Teach Your Kids to Love Pets 2 - Be An Example

Teach Your Kids to Love Pets #2  Be An Example

No matter what we say to our children, it’s what we DO that they remember. For children to learn to care for a pet, they need to see someone else take care of it. They need to listen to the way we talk to our pets and observe how we train our pets. If we want our children to grow up loving, caring for and living with pets, we have to show them how. 

We should demonstrate that brushing and grooming the dog, isn’t a “chore.” We need to tell them we bathe and take care of the dog for the same reasons we brush their hair and give them a bath. Dogs may not love a bath, although most of them don’t mind at all, but they love to feel clean! It will be very obvious to your child that a dog feels good after his bath. Be sure to tell them Rover feels frisky and full of energy after his bath because he feels good being clean.

We need to learn what to expect from puppy behavior. Puppies, in particular, can cause a lot of damage to the home by chewing. It’s a natural thing for puppies who are cutting teeth, just like babies, to chew everything. Give them appropriate things to chew. Put away things that aren’t appropriate. Above all, we don’t want to lose our temper when they do chew up a shoe that’s been left out, or the leg of a chair when they've been left alone. We can explain how unhappy we are, but we shouldn't blame the puppy. Chewing is another good reason to learn about crate training. 

No one should adopt a pet because they want their children to learn responsibility. We should adopt a pet because We want a pet to be a member of our family. When we feed and water the dog, we can use language that will impress upon children the importance of caring for the pet. Example: “Yes, we will make cinnamon toast this morning, but first we have to give Rover his breakfast. He’s as hungry as we are and he needs a drink of fresh water. After that he has to go outside again to go to the bathroom.”

Don’t delegate the care of the pet to children, model the things we do to care for our pets so our children will learn what’s necessary and eventually want to help. If they hear us praise the dog when he accomplishes a task we're teaching him, it's a positive message to them too. Let them hear us speak firmly to the dog when we tell him “down.” When we've shown that taking care of Rover is the natural thing for us to do the kids will eventually want to help.Gradually “let” them help with the care of the dog.

Kids love to give dogs treats. When the dog “sits” when we tell him to, we can let the kids give him a treat. Show them how to praise the dog and pet him when they give him a reward. Talk about a time in the future when they may be old enough to care for him. When that transition comes, remember we can ask them if we can still help out once in awhile!

The saddest thing that can happen to pets, kids - and the whole family, is to adopt a pet and then expect children to magically be able to assume responsibility for their care. They have to be old enough to understand and they have to be taught. We have to be a good example.

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.