Teach Your Children Well

The photo above was taken over 10 years ago. I had rescued a pregnant dog who had 12 puppies. We were able to find great homes for 11 of the puppies and the Mama. One pup was given back to us and I still have her.

This photo was taken of my Granddaughter sitting in the middle of the Whelping pen. The Mama dog was outside. My daughter and I were in the whelping room with my Granddaughter and the puppies.

This is not something I recommend. However, the puppies were very young and my Granddaughter was so overwhelmed she did not even touch them. Once the puppies grew, they were rarely near my baby's baby.

All of my children and my Granddaughter were raised with dogs and they are excellent dog people.

From a very early age, the children in our household knew to stay away from the dogs when they are eating or sleeping.

Teach your children the same for their safety and the dog's safety. If you watch a litter of puppies who are eating dog food, they will growl and snap at a litter mate when a litter mate gets too close to what they perceive as their food. As far as the dog is concerned, your child is a puppy. Only the Alpha human can control food.

Always.

When a child gives a treat, I recommend the child puts the treat in the dog bowl and walks away. No food offered from the child's hand. Why? Because a toddler walks around holding people food and the dog must learn not to take it.

Be very consistent with this and the dog will learn to only eat food from their bowl.

I am referring to a young child.

In another post, I will discuss training with treats. The baby in the above photo has grown. For the last three years, she and her dog have participated in 4H dog training. They use treats and praise as rewards.

However, a young child (baby & toddler) needs protection from getting hurt by normal dog behavior. Another tip is never put your face close to your dog's face. You should follow this rule and teach your children the same. For the dog, a face to face contact (or even close) is a threat. I know everyone will say, well I always snuggle and kiss my dog's face. Look at your dog. Do they look happy about it?

One snap and the game is over for your dog and fear is now implanted in your child.

Additionally, teach your children not to disturb a sleeping dog. A sleeping dog will react when woken suddenly. If someone startles you from a deep sleep, you react by yelling a little or reaching out. Same for your dog.

Also, all children need to learn not to grab and pull ears, tails and paws.

No teasing.

And be very careful about hugging. Most dogs are uncomfortable being hugged and hate a tight hug.

This photo is of my second niece hugging my Great Pyrenees, Bear.

Bear is very comfortable in this photo. Notice how the little girl is standing at the dog's side, not in front of him. She is gently hugging him with one arm on his shoulder and one arm on his chest. If she was in from of him, with her face in his face and hugging his neck tightly, it would be dangerous. Fortunately, her mother taught her well and I am constantly reading dog's body language.

Bear is a huge dog. I have seen people let little children crawl over, jump on or ride a large dog. Stop. Dangerous behavior.

Teach your children to Respect dogs. Show them the many ways they can love having a dog in their life.

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