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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How to Discourage Copraphagia

Whether you like it or not, dogs like to eat feces.

Feces have the warmth and texture of the food that the bitch regurgitated to them when they were in a litter.  Mother dogs will eat feces in order to conceal the puppy’s presence from predators.

Adult dogs that eat feces might also be regressing as the feces may remind them of the “comfort food” that used to come from mom.  Puppies are also fond of cat feces so it might be a good idea to restrict your dog’s access to any litter boxes that might be in the house. They also enjoy rodent feces and the droppings from hamsters and rabbits.  

It is also been speculated that dog feces might actually be nutritious for a dog in some way, but so far there is no outright scientific proof that feces contain an element or mineral that a dog can’t get in his normal diet.  

Dogs that are scenters like feces because the feces represent the reward at the end of a session of sniffing. The psychological pay off for the dog is a feeling of victory.  Copraphagia is a habit that upsets people more than it does the dogs, possibly because it seems like it is something to be embarrassed about.

Perhaps the easiest way of preventing this is to keep your dog on his leash when he relieves himself and pulling him away if he tries to eat feces afterwards.   You should also discourage him from sniffing the feces.  Another tact is to present him with a treat right after he relieves himself. However this does not always work because often dogs see the feces as a more delicious option.  

You can also try removing feces before the dog can get at it. Mind you, this is more of a way of coping with the ordeal for you then a way of training your dog to not actually consume the stuff!  If the dog is still fond of feces, try teaching your dog not to touch it using the command ‘Off.’ Put your dog on leash and walk him by some feces. If he shows any interest in it, tell him, “Leave it!”

If he continues to go for it, then sharply reprimand him, and pull him away from it with a short, sharp tug on the leash. If he does stop, try and praise him immediately and pop a treat quickly into his mouth.  Another way to convince your dog to cut out this nasty habit would be to cut feces in half, put Tabasco sauce in it, and then put it back together again.

When your dog consumes it he should get the idea that eating feces is not always a good idea.  Putting meat tenderizer in the dog’s food is also supposed to make his own feces less tasty to himself.  It has also been suggested that eating feces might be associated with your pet taking antibiotics. If you think this is the cause of his craving, discuss it with a veterinarian.

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