When people see me walking down the street, they are usually quite astonished. It’s not actually because of me, but my daughter and my dog. You see, my daughter is just about to turn three. She is sweet and petite, with long blonde hair and big blue eyes. My puppy, on the other hand, weighs 42 pounds, and is only four months old. Yes, that’s right, 42 pounds! She is half St. Bernard, half Bernese mountain dog. Her name is Lucy, and she is, needless to say, quite a handful.
You might be asking yourself why I bought such a huge dog. Well, let me tell you a little about my daughter Olivia. She is Chuck Norris, Bruce Lee, and Ms. America, all rolled into one. She is tough, and I knew that I needed to bring a puppy into our home that she couldn’t hurt. Lucy was definitely the right choice for this family.
If you are the parent of a toddler, and want to purchase a puppy, consider a larger dog. Remember, it’s not a question of whether the dog will hurt your child; worry more about making sure your child will hurt your dog. Lucy can handle everything my daughter can dish out. Don’t get me wrong, my daughter isn’t mean to Lucy, she is just a little over zealous with her sometimes.
The only real problem we have had with Lucy so far is she can have her little spurts of insanity. If you have a puppy and a toddler, and are having this same problem, the best solution is to simply separate them. Take your toddler, and set him or her down on a couch or chair, and put your puppy in a separate room, until it settles down. Never use the puppy’s crate, or banish it to the same area where it generally sleeps. This will make your puppy associate sleep time with being punished. Leave the puppy, and the kids, sitting for about five minutes, or until they are both calm, then reintroduce them to each other.
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I also try to encourage my daughter to help take care of the puppy. It’s never too early to begin teaching responsibility. My daughter knows where the food is, and how to feed Lucy. She also helps me give Lucy a bath, and brush her afterwards. Lucy loves all the attention, and my daughter is proud that she is such a big girl.
The best part of having a young dog and a young child is watching the two of them grow and learn together. Lucy treats my daughter like her sister, and the two of them are thick as thieves. Now if both of them could just learn to stop peeing on the floor! Just kidding, well sort of!
Tags:
dogs,
pets,
children