Janie Grace Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 We are thinking about getting a puppy (though I have a lot of research to do before that). I know my dd12 is going to want to be a big part of the dog's life. In fact, if I let her, she'd probably want to take on all training, exercising, bathing, etc. I'm not thinking she is old enough to be an effective "master" and had planned to take on that role myself. Is this true? How do you handle older kids who really want to take ownership in training a dog? I don't want to quench her, but I don't want a puppy to be confused. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snickelfritz Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 (edited) What kind of dog? How big? When we did puppy classes, they had a 10 year old girl training a dog. But, it was a very small dog (a miniature poodle named Sugar. :)) Mom sometimes had to help her, but the girl did most of it. This was at a place that also does therapy dogs, so not just a hack trainer. Edited November 17, 2011 by snickelfritz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Grace Posted November 17, 2011 Author Share Posted November 17, 2011 What kind of dog? How big? When we did puppy classes, they had a 10 year old girl. But, it was a very small dog (a miniature poodle named Sugar. :)) Mom sometimes had to help her, but the girl did most of it. This was at a place that also does therapy dogs, so not just a hack trainer. Medium... thinking Aussie, English Shepherd, spaniel, etc. Are classes a must? We never did them with my childhood dog... but they probably would have been helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 A dog should be under the authority of everyone in the household, the bottom of the command chain, regardless of which human is actually "top dog". It is certainly appropriate for your dd to share the training responsibilities. :) As a matter of fact, it's a nice healthy way for kids that age to practice authority and leadership. Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kardamom Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 We are thinking about getting a puppy (though I have a lot of research to do before that). I know my dd12 is going to want to be a big part of the dog's life. In fact, if I let her, she'd probably want to take on all training, exercising, bathing, etc. I'm not thinking she is old enough to be an effective "master" and had planned to take on that role myself. Is this true? How do you handle older kids who really want to take ownership in training a dog? I don't want to quench her, but I don't want a puppy to be confused. Hi:) I rarely post, but I'll share my experience as a child. I got a puppy (German Shepherd) for my 10th birthday. The dog was loyal to the whole family, but I spent the most time with her and was the most frequent feeder, so she seemed to have just a little more attachment to me. I gave her some basic obedience training (sit, heel), and then when she was about 6 mo old or so, we participated in a 4H dog training workshop, with mostly 8-11 yo kids with adult dogs. One boy was 6 yo with a Great Pyranees (yep, it was taller than him). His mother had enrolled him so the dogs would be more respectful of him, and apparently she thought it helped. He was able to get the dog to sit and heel for him. At the end of the workshop, we had a "show" for our families. My sister did one or two of the categories with my dog, and I did the others with her. The dogs generally were loyal to their families in general. My dog would obey commands (such as heel, sit, down, stay) for anyone in our family. The only problems of confusion about who is master I would see would be if different family members gave different commands at the same time to the dog. The one problem we had with our dog was that she was not much different in size than me and we lived in a rural area, and especially as a young dog, could be carried away if other dogs ran around loose or a wild animal ran by. We walked her on a short leash so that we could easily let go and let her run if need be without her tripping -- such as when that skunk called .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mindygz Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 We got our third dog for my dd9's eighth birthday. He is her dog. Yes, she has had a fair amount of assistance, but I wanted Orbit to view her as his owner. We have had him for about 18 months now and overall it has gone very well. I am definitely the Boss in all the dogs' minds, but by having dd9 do a lot of the training ( with help) and feeding and other care taking, Orbit sees her as his master...plus she is the fun one in his life. I cannot recommend highly enough Dr Ian Dunbars book on puppy raising. It is called "Before and after getting your puppy." his website, dogstar daily, I think it is called, has a lot of good information as well. I love dogs and love to talk "dogs", so feel free to PM me. I have done a lot of research on training and different breeds, so I can help you if you are trying to find a bred that is like.y to be agood fit for your family. :001_smile: (sorry for typos..on iPad and not so good at this kind of typing...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mims Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 We are thinking about getting a puppy (though I have a lot of research to do before that). I know my dd12 is going to want to be a big part of the dog's life. In fact, if I let her, she'd probably want to take on all training, exercising, bathing, etc. I'm not thinking she is old enough to be an effective "master" and had planned to take on that role myself. Is this true? How do you handle older kids who really want to take ownership in training a dog? I don't want to quench her, but I don't want a puppy to be confused. 4H!!! It so filled that job for us. Look into it in your area and see if they have any dog projects. Our area met once a week for about 3 months and then they showed for the fair. It was perfect training for dog and kid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vettechmomof2 Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Def. get them into 4-H! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Grace Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 I will definitely look into 4-H! Thanks for all the encouragement about this. And thanks for posting kardamom (love the name) -- I'm so glad you did. Your experience as a kid really helps me feel good about this. I'm excited! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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