Instructions
Feed your dog and ask your children to join you when you prepare the food and water bowls for your pet. Explain to your children that dogs need food to have energy. If your children are over the age of 7, allow them to prepare the food bowl and serve the food. If your children are over the age of 7 or show evidence of logical thought, teach them that there are some foods that are toxic for dogs, including chocolate, cocoa or sweets. Teach your children that dogs are rewarded with dog treats or canine biscuits and these are like sweets for them.
Show your children how you pet and play with the dog. Tell your children that pulling tails, hitting, pinching or squeezing the dog excessively may hurt the pet. Children under the age of 4 tend to be rough when handling pets. Monitor how the children interact with the dog and intervene, if necessary.
Teach your children warning signs that may point to aggression including growling or hissing. Do this only if your children are 7 or older. Explain that the dog may not like excessive petting and stimulation and they can exhibit aggressive behavior, so your children need to stay away from the dog.
Tell your children that pets, just like humans, require daily exercise. Allow your children to walk the dog and teach them to hold the dog by the leash and avoid hurting the dog. Teach your children that the leash should be short and loose. When the dog is pulling excessively, tell your children that they need to stop, so that the dog understands that it is not the leader. Teach your children games that they can play with the dog: throwing a stick or a ball can be an entertaining bonding experience.
Tell your children that dogs need to urinate regularly and they are not allowed indoors. If your children are older, tell them that you need to stick to a strict schedule to avoid accidents and elimination in the house.
Praise your children if they display a responsible behavior, obey the rules and play with the dog or feed it as instructed.
How to Teach Children to Take Care of Dogs
Certain dog breeds are recommended as more family-friendly and are better suited for families with children. To avoid injuries in your children or pets, it's best if you train your dog a desirable behavior around children and teach your children to care for the pet. The way you teach your children depends on their age and level of understanding. However, you should be able to teach a few basic rules as soon as your children understand the word "no."