Parenting Toddlers

Oh no, not human baby - that phase is done. On Saturday the hubby and I will be going to Maine (about a six hour round trip) in order to pick up the newest babies to our home. Want to see? Meet our babies!

They don’t have names yet…we’re not quite sure WHAT to name them. They are husky/malamute mix and we are so looking forward to adding them to our family. But it brought a few things to mind: the last time I added a puppy to our home was five years ago, and Babygirl grew up with him, knowing how to treat him and to respect him simply because he was bigger than her for most of her life (he’s 65 lbs, so I guess, technically, he’s STILL bigger than her). So I’ve been thinking and doing some research on how to bring a puppy safely into a home with toddlers.

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1. Go Slow Don’t force your toddler to hug/pet/cuddle the new addition, and don’t force your new puppy to play with your toddler. The two have to get used to each other at their own pace, and forcing a child who isn’t used to a dog will just scare them and make things more difficult down the road.

2. Establish Dominence In your puppy’s eyes the order in the house should go like this: Parents, Kids, Dog. This doesn’t mean that you can’t love your animals, but dogs are pack animals, and they need to know the order in the new “pack”. One good way to do this is to make sure that your dog goes out last when you walk out of the house. They may be excited and want to rush out, but make sure you hold them back a bit.

3. Toys are Toys All puppies love toys, but you have to make sure that they know which toys are theirs and which are your toddlers. If you get too many toys for the puppy, they’ll assume that all toys are fair game. Make sure that they know that your toddlers toys are theirs. When our older dog was little, NOTHING was working. Finally one day he had grabbed a stuffed animal and I whacked him in the nose with it gently. He suddenly seemed to “get” that anything that smelled like the toddler was off-limits, and he hardly ever touched a toy of my sons again.

4. Get them involved! Get your toddler involved! They’re not too young to help feed or water the dog, and every toddler loves to brush a dog. Teach them to go gently and to respect the dog when he’s eating. In a perfect world, every dog would be trained to back down when a human comes near their food. Unfortunately this doesn’t happen. Instead of waiting around for that day, have your toddler help you feel the puppy and make sure they understand that it is the puppy’s time to eat, and that you do not interrupt a puppy who is eating. You can work on obedience with your own puppy to make sure that he does back down when your child comes near him when he’s eating.

Those are just a few little tips to help make bringing a puppy into a home with a toddler a bit easier. I believe that every child shoudl grow up with a pet or 2, because it teaches them responsibility, caring, and gives them someone who will listen to them when they feel down or upset. My 3 year old will occasionally “read” a book to the dog and the cat, and they sit and listen, intently, making her feel proud. A more rapt audience you’ve never seen.

I have never, however, brought in two puppies at once. WISH ME LUCK!