I can still remember the very first day that my Mom and Dad brought home a new puppy for my brothers and myself. It was probably the most exciting day of my life and the very first time that I fell in love with my pet dog. His name was Laddy and he became my very first best friend. That day happened almost 30 years ago. Laddy is unfortunately not with us anymore, but the memory of my first puppy will live on forever.

Your Child’s First Puppy Memories

As you can tell, getting a dog was one of the fondest moments of my childhood and if you’re planning to offer the same joy and excitement for your child by giving him or her a new puppy, it will be a gift that you and your kids will never forget. The day you present that adorable and loving pup to your children, the memory will be etched in their minds forever.

Teaching Your Children What To Expect When The Puppy Arrives

There is one word that can describe what it’s going to be like for your children as they are introduced to this sweet tiny puppy: Excitement!

All little boys and girls go absolutely crazy when they see a puppy somewhere out in town and since it is going to be their new puppy, you can guarantee this excitement to be magnified by 1000%

Your job is to ensure that your children can remain as calm as possible. Let them know that you understand how exciting it is when the new puppy gets home, but at the same time you must teach them that he is going to be extremely scared and nervous. A puppy will need some space so that he does not get overly frightened.

Teach your kids to avoid yelling and shouting. Let them know that all roughhousing and grabbing of the puppy is forbidden. In addition, declare an official rule that the siblings can not fight with each other in front of the puppy, ever.

The best way to go about this is to have a family meeting before you bring the dog home and make sure to go over all of the rules with your children. Have them repeat these rules until you’re confident that the kids can be trusted with the puppy so that he does not get harmed or frightened.

Puppies are like children in many ways. They need constant care, supervision, and a lot of affection. Having both together, your kids and your dog, especially during playtime, require extra supervision and patience. The key is to teach your child how to play with the puppy and for the puppy to understand that he needs to listen to the child the same way he listens to you and the other adults in the family.

Always Use The Same Commands

It is important for your child to use the same commands that you and the rest of the family use. Doing so teaches your child to use the commands with respect toward the dog. At the same time, your puppy will realize that he needs to obey the childs commands, thus teaches both to respect one another.

It sounds like it can be quite a handful, but it is also a lot of fun. Combining training and playtime helps to create a closer bond between your child and puppy. Let them run together and then see how fast your child can command the puppy to stop and sit. The puppy needs to learn to sit and wait while your child to throw a toy for your puppy to retrieve. Your child can also train the dog how to roll over by rolling in the grass while having the puppy mimic him.

There are many other ways you can incorporate training and fun between your child and puppy. Below are some helpful rules to keep in mind:

1. Your dog should understand who the leader is. If he has an instinct to herd, dont let him herd your child. Doing so will make the dog think that he is in charge and will not obey your childs commands.

2. No roughhousing whatsoever. Discourage aggressive play at all times. Do not let your child drag, pull, wrestle, hit, or poke the puppy, even in a playful way. Your puppy may react differently and may jump and bite. At the same time, do not let your puppy jump on your child. A four year old German Shepherd can easily knock down a 6 year old child.

3. Teach your child to respect the puppy, and vice versa. Your child should learn how to properly treat the dog, which will then earn him the respect and leadership from your puppy.

4. Establish consistency. Puppies learn through repetition. Your child needs to understand that commands that we teach him are firm and absolute. If the puppy doesnt obey the command, the child should repeat the command until the puppy does what he is told to do.

5. No squeezing. Hugging the puppy too tight can result in injury.

6. Always be there to supervise playtime, especially if you have a young child and/or you have a new puppy. This way, you can easily intervene if things get out of hand.

Second, children should approach the dog slowly, offering their hand palm up for the dog to sniff. Depending in the dog’s size and age, children may need to squat down to the dog’s level so as to avoid appearing dominant by towering over the dog. Because dogs view a pat on top of the head as a threat, children should scratch under the chin instead.

Finally, children should never try to pick up the dog or stare directly into its eyes because the dog can perceive these actions as threatening. Speaking in a soft, gentle voice can help the dog see the child more favorably as well.

