Kids And Dogs Ways To Help Them Get Used To Each Other

Most of use probably grew up in a household that had a dog, and many of us treated them like a best friend. Most parents would prefer to get a dog as a family pet since they experienced having and even asking for one as kids.

When it comes to pets and children, making sure that your kids handle the dog well can become a big problem. Older kids can easily be taught how to behave around the dog but younger kids are always an issue. You don't want them to end up hurting the dog or vice versa.

Here are a few ways to help you kids get used to the dog.

Leash training

If you have an older dog, then you have to make sure that they're leashed trained especially when it comes to obedience. Your dog can never be too young or too old to learn leash obedience, and the saying you can't teach an old dog new tricks is not real. Dogs are still capable of learning new orders and behaviors so age is not going to be a matter.

Rules

Kids learn better if you lay down a strict list of rules when they're with the dog. From the start, tell them what they can and cannot do with the dog, how to approach it and how to handle it. If your kids don't know their limit, they might hurt themselves and the dog.

Care

Teach your kids how to take care of the dog. Give them a small task like bathing and feeding the dog so that they'll learn how to be responsible and gentle around it. This is also a big help when your dog becomes older and might get ill with genetic illnesses such as joint problems and DM in dogs.

Fun

Remember to let your kids have fun with the family pet. Take them out to the park and let them run around and play. Puppies are as energetic as kids so you can definitely expect them to have a blast for hours on end.

Attachment

Its good to let the dog and your kids become attached to each other, but too much attachment might just end up hurting your kids when its time for the dog to pass away because of natural causes or because of illnesses like DM in dogs. It should just be balanced so that kids will understand what happened to their pet and help them cope better when the time comes.