Pets: good for kids and families! As non-judgmental friends, pets help develop empathy and social and caregiving skills. Shared responsibilities such as feeding, grooming, play and walks help bring the family together. Studies show exposure to pets during infancy reduces chances of allergies, and pets also keep kids healthier by providing exercise and reducing stress by being a source of laughter and joy.
Dog training – using positive reinforcement, taking learning in small steps and celebrating each success – develops sportsmanship and teamwork skills. Success requires focus and consistency. Multi-tasking involves motion, direction, body lines, placement of rewards and patience instead of multiple electronic devices!
Multiple family members are encouraged in puppy class, and children may either be the primary trainer or take turns in classes such as rally, obedience, general manners, flyball, treibball and agility. Laura started rally when she was 8 with Daisy, a year old golden-doodle and also her medical alert dog (featured on WTAE News, May 2012). Megan, 13, trains with her beagle – she taught Rebel weaves as a summer project, and looks forward to running Rebel and Sammy (her instructor’s border collie) in our club’s next CPE agility trial. Megan K. started training agility with her neighbor’s Lab rescue when she was 13, and now competes with Ike, one of her family’s 3 labs, in CPE Agility Level 3!
Even if the goal is a great family pet, you must teach your dog to respect all children, and your child to respect all dogs! . Children must be taught how to approach strange dogs, to respect your dog’s space, mood and food, and all family members must be taught to play safely. Dogs naturally use mouths and learn bite inhibition by playing with their littermates. If a pup bites too hard in play – their playmate will stop play – Game-Off! But human skin is not protected by fur, making a no-bite, no-rough house policy (for all, even dads and teens) imperative. Children need to learn that pinching ears, pulling tails or grabbing can hurt or surprise your dog, and provoke your dog’s natural instincts. Also, screaming, running and fast movement invoke instincts of dogs to chase, herd, nip or even bite.
No dog – even a young pup - should ever be left alone with a child. Dogs need to be desensitized to the noises and sounds of children and their play. In introducing a new child to the family, dogs may need to learn to share time and attention.
When encouraging your child to help train your pet, consider the attention span, limitations and confidence level of all parties. For example, if you have a large dog and young child, let them work with pre-taught, simple commands such as sit and stay- instead expecting them to control the leash. Talk to the instructor in advance, and make a plan. Children under 18 taking classes need to be accompanied by an adult. Bringing very young family members to class- if they cannot sit quietly - will make it hard for dogs and trainers to concentrate. Also, all family members should consider themselves co-learners, letting the instructor make the adjustments to keep training positive for all. Use many short training sessions at home, when your pup is hungry! Keeping a training log may encourage all to be more focused and consistent.
All classes are held at our indoor training facility at 1900 Sheena Drive in Plum, PA 15239. Please see www.sndk9.com for class schedules, fees and registration. Email us at info@sndk9.com with questions and we’ll put you in touch with an instructor!
Splash ‘N Dash is a non-profit dog training club welcoming all for classes in obedience and other dog sports, and we offer a 10% discount for Macaroni Kid new students!
