For some kids, their first friend wasn\u2019t another wobbly, curious toddler they met on the playground \u2014 it was the family dog.<\/p>\n
And teaching the child to care for the family pet can be a bonding and learning experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving a dog is a great way to help kids learn to be empathetic to other creatures,\u201d says Kate LaSala, CTC, CBCC-KA, PCBC-A, owner of Rescued By Training. <\/a>\u201c[It can] instill a sense of caring and learning how to be a little selfless and take care of something else.\u201d<\/p>\n Kate shares ways your young child can help care for the family dog.<\/p>\n Before giving your kid things to do, it\u2019s important to \u201ctrain\u201d them on how to treat the dog.<\/p>\n \u201cI usually encourage parents to do things like parent-guided petting, where the parent\u2019s hand is on top of the child\u2019s hand to teach the child now to grab to ears and fur,\u201d Kate says.<\/p>\n Even if the fur and human babies are best friends, parents should still supervise all interactions, just in case something goes awry and your child misses a dog\u2019s cue to stop or vise versa.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of adults have problems reading dog body language, so we can\u2019t expect kids to be able to,\u201d Kate says.<\/p>\n Dogs and kids sometimes like to run after one another, <\/b>but things can get dicey if the dog jumps up and licks a toddler after he stops. Even though the dog is just being friendly, the toddler could fall. The best way to avoid this is to teach the dog to stop moving when the child does \u2014 and the kid can help. Kate calls it a game of freeze tag.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the toddler stops moving, that should be the dog\u2019s cue to sit,\u201d Kate says.<\/p>\n Teach your child the hand signal for sit<\/a> and have them do that whenever they stop moving.<\/p>\n \u201cIt builds the relationship with the child and dog and gets the child involved in training the dog,\u201d Kate says.<\/p>\n While your toddler or pre-school-aged child may not be old enough to hold the leash on a walk, they can still help keep Fido fit.<\/p>\n \u201cI usually recommend a game called kibble-fetch,\u201d Kate says. \u201cLet the child have a couple pieces of kibble and throw the food down the hallway. The dog fetches the kibble and comes back.\u201d<\/p>\n This game has multiple benefits: Not only does the dog get some exercise, he gets food and to bond with the child.<\/p>\n \u201cThe dog is learning the kid is a good source of food,\u201d Kate says.<\/p>\n Your child can help with daily feedings. Photo: Antonio_Diaz\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In addition to playing kibble-fetch, the child can help with daily feedings. Kate suggests having a scoop that can hold the amount of food you give your dog or a multiple of it (for example, if your dog gets a cup of food, have a full-cup or half-cup scoop). This ensures the pet won\u2019t be over or underfed and doubles as a math lesson for the child.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a multi-skill thing,\u201d Katesays. \u201c[They] learn to measure out a dog\u2019s food\u2026If there\u2019s more than one, they can figure that out and count, such as two scoops.\u201d<\/p>\n They can also help refill the water dish.<\/p>\n \u201cThey can pick up the water bowl and hand it to mom or dad and put it down once it\u2019s filled,\u201d Kate says.<\/p>\n Anyone who has ever met a toddler knows that allowing a one to pick up or carry a dog\u2019s poop isn\u2019t the best idea. But they can still assist with the task.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the family goes on the walk, give the kid a poop bag,\u201d Kate says. \u201cLet them\u2026open it and hand it to mom or dad to pick up the business. They can start to learn that picking up the dog\u2019s waste is an important part of dog ownership.\u201d<\/p>\n Your neighbors will thank you in several years when your kid and dog can go on walks together alone.<\/p>\n Parents typically teach their kids to clean up their toys after playtime. If any of the dog\u2019s toys were involved, Kate encourages them to put those away, too.<\/p>\n \u201c[This way] they know to clean up after they\u2019ve played with the dog,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Let your child help with dog bath time. Photo: AleksandarNakic\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n If guided petting went well, helping to brush the dog is a logical next step.<\/p>\n \u201cThey can help hold the dog brush when the mom or dad is brushing the dog,\u201d Kate says.<\/p>\n Featured image: NoSystem images\/Getty Images<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Read Next: <\/strong>This Program Wants Kids To Read To Their Dogs<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n The post Ways Young Children Can Help Care for Your Dog<\/a> by Beth Ann Mayer<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n The post Ways Young Children Can Help Care for Your Dog<\/a> by Beth Ann Mayer<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n For some kids, their first friend wasn\u2019t another wobbly, curious toddler they met on the playground \u2014 it was the family dog.<\/p>\n And teaching the child to care for the family pet can be a bonding and learning experience.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving a dog is a great way to help kids learn to be empathetic to other creatures,\u201d says Kate LaSala, CTC, CBCC-KA, PCBC-A, owner of Rescued By Training. <\/a>\u201c[It can] instill a sense of caring and learning how to be a little selfless and take care of something else.