Modesto dog trainer on teaching kids and puppies to play together without tears

Kids and dogs: An ideal combination, or a complete disaster?

The answer, it seems, depends on who you ask. Check with the mother whose kids, all under the age of 8, have lost interest in the family pet, and she’ll tell you that the last thing she needs is another “child” to take care of. Ask the kid being dragged around the neighborhood by his dog, and he’ll grumble that he’d rather be playing video games.

There are, however, many homes that combine dogs and kids, with outcomes that are satisfying for all. What makes the difference is careful planning and education – both human and canine. As a dog trainer, I frequently encounter common troubles with clients who have both kids and a dog in the home. Here are my top four:

▪ Puppy is biting the children during play. This occurs because young kids run, squeal and play keep away with their arms and legs – behavior that elicits mouth action from the puppy, whose teeth are very sharp. The wilder the play, the more likely a child will end up scratched, bleeding and in tears. No one is at fault here; it’s just a miscommunication between species. Correcting young children for playing inappropriately is about as effective as correcting a puppy for using his mouth – a complete waste of time on both fronts. Structured interaction is the best approach here: I teach all parents the games that kids can play safely with a dog – Hide and Seek and Tag Team Recall, for starters. To play Hide and Seek, give the child a handful of treats, and send him off to hide, while Mom holds on to puppy. Once the child is hidden, he can call out to puppy or simply remain quiet and wait, praising and giving a few treats when puppy finds him. A Tag Team Recall can involve multiple family members, each in a separate location, and each holding some treats. One family member calls puppy to him, praising and giving treats when he gets there, then holds onto puppy’s collar until someone else calls him. These games give puppy much needed activity that also teaches him the value of responding to his people. The child is delighted to have ways to play with puppy that don’t involve injury. I also introduce a flirt pole – this allows the child to engage the puppy in running, jumping and the playful biting of a toy at the end of a long pole, while keeping the teeth well away from the body.

▪ Puppy jumps on the children. Puppies jump on adults, too. They jump up to get attention and action. A child’s response should be to immediately stand still and quiet – often referred to as “being a tree.” Puppy should not receive attention – negative or positive – for behaving in this way, and all family members should commit to ignoring puppy when he jumps up and lavishing him with attention when he chooses to stand or sit on the floor instead. For more information on this approach, go to http://www.be-a-tree.com

▪ Puppy steals and chews up the children’s toys. Be mindful that puppies explore their environment with their mouths, and excessive oral activity is normal at this stage of development. Doors to the children’s bedrooms can be closed, or a baby gate can be put up to prevent puppy from wandering into that area of the home. Lots of acceptable chew items should be made available, in many different textures, to satisfy the chewing needs of a puppy.

▪ Puppy drags the children around on leash. Polite leash manners must be taught in a consistent and productive manner. I usually recommend that the parent teach the dog the basics, before letting the children get involved. And I do not recommend that any child walk a gregarious puppy that outweighs him, as this sets up a scenario for puppy to learn many undesirable behaviors, like habitual leash pulling. Beginning leash walking should be done in short sessions, using treats to keep puppy focused and walking at your side, instead of pulling out ahead.

A child and his dog can be a winning combination. With attention paid to breed and size selection, and parents willing to concede that most of the responsibility for the care and training of puppy will fall to them, the outcome can be positive for all.

Lisa Moore’s pet-behavior column appears once a month on the Pet Page. Write to her in care of LifeStyles, The Modesto Bee, P.O. Box 5256, Modesto 95352.