Teach Your Kids to Love Pets 1 - Show Them How

Teach Your Kids to love Pets - Show them How to Care for Pets

All kids seem to have a natural desire to love pets. As Charles Schulz said, who can resist “a warm puppy”? Puppies, kittens, bunnies, critters, and some birds are small, warm, soft and irresistible. Even ponies fall into this category on a different scale. They’re all cuddly, trusting and innocent, just like babies!

It’s our job as parents to teach children to learn “how” to love and care for pets. Although most pet experts say that the best age for a child to adopt a pet is around age 8, even the smallest child wants to hug and love a pet. It’s the greatest opportunity to teach children the meaning of being gentle. They have to be taught not to squeeze or hurt a pet. We need to give them the experience of hugging and cuddling a pet and make their first introductions to pets positive ones.  With constant supervision we can help small children live with pets, but we can’t expect them to take care of pets until they are school age. Further, we have to teach them how to take care of pets by modeling how to do it ourselves.

This blog is mostly about dogs, but we love all pets and you can adapt these thoughts to other pets. I’ve been overwhelmed in the last 20 years by how smart animals are. I remember the first time I saw one of the Purina teams, who travel around the country putting on shows with animals, demonstrate how to teach cats to walk across tightropes! It’s also amazing the things we can learn about our pets ourselves – and with the internet and television pet shows we have an abundance of resources for learning about our pets.

Teach Your Kids to Love Pets - Talk to Them

Having a Dog Helps Tweens Learn Empathy

Studies show that kids 10-12 only talk to their parents between 11 and 33 minutes per week! At a time when developing empathy and learning to be sensitive to the feelings and needs of others is critical, this lack of communication with adults is alarming. Dr. Robert E. Bierer’s studies of kids with and without dogs asked tweens 72 questions about their relationships with others. No matter what their ethnicity or background was, the 93 children who had dogs showed much more empathy toward others and had more self-esteem than the 33 kids who didn’t have a dog.

Benefits of Pets for Kids - CONFIDENCE

Pets Give Kids Confidence

Researcher, Robert E. Bierer, Ph.D., studied the interaction of 126 children age 10-12. Ninety-three of them were children with dogs. Bierer said he knew dogs were good medicine but he was surprised at the difference in empathy and self-esteem between the tweens who had a dog and those that didn’t. Kids assumed the role of parent to their dogs. Dogs gave their unconditional love and loyalty to the kids. The dog’s acceptance of their human companion is complete.That gives kids a sense of self worth. Bierer's studies are now part of volumes of evidence that show dog ownership has a “statistically significant” impact on self-esteem and sensitivity toward others. 

Benefits of Pets for Kids - Manners for Everyone

Train Your Dog, it’s part of the deal.

To be a valued member of the family a pet, dogs in particular, need manners. Plan from day one to take your dog to training class. Like all pets they need to be clean and well groomed. They also need to learn not to jump on people, to accept strangers, walk on a leash and learn commands like sit and stay – until you release them.

Take your children with you to watch and learn how dogs are trained. Once your dog responds well to commands, your child will be proud of having a well behaved dog and friends will be happy to come to your house.

Benefits of Pets for Kids - Petting Calms Everyone

When my kids were growing up, our backyard was the neighborhood play yard. We had a great climbing tree, garden spots, lots of hiding places and a special “structure.” The girls used it for a playhouse. The boys used it as a club house. There was a constant power struggle between the two groups to see who got to play in the “house.” Invariably there were tears involved. Knowing full well that the elements of surprise and diversion work better than sympathy and negotiation when it comes to tears, I developed what turned out to be a full proof answer to which ever child came crying. Cinder Mittens, our black house cat was the answer. As soon as I heard sobs coming my way, I grabbed the cat in one hand and the phone in the other. I met the child at the door, cautioned him/her to “shhhhh” while pointing at the phone, put the cat in his or her arms and whispered: “She still needs 25 “pets” before she’s finished. Can you pet her while I’m on the phone?” It immediately stopped the tears, calmed the child, pleased the cat and relieved my anxiety! Pets have a way of doing all that. Just one of the benefits of having a pet.

When Kids Are Old Enough to Care for Pets

My earliest memory of a pet is my cat, Fluffy. I was about five. I brought Fluffy to my pretend school room every day. She sat in my doll’s high chair. I liked to dress her in my doll’s clothes and brush her hair. I remember mother told me that I should be more gentle with Fluffy or she’d run away. It wasn’t long before she disappeared. I’ve felt guilty my whole life, but the experience improved my treatment of pets after that. Pet experts recommend that the best age for children to have pets is 8. That’s based on when they think children are capable of assuming for the care of a pet. I believe as parents we are the ones that should care for the pet. Let the children form their own bond with the pet while we model good pet care and gradually let them take over responsibility.

Why Parents Have to Care for Pets

Not too long ago a bunch of us were waiting for a meeting to start and were telling each other about our pets. Steve told us he was thinking of getting his kids a dog but he probably wouldn’t. He said he knew they wouldn’t take care of it and he didn’t want to do it himself. When it came to Jane, who has a golden retriever, she told how feeding her dog was the best part of her day! She taught her dog to wait by his dish until she gave him the OK sign that he could eat. She made “play dates” for him. She took him to special dog parks. Once a week she took him to Doggie Day Care to play with his friends. She told us she “let” her nieces and nephews feed her dog when they stayed overnight – IF they were good, because it was very important to take good care of him. Jane was bonded with her dog and she knew the “secret” of teaching kids what a joy it is to have a pet. It’s NOT a chore, it’s a privilege. So be prepared to “own” the pet yourself and teach your children how to care for it by example. A pet is part of the family.