Dogs & Children: Building Safe, Positive Relationships Together
Dogs and children often form incredibly special bonds. Growing up with a dog can teach kids empathy, responsibility, patience, and confidence — and for many families, dogs truly become part of the family.
But just like dogs need training, children benefit from learning how to appropriately interact and communicate with dogs as well.
When working on manners and everyday life skills with your dog, involving the entire family can make a huge difference. Even young children can participate in simple training exercises in safe, supervised ways.
One of the biggest misconceptions we hear is:
“My child is too young to help with training.”
In reality, preschool-aged children can often learn simple routines and cues that help reinforce calm behavior and consistency around the home.
For example, one simple exercise we practiced at home was having the kids ask our dog, Shandy, for a “down-stay” before opening the snack cabinet. Like many dogs, Shandy used to immediately investigate whenever the cabinet opened — especially when snacks were involved!
By consistently practicing:
asking for a down-stay
rewarding calm behavior
releasing her once the snack routine was finished
Shandy quickly learned that staying calmly in place was more rewarding than crowding the cabinet.
The best part? The kids became active participants in the training process, helping reinforce good habits during real-life daily routines.
These small moments create:
better manners
clearer communication
safer interactions
stronger relationships between dogs and children
Training doesn’t always have to happen in a formal session. Some of the most meaningful learning happens during everyday life at home.
Of course, all interactions between children and dogs should always be supervised, and expectations should be age-appropriate for both the child and the dog. Positive, reward-based training helps set everyone up for success while creating a calmer, happier household for the entire family.