Kids and dogs make great training partners
Article Source: todayslocalnews.com
By Arden Moore
Training a dog can be child’s play. Many professional dog trainers report that their best students are children and teenagers.
It makes sense. Children and puppies possess wonderful young minds that soak up learning like sponges. In dog training classes, children learn to succeed. They gain confidence by being able to show off tricks they taught their dog. It’s definitely a win-win for dogs and kids.
Recently, I was invited to speak to a group of cool kids enrolled at the day camp at Escondido Humane Society. When I arrived, the children (between 6 and 11) were all sitting on the floor in anticipation — along with a lovable yellow Labrador named Sunny, a 6-year-old dog belonging to the class instructor, Ina Shookoff.
Our topic was bringing out the best in our dogs using a surefire motivator — healthy treats. Sunny happily heeded my cues to watch me, sit and stay because he quickly grasped my “treats for tricks” philosophy.
The children were eager to learn the ABCs of meeting a dog. First, “A” for ask permission. Next, “B” for be sniffed by slowly offering the back of the hand for the dog to smell, and finally, “C” for be careful to stroke the dog’s back and not tap-tap-tap on the head.
Next up: food bowl advice. The children quickly equated the importance of serving the right food in the right amounts to their dogs to keep them from turning into hairy, four-legged ottomans.
They began shouting out what the first ingredients of any quality pet food should contain: beef, chicken or fish. They quickly raised their hands to deliver the right answer when it comes to portions — use a measuring cup so you can truly know how much chow your canine is receiving.
I love working with young audiences — they keep me on my toes and amaze me with their abilities. Children between the ages of 9 and 15 make the best students in dog training classes because they are the most open to learning.
Adults often have too many bad habits to break, or they become too goal-oriented. My training friends tell me that it can be challenging to show adult students a new way to teach their puppies or dogs to sit and stay.
The competitive nature also surfaces sometimes in classes with some adults wanting their dogs not only to learn the commands but also to be the best. That puts undue pressure on a dog and can interfere with effective training.
Another plus for young students: great eye-hand coordination and timing. In clicker training, you learn to press a small metal device to make a clicking sound each time your dog does the right step. You immediately follow that sound with a small treat to reinforce his actions. The timing of the click is essential. Adults may be a little slow with the clicking sound, but children possess good eye-hand coordination, thanks in part to their video game skills. They usually manage to click on cue.
I know a 9-year-old named Kim who enrolled in a clicker-training puppy class with her dachshund, Bogart. The trainer in charge told me that Kim ranked top in her class, which included mostly adults. Kim even surprised her mom by getting Bogart to heed basic commands like sit, stay and settle during the first day of clicker-training class.
Now Kim and Bogart have advanced to work on new commands and fun tricks, and their confidence levels rise with each success.
Your children represent the next generation of the pet-loving public, so encourage them to join you in your dog’s training classes. Then sit back and witness the maturity growth in your children and your dogs. Now, that’s the best definition of child’s play.
Tags: children and dogs