Are you tired of being the referee with your dog and kids?
Do you just want to enjoy the time when your kids are playing amongst themselves and your dog is quietly joining them?
I bet this doesn’t last long.
You hear MOM or DAD! Fido stole my race car!! And now a chase ensues around your home. Your kids are crying, your dog is excited and you just want all of this to stop.
But you’re at a loss of what to do.
You adopted your dog from the rescue, you don’t know what your new family member went through before and you do want the best for Fido, but the constant refereeing has GOT. TO. STOP!
I completely understand.
The craziness is getting on your nerves.
All you want to do is enjoy your morning coffee with less drama.
Even though you may see Fido mirroring you and following you around to get his needs met, your kids can become the great equalizers.
Your children can also become those Fido seeks out for breakfast and dinner and to even be let out in the backyard for a potty break.
Your kids can also teach Fido news skills and be able to take some of the burden off of you.
How?
Get them involved with caretaking and training responsibilities in age appropriate ways.
Finding the motivation to jumpstart your kids involvement may be necessary if they haven’t had to do these things before.
Then as your kids see the enjoyment in spending time with Fido, the whole atmosphere of the home changes.
Here are some age-appropriate ways you can involve your kids as well as what they can learn by getting involved:
Children younger than 5 years old can help alert you to when the dog needs more fresh water. This can encourage your child in developing a sense of responsibility.
Young children can also help to stuff kongs or other puzzle toys. This not only encourages your child helpfulness, but it also develops your child’s fine motor skills of pinching small objects as well as hand eye coordinator of fitting the food or treats in a kong.
Scatter feeding is another way young children can be apart of the caretaking responsibilities. Not only does this teach children that dogs require food to survive, it also builds on your child’s gross motor skills of being able to raise arms and toss.
Older children can also take on a caretaking role too. Older children can be responsible for cleaning bowls and toys. Also, older children can practice training cues. Older children can also be responsible for Fido’s walks as long as Fido is comfortable seeing other people, dogs and experiencing trucks go by.
Learning how to become more effective communicators can really fine tune how they relate to another and build their confidence in teaching another something new.
🤔 Now, since you know your kids best, how you can motivate your kids to take an active role? 🤔
Four Paws & You Dog Training 