Is My Child Responsible Enough To Care For A Dog?

Topic: Dogs and Kids

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Most children, at some point in time, start to ask Mom and Dad for a pet. A great majority of kids want to have a dog in the family for a variety of reasons. Many children want dogs since they have friends that have dogs and they enjoy playing with the pet when at the friend's house. Other kids want a dog because they long for the companionship of a pet and the thought of a dog running with them, playing with them and even sleeping with them is very appealing. Still other children want a dog because they see it as part of growing up and having the opportunity to care for another living thing.

All of these reasons are excellent as a basis for a child wanting a dog. Parents then have the difficult task of deciding if their child is old enough and responsible enough to care for a dog and how much responsibility they, as parents, are willing to assume. While many dog books and websites indicate that children under a specific age, usually between eight and ten years old, are simply too young to care for a dog all on their own, this is not always true. Parents have to honestly evaluate how responsible and mature their child is before deciding if he or she is old enough to care for a pet of any kind. There are many six year olds that are more capable of caring for a dog than a teenager that doesn't want the responsibility. Age is therefore an important consideration but certainly shouldn't be the only deciding factor.

Puppies Versus Dogs

There are benefits to adopting or choosing either a puppy or a dog and the benefits and challenges often depend on the maturity level of the child and his or her experience with dogs. If the child has grown up with dogs and is now in his or her early teens, a puppy may be a great option. This would allow the child to train the puppy and to closely form a deep bond between the two. Parent would be expected to provide general supervision but typically an older, mature child would be very capable of managing, providing for and training the puppy all on his or her own.

Young children may also be well suited to a starting out with a puppy to provide the same bonding between the child and the dog. However, even with very mature younger children parents are going to have to play a more active and involved role in educating the child about how to care for and properly interact with the puppy. The younger the child the more active and involved the parents will have to be. Since the puppy can't indicate if he or she has been fed, walked or let outside parents are going to have to supervise and be fully prepared to step in should the responsibility be too great for the child. Young children may simply be overwhelmed with the training, housetraining and caring for a young puppy and they should not be punished, rather parents should simply take over the role and allow the young child to work in a support type role. Once the puppy and the child mature the child will slowly become more responsible for the puppy and dog as appropriate.
Adopting an older, already trained dog from a shelter or rescue has benefits and challenges for both older and younger children. For younger kids finding a mature dog that is well socialized with young children will be absolutely essential, as will finding a dog that will respond to the child's commands. The advantage is that the child immediately can begin interacting with the dog and the dog will respond. Housetraining and socialization won't be a factor that needs to be considered as prominently as with a puppy.

Older children may likewise feel more comfortable with an older dog that is already trained. Since the dog has the basics older children can begin teaching the dog new tricks and often older dogs will bond very well with both older and younger children in their adoptive families. Older children may also be able to take far more responsibility for more mature dogs and can immediately get involved in walking, grooming and feeding the dog.

Testing Your Kids

If you are considering a puppy or a dog for your child or children and you don't currently have dogs, you may want to set up a trial run with your children. Often children don't understand all the responsibility in owning a dog or puppy, so providing this opportunity before bringing home a pet can help the children understand what they are taking on.

A friend, relative or co-worker that may be willing to lend you a dog or puppy for a weekend or a week can be a good option, but you could also have your children spend time at their house as well. The dog owner should honestly talk to the children about all the day to day responsibilities including feeding, providing exercise, grooming, cleaning up after the dog or puppy as well as what being a good dog owner includes. Sometimes children will be amazed at all the work that is involved in being a pet owner and they may want to select a less labor intensive pet, at least for a few years. Other children may willing accept the responsibility and will be better prepared for owning a dog or puppy in their home.

Some of the larger pet stores, vets and even community centers may offer classes or workshops for children on owning a pet. There are several online quizzes that children can take to help them understand the responsibilities of dog ownership. Parents can use these resources as a way to help children get a full grasp of what having a dog or puppy will be before starting the decision on what breed or type of dog to get.

Finally, parents have to be willing to take full responsibility for the dog or puppy should it not work out for the kids to do so. If both parents aren't in agreement that Mom and Dad are going to make time in their schedule to lovingly and attentively care for the dog then waiting until the child is fully committed to caring for a dog and taking full responsibility should be the only option. It is simply not fair to a dog or puppy to just run an experiment to see if it will work in the family, the family has to be committed to caring for the dog or puppy for his or her life before bringing the pet home.

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