How to make sure your children have a good relationship with your dog

2nd July 2019

Having a dog can help to teach your children how to be compassionate towards animals. You’ll need to give your children guidance though to teach them how to behave properly around your dog. Here are some top tips to ensure your children and your dog get along well.

Don’t leave them alone

Make sure that you are always present when your children and your dog are together to avoid them injuring one another, whether intentionally or accidentally. Older children can be left alone with your dog once you are confident they know how to care for them properly.

Treating them as equals

If you tell your children to treat your dog as though they are another human being, then this can help them understand that dogs should be treated with respect and that they will feel pain or stress just like the child might in certain situations.

Training your dog

When you are in the process of training your dog, get your children involved with the training too so that they can see how you would like your dog to behave in certain situations.

Caring for your dog

Get your children involved in your dog’s daily care. With your supervision, teach your children how to feed, bathe or groom your dog. This should help your children to see that the dog has similar needs to their own and that they should be treated like a member of the family.

Stroking the dog

Teach your children that they should stroke the dog in the direction of their fur and indicate to them which parts of the animal they can stroke. This may vary from dog to dog, for example, one dog might love having their tummy rubbed while another might hate it.

Dog walks

Taking your children on walks with your dog will ensure they get fresh air and exercise, and it will feed their sense of adventure as they explore the countryside with the dog.

Giving your dog space

Teach your children to leave your dog alone when they are preforming certain tasks such as sleeping, eating, drinking or toileting. Remind your children that they don’t like being disturbed when they do these things to help them understand that your dog doesn’t like being disturbed either.