Well Behave Dogs May Still Be A Threat

One of the biggest mistakes parents make is trusting a dog that seems to be well-behaved (showing signs of having been training by sitting or staying put), but although a dog may be well-trained, if it has not been socialized (accustomed to being around children), then the bite risk is still high. This is why you should teach your kids never to hug a strange dog.

Hugs can be dangerous. Some dogs feel hugs intrude on their personal space. During a hug, a child might also accidentally squeeze the dog too tightly around its neck or body, causing the dog harm. For a dog that isn’t comfortable around kids, even direct eye contact could be seen as threatening.

What To Do If Your Child Is Bitten

What if despite your best efforts a dog does bite your child? The very first thing you should do is wash the bite immediately with soap and water. Make no haste in contacting your child’s pediatrician (unless it’s only a scratch) and the dog’s owner to let them know what happened.

If you don’t know who owns the dog, try to find out. Follow the dog home if necessary. This is especially important if the dog is acting like it’s unhealthy. Rabies is more prevalent in some areas than others, but it’s a reality and needs to be considered.

Once a doctor or other health professional gets involved, they are required by law to notify the local animal-control agency. The dog will probably be quarantined for 10 days. Usually this is done under house arrest. However, some states may require the dog to be kenneled at the animal-control or veterinary facility for observation (in case it starts showing signs of rabies).

In every instance where a dog is used within the family household to teach children important life lessons – lessons of responsibility, lessons of care, and lessons of sharing, it has been the dog’s similarity to us that has done the teaching.

His differences can helps us grow, too. You can use the unfamiliar to widen a child’s view, tickle his curiosity, exercise his senses, and encourage two soft spots understanding and respect.

Curiosity exercised can establish a love for knowledge. You can begin to form your child’s learning habits before he enters school. Let his dog be a focal point for his natural curiosity.

Search with him for the dog’s differences in behavior and appearance. Some interesting facts and insights can be found in like-minded dog books and videos how a dog reads with his nose, how a dog’s ears make him a remarkable eavesdropper, how a dog can fight with his eyes, how a dog has a tail that talks, how a dog loses the battle to keep peace.

These facts and insights can answer the child’s questions and stimulate new interests. They are fascinating enough for bedtime stories. It could be a running series of: Charlie, the dog who…

Make the illustration even sharper by using the dog’s name. Help him see the answers to his questions. Use the word like to put a picture in his mind. Explaining a dog’s acute hearing you could say, ears like scoops. Then make the picture move: that can tilt and reach out to dip into sound.

Involve the child actively in an illustration. It doesn’t always have to be scientific as long as it gives him the feel of it. Charlie wags his tail because he can’t smile. It won’t fit on his mouth. Now show your child by stretching the corners of your mouth back as far as you can pull your lips as tight as you can. That’s the shape of Charlie’s mouth. His mouth was not made to smile so he wags his tail.

In stories like these you can give your child a valuable approach to the unusual. He can learn that there is a reason behind behavior. That what appears funny, or dumb, or even ugly can look differently when we know the purpose it serves.

He learns from seeing you actively seeking reasons behind the dog’s behavior. You are showing him the beginning of understanding. A child that is involved with animals soon learns there are different types of intelligence used for different ways of life.

With so much bad breeding practices going on around the world today, how can families choose the right puppy for their home that has as limited health problems possible?

Educate Yourself Before Buying A Puppy

Potential dog owners should undertake a fairly extensive self-education program before committing themselves to the purchase of a pet.

Standard How To Pick A Puppy articles are an excellent place to begin, though too often they tend to rely on AKC registration as the major guide for purchase.

Note: Mongrel dogs (dogs that are the result of various inbreedings) are not recommended, in spite of the fact that they often make lovable pets, because the dog world, like the human world, suffers from a population explosion and every effort needs to be made to limit the number of unwanted dogs. Promoting purebred dogs as pets and encouraging limitations of the breeding of such pets seems to be one of the best approaches to the problem.

