Taking It Slow
Kids get excited around pets and when kids are excited, they tend to move quickly. Unfortunately, this is just what can scare an animal. And when pets are scared, they're not in the right mind frame to be held. Jumping and running is especially fearful to smaller animals like birds, cats, rabbits, reptiles, gerbils and hamsters. After all, think of how huge you must look to them. Moving slowly is an essential part of giving most pets a feeling of safety and security.
Grasping and Grabbing
Be gentle with your pet. This is the best motto for loving an animal and respecting its body that is sometimes easily hurt. While older dogs and cats are tougher and can sustain a little roughhousing, young pets, small animals and delicate birds can't take the same amount of pressure. Even experienced dogs and cats are often startled if grabbed suddenly from behind which can provoke them to bite or scratch, leading to unhappy kids and pets alike. Squeezing, grabbing and gripping tightly can be scary and painful for pets, so hold animals lightly and stroke them softly for the best response.
One of the best ways that parents can aid their children's understanding of the animal mind is to have kids play the role of their pets and parents play their child grabbing the pet. Showing the child where the animal likes to be stroked and what areas are bothersome with a little tickling or some mild poking can strongly impress the message onto a young pet owner and greatly improve the child/pet relationship.
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The Pickup
Watch your pet for their response when you pick them up. Some animals, like rabbits, are less comfortable being held than others. If pets are struggling while you're holding them, even after a month of handling them, you may have to simply play with your pet on the ground. When picking up dogs, hold one hand under their chests and the other hand under the hind legs for support. Cats should NOT be picked up by the back of the neck and are generally more comfortable with their bellies down, not up in the air. When holding gerbils, hamsters and mice, cup them in your hands and try not to grip them by their tails as that area is very sensitive. When handling birds, once again the key word is gentle as their bodies are the most fragile of all.
Letting Go Is Hard Sometimes
When you're having fun with your furry playmate, it can be hard when your pet is suddenly done and playtime is over without warning. It's tempting to hold on just a little longer. But respecting a pet's need to be left alone is one of the best traits a young pet owner can develop and is essential for building trust in the kid/pet relationship. Your pet should have nothing but good feelings when it sees you and holding on to a pet after it wants to leave can result in feelings of fear. Birds in particular get very uncomfortable if they are held for too long. Too much petting, especially in the case of cats, can lead to instinctive running every time they see a child, which causes hurt feelings and frustration, if nothing else. Dogs may start to growl, which is also upsetting. Remember the saying "If you love something, set it free"? Now is the time to listen to this. Chances are, your pet will be right back into play mode in just a little while and you can start all over again.
If kids can remember these golden rules of handling with care, their pets will supply them with the gift of unselfish love with complete trust. And that's a precious thing indeed.
I have a 3-year-old son. We have an almost 2-year-old dog. We adopted her and she has an amazing temperament. Not a day goes by where our son isn't too rough with the dog. In some ways he's getting better but it's exhausting and frustrating and everything you'd imagine. Here's what we do/try:
- teaching him about a dozen times a day how to gently pet with the dog
- teaching him how to play with her (ie, tug o war, etc)
- explaining and also trying to get him to figure out how his behavior affects her
- praise every single time he treats her well
- explaining what could happen if he continues to be rough (ie, the dog could bite him (though I don't think she would), the dog would be afraid of him, etc.)
It seems like nothing really gets through to him. He's great with other people's dogs, it's just ours. They remind me of siblings. He usually acts out because his feelings are hurt (ie, the dog doesn't want to play with him) or because she just looks really cute (he's like the embodiment of the phrase "you're so cute I want to eat your face"....or something to that equivalent). Any other suggestions? Is this an age thing that will continue to lessen until it just stops? When he was younger he went through this with other kids and eventually grew out of it (along with a ton of interventions on our end).
Thank you!
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