By Bardi McLennan

A Word To The Dog:

Let’s say you are about a year old. You probably think you’re now a big shot. Well, you may be “big” but a big shot you are not. When you reached eight to ten months of age, in the language of your people, you became a teenager. 

It’s the stage in dogs (and you’ll be pleased to hear, also in humans) that is often considered somewhat “difficult,” experimenting with what’s right and wrong. You may outgrow it in a year or two and become a well-mannered adult – or you may not. Some people prefer a dog that’s a lifelong puppy, in which case go along with it. Once you overcome the bad puppy manners, you’ll be able to get away with the cute, but naughty ones especially if kids are in your family. 

No matter what your age, or the ages of the kids, there are some very strict rules about playing with kids. For example, you had better outgrow that normal nip-in-play young puppy habit by the time your second teeth come in. The kids should be taught you don’t have hands, so you use your mouth in play. But NOT teeth!

Here are tips for other things.  Chaperoning is part of your job. That’s great if it’s for a walk in the woods, but it can also be a boring job even in your own backyard. If you are bored watching the kids shoot baskets and would rather be snoozing in your bed with a chew toy, try messing up the game. (They’ll put you in the house.) Or race around barking non-stop. (They’ll put you in the house.) Or crash against the back door a few times, in which case – you’ve got it – they’ll put you in the house! 

And a Word to the Dog’s Owner:

Children and dogs are a wonderful, natural combination and have numerous unspoken things to offer each other, but both require adult human supervision. Here’s how to handle situations that could definitely go wrong.

First, before you even bring a dog into your home, from the time your kids are toddlers they have to understand that not every dog is a Friendly Freddy. There are basic rules for kids of all ages (and adults). Never approach a stray dog. Call the Dog Warden. When you want to say hello to a strange dog, only approach the dog if it is being walked on leash. First ask if the dog is friendly and, if so, whether or not you may have permission to pet it. After that, the way to say hello even to a very friendly dog is to put out your hand, palm up, below the dog’s nose so Rufus can sniff it in greeting. Hold your youngster’s hand in yours.

This is very important because kids, especially little ones, want to rush up and throw their arms around a dog’s neck. A dog that is not in the least aggressive, but merely extremely shy, will bite. Dogs don’t appreciate being tackled, especially by strangers!    

All children, again, of all ages, need to be reminded that running up to a dog, or whizzing by on skates, or on a bike, or riding a skateboard, can frighten any dog not familiar with kids, or not familiar with the particular sports equipment. You can give verbal explanations to the kids, but not to the dog. Teach your own dog all these good manners by cool, calm and slow introduction. Let Rufus sniff a parked bike, skateboard or pair of skates and when he shows no fear, move the item slightly, very gradually building up to its normal use. Soon he’ll want to race alongside the athlete. Pre-conditioning like this is the best way to teach your dog to accept something new.

For a fun day with dogs, be sure to bring the kids to the Greenwich Kennel Club show at Taylor Farm Park in East Norwalk this Saturday, June 7. It runs from 8:30 a.m. until Group judging (including a Puppy Group) at 3 p.m.  There will be 17 rings of dogs being judged, with free tours explaining it all, plus The Doggie Fun Zone for you and your dog to enter, or just to watch. Be sure to stop by the Meet the Authors tent because that’s where I’ll be waiting to say hello to The Bee readers.

Until then – BE GOOD!

- Bardi                                  

Bardi McLennan bred, trained and showed Welsh Terriers for 30 years during which time she wrote a monthly column on canine behavior in Dog fancy Magazine. In addition to contributing to numerous dog publications, she has written 15 books on dogs, the latest being Rescue Me! which received the ASPCA Humane Issues Award this year.