How To Prepare Your Children For A Pet

Many people think that having a pet is like having a child. Having children and pets means that you have a lot of responsibility in your hands. Children should be taught to be responsible with their pets. Here are some of the ways you can prepare your children for a pet.

Get Them a Smaller Pet

One thing you will realize when you go pet shopping is that not all pets are the same. The pets that need the most attention are cats and dogs. If your ultimate goal is to buy your child a cat or dog, it will be beneficial if you teach them responsibility with smaller pets. Start by getting them a goldfish first since all they need is food and water change. Once you realize that your child remembers all the feeding times and can change the water bowl, you can now consider getting them a dog. You can also choose to get them a hamster at first since they are easier to maintain than a dog or a cat.

Teach Them How To Tidy Up

Cleaning and picking up after dogs never ends since they are playful and messy. If your child is messy, you will have two different messes to clean every day, which can be tiring. Start by teaching your children how to pick up after they play. They should not leave toys or clothes lying on the floor. If your child can leave a room almost as tidy as they found it, they can properly look after their pet. Start small and let them get to where they do not need reminders about picking up after their pets.

Educate Them About Pet Safety

Even though we all assume that dogs and cats are friendly, this is not always the case. There have been cases of pet owners being bitten by their pets, and that can be scary. The one thing you should teach your children is how to play safely with their pets. They should know how to approach the pet when it is injured and learn to always call for help. You should also get affordable pet insurance in case there are any injuries to your pet that needs emergency medical attention. The other thing you need to teach your child is how to hold the harness firmly and control the dog with it. If you plan to get big dogs or puppies that will grow into bigger dogs, it helps to teach your child how to control them.

Dogs are excitable, and if your child is walking them, then there is a chance they will want to run off. Having your child practice walking the dog in your backyard will help you teach them what they need to do if they walk the dog independently.

Let Them Dog Sit For a Friend

The other thing you need to do is ask a friend if your child could dog sit or cat sit for them. Observe them when they feed the dog, clean out the kennel and play with it. The same goes with how they feed the cat and clean out the litterbox. By letting them do these things, you will tell if this is something that they would look forward to doing or if you will have issues with them once they get the pet. Many children quickly get over the fact that they have pets and stop doing what they are meant to do, which makes all that responsibility yours.

Do It Together

Another great way to ensure that your child understands what it means to look after a pet is to do it together. They will learn more about responsibility from you if you work with them than if you give instructions. You can help them clean out the kennel and fill up the food bowl. You can also go on walks with them, so they see how you hold the harness and control your pet. After a while, they will be able to do it on their own.

Owning a pet is a great way to teach your children responsibility while having a companion. The tips above will ensure your children are ready for the pet and can care for it independently.

Also read Benefits of Pets for Kids: Responsibility, Empathy, and Anger Management