13/07/2023
Teaching Children About dogs
Children and dogs can have very special bonds and relationships. Both can bring great benefit to each other in so many ways in terms of fun, companionship and improved mental health.
Many children dream of owning a dog who will be their best buddy, adventure companion and comfort. Lots of children are excited and enthusiastic about spending time with dogs and it is hard to quantify the pleasure and value that humans gain from dogs.
I have had dogs all of my life. I was very lucky as a child as I always had my own dog - the first was a beautiful German Shepherd called Zara and she became mine when I was five. My brother had a fun little mongrel called Purdy.
Zara and Purdy were family dogs, my mother trained them extremely well and they had inherently lovely temperaments but my brother and I enjoyed the bond we had with our own respective dogs.
My Zara was the kindest dog and so sensible and well-behaved, so friendly and tolerant. On only a few occasions we saw that if push came to shove that she would protect us...but only if she needed to.
We had so many lovely walks, adventures and so much fun. As a young child, I am sure I did take a few liberties here and there with both the dogs and ponies! I do remember being told to get out of the dog's bed once or twice and I recall all sorts of other guidance from Mum and various other family members, friends and teachers.
When it comes to kids and animals there are a lot of positives but also with that, there are risks. There are risks to the safety and well-being of both the children and the animals but these can be massively reduced with appropriate management and behaviour.
Sadly in the news lately we are too often reminded of the consequences when accidents happen around people and dogs. I do think also that more often than not, many of these incidents and tragedies could have been avoided with a few rules, proper management and greater understanding.
Rules and etiquette can sound rather a bore but they are important and they absolutely apply to children and dogs, even well-behaved children and dogs need to be kept safe.
As a dog trainer, I meet plenty of people who complain about their dog's behaviour around their children, but I seldom see any evidence that the children have been taught how to behave around dogs or that the dog is given any support from the parents in terms of feeling safe.
I have had parents tell me that they don't believe that their children should have to learn any dog rules or etiquette as the puppy they bought was purchased as a pet so therefore it should just be good! But, I bet most parents who take their children to horse riding lessons rightly expect that their children will be taught how to keep safe and kind around horses!
There will ALWAYS be a level of risk when children and animals interact BUT if everyone knows what they are doing then the risks are greatly reduced.
The rules and advice concerning behaviour around dogs can be found all over the internet and there are so many good resources available that can improve people's understanding of dogs.
I remember very clearly that when I was a child I was certainly taught the DO's and DON'TS but I do think the actual lessons were learned through example, understanding and conversation.
Rules are good but understanding and empathy are the bits that help children to do what they should.
Young children are just learning how to interact well with other people and it is easy to understand how they could misunderstand a dog as dogs think, act and communicate very differently than humans do.
Percy's workshops are focused on teaching children about dogs in several ways:
🐶 Teaching practical skills
🐶 Increasing understanding
🐶 Learning how dogs communicate
🐶 Developing empathy with dogs
🐶 Learning age-appropriate key points for safety
🐶 Parents are fully involved so they can help their children
🐶 Having fun!
🐶 helping children who are very fearful of dogs
🐶 Affirming a child's enthusiasm and love of dogs but re-directing over-excitement if needed.
Percy is the kindest little dog and he helps to bring the lessons to life in a fun and memorable way for the children.
Percy is a toy poodle with the kindest and happiest temperament. He is calm, friendly and loves everyone. Percy helps with hosting educational workshops and provides occasional visits which he...
