Can You Trust a Child With a Pet?

Acquiring a pet in order to teach a child responsibility about animals is the absolutely worst reason to adopt a pet. You wouldn’t give a seven year old a human baby to look after so why would you do the same with a canine baby? Still people get it in their heads that when it comes to teaching children how to be responsible that a new puppy is the ideal way to do it.

 Puppies are more than educational tools. They are living creatures with feelings and needs and should not be part of any experiment when it comes to the development of your child’s character.  

Perhaps the biggest misconception that people have about pets is that they can look after themselves and that ,mother nature can take its course., This is simply the worst attitude you can take towards your new animal. All dogs need health care and some measure of training.   A child is not really capable of giving that to a new pet.  

Technically you are both the parent of the dog (or cat) and the child so you must always keep an eye on both to make sure that the child is doing the basic things required to keep the pet happy including taking him for a walk or changing a litter box.  You should also never let a pet be used as part of a power struggle between you and your child. For instance, if your child neglects to take the dog outside or empty the litter box you should do it yourself.   You should not wait days for your child to get around to doing it as the personality that is going to suffer the most in this situation is the animal.   Both dogs and cats will hold their bladders and give themselves infections if they are not taken out or have a place to go to the bathroom. Of course, it should go without saying that even a worse fate can await a dog or cat that is not fed or given water for days on end because they are in the care of a responsible child.  

Remember too that if your child somehow injures the dog or gets bored with it that it is your responsibility to take care of it or find a good home for it.  

When selecting a dog it might be of some value to look at why a dog should choose you for an owner rather than at ,what’s in it for the dog.,   This can also help you decide what type of breed is best. For instance if you have a large yard to offer, you could afford a larger breed than most people.   Most of all try to stay away from pets that are notorious for not likening children such as Chihuahuas and Dalmatians.  When it comes to dogs usually a bigger dog is better for children. They are harder to injure and tend to be more affectionate. Avoid high-strung cats like Siamese if you are looking for a member of the feline family for your child to take care of.

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Why Do Dogs Bark?

Asking why dogs bark is like asking, ,why do birds sing., It is perfectly natural for a dog to bark just like it is for a human to talk. It is only humans that think a dog should keep quiet.  Like humans some dogs bark simply because they like to hear the sound of their own voice. However a dog that barks a lot may be trying to tell you something. Usually the message is ,you are not paying me enough attention.  

Many know that a bark might be your cue to take them outside so they can go to the bathroom.  Dogs also bark because they are nervous, hungry, lonely, frustrated or suspicious.  Some dogs just like to bark. Like some humans, they like the sound of their own voice. However usually a dog barks because he is trying to tell you something.  Yet another reason a dog barks is because they spy a threat.   This is why a dog will bark at a passerby or a mailman. This is particularly true of breeds that are natural herders or watchdogs.

Some dogs will even bark if they see you try to leave what they perceive as their pack and the bark is a disciplinary warning to you not to go out on your own so that you don’t get hurt. He is talking to another pet in the household , a herding dog like a collie for instance will bark at the other animals in the house to stay together in a group.  

Many dogs suffer from separation anxiety and cannot tolerate it when you are gone. A trainer or dog therapist can treat this type of nuisance barking.  Some nuisance barkers are simply easily over excited. Their bark is their way of expressing their enthusiasm for spying another animal out the window or seeing a box of treats on the counter.   Some will bark excitedly just at the prospect of going for a walk or a ,car ride.,  

One very unusual reason that dogs bark is that he is responding to a dog that is barking a long ways a way that he can hear but you can’t hear. Dogs can hear all kinds of sounds that we can’t hear.  A badly trained dog will also be always being prone to nuisance dog barking.   Dogs from rescue shelters and pounds tend to bark a lot because they have never been trained properly in the first place. Also a dog that has spent a long time in a pound has also been conditioned to bark for hours like his former companions in the shelter did.  

Barking is usually not a problem until you are losing sleep over it or a neighbor is complaining about it. This means it is time to send your dog to an obedience class of sometime.  

It is never a good idea to discipline a dog for barking. Chances are the dog is trying to tell you something and if you discipline him then he will get very confused. This often happens to dogs that are nervous or anxious in the first place. The calmer your dog is the least likely he or she is to be a nuisance barker.

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