Having kids involved in your dog’s care is a great way to instill responsibility, increase bonds between dogs and kids, and create a more structured environment for everyone in the home. But the question remains: what should our kids be responsible for?
\n \nThat is a great question and one that parents really need to consider depending on their kids' ages, behaviors of the dog, and how closely parents can supervise those interactions. Some simple things kids can be responsible for include feedings, training exercises, helping prepare enrichment items, going for family walks, playing with the dog with structured rules, and beyond.
\nFeeding your dog is an easy responsibility to give to kids, but parents should always be there to help, especially with young children. Having the parents ask the dog to sit and wait while your toddler dumps the food into their dish can be an easy way to get young kids involved. Alternatively, putting your dog outside or in a different room if your dog will not sit patiently enough for your toddler to dump the food in can help. Having kids participate in training is another exercise that is a great way to instill a sense of confidence in your kids that they are able to cue the dog to do things. We recommend families to attend a positive reinforcement class that encourages the whole family to attend or find a force-free trainer (that has experience working with families) come in and help guide what exercises are appropriate for your dog.
\nPreparing enrichment for the week is a great job for kids of all ages. You can get them to stuff feeding toys with the things your dog likes and place them in the freezer. You can get them to paint peanut butter or yogurt onto a muffin tin and “decorate” it with kibble. Another great way to get the kids involved is to get them to play enrichment games, like putting the dog outside or in a room and having your kids hide treats around the house, and then let the dog in to find them.
\nHaving your children play with your dog is also a great thing to help tire out your dog, and increase the bond between your kids and dog. Having toddlers do kibble tosses from a learning tower or having your kids throw a ball can be great exercise. Parents should be the ones to pick up the ball and pass to the kids, and it's always a good idea for them to take a few turns to get some longer runs in for the dogs. Putting smaller children on a stepping stool or small ladder to throw a ball is helpful to not have the ball thrown into the dog’s face. We do not typically recommend tug as a game for children to play with dogs, and we do not recommend children wrestle with dogs. These games can become problematic and dogs can get too over-stimulated to make them safe choices for children to do.
\nWe get asked about the responsibility of walking often, and it’s a good question whether kids should be responsible for walking the dog. It always depends. It’s not recommended for a child to walk a reactive dog or a dog that has any other behavior issues. We also don’t recