close to a child's face can accidentally scratch or nip if it becomes frightened and tries to get away.
No dragging. Kids should never be allowed to drag a puppy around by the leg, the collar, or a leash.
No feeding from the table. Puppies and kids should be separated when food is around so puppies don't become beggars and thieves and kids don't tease pups with tasty morsels.
No spanking. Children should never spank a puppy for bad behavior. (Of course, adults should not spank puppies either!)
From the puppy's point of view, children can be either easy to intimidate or objects of fear. Children who run and scream can excite bold puppies into uncontrolled madness that includes growling and biting or can induce fear in shy puppies. Children who try to dominate puppies can have the opposite effect - rather than obey the child, the puppy can turn into a biter. Children who are afraid can also turn puppies into bullies that growl and nip to get their way.
Children and dogs are a natural combination, but children should always be taught to be gentle with puppies and parents should always supervise interactions.
All children past crawling stage can participate in puppy care in some fashion. A toddler can pick up puppy toys and put them in a box, help straighten puppy bedding, and learn to keep his own toys out of range of puppy teeth. A pre-school child can do these things and help fix puppy meals and accompany Mom and puppy to the veterinary clinic. A kindergartner can help teach the puppy to sit before he gets a treat and can help with leash training, and an older child can teach puppy tricks and actively participate in good manners training under adult supervision.
A few cautions, however:
No hugging. A puppy held close to a child's face can accidentally scratch or nip if it becomes frightened and tries to get away.
No dragging. Kids should never be allowed to drag a puppy around by the leg, the collar, or a leash.
No feeding from the table. Puppies and kids should be separated when food is around so puppies don't become beggars and thieves and kids don't tease pups with tasty morsels.
No spanking. Children should never spank a puppy for bad behavior. (Of course, adults should not spank puppies either!)
From the puppy's point of view, children can be either easy to intimidate or objects of fear. Children who run and scream can excite bold puppies into uncontrolled madness that includes growling and biting or can induce fear in shy puppies. Children who try to dominate puppies can have the opposite effect - rather than obey the child, the puppy can turn into a biter. Children who are afraid can also turn puppies into bullies that growl and nip to get their way.