Your first decision must be the type of dog suited to your family, and the standard articles offer excellent ideas here on the advantages of large dogs, small dogs, noisy ones and less active breeds. But once you have decided on a breed, you need to learn much more about that breed type. Talk to other owners of the dogs and read about the breed first hand.

Breed Clubs

If possible, check with the secretary of the national breed association. There is, for example, a Collie Club of America. There are similar clubs for other breeds and by contacting them the staff will be happy to supply a list of recommended kennels and breeders in your area.

Memberships in these breed associations are generally by invitation only and the prospective members must demonstrate a strong interest in the breed before being invited to join. Thus, a breeder recommended by such an association is likely to be more dedicated to the improvement of the breed than the turning of a dollar.

When you locate a breeder in your area, talk with him or her frankly about your interests: Do you want a show or pet quality puppy? Do you intend to breed it? Ask about congenital problems in the breed and inquire what kind of health guarantee is offered. What vaccinations has the puppy had and what more does it need?

Finally, be sure that the breeder agrees to a 24-hour examination period during which you may have your own veterinarian check the puppy before the purchase is final.

It’s Well Worth The Trouble

All this, you may say, makes the addition of a puppy to your household a major project, far more complicated than simply reading the paper and finding an ad for a litter of purebreds on the weekend.

Yes, it does, but the experience that so many families go through with dogs that ended up with poor health problems with disease is worth the effort that may ultimately save you and your own family the heartbreak of losing a puppy too soon.

Not only does the new addition of a puppy into the home make children happy, it also creates an unexpected learning center that can teach the kids care, tenderness, responsibility, and ironically sharing.

I stress the word ironically because you probably feel that this would be the last result of adding a dog to a family. Would a dog be the spark to further ignite sibling rivalry? Would one child wind up with the dog’s ears while the other held onto the tail?

One fundamental element can help you cool off sibling rivalry and create a real sharing experience.

A dog is not a toy to be shared, but a coexisting being who expresses his personality and has a fill of his own. It is not easy to manipulate a dog. You have given the children something not just to play with, but to reckon with. You have taken the emphasis off each other and diverted their attention to the dog.

A True Story

I asked my friend Heather if I could use her story. She said yes but to change everyone’s name except the dog he’s the hero.

Heather’s problem was not unusual.

After three sentences, a conversation would be broken. The two boys responsible (her kids were not even in the room with us. The constant interruptions came over an intercom that linked the kitchen to their bedroom. Heather’s two boys (age 2 and 3) were in constant competition with each other, classically called sibling rivalry.

Suddenly, there was a scream and crying.

Heather said, Christopher, are you making Paul cry? The polite answer came, Yes, mother. Heather, on the far edge of exasperation said, Please don’t hit him. That’s your brother!

One month later, there was a change.

Heather, reasonably free from interruptions, gave her answer, We’ve got a dog. He was a stray. I said to him, ‘Look, Brown Dog, I give you a week. If you can take the kids, you can stay.’ Heather thought, God bless you dog, and introduced him into the children’s circle.

Look, we gotta help this dog. He’s a stray and he needs us. Now Paul, you choose a place for him to sleep. Christopher, do you have an old shirt for him to sleep on? Let’s decide who can do what. Can you give some time to walk him? We’ll alternate, but Christopher, you can feed him tonight and at the same time show your brother how, so he can tomorrow? Now, what should I do go buy him some food?

Heather’s Method Worked

She took the boys by surprise. She gave them several things:

1) An honest approach told them the problems they would have and exactly how to solve them. She made it their giving and their suggestions that made things right.

2) She diverted their attention. What had been riveted on each other in competition was now dispersed. Something else demanded their attention. They were too busy at first and too involved later.

3) The sibling rivalry cooled off and sharing developed because they had a go-between the dog was the object of their giving and receiving but, in fact, they were learning to give and take from each other.

One the most remarkable features about adopting a dog from the animal shelter is the diversity in the types of dogs that are available, their size, as well as the different temperaments. It is truly a fun experience for the family that is intent on going home with a newly adopted dog to choose from hundreds of different mixed breeds, all with interesting characteristics.

