Image Credits: Pixabay
When you adopt a dog and have a kid in the family, you need to teach your kid how they, too, can help their new canine family member. You can't be teaching your dog to obey your commands if your little one sabotages the process by giving it treats despite lousy behavior. Training is a dog that is an essential part of domesticating it. You can't have your dog run wild in the household, tearing up furniture and wetting the carpet.
Consistency is essential when trying to train a dog. Inconsistent behavior by another family member, not in line with your training efforts could make all your attempts futile. If your kid is over the age of eight, you can easily ask them for help in training your dog. However, if they happen to be younger, make sure their actions don't confuse the dog, who is trying to learn what you're teaching it.
Tips to enable your child in dog training
The following tips will help you make your child understand why and how they can train the dog -
- Tell them to turn their back to unwanted behavior – Say, your dog is jumping while you're arriving home with your kids and you'd like it to calm down. You should all turn your backs to it. When you listen for signs of it having calmed down, you can turn around and proceed as you would. Nobody likes an unruly dog greeting their house guests. Ignoring your attention-seeking dog when it's behaving in a way you don't approve of, will send it a signal. Hopefully, it won't repeat this unwanted behavior after a couple of times.
- Teach them how to use praises – A dog thrives on encouragement and rewards. Teach your kid to observe how your dog waits for a treat, after having followed a command well. The dog will lavish you with its attention when you’re tossing it treats. It may not be equally receptive to you at other times. Show your kid how they can use treats preciously to elicit good behavior from the dog instead of pampering it needlessly.
- Just involve them – Yes, training a dog while having a child around can make the process doubly difficult, but it doesn't have to be so. Training establishes a bond between the dog and its humans. You want your child to share in the joy. So, don't keep him/her away when training your dog. Your child can lead with basic instructional training like "Sit," "Stay."
When you adopt a dog into a family, it is every family member's responsibility to train it. Don't allow your child to have a free pass. After all, your dog will be spending as much time around your children as they will, you.
Can Your Dog Teach Your Kid To Be More Responsible?
There are many pros of having a dog; they help you stay fit, give you company when you are alone, and safeguards your house from intruders. But there's more than the happiness and safety factor associated with dog ownership. If you have kids, then having a dog is simply incredible because it can teach your kids a lot about responsibility.Many experts are studying this behavior in depth, and are revealing interesting facts connecting dog ownership with the sense of responsibility in kids. They believe that dogs can make young kids responsible in a number of ways because dogs are like human beings who require care and love.
How do dogs make kids responsible?
Kids, both young and old, can be taught to love and care for dogs at home. The love and affection eventually manifests into a sense of responsibility in kids. Let us look at some ways in which your dog can make your kids responsible.
- FoodPerhaps kids have some idea about fastidious nutritional requirements of dogs. Keeping a dog helps kids in acting responsibly when it comes to feeding it. Young kids can be taught to feed the dog, which gives them an idea why food is required for the dog's health and development. This would help your kid learn responsibility and make him feel more involved in pet care at home.
- CommitmentIf you allow your kids to take care of your dog, they learn about commitment towards the dog's life. They start viewing dogs as living creatures and pay more attention to it. They will try their best to keep your dog protected and safe from dangers. As they get more involved with dogs, they will start viewing them as living creatures, not toys to play with.
- Personal careYou can help your kids know the importance of personal hygiene and sanitation if you get them involved in bathing and cleaning your dog. By taking part in the personal care of dogs, your kids understand the importance of cleanliness. In short you can kill two birds with one stone; you take care of your dog's hygiene and also inculcate sanitary habits in your kids.
- EmpathyIt may sound preposterous but medical care extended to dogs at home makes your kid responsible and empathetic. Having your kids around you when you treat your dog for injuries or illnesses will make them understand the importance of medical care for dogs, thus making them understand your dog's condition.
- 24×7 ResponsibilityAs your kids gets more involved in caring for your dog, they understand that they have to be responsible around the clock. This teaches them how to prioritize their needs, and become more responsible in their daily lives.