Dog Training Lesson Ideas for Preschool

Dog training with children, especially young children, helps preschoolers learn responsibility and safety. Preschoolers can often make mistakes around their dogs, which can lead to injury. A course about safety around your dog and basic dog training can help keep children safe while learning some basic dog training techniques to use on their pooch.

  1. Sit

    • Teaching a dog to sit is perhaps one of the most basic commands, something a preschooler could easily do during a dog training course. Let children know that dogs typically pick up on this quickly, especially with a combination of the owner using her hands to press the bottom down and rewarding the dog with a treat. Children can act out the dog training scenario by having one child pretend to be the dog and another child go through with the commands. Have children practice at home at report how well their dogs behaved.

    Dog Training Videos

    • There are several videos on the market that cater specifically to children training dogs. These videos can give children an idea of what to do when training their dog on a level they can understand. This expert advice will also help children train dogs properly. Two examples of DVDs for children include Amy Robinson's "Drool School" and Ian Dunbar's "Dog Training for Children." Show these DVDs (or similar), or clips of them, during your lesson.

    Name Recognition

    • Name recognition is an important topic for dog training, especially with new puppies. Dogs should be able to look up at you when you call his name and eventually come to you when you call his name. You can introduce this topic with preschoolers by telling them to call their dog's name in a "happy voice" and handing him a treat when he looks up or responds until he is able to respond without the treat stimulus. This is a very simple dog training lesson that preschoolers can master, and it can help them learn about intonations and using the "proper voice" at the "proper time." Have children practice saying things in "happy voices," "angry voices" and "sad voices" so that they can tell the difference and understand the appropriate intonation to use with their dogs.

    Dog Safety

    • This is an important topic that must be touched on during dog training exercises with small children. Small children have a tendency to play roughly with a dog or pull dog's fur without realizing that they are putting themselves in dangerous situations. Teach children to respect a dog's space, learn cues that may show a dog will bite (such as growling or curling his lips back), and to always stand up taller than the dog. Preschoolers should also be taught that dogs may bite thinking it is playing, however this behavior should not be tolerated. Children should say "No!" firmly to the dog. You can also read the books "Be a Dog's Best Friend" by Renee Payne or "May I Pet Your Dog?: The How-to Guide for Kids Meeting Dogs (and Dogs Meeting Kids)" by Stephanie Calmenson. These are two examples of fully illustrated dog safety books that preschoolers may enjoy, however you may find others at your local library or bookstore.