\u201d<\/p>\n Kate shares ways your young child can help care for the family dog.<\/p>\n Before giving your kid things to do, it\u2019s important to \u201ctrain\u201d them on how to treat the dog.<\/p>\n \u201cI usually encourage parents to do things like parent-guided petting, where the parent\u2019s hand is on top of the child\u2019s hand to teach the child now to grab to ears and fur,\u201d Kate says.<\/p>\n Even if the fur and human babies are best friends, parents should still supervise all interactions, just in case something goes awry and your child misses a dog\u2019s cue to stop or vise versa.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of adults have problems reading dog body language, so we can\u2019t expect kids to be able to,\u201d Kate says.<\/p>\n Dogs and kids sometimes like to run after one another, <\/b>but things can get dicey if the dog jumps up and licks a toddler after he stops. Even though the dog is just being friendly, the toddler could fall. The best way to avoid this is to teach the dog to stop moving when the child does \u2014 and the kid can help. Kate calls it a game of freeze tag.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the toddler stops moving, that should be the dog\u2019s cue to sit,\u201d Kate says.<\/p>\n Teach your child the hand signal for sit<\/a> and have them do that whenever they stop moving.<\/p>\n \u201cIt builds the relationship with the child and dog and gets the child involved in training the dog,\u201d Kate says.<\/p>\n While your toddler or pre-school-aged child may not be old enough to hold the leash on a walk, they can still help keep Fido fit.<\/p>\n \u201cI usually recommend a game called kibble-fetch,\u201d Kate says. \u201cLet the child have a couple pieces of kibble and throw the food down the hallway. The dog fetches the kibble and comes back.\u201d<\/p>\n This game has multiple benefits: Not only does the dog get some exercise, he gets food and to bond with the child.<\/p>\n \u201cThe dog is learning the kid is a good source of food,\u201d Kate says.<\/p>\n Your child can help with daily feedings. Photo: Antonio_Diaz\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In addition to playing kibble-fetch, the child can help with daily feedings. Kate suggests having a scoop that can hold the amount of food you give your dog or a multiple of it (for example, if your dog gets a cup of food, have a full-cup or half-cup scoop). This ensures the pet won\u2019t be over or underfed and doubles as a math lesson for the child.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a multi-skill thing,\u201d Katesays. \u201c[They] learn to measure out a dog\u2019s food\u2026If there\u2019s more than one, they can figure that out and count, such as two scoops.\u201d<\/p>\n They can also help refill the water dish.<\/p>\n \u201cThey can pick up the water bowl and hand it to mom or dad and put it down once it\u2019s filled,\u201d Kate says.<\/p>\n Anyone who has ever met a toddler knows that allowing a one to pick up or carry a dog\u2019s poop isn\u2019t the best idea. But they can still assist with the task.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the family goes on the walk, give the kid a poop bag,\u201d Kate says. \u201cLet them\u2026open it and hand it to mom or dad to pick up the business. They can start to learn that picking up the dog\u2019s waste is an important part of dog ownership.\u201d<\/p>\n Your neighbors will thank you in several years when your kid and dog can go on walks together alone.<\/p>\n Parents typically teach their kids to clean up their toys after playtime. If any of the dog\u2019s toys were involved, Kate encourages them to put those away, too.<\/p>\n \u201c[This way] they know to clean up after they\u2019ve played with the dog,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Let your child help with dog bath time. Photo: AleksandarNakic\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n If guided petting went well, helping to brush the dog is a logical next step.<\/p>\n \u201cThey can help hold the dog brush when the mom or dad is brushing the dog,\u201d Kate says.<\/p>\n Featured image: NoSystem images\/Getty Images<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Read Next: <\/strong>This Program Wants Kids To Read To Their Dogs<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n The post Ways Young Children Can Help Care for Your Dog<\/a> by Beth Ann Mayer<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nBuild a foundation of trust between children and their furry friend<\/b><\/h3>\n
Let your child help train the family dog<\/b><\/h3>\n
Young children can help exercise dogs<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.dogster.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/GettyImages-470406795.jpg\")
<\/p>\nYoung kids can help feed their dog<\/b><\/h3>\n
Pooper scooper<\/b><\/h3>\n
Pick-up duty<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"dog](\"http:\/\/www.dogster.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/GettyImages-481968334.jpg\")
<\/p>\nLet your child help groom your dog<\/b><\/h3>\n
Build a foundation of trust between children and their furry friend<\/b><\/h3>\n
Let your child help train the family dog<\/b><\/h3>\n
Young children can help exercise dogs<\/b><\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nYoung kids can help feed their dog<\/b><\/h3>\n
Pooper scooper<\/b><\/h3>\n
Pick-up duty<\/b><\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nLet your child help groom your dog<\/b><\/h3>\n