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Teaching Children How to Care for Their Pets

By Guest Author on Wednesday, July 7th, 2010 | 1 Comment

Your child is begging for a puppy. He promises to feed the dog and clean up the poop. But after two days, guess who is cleaning up the land mines in the backyard and filling up the dog dish? But before you give in and take over, think of the opportunity you have to teach your child about responsibility, love, and respect. Although it takes some time and work to teach children how to care for pets, it’s well worth the effort.

Of course, responsibilities you assign will depend on the child’s age. Children as young as two or three can be taught simple chores like changing a water bowl or filling a food dish at night. Teaching your child to respect their pet is also important. At this age, they can be taught how to play gently with a pet without pulling ears or tail, or poking their eyes. With young children, supervision is definitely needed.

If you have a young child, you may want to consider a pet like a fish, bird, reptile, or hamster as their first pet, which requires less maintenance. These pets don’t need to be house trained and they don’t chew furniture, but will teach your child lessons in feeding and cleaning.

if you decide to get a pet for your child, here’s a few tips to keep in mind:

  1. Talk to your child about their responsibilities. Decide exactly what your child’s chores will be. Be willing to negotiate. For example, maybe you’ll agree to clean up after the pet if your child agrees to brush the pet.
  2. Keep in mind, walking the dog may be a great opportunity for you to spend some quality time together.
  3. Try making a chart that explains your child’s chores. Use the reward system, putting a stick or star on a completed chore. Give them a prize for every five stars they earn, maybe a movie out or pizza night.
  4. Taking care of an animal shouldn’t be all work and no play. Not only should children have responsibilities like poop scooping and feeding, but should also take part in fun activities like petting and playing with the pet.
  5. Young teens can learn how to teach a dog some simple tricks. This involves patience and persistence, great qualities to instill in your children.
  6. Larger animals, like goats, lambs, or a horse, require even more detailed care. Before agreeing to this acquisition, get your children a few books on caring for this type of animal. Or enroll them in a pet care class, like those provided by the 4-H organization. Ensure they understand all the duties that accompany a pet of greater size.
  7. Know beforehand, your child will need to be reminded of their responsibilities. Children need repetition. Try to resist the temptation to do the chore yourself unless your child is very young.

Children learn so much from pets, it is well worth the effort to teach them to care for them. With supervision, time, and patience your child can learn to be a responsible pet caretaker.

For the best in wholesome and natural baby products take a look at Tender Cargo. The family owned baby website offers a large selection of baby carriers including the popular Beco baby carrier.

Responsibility for a Child’s Pet

By Alison Wood on Sunday, July 19th, 2009 | 2 Comments

The child is the one that asked for the pet. The child is the one that picked out the exact pet that was brought home. And the child is the reason that the dog shakes his head in shame when he has to respond to Plankton as his name. But, that dog or the cat or any other pet that manages to make it into your home is not just the sole responsibility of the child, is it? Like it or not, they become part of the family and as such, are the responsibility of everybody, at least partially. Despite protesting against it, you find yourself feeding the cat or walking the dog from time to time, but does that necessarily mean that your child is shirking his duties? Not really, if one child needed a drink of water, would you really make him wait for it?

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Before you even allow a pet to come into your door, sit down with your child lay down the rules and obligations that will be expected of him. Make sure he knows how much food the pet will need, and how often. Make a clear chart with pictures for younger children, or clearly worded directions for older kids. Include rewards and punishments for failing to meet any obligations, for example, if the child does walk the dog on their day, then that child loses TV time. Teaching your child to meet obligations and duties is important to turning out responsible adults.

Remember though, that children will actually forget certain things in pet care, no matter how much they love their furry friend. There might be times when your child is sick, or too busy with schoolwork or extracurricular activities to fulfill all of his obligations. On those occasions, it will be up to you to step in and help the child out. Ultimately, as head of the family, all of the members are your responsibility and that means the feline, canine or miscellaneous additions as well. If you are completely unwilling to step in and take over any aspect of pet care for any length of time, you may want to reconsider allowing a pet at that time.

