Managing Dogs Around Children

In most of American households, dogs are adopted because the child demands it. Parents may or may not be fond of dogs, but once a child sees a cuddly puppy and wants to get it, it is fait accompli that the household will sport a pet dog.

While it is a wonderful event for a household with a child or children to bring home a puppy, many parents think their duties end with that. Of course, they have to care for it, tend to its needs and all that, but few parents think of the relationship that is going to develop between that dog and their child. This omission can be a serious mistake. Why so, you may ask.

Let us examine the circumstances. A child can hardly distinguish between a pet toy and a pet animal. To him or her, they are things that satisfy their momentary passion for diversion. While a toy can be discarded or abused, a pet cannot be. I may offend parents, but note this. A child has no concept of right or wrong, good behavior or bad behavior. Therefore, children, unless properly monitored, can turn into incredibly cruel and selfish human beings. When this cruelty manifests itself unchecked against a helpless, defenseless pet, it can perpetuate the child's personality.

Ever witness a dog being "teased" by a child. No? Watch carefully. Children often pull or box a dog's ears (which is extremely painful), land on them, try to pry open their jaws, pull their tail, poke their eyes....the list goes on. Some kids do it rarely, others do it often.

So one of your responsibilities is to make sure children treat their dog with decency and care. It is as much commonsense as it self-defence. If a dog is irritated enough times, he can turn on the tormentor in a vicious way. While nothing is fool proof, here are some tips on how to ensure children and their pets have a healthy, positive and fulfilling relationship..

1. Do not let children use any sharp objects around dogs.

2. Coach children in playing with the dog. Frisbees, balls, bones and other rounded objects are great for dogs to fetch. While you have to go through the boring exercise of teaching the dog on how to fetch, once you both have mastered the technique, it can give you and your children hours of pure fun. And it will get your children to be active.

3. Teach children to stay away from dog's mouth and tail. Children have a nasty habit of prying open dog's jaws to look inside and pulling dog's tail. Many dogs view this as a threat and will react violently. Not the first or second time, but some time.

4. Rough physical sport with dogs should not be encouraged, specially with young children. Neither Dogs nor children know the limits of rough and tumble games and what may look as innocent roughhousing can turn into a deadly act.

5. Teasing dogs is fine as long as it is done from a distance. Never encourage teasing with an object, such as poking the dog, or hitting him.

Good luck.

Pet Safety Around The Pool

Pool owners who do not have children to worry about around the pool may have pets that they want to keep away from the dangers of their swimming pool. The family swimming pool can be a very real danger to pets that either do not know how to swim well or pets that slip and fall into the pool. Just like children, pets should be supervised at all times when they are around the swimming pool to prevent accidents.

Many dogs enjoy swimming, however, they should only be allowed in the pool when they are supervised. You don't want your dog jumping in the pool every time they are let outside. Not only does this pose the possibility that they could drown, but would create quite a mess as well. During the winter months the pool will be very cold and it would not be good for your pet to decide to take a swim. Some dogs do not swim well and could fall into the pool and drown. Elderly dogs may not see as well as they used to and could easily misjudge and fall into the pool. All of these are good reasons for installing a pet guard pool fence around your pool to prevent an accidental drowning of your pet.

Should you have to drain your pool for any reason, a dog that is used to swimming whenever they please may not realize that the pool does not have any water in it and could jump in seriously injuring themselves. Imagine the damage that could be caused if a dog jumped in a pool and landed on the concrete in an 8 foot deep end. If the dog survived the jump, they would almost certainly have a broken bone or two.

Some dogs drink the pool water. This is not a good idea as there are many chemicals in the pool that may cause your pet to get sick. The only way to prevent your dog from drinking the water is to create a barrier between your pet and the pool.

