Dogs, Children & Training
I’ve decided to publish some of my dog training packets that I give to clients on here. {All information is the intellectual property of Katie Beth Dean}
Children and dogs can make life long friends – but its important that all child and dog interactions occur under supervision, especially with smaller children. For the sake of this information by child I am referring to kids under the age of 10-12.
While we all know its important to train your dog its important to train your kids, too. Make it a happy & healthy relationship with boundaries. Gentle petting & appropriate playtime - no crawling, “riding”, pulling on body parts, tight hugging or any other type of wallowing on the dogs is the key to a safe home for all parties.
If your kid does these things they are most likely causing stress in your puppy – and stress if left unchecked can lead to dog bites! And then no one is happy.
Signs of stress in dogs:
o Lip licking
o Excessive yawning
o Tight/tense muzzle muscles
o Avoidance
o Pulling away
o Whale Eye (Wide eyes where you can see the whites outlining their iris)
o Ears back
o Muscle tension
o Frozen posture
o Heavy eye contact (frozen stare)
^^at some point the stress will rise so high it leads to a bite. The bottom of the list are more “incoming fear/stress bite” signals.
Some may say:
“My kid does this all the time” & “My dog would Never!”
- your dog just hasn’t YET. You may be lucky & your dog will never bite, but that doesn’t make your dog any less stressed by your children/grandchildren & that’s unfair.
That being said, letting your child be apart of training can help them actively bond with their dog! I would recommend all kids at least be able to tell their dogs to come, sit and to not jump on them. Leash walking is optional – but my goal with leash walking is for a small child to be able to walk the dogs I’ve trained.
Some rules to go by if your child is helping with training:
1. Make sure the dog actually knows the command before you let your child attempt – if not you may confuse your dog. Each week we learn a new command. You should practice the command on your own with the dog the first few days, then let your child attempt.
2. Your child needs to use the same commands as the adults to the best of their ability. As a dog gets older they will start to learn each individual in the family’s way of doing things, but that can take time. Don’t confuse the dog if they don’t have to.
3. All training should be under supervision.
4. Start inside with minor distractions first.
5. Start with the Name Game – found in the first packet given.
6. Kids always give better treats – if you, the adult, are using dry dog food, then your child should be training the dog with dog treats. If you’re using dog treats your child should be using things like chicken or cheese. By uping the dogs reward they have more incentive to listen to the child. It really pays to pay attention to the little human.
7. If your dog is reactive or over excited about meeting new people or other dogs, do not let your child be the one “in charge” of the leash on walks. That’s a safety hazard waiting to happen.
8. Keep Child-dog training sessions short – 10-15 minutes (you can do longer for older children)
9. Training should be FUN – for both you, your dog and your child. If your child or dog are getting frustrated, end the session (by that I mean you should take over.) Again, never let your dog end the session – you always want to complete training on a good note.
Good Luck and Happy Training! -KB