There’s nothing more heartwarming than watching children play with dogs. 

Many people believe that dogs and children are natural companions. However, that’s not entirely true since young children usually treat the family dog like real-life toys. So, it takes effort on the part of the parents to teach their children to respect dogs. 

In this blog post, we share some tips for teaching your children to respect dogs in order to create a long-lasting friendship and bond between your children and Fido. 

Let’s get started!  

Teaching Kids to Respect Dogs

In this section of the blog, we’ll go through some tips to help you teach your kids to respect dogs and help create a live-long and fulfilling bond. 

Kids forget, sometimes

While children know what is expected of them, it’s in their nature to forget things sometimes–especially when they’re excited. 

It’s a normal part of childhood. 

So, even though your children may know what the rules are, consistency is something you need to work on. When it comes to teaching your children how to respect and interact with dogs, you need to provide them with constant feedback. 

This includes both negative and positive feedback. 

Encouraging improvement in behavior on your part is important. 

Teach Your Children the Virtues of Kindness and Respect

You need to teach your children that the family dog isn’t a toy. It’s important for children to understand that dogs are living creatures that have needs of their own.

That dogs have the ability to feed sadness, pain, and joy. 

If your child is old enough, you can simple tasks like filling up the dog’s water bowl, brushing the dog’s coat gently, etc. 

Treat Your Dog Like a Kid

Don’t allow your children do things to the dog that you wouldn’t allow them to do to another child. So, this means no sitting on the dog, pulling his ears, stealing his food, etc. 

Do not tolerate any type of mistreatment 

Make sure that you have no room for mistreatment of pets in your household–by children and adults alike. 

If anyone in the house abuses or hurts the dog in any way, it is crucial to ensure that the act doesn’t go unpunished. When children and dogs learn to respect one another, the bond that develops is a beautiful one. 

Supervised interactions Are the way to go

Trouble begins when you leave children and dogs alone. Kids are kids, and dogs are animals so, leaving them without supervision is a recipe for disaster. 

Keep in mind the fact that young children have no boundaries, and dogs don’t either. So, the chances of either of them snapping at the other are very high. 

Set a Great Example

Children don’t learn what they’re told. 

They learn what they see you doing. 

So, if you (or any other adult in the household) are not treating the family dog with the love and respect that he deserves, they’ll learn it. Set a good example for your children by showing them how to act around dogs–how to play with them, pet them, approach them, etc. 

Children are excellent observers, and they follow your example. 

Also take the chance to teach them that animals also need their space. Make sure that you never touch a dog that’s having food or is fast asleep. 

Summing Up

Did you find what you were looking for? 

Watch your child play with the family dog can be heartwarming; however, keep in mind that with children and dogs, things can quickly take the wrong turn. 

So, it is important that children know how to interact with dogs. 

As a parent, it is your duty to teach your child how to treat dogs with the respect that they deserve–not like playthings or toys. 

We hope that this blog post gave you insight. 

Do you have any questions or concerns, let us know in the comments, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can!