Another positive note about adopting a dog from the animal shelter is that most of the dogs are already older and housetrained. This is good news for the busy mom or dad who does not have the time to devote to a new puppy every day until the animal is properly socialized.

Not only are many of these dogs housetrained, a large majority have also had some level of obedience training. Between being house trained, been through obedience training, and already spayed or neutered, an adopted dog from the animal shelter is a prime choice for many people.

Congratulations, You’ve Made Your Selection, Now What?

Once you have selected a dog, be prepared to pay a small adoption fee. This money goes towards the support of the animals that have not yet found a home, as well as the staff that takes care of them.

In the past there have been numerous shelters of the Humane Society that have provided dog adoptions free of charge, however, through trial and error, they have come to learn that most people do not appreciate and take care of something they received for free.

It is sad to say, but the truth is that pet owners that do not mind parting ways with their money in exchange for an adopted dog will always treat the animal much better than those people who receive dogs at no charge. Many cases of neglect and abuse led authorities to owners that received their dogs for free.

Health Records

Many animal shelters provide a thorough history of the dog’s health records. But when it comes to stray dogs that end up at the shelter there is typically very little information that can be provided. Regardless if the dog you choose for adoption has detailed health records or not, you should always take him to the veterinarian immediately for a checkup.

Arrive at the veterinarian’s office with not only the medical history that the adoption agency supplied you with, but also a sample of the dogs fecal matter for tests that the vet will give. There should also be both vaccination and worming information included with dates and any product that was used at the animal shelter. If for some reason you are unclear if the dog has been vaccinated or not, it never hurts to re-vaccinate him.

Having your adopted dog vaccinated a second time, if need be, is a much safer procedure than assuming he is clean and free of diseases which could end up harming his life. And unfortunately, most shelters are overcrowded and may expose dogs to more communicable diseases than other kennels. Therefore, it is that much more essential to have a prompt, detailed examination and vaccination of your newly adopted dog.

Most new puppy owners are under the assumption that just because their new companion is registered with the American Kennel Club, it is guaranteed to be a healthy purebred.

Nothing Could Be Further From The Truth

Registration by the AKC means nothing more than that the dog is a purebred, with its ancestry traceable several generations. The slip given with a puppy at sale testifies to nothing more than that both parents were registered. It makes no guarantee about quality, health, or freedom from disease.

It is, in fact, completely possible that both parents were rather poor specimens of their breed, even though it is a purebred and registered as such. Many dogs affected by congenital conditions are not only eligible, but are in fact registered and could be used for breeding by unknowledgable owners.

Such breedings, done without study, are another thing at the root of this problem. Too many owners mate their purebred dog with the neighbor’s purebred dog, register the litter and sell the puppies as AKC registered which in fact they are.

Such backyard breeders contribute to the problems of many breeds simply by their ignorance of the science of dog breeding and, often, their lack of real knowledge about their own breed.

Pay More Money With A Professional & Enjoy A Healthy Pet

Professional dog raisers consider breeding a science and carefully study the lineage of both the male and female before a mating. The aim, of course, of each planned breeding is to produce the ideal dog, but knowledgeable breeders are aware that the same laws of heredity apply to faults as well as desirable characteristics.

The backyard breeding, on the other hand, is planned with only registration in mind and generally overlooks faults in the parent dogs.

Further, many AKC registered pets may have some minor congenital problem which does not matter as long as they are household pets. However, when such a dog is allowed to mate and produce a registerable litter, it passes on the hereditary problem.

For example, many collies carry the genes for collie eye and are themselves affected to some degree, but their eye problem many not be as extensive as others, and they may have functional vision. Such dogs make perfectly satisfactory pets but, if allowed to mate, they will pass on the collie eye genes to their offspring and may conceivably produce a blind dog.

Other problems such as minimal hip dysplasia or undescended testicles are similarly of importance primarily to a breeder but need not disqualify a dog from the pet category.

