Bringing a family dog into your life can be a wonderful experience for you and your children. It can change your home’s dynamic in a variety of beneficial ways. However, there are a considerable amount of challenges along the way.
You’ll need to keep in mind that you are in this for the long haul. A dog isn’t a toy that you can put on a shelf when your children grow bored with it. In many ways, a dog is even more responsibility than a child. Therefore, it’s essential to know what you’re getting into.
To make sure that the experience is a good one for everyone, including the dog, make sure that you put the following tips to use.
Teach Your Children To Be Careful
Even though puppies may be cute and fluffy, they are still animals. Dogs can be dangerous if they’re not trained properly. It’s vital that your child knows what behaviors are acceptable around the dog.
Screaming, pulling their tail, or being threatening in any way isn’t fair to the animal. Often dogs who bite are not vicious by nature, but rather victims of their circumstances. When children are rambunctious around animals or scare them, their natural instinct is to defend themselves. It’s important that your child understands safety rules not only around your dog but other dogs too.
Be Aware Of Leaving Things On The Floor
During the first few months of your dog’s life, they’ll chew just about anything and everything. When they’re teething or bored, their first instinct is to look for something to chew.
It’s essential that you keep an eye out for toys and things of importance on the floor. It can be a sad day when your child’s favorite toy is nothing but a pile of chewed rubble. Make sure that you buy toys or rawhide for your dog so that they have something to turn to when they have the urge to chomp.
Set Boundaries
Your dog’s behavior will depend on what kind of rules you enforce on a regular basis. Training your puppy especially when he is young should be consistent if you expect your dog to be obedient when he gets older.
You need to set firm boundaries and rules which never bend. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself paying for it later.
Involve The Whole Family In Training
Training the dog can be a family effort for everyone to get involved with. You can take turns training with food and reinforcing good behavior.
Teaching your dog to lie down or sit can be lots of entertainment for younger kids when you get them involved. When the whole family plays a part in teaching your dog good behavior, then it becomes less of a chore.