Puppy Training for Kids
Having both a new puppy and a child can be a very difficult experience, if handled incorrectly. Your child will most likely be very eager to play with and love their new companion, but at the same time puppies are similar to children, in that they need structure in addition to constant attention and affection. To create balance between your child's interest in your puppy and your puppy's need for training and attention, it is necessary to involve your child in the training process.
Having a child as a part of the training of your puppy has many benefits. At a young age, boundaries need to be established with your puppy that indicate who is in control. This relationship needs to be extended to all members of the family, including your children. Teaching your child to train your puppy not only allows the puppy to see your child as a person to respect, but it also allows for the child to learn how to properly treat and respect their dog.
The key to puppy training for children is repetition and simplicity.
It is important to teach your child the basic commands that you have been teaching the puppy. Commands such as come or sit are very easy commands for your child to learn. Once they learned the basics of the commands, which may or may not also include physical commands in addition to verbal, then it is important to practice these commands with your child. In the early stages of helping your child train their puppy, it is important to stress the necessity of repeating the command until the puppy responds in the correct way. Without this lesson, puppy training will be ineffective. It is also important to make sure your child does not stray away from the exact commands that other members of the family use. Inconsistency in commands will confuse your puppy and make training more difficult.
The other key aspect of having children train puppies is play. Children will love to play with their new puppy and this play will create a strong bond between your child and your puppy. Children can teach puppies new tricks through demonstration, such as showing a puppy how to roll on the grass by doing it themselves. In this way, a child can be training a puppy while still having a fun time. Regardless of how your child plays with your puppy, make sure your child uses positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement can come in the form of head pats, belly rubs or small treats.
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