Awesome life hacks by ANGRY ORANGE
Pets and small children. Do’s and Don’ts
by Tracy Davis
Living with pets around me is normal. As I already said in a previous article, ever since I was little, my parents raised me with dogs and cats. I’m that kind of person who isn’t surprised if she sees children sleeping with dogs or cats in the same bed. Probably because you have so many benefits:
•it helps with socio-emotional development;
• it boosts confidence and self-esteem through direct and immediate reactions;
• involvement in the care and upbringing of a certain pet will give the child independence and encouragement.
Owning a pet will confirm that he or she is doing an excellent thing, that he or she can take care of someone else; will determine him or her to be more conscientious, to be more attentive, more serious and more involved in the tasks he or she assumes; all of this promotes the development of self-esteem, which we all know is important in achieving the goals we are about to set in life.
Oh, and I don’t think it’s unusual for a kid to be hugged by a dog. You know, those moments when the man’s best friend is so happy and suddenly starts jumping and hugging everyone. They are precious! But this is me, and I am talking about my very own experience. Dogs, cats, and other furry pets can be wonderful additions to the family. They are fuzzy friends that provide lots of love and benefits for the entire family. However, as a grown up, I understood that owning a pet is not that easy, especially when you have a small child.
So, what should and shouldn’t you do for your pet and kid to have a wonderful friendship?
Source: Unsplash
DO’s
1.Whether you have a dog or a cat, train it. Wait. What? Is a cat trainable? Oh, yes! There are some tricks you can teach her. Find them here.;)
Why is training so important? There are several reasons. It helps to build a confident, trusting relationship between you and your pet. More than that, it’ll encourage your pet to be friendly with everyone, even if it feels uncomfortable in certain situations. Last but not least, training helps to avoid behavior problems. The more time you invest in teaching your dog or cat living in a human world, the more it’ll get used to new people in the house.
2.Involve your child in everyday care. Once you taught your pet basic commands (like “sit”and “stay” for dogs), involve your child in the feeding process. Is probably one of the most important ways through a healthy and good friendship between them. By teaching your child basic every day care tasks, you’ll also teach him or her important rules such as “be kind to the pet”, “don’t take its food” or “don’t be aggressive with it”.
3.Give your pet a safe zone. Sometimes, pets behave like the whole house belongs to them. And there are those moments when they need some alone time, where they can rest without being disturbed. So, give your furry family member a place of its own and teach your child not to bother the pet if it retreats to the comfort zone.
Source: Unsplash
DON’ts
1.Don’t leave your child alone with your pet. You may have already trained your pet and taught your child how to behave with it. However, pets can be unpredictable. Take into considerations that accidents can happen when children tease pets or touch them in a way that makes them uncomfortable. Get involved in any interaction your child has with your pets and teach him or she how to properly and gently touch and handle your pet.
2.Don’t allow kids to grab at pet’s food. Nobody likes someone bothers them when they are eating. Dogs and cats are no exception! Both of them can become aggressive when they someone else is craving at their bowl of food. Teach your children not to stick their hands in your pet’s food or try to play with your fluffy friend when it’s eating.
Do you have any other tips for the relationship between children and pets to be a wonderful one? Share them with us
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