How To Pick A Good Dog For Kids
By · CommentsBuying a family dog is a fun, exciting adventure for everyone involved, but it’s also something that should be taken seriously as there are several important factors to consider first. Rather than choosing the cutest dog, or the one with the saddest puppy eyes, think of whether or not your family and the new addition will all be able to live together day in and day out safely in harmony together.
Although many breeds of dog love being around kids, a dog’s disposition and tolerance level may largely depend on his or her background and how well they were socialized as a puppy. Some breeds are known for being patient and gentle by nature, and therefore, make ideal pets for households with children.
The Best Breeds for Households with Children
Boxer
Boxers are rather playful and yet patient with kids and seem to know they need to be more gentle around smaller children. Bulldogs will also tolerate the ear pulling, poking, and accidental falls that kids are prone to but will usually just leave the area if they’ve run out of patience rather than put up with it as the Boxer would probably do. (See our boxer article here)
The affable Beagle is another breed notorious for their love of children, big and small. With a playful nature, an even temper and plenty of patience a Beagle can be the ideal family pet, however these sweet dogs do tend to be rather stubborn.
Despite their imposing size, the large Mastiff and their territorial nature are another good breed to consider if you have children in your home. Care must be taken to ensure the Mastiff doesn’t accidentally step on the child or infant, of course, and this particular breed does have the tendency to become overprotective at times.
Although a stellar quality, being too protective of children could be troublesome when it comes time for discipline as the Mastiff may want to intervene and “protect” their child.
One of the absolute best large breeds of dog to have around children is the Newfoundland. A “Newfie” will protect his charge at all costs, nudging them to safety and be ever tolerant of typical infant or childlike behavior. Babies crawl on top of the big hearted Newfs, playing until their heart’s content without fear of being growled or snapped at, and when the gentle giant has had enough, he’ll simply walk away but still keep a watchful eye for any signs of impending danger.
Saint Bernards and other mountain dogs like the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog are also perfect for homes with children despite their tremendous size and ferocious fighting abilities as they are extremely loving and patient with their pack, including the smallest of children.
Dogs in the retriever family such as the Labrador, Golden, and Chesapeake Bay retrievers are also excellent with children and small animals.
Standard or large poodles as well as miniature poodles are generally good with children, however the toy version of the breed is not suitable for a household with any kids as they’re known to have very little patience with little people.
Remember that small children can be quite perplexing to a dog that’s never seen anyone this size before so it may take some time to acclimate your new pet to their environment. As with any type, breed, size, or age of dog, never leave children and dogs unsupervised for any amount of time, not only for the child’s sake but for the dog’s safety as well.
Training Dog Obedience Using Hand Signals
By · CommentsAre you doing some dog obedience training to fix your dog’s behavior problems? If you are, then you must use hand signals in addition to verbal commands that you want your pet to follow. The hand signals work most of the time, especially when your pet cannot hear you. Actually, these are more effective ways to ensure your dog pays close attention to you even from a couple of meters away, as long as it can see you.
And these are what trainers of agility dogs and hunting dogs use to control the actions of these dogs while in the field. By using the right hand signals during dog training, they can make the dogs turn left or right, go fast, stop, or stay put. Now, you can also do these to your pet without using verbal commands. Learn these first three hand signals and teach them to your dog while doing dog obedience training.
1. For the “sit” command, here’s the hand signal: bend your arm upwards at the elbow and then raise your hand with fist closed up to your head’s side while you command your dog to sit simultaneously. Keep on doing these hand movements while commanding your dog to sit. Later on, your pet will soon learn how to associate the hand signal with your vocal command. Now, if you are not able to get your dog’s attention the first time you try the hand signal, don’t punish it. Instead, keep trying or better yet, make sure you have a leash in your left hand.
2. For the “down” command, the hand signal is just like when you are asking someone to sit down at the same time saying, “Have a seat.” To teach your dog the hand signal for down, you need to hold your arm out towards your pet and then lower your hand, on which your palm faces down towards the floor. While doing this, give the “down” command, and your dog will follow your hand signal into the down position. Just like in the sit hand signal, keep repeating this until your dog learns to associate the lowering of your hand towards the floor as part of the “down” command.
3. For the “stay” command, first, put your dog into the sit or down position. Afterwards, hold out your arm towards your pet, with your palm’s position similar to that of a policeman who’s using hand signal to stop traffic. And just like in the previous two commands, do this at the same time command your dog to “stay”, with your firm tone of voice. If at first, your dog does not follow, try it again until he recognizes that hand signal means “down”.
Using hand signals can really do a lot when training your dog. Although you may find it difficult to make your dog obey at first, don’t give up, but instead keep repeating the signals until it understands what you are trying to communicate. Take note that if you are consistent and thorough in showing your pet those hand signals, the faster it will respond.
