Minnesota Valley Humane Society

When a pet of any kind comes into your family, life as you know it will change:

• No matter what kind of pet you get, they all require regular care – food, water and a clean environment. Fish and hamsters don’t need to be walked, but they cannot be forgotten while you go on vacation any more than a dog can.

• Parents, if your kids are asking for a pet but you don’t want one, then you must say NO to getting a pet. You cannot expect a child to take full responsibility for another living creature. You will end up being the primary care giver.

• A pet should be a family pet, where the whole family is actively involved with its care and well being. Give all members of the family a job, switching regularly so all members know all that is involved in caring for a pet. Make a chart to mark jobs off as they are done so nothing is forgotten. Parents should make sure that all of the jobs are done.

A pet needs his or her own quiet area and a set schedule for sleeping, eating and going potty.

Handling
The first few days in a new home away from mother and littermates is a stressful time for both puppies and kittens. The new pet should be allowed to explore his or her new home in a supervised manner. All family members should be aware that puppies and kittens are babies and need their rest. Small children should be taught when to leave the pet alone and they should always be supervised when around the pet – to protect the child and the pet from injury. Young children should only be allowed to hold a pet if they are sitting quietly on the floor with a supervising adult next to them. Puppies and kittens are very fragile and should only be picked up by someone who knows how to support the chest and rump securely. The pet should not have to worry about being dropped. If you have very small children (under 3) you might want to wait to get a pet until the child is older. The unintentional rough handling by a toddler can cause serious injury to the pet or to the child. The child may become frightened of the pet or the pet of the child, either way they will never become close friends and enjoy each other.

Feeding
Children can feed the pet, and older ones can be in charge of seeing that the pets get fed, but don’t let the pet be a victim of a lesson in responsibility. The parent should make sure the correct amount and type of food is given, and that fresh water is available at all times. Puppies should be fed 3 meals a day, while kittens can be “free fed” unless they have a tendency to overeat. If the pet gets canned food (dry is usually better and more convenient), always remove the uneaten portion so it doesn’t spoil and make the pet sick. Make sure the children do not feed the pet table food or candy. Their stomachs can be very sensitive and any food other than kitten or puppy food can cause diarrhea. (Chocolate should never be given to any pet – it can cause serious injury or death in large enough quantities.) Puppies and kittens should be fed a high quality puppy and kitten food for at least 6 months. You should check with your veterinarian to find out the best age to switch to adult food.

Housetraining
Kittens:
Kittens usually learn early on how to use the litter box, so not much in the way of training is needed. Make sure that the kitten knows where the litterbox is and make it easily accessible. It should be placed away from the cat’s food and water dishes (they don’t like to eat near their waste) and out of high traffic areas and away from noisy areas (the noise of a washer and dryer can scare the kitten and keep it from using its box). Make sure the box is kept clean and that everyone in the family knows that this is a quiet zone for the kitten.

Puppies:
A puppy’s physiology is not developed enough to allow him to wait more than 3 or 4 hours to go out. Puppies should be taken out after sleeping, eating and playing. A good rule of thumb is “when in doubt, take him out.” Always take them out to the same spot, giving treats and praising them when they go. This will help reinforce not only the going outside, but going in a specific area of the yard which can become a habit that makes cleaning up the yard quicker and easier. If you don’t go out with them you will not know for certain that they have gone and won’t be able to reinforce the desired behavior – going outside to relieve themselves. Never scold them for messing in the house after the fact, and never hit the puppy – it will only make the puppy afraid of you. If you catch the puppy in the act, give them a firm NO or make a loud startling noise and immediately take them outside to the area that you have decided they should use, then praise them for doing it outside. All family members can take the responsibility of taking the puppy out. Praising a puppy can be done by the youngest member of the family. “Crate training” or confining the puppy for short periods of time while you are gone (never more than 3 hours) will help with housebreaking, since dogs don’t like to “mess” in the areas where they sleep.

Crates
Although the crate may look uncomfortable to you, it can be a welcome safe area away from the hectic activities of a household to your dog. If your dog is in the crate, the children should know to leave it alone. The crate should never be used as a punishment.

Five reasons why a crate can be useful:

1. Quiet area for the dog (a place to call his own and go to when he is tired).
2. Helps in housebreaking (don’t leave the puppy in the crate for more than three hours).
3. Prevents the dog from chewing and causing household damage.
4. Protects the dog from injuring itself by getting into dangerous things.
5. Safe way to travel with your dog.

Keep the crate in a draft free area, put chew toys in to prevent boredom. To entice the puppy to enter the first few times, place a treat in the back of the crate. Leave the door open and encourage him to become comfortable with the crate before you need to confine him inside. Make sure that the kids know that the dog is to be left alone if he has gone into his crate and that they should not play inside the crate.

Dogs as Pack Animals
Dogs are pack animals, and now that the dog is in your household, you are his pack. Who is the leader of the pack depends on the family and the relationship with the dog. If you do not establish yourself as the dominant animal of the pack (the leader) a dominant dog will take that position for himself. The dog must respect you as the leader of the pack, not fear you. There is nothing sadder than a dog afraid of its owner, or an owner afraid of their dog! The dog may try to assume a position higher than the children if it does not respect them. Having the children feed the dog and take care of it can help prevent this problem.

Obedience Training
Hitting and screaming should have no part in obedience training. If kids get frustrated with what the pet is doing, hitting seems to be an outlet to their frustration; however hitting the family pet should be no more acceptable than hitting the neighbor kid. If you have never trained a dog, the best thing to do would be to take it to a local obedience school. No matter the size or temperament of your dog it should be obedience trained. Training also reinforces your position as the leader of the pack. Some obedience schools allow older children to go through the training with the dog, so you should check around. The dog’s training and reinforcement must be consistent and clear,so parents should do most of the initial training

Biting and Scratching
Kittens should be trained from the very beginning that biting and clawing is not acceptable. (A cat does need to scratch, however, and a scratching post should be provided in a quiet but accessible area for the kitten.) When the kitten bites or scratches someone, a firm NO and blowing in the face and walking away will teach the kitten that rough play will cause a play session to stop. Remember, though, that if the kitten is scared or handled roughly a biting or scratching response may be its way of protecting itself. Make sure that the biting or scratching was not due to fear before assuming that it was an aggressive or rough play situation. If a child gets hurt by a kitten, remind them how a kitten should be treated, and make sure that they realize that rough play will cause the kitten to get afraid and maybe hurt them.

Biting may be cute when the puppy is little and unable to do any damage, but it loses its cuteness when the dog reaches adult size and has more power behind its jaws. Any biting that results from playing, such as play attacking your hands or its leash, will be extremely difficult to fix with an adult dog. If the puppy is encouraged to play bite, when it gets older it will continue to play bite and will not understand why its biting was acceptable as a puppy and not when it reaches adult size. When a puppy bites in play it should be stopped as soon as it happens. A firm NO or a loud yelp by an adult, followed by a period of “time out” where play ceases for 30 to 40 seconds should be all that is needed to get the point across. Divert the puppy to dog toys and proper chew treats. If it was a defensive fear reaction or a reaction to pain that caused a bite to a child, a reminder may be needed in the frailty of puppies and the proper way to interact with them.

Grooming
Whether it is trimming nails cleaning ears, or brushing, start with the pet when it is young and try to make it a pleasant experience. Trimming nails and cleaning ears can be difficult and should be left to adults. Many animals do not care to have their nails trimmed because they don’t like their feet touched and controlled, so trimming nails should be done carefully and gently but firmly. If it turns into a wrestling match with a panicking animal, the nail clippers should be put aside and the animal calmed. If a break is needed, calm the animal and then let it go and take up the trimming later after the animal has had time to relax. The sight of the nail trimmers should not conjure up images of a fearful occasion for the animal. Touch the animal’s paws constantly to desensitize the pet and use special treats when the clippers are in sight.

Brushing can be done by youngsters as long as they know what to do and are supervised. Brushing should be done carefully, especially with longer-haired breeds which can get tangles that can be painful to remove. Again, brushing should not turn into a wrestling session where the animal is held against its will until the grooming is done. It should be a pleasurable experience and not associated with pain or a need to fight to get away. Some animals don’t like being brushed in certain areas, such as the belly or back of the legs, so gentle treatment in these potentially sensitive areas is advised.

Exercise
This is the fun part of owning a pet, but often the most neglected. This can certainly be a family affair where everyone is involved. Even the smallest child can throw a ball for a puppy or pull a piece of rope across the floor for a kitten to chase. The entire family can take the dog on a family hike or sit on the floor and play with the cat.

Remember:
A pet is a big commitment, one that should not be taken lightly. The entire family should be involved in the decision to get a pet, and what kind of pet should join the family. Sometimes the decision to get no pet at all, or to wait to get a pet is the best one depending on a family’s circumstances at the time. If you have decided to get a pet, don’t let this be the only thing you read on pets and the caretaking of them. There is a lot of research out there on different animals and how to prevent and treat potential problems that may come up, and doing research before you even bring a pet home is one of the best way to prepare everyone for the addition of a new member to the family.

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