“Mommy, pleeeease can I have a puppy?”

- By Teddy Green

Children and puppies. Playing together. Growing up together. It’s an idyllic picture. But is it realistic? When and how a puppy is introduced to your home will make the difference between a positive, rewarding experience for all family members or an exercise in frustration and disappointment.

Anyone who has had a puppy will tell you puppies are lots of work for the first year of their life but they are worth every ounce of effort. If you have children and are considering adding a puppy to your household, when is the ideal time? Of course that varies from family to family, but to make things as stress-free as possible it’s best that children in the home are out of diapers, past the toddler stage and are able to follow simple instructions. Otherwise, it equates to caring for two babies at the same time.

Parents may expect young children to be the primary caregiver for a puppy but that’s not realistic. No matter how much a child promises that he/she will take care of the puppy, the parents will be the primary caregivers. Children can assume the responsibility of assistant caregivers with specific tasks assigned to each child.

Puppies need to be housetrained, taught basic manners, they need to be fed and watered on schedule, and exercised. They nip, they bark, they jump up, they chew and they are seemingly endless bundles of energy. At least until they fall over from exhaustion, only to awake with a totally new abundance of energy. It’s a great idea to enroll your puppy in a puppy class to provide early socialization and so that the family can participate in structured activities for your puppy. Puppies start learning the moment they walk through your door. It’s ideal to start training immediately, before bad habits can start and while the puppy is still small. Talk to the facility you enroll at regarding their guidelines for children attending and participating in class. It can be asking too much of young children to handle a puppy in class, but they can often watch and be involved by being asked to remember as much as possible so that they can remind mommy and daddy, if need be, when they get home.

Training the puppy should be the parents’ responsibility. During early training, mom or dad will teach the behaviours, for example ‘sit’, and the children can be involved by giving the puppy a tasty treat for performing the behaviour correctly. Once the puppy understands “sit”, for example, the children can then start to ask the puppy to sit and reward. Calm clear voices are best, not loud commanding voices. Working with a trained puppy will be much easier and much more rewarding for the children.

Specific guidelines regarding the puppy in the home should be established and discussed with the entire family. Puppies need downtime, to relax, sleep and learn to be calm in the home. The puppy’s crate (and later the dog’s bed) should be considered off limits. At any time, if the puppy is resting or sleeping, the puppy should be considered off limits. Take advantage of that downtime – it’ll be short lived!

Appropriate types of play should be established. Rough play, wrestling on the ground, games of chase and loud, excited voices cause puppies to become over stimulated. Over stimulated puppies are more prone to nipping and jumping up. Avoid these types of games. Retrieving games will allow your puppy to expend some energy, while remaining more controlled. Grooming is quiet bonding time for a child and puppy.

Children can participate in feeding the puppy on a set schedule. Mom and/or dad can measure the food into the puppy’s bowl and then the child can place the bowl on the floor. Once the puppy knows ‘sit’, ask the puppy to sit before the bowl is placed on the floor.

Children under the age of eight should always be actively supervised in the presence of puppies or dogs. Those sharp little puppy teeth can draw blood, even with the mildest nip, and children can inadvertently injure a puppy. Keep the entire family safe. Supervise all interactions.

Many people say, “My dog is so good you can do anything to him.” This expectation is unfair to your puppy or dog. My question is, “If you love and respect your dog why would you expect him to tolerate anything that is done to him, even by family members?”

Remember your puppy is a living, feeling being. Not a toy to play with. Teach your children to love and respect your puppy, being fair and kind at all times. It’s a good life lesson, well learned.

Teddy Green is a head instructor at Who's Walking Who Dog Training Centres teaching all levels of classes, including behavioural consultations. She is also co-owner/operator of The Agility Farm in Purple Hill, ON.