A pet guard pool fence is manufactured with the same high quality materials as a child pool safety fence and installed in the same manner. It is just a shorter height than the child safety fence, however, it is too high for most dogs to jump over. The holes in the mesh are also very small and would prevent your pet from climbing over the fence. Obviously, if there is any concern about children getting into your pool unsupervised you should install a pool safety fence which will protect both children and pets. The pet guard pool fence can also be installed with a self latching gate which allows for easy access to the pool area by adults.

Keeping your pet safe around your swimming pool should be a priority. Pet drownings occur much more often then most people would think. This is quite easy to do with a pet guard pool fence which is professionally manufactured and installed to match your current pool deck area.

For more information about pet safety fences or pool safety fences, please visit our website.

How Children Can Benefit From Having a Dog Around

Dogs are one of the best pets that one can ever have. Both the young and old alike would have their own share of fun having a dog for a pet. But for kids, there are some early lessons in life that they can learn from their pet dogs. Listed below are the most common benefits that dogs can offer to their little masters and friends.

Friendship and Company

Hearing stories about dogs being best friends with humans is nothing new. Your pet dog can be a very good friend and playmate for your little kids. Dogs can show your children how nice it is having a friend who is always there to give them company. Also, the loyalty of dogs is tested over the years. Your children will soon find out for themselves that friends may leave them but pet dogs are there to stay.

Confidence and Strength

Dogs simply won't listen to someone who is not strong and has no faith in himself. And kids will realize this when they get older. Because kids would surely want dogs to obey their commands, they will attempt to prove their authority and strength. Children who can make simple things happen like making a dog sit or behave when told are bound to feel pride over this tiny accomplishment which is already a milestone for them.

Safety and Security

Most children feel more secure knowing for a fact that there is a dog guarding the house. No matter what dog breed you have, you will see how your pet dog would react when he can sense danger lurking in the corner. My little two-year old boy would say that our pet is shooing monsters away when the pooch is barking at something in the dark.

Sense of Responsibility

Pet dogs can teach children to be responsible. When your child is old enough, you can delegate the task of feeding and giving water to the dog. These may be small tasks but it is a good start for children to learn to take part in doing household chores.

Gentleness and Compassion

Some kids can be loud, overly energetic and heavy handed. If dogs are not pleased with the way kids are treating them, they may turn their back or deprive kids of the play time that they enjoy so much. This would let the child know that they need to be gentle and affectionate with both humans and animals alike if they want to win friendship.

There are still many other benefits that dogs can offer to kids. But most importantly, having a dog in the household is a wonderful way to show children that other living things also have needs, so they will not grow up self-centered.

To learn more about your dog, visit our dog information site. Looking for a great dog lover gift? Visit http://gonedoggin.com

Children Being Safe Around Dogs

Children Being Safe Around Dogs: A family with children will often consider getting a dog as a family pet. When a child and a dog meet each other as part of a family unit this is often where the problem of safety starts.

With literally millions of dogs available around the world, the benefit to a family of picking the right one is a wonderful bonus. The benefits they can bring to their children are immense, if treated with some good old-fashioned common sense.

As with any pet and especially dogs, children need educating into understanding that they are dealing with animals and they look at things differently to us.

Children need teaching how to react and behave around all dogs and not just the family pet. No two dogs are alike or behave the same, especially around children. With any dog, all children need teaching about what they can and cannot do. They must learn to treat all dogs with the respect they deserve if they are to stay safe around them.

They have to learn (or be taught) that a dog thinks like a dog, acts and behaves like a dog, sleeps like a dog and eats like a dog. They do not think like we humans and this is an important difference. Many people will tell you that their dog is almost human, almost but not quite. We want to think of them as being like us, but they are not and when people learn this simple lesson then dogs and people get on well together.

The benefits of owning the right breed of dog for your particular lifestyle can bring untold rewards to a family.

Children brought up with pets have better self-worth, greater empathy and greater social skills that help to their becoming a better citizen.

A dog, of the right type, can teach loyalty, which is very important to a child especially in later life.