No matter how well the child does take care of his pet, you must also understand that the financial burden will most likely be on you. You will have to maintain his diet, his vet bills and the other costs of pet ownership, unless you are planning on sending your child out to find a job!

Choosing A Pet For Your Child

By Alison Wood on Saturday, May 23rd, 2009 | No Comments

Every Christmas, every birthday, even every St. Patrick’s Day, your child has asked for a pet, and every year you say no, but recently you are beginning to relent. You think little Timmy might actually be ready for the responsibility of pet ownership, but what is the best pet for him and how do you actually help your child make this important choice?

First of all, do not let your child hold all of the cards in the decision process. Ask Timmy what kind of pet he would like to have and the answer might range from a ducky to a dinosaur, so start off by setting some limits. If you are an apartment dweller, you are already limited with your pet choices. No Great Danes in the penthouse!

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Next, consider the level of commitment that your child has shown to projects in the past. Has he started off gung-ho, only to start slacking off with sports, hobbies and other interests? Think about your child’s closet floor, does it look like the island of lost dreams? Are there the skates he wore once, fell in, and then cast off? Or does he have the staying power to see things through to the end? The more dedication that your child has, the more pet choices you can look at. The interest of the child should be at least long enough to get the new pet into middle age.

Of course, you should also consider the “ick” factor. Is your child squeamish and germophobic? Would this child snap if there were little gerbil goodies left on the palm of his hand? Or worse, would the child be nearly hysterical at the thought of feeding the pet he mistakenly chose? The fussier the child, the cleaner the pet has to be, and the less hands on. For the really finicky child, you might want to consider some nice tropical fish.

And finally, consider the temperament and the activity level of the child. Childhood obesity is at an all-time high, and some people are finding that a dog is a good way of getting their little couch tater-tots up and about- but don’t count on a pooch working miracles on a truly unmotivated kid. Laid back kids do well with laid back animals, while the more energetic kids can run the energy out of the more active labs and Jack Russell terriers. And, the opposites attract concept might be beneficial here as well. A gentle pug might help calm a child that just cannot sit still, while a bouncy Boxer might actually break a shy child out of his shell. Give your child his options and then let him have a say in the decision. It is the family pet, but hopefully, this will be his friend.

Children and Pets: One Size Doesn’t Fit All

By Alison Wood on Saturday, May 16th, 2009 | 3 Comments

The jury is out on what constitutes the “best” pet for children. On one side of the fence are those who say that it is the independent cat; perfectly happy to allow themselves to be observed from a safe distance, and occasionally deigning to allow a small sticky hand to give them a pat. On the other side of the pet fence are the dog lovers, who claim that no childhood is truly complete without the lapping tongue of a four-legged pal. Of course, there are those people who suggest that the best pet is no pet at all, but let’s ignore those people, shall we?

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For apartment dwelling children, smaller pets are the best, and are, often times, the only choice. Fish are beautiful and relaxing to watch, but do not really give the whole pet experience. Small birds can be trained to sit on a gentle finger, but are susceptible to colds and drafts and are messy beyond belief, something you might consider if you are a true neatnik. The rodent family offers many different types of options, some better choices than others. Rats are smart, if you can get past the fact that they are, well, rats. They can also be surprisingly affectionate and are rather easy to care for. Not ready to swallow your loathing of rats? Guinea pigs are another option to consider- less rat-like, the sweet natured guinea pig can be a really great first pet for most children to start with. The only thing to remember about them is the need for daily vitamin C to prevent scurvy.

If space is not a consideration and the entire family is in agreement, then a dog is a good choice as well. Remember that there are many factors to consider when choosing a dog breed, but there are several that will fit in with virtually any family. These include the gentle pug, the intelligent beagle and the ever-popular Golden Retriever. Of course, all families are encouraged to check their local shelter for their new family member first.

And, in the interest of fairness, there is the cat. Often given a bad rap for being too aloof, the cat is a very good pet, especially for those families that are involved in lots of activities. Properly fed, a cat will not really pout and mope if he is left for long periods of time- he will content himself to curl up on your bed until you get home. No matter what pet the family chooses, make sure it is a safe, loving choice for everyone, including the child that will bond with it stronger than anyone else in the household.

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