Remember that if a reputable breeder sells a dog as a pet, he has, for some reason, eliminated that animal from his breeding program, and it might be well to ask why and inquire whether or not he would recommend breeding the dog.

As a parent who brings home a new puppy for the joy that the children will experience, your role is also to use the puppy as a teacher-dog, which simply means using the pet to teach your kids morals and responsibility. Specific situations come up all of the time in the home to take advantage of this opportunity.

A Real Life Example

My neighbor, Irene, did not like dogs to begin with, but a Basset Hound was being abandoned. It was scruffy and had rickets. Irene took him, saying all the time she didn’t want that dumb dog messing up the house, but someone had to take it.

Now, one of her sons, Eric, is knee-deep in chores. He is 8 years old and exercises the dog, finds the places outside of Irene’s flowerbeds for the dog, Lily, to dig holes. Little boy Eric sees Irene preparing Lily’s food. She fries fat, adds it to the dog’s food, and mixes in vitamins.

Eric sees the medicine and the care…

… and he sees a change in his dog.

Her coat glistens from the food and her personality opens up. At first, Lily would not even move. Now she chases Eric with a fast, bow-legged waddle. At first, she would not even respond to a scolding. Now when Irene gives commands, she obeys but grumbles under her breath.

Irene sees not instant companionship but a growing bond between Eric and the dog. The eight-year-old does not consider this as a responsibility, but just a new kind of loyalty he never felt before.

Being put in Eric’s situation having something weaker dependent upon you is a rare experience for such a young child. It gave Eric his own place in the family. He has an older brother and sister, and although they get along very well, there is a five-year gap between their adolescence and his childhood.

Eric’s association with the dog gave his brother and sister an opportunity to truthfully admire what he was doing without talking down to him. It was something Eric could do that was not just a child’s accomplishment it was considered important in the adult world, too.

Eric also solved a problem he was having with not being able to play ball with his older brother. He would not play with Eric due to his age and lack of coordination that a 13-year-old just could not have fun with. Now Eric can play ball with Lily. It’s not the best – Lily can’t throw and neither of them can catch – but it evens out.

Be aware that some of the dogs that are up for adoption at your local animal shelter are there for reasons that have to do with specific behavior issues. For example, many of these dogs may have had difficulty with housetraining, messy grooming needs, noisiness, not getting along with other pets or children, hyperactivity, biting, or destructiveness.

These are all typical reasons why most dogs are given up for adoption. Should any of these characteristics prove to come to light with your dog that you have selected when he is home, the best advice is to consult with a professional dog trainer who specializes in adopted dogs. He or she will be able to help solve the problem for you.

However, as what happens just as frequently, a dog is routinely placed for adoption simply due to a lack of space when the owner moves from a large home into a smaller apartment or condominium. And there are reasons of children. Oftentimes puppies are purchased is nothing more than a gift for the kids. But what happens when the children get bored and do not want to take care of the dog anymore? You guess it, off to the animal shelter it goes!

Do Not Be One Of These Owners

When you are ready to take your newly adopted dog home, you should have already asked yourself a ton of questions about how you will take care of the animal.

Will he be an indoor dog or an outdoor dog? Do you have the necessary sleeping equipment for the outside? Do you intend on tying him down or putting up a fence in the yard? Is he fixed already? If not, then do you plan on having him taken care of? Will he be living with other children? How about other animals?

Look For An Animal Shelter With Strict Adoption Policies

Quite often, animal shelters can be extremely selective about the homes in which the dogs will be going to. And it only makes sense to keep a dog at the shelter, or even have it euthanized, instead of it being brought into a destructive home that abuses the animal.

Many animal shelters make occasional visits to the homes in which dogs were brought to after being adopted. Some organizations require certificates from a veterinarian that validate vaccinations administered and proof that neutering surgery was performed.

Any dog or other pet that is adopted under these agreements are generally sent to good homes. It is quite obvious that anyone who does not agree to these guidelines would probably not make a good pet owner. As you can probably guess, these types of strict adoption rules send more dogs to better homes over the long haul. In fact, I wish every animal shelter operated in this fashion.