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Bringing a new puppy home when you have young children in your home can be a safe, fun, and rewarding experience. Your children can help you with certain puppy care tasks that are age-appropriate. Here are a few of the ways that young children can help with puppy care basics.
Gentle Play
You should not trust young children to hold a puppy’s leash on a walk, especially if the puppy is a larger breed. However, your children can be a part of the puppy’s playtime in a safe, contained, and monitored environment. Encourage your children to play gently with the puppy and avoid pulling or tugging on the puppy, jumping on the puppy, or approaching the puppy from behind. Your children can play fetch with the puppy and help clean up toys after playtime.
Food and Water
Depending on your children’s ages, they can help you give the puppy food and water. Show your children how to give the puppy food and clean out the water bowl each day. Remind your children to never touch or distract the puppy while it is eating, or get between the dog and his food bowl while eating.
Brushing and Bathing
Young children can also use a soft-bristled brush to brush and groom your new puppy. They should not be responsible for bath time, but they can assist you while you bathe the puppy. They can rub in shampoo and pour water over the puppy’s back to rinse him off, and they can help dry the puppy and clean up afterward.
Treats and Rewards
Your children can help with puppy training by handing out treats or other rewards when the puppy does a trick or performs appropriately. Remind your child to be careful when giving a dog a treat, and not to hand it to them in a way that they might get their fingers bitten.
When you bring a new puppy home, make an appointment with your veterinarian right away to get professional puppy care tips and resources.