Children can learn about responsibility, compassion and respect for another living thing just by helping to look after their own dog along with advice from their parents.

Evidence suggests that if a young baby has cat or dog in their home in their first year of life that they do not suffer as much from allergies like asthma and also it improves their immune system.

The simple action of a child either stroking or cuddling a dog can reduce stress.

Dogs now help children with both mental and physical disabilities to get back on the right path.

Being involved with the day-to-day activities of owning a pet can help you, along with your children, become more relaxed and that alone is a bonus in the hectic world of today.

The benefit of a regular daily dose of exercise while walking your dog is great for helping to keep your heart in better working order.

Dragging children away from their computers and electronic games is always a problem and often they will offer to help when walking the dog.

Teaching children to get along with a dog must come from the parents. A child naturally trusts a dog without reserve until he or she does something the child dislikes. It is up to the parents of the child to teach respect of their pets' needs and the dangers of becoming too familiar with the dog concerned.

It is a balancing act between the needs of your child and the basic needs of your dog.

Owning a dog should be fun for the child concerned, which helps to create a greater bond between the two.

You have to be always aware that your dog is an animal and no matter how safe you think they are around young children, never leave them alone together without the supervision of an adult.

Ian Nicholson has been passionate about dogs for over fity years and you can learn more about children and dogs at http://www.choosebestdogbreed.com/children-and-dogs and also download a free gift on how to prolong the life of your aging dog.

Can You Use a Pet Gate Around Children and Pets?

Pet gates serve a multitude of needs. Probably the most important reason people look to purchase a pet gate is for containing a pet in an area where they won't do any harm to themselves or destroy what's in the room.

The first and most common question people have is whether or not the gate they want to buy is OK to use around children as well. It's a great question and the answer can help you determine which gate in fact you should buy.

When gates are designed just for pets or just to use around children the criteria are different. However, over the last 30+ years manufacturers have found that designing their gates for a multi-use situation has been the better choice. So, today most gates on the market can be used in either circumstance.

There are things to look for though to make sure the gate you buy in fact meets these requirements. Free standing gates are not child-use certified. They are made such that there are no attachments made to walls or doorways and a child under the right circumstances could topple the gate.

You need to look for gates that carry one of the following certifications. The first is known as a JPMA certified gate. This stands for "Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association". This independent organization certifies the companies that manufacture and sell JPMA registered products. They also audit them to make sure they follow the standards and procedures for their operation, test the products in an independent lab as required and submit to random testing during the year.

The second certification a gate may have is the ASTM stamp. (ASTM F1004-07) ASTM International (formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials) is the organization in conjunction with the JPMA and manufacturers that develop and implement the standards. So if the gate has either certification they may be used around children.

As tempting as it may be, even using some of the old gates you may have around from earlier years from your Mom and Dad might not be the way to go. It doesn't matter if you're using it for a pet or a child. The old finishes and designs can cause more harm than good.

Back in the day, the old accordion type gate was about the only type gate any of us used. But that style, materials they used to make it and whether or not it's sturdy enough really need to be taken into account. Its not that safety wasn't important back then, but it was the best we had using the information we knew.

The old gates also don't have good latching and locking mechanisms to keep the children safe and secure. I don't think pinch points were ever a concern and certainly they had limited stability. They are also known to cause both pets and children to get caught in the "v" and several cases of strangulation have been reported.

So make an educated purchase by reading and understanding all that the industry has to offer today. There are over a dozen styles to choose from. Gates can be used for both pets and children and nowadays look great. So select a style and location and you'll be on your way. Good Luck.

The Pet Gate Shop showcases 14 styles and manufacturers of Pet Gates and Pet Gate related products. Get information, a glossary of pet gate terms, product features, articles and safety facts you need to make an informed decision. Thanks for reading!

Copyright Cinova LLC - 2009

Visit us at The Pet Gate Shop for all your Pet Gate and accessory needs.