Puppy Training Tips

There are a few things to consider before acquiring a puppy if you have children, and there are ways of ensuring that both can interact safely.

Do your research carefully, and choose a dog breed known for being child-friendly. Highly-strung and hard to train dog breeds aren’t what you want around kids. Size is another consideration; how big will the adult dog be, and will it suit small kids?

If possible, discover before you bring the puppy home if it has had exposure to children, and if so how it reacts to them. One thing to take note of is how the puppy is while eating – if it guards the food then you should think twice as this could cause a big problem at home.

It’s not just a case of, once you have your new puppy, to train it to interact with children safely – the children have to be taught as well. Small children won’t necessarily understand the difference between a puppy and a toy, and may be too boisterous. They will want to pick the puppy up, but puppies can very easily squirm out of a child’s grasp and fall to the ground. Show your children that the puppy needs to be petted gently and not picked up. Give lots of praise when they are gentle with the pup. Don’t leave a child and puppy alone together.

Puppies too can be boisterous and nippy, so train them not to bite or nip at the children. Also, teach them that if they are going to chew something it has to be their own toys, not the ones belonging to the kids. Food is another area requiring training – don’t allow the puppy to snatch food from a child.

There are ways, aside from gentle petting, that a child can get involved with a puppy. If they’re in a pushchair then you can give them a ball to throw down to the puppy. Older children can help you hold the puppy’s leash when you go for a walk. They can also help feed and groom the puppy. Children will also enjoy helping to train the puppy to sit, stay or come. Before long, the child and puppy will have an unbreakable bond.