Poodle dogs and children have the potential to develop a wonderful relationship. Poodles are a very affectionate dog breed and can be devoted to all of their human family members regardless of their gender or age. However, the opposite can be true if children neglect the dog or are mean, tease, or harm them in any way. This type of cruel behavior is what turns trusting and loving poodles into fearful, untrusting or aggressive dogs. Most poodles will not put up with abusive behavior.
Therefore, to ensure a poodle dog and children get along well, it’s imperative that parents invest time in teaching their children how to properly care for the poodle, how to play with him/her, and when to leave the dog alone. When you provide children with understanding of the dog, the more conscious they will be of how they interact with the family pet and the more they will love the poodle.
To help a child understand a poodle, it’s a good idea to allow them to participate in all the care that is required to maintain a health, happy dog. This means including children in –
- Feeding the dog
- Walking the dog
- Grooming the dog
- Giving water to the dog
Children like to participate and they enjoy a certain level of responsibility. The older they become, the more they can learn and their responsibility will grow. Although school-age children can handle feeding the poodle dog and providing him/her with water, these tasks shouldn’t be trusted with very small children.
For instance, toddlers should never be left alone with the poodle, or any family pet for that matter. Toddlers are curious and will not understand how to interact with the dog. There is a greater chance that the poodle will snap at very small children, even though teasing done to the dog may have been unintentional.
It’s always best to introduce your poodle to a newborn baby, instead of trying to keep the dog away from the infant. By segregating the poodle from the baby, you risk giving the poodle the idea that the baby is an intruder and not a member of the family.
Even though you may want to keep the poodle dog away from your baby to avoid germs being passed, there is actually very little chance that a disease can be passed to the baby from the dog. Just remember to teach the dog to not lick the baby. It’s best to introduce the dog and baby and allow the poodle to sniff the infant and accept it as a new member of the family. You will likely find that when your poodle accepts your baby, he/she will be more patient with the infant and even be protective of the child.
This is how you can begin developing a beautiful relationship between a young child and a dog.
Finally, keep in mind that miniature poodles, and especially toy poodles, are more fragile than the standard poodle dog. Hence, make sure children know how to handle these dogs to ensure no injury comes to the pet.
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