4 Tips to ensure whether your child can walk the dog
If you have a child and a pet dog at home, you might have observed your child showing a keen interest in taking the dog for walk. As a parent, do not immediately hand over your dog to your kid, no matter how gentle and well-behaved the animal might be. Sometimes even if small children and pets share a great rapport, an adult's watchful eye is a must as you may never know how animals might behave or they might just become restless due to an uncertain happening.
You should try to figure out a right time when your kid can take the dog for a walk, all alone. Consider the below mentioned tips to decide if your child is ready to walk the dog.
1. Size of your child as compared to the pet dog
Sometimes, most of the dog owners rely a lot on the leash and feel that their dog, even if it is a huge one, is well under control. This may not be always true. We might find sometimes the dog getting out of control and running away too fast. It is difficult for us to handle such times, especially for children. Generally, children below 10 years should not be considered for walking the dog alone as their size, weight, and maturity level might not be appropriate to handle situations like a dogfight. Size of your dog also matters a lot. In case your kid is one fifth the size of your dog, solo walk should be a strict no for a simple reason that the dog will be easily able to drag your child, which can hurt him or he may lose the dog.
2. Getting started
You can start teaching your kid how to handle the dog by showing him or her the technique. Let your child accompany you while you take your dog out for a walk or practice safety drills in your back yard. Explain the purpose of various commands like ‘heel’, what tone of voice to use, how much pull to put on the leash. It can be a good idea to hand over the leash to your child in a silent area where there is no traffic and no danger of other dogs.
3. Obedience training
The dog walk is a two sided learning. While your kid gets accustomed holding the dog's leash, your dog also in turn gets used to your kid's presence. Teach the dog also to obey your child's commands. While accompanying your child during the walk, watch out if your dog responds to the commands of your child or not, does he try to pull the leash very hard. If yes, you probably need to take your dog to a training school to make sure that he does not ignore the commands of the child. Moreover, it will help your child gain confidence when he will observe the dog respecting his instructions.
4. Prepare your child with various dog-walking issues
Taking the dag for a walk outside may have different experiences. You must prepare your child how to handle different situations and not losing his control over the dog. For instance, explain what should be done if a dogfight occurs and why they should not try to stop the fight with bare hands as they can be bitten themselves. Ensure that your child carries a mobile phone so as to call you in case of an emergency. Make sure to note down the route your kid is taking.
Finally, allow your child to take the dog for a walk only if you as a parent, your child, and most important your pet dog are prepared and are relaxed.
