How to Get Your Child to Help With Pet Care

It’s a common scenario… the kids beg you to get a dog or a cat or a hamster. They promise they’ll take care of it and you won’t have to do a thing. Well. We know how this ends. The kids get tired of feeding and watering and cleaning up the mess, or else they forget. And Mom or Dad ends up doing the work. Here are some steps for getting… and keeping the kids involved in pet care.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Measuring scoop
• Dog or cat brush
• Pet treats for training
• Leash for walk training

1. Ensure that the tasks you assign to the child are age-appropriate. Even a very young child can handle some tasks.
2. Any child who will interact with a pet needs to learn gentleness, so lead by example. Show him or her how pet the animal on the head or rub its back. Both dogs and cats like to be rubbed on the chest, where they can’t reach. Explain that hitting and pulling hurt the pet. Also if the pet is small enough for the child to pick up, work with him or her to do it in a way that won’t hurt. For example, pick up a kitten with both hands gently around the belly. Kids are known to grab one leg, or worse, the head or the tail. Tell the child that if the kitten is treated roughly, it might defend itself by scratching or biting.
3. Explain that pets need to eat regularly, just like kids do. Then provide an easy to way to measure pet food, like a scoop. Even very young kids can count two scoops of dry food with little or no help. If the pet eats first thing in the morning, it might be a good idea to make a rule that nobody eats till the pet gets fed. The same rule could apply to evening feeding. That gives the child a signal that it's time to feed the pet.
4. At the same time the pet gets fed, have the child refill the water, or if the child is too young to handle a water dish, make it his or her responsibility to check to see if the pet needs water and then to tell you.
5. Explain to your child that only the foods you approve can be fed to the pet. While an occasional scrap or two might not hurt, there are foods that are deadly to pets. Raisins and grapes, for example should never be fed to a dog.
6. If you use treats to reward a dog for good behavior, such as learning to “sit” on command, have the child give the dog its treat and say “good dog,” or “good sit.” That helps the child be invested in the pet’s training.
7. Have the child go with you as you walk the dog for exercise, though if the kids are small, you’ll probably need to hold the leash to keep control of the dog, especially if there is traffic.
8. Also have the child go when you take the pet to the vet for check-ups and shots. That reinforces the need to be mindful of the pet’s needs.
9. Sit with the child and show him or her how to gently brush the pet, assuming the pet allows it. You’ll probably need to remind your child about grooming. A good way is to tie the task to something the child does. For example, if brushing is done once a week, have your child sit and brush the dog while watching a favorite cartoon that is on every Saturday morning. When the cartoon comes on, that’s a signal to brush the dog.
10. If the child is old enough, have him or her attend obedience classes with the dog. Obedience classes are actually designed to train the owner, so your child can get some formal training and then be the family “expert,” who will teach you and the pet.

Tips & Warnings

• If the pet’s water is outside, have the child empty and refill it every day. Standing water breeds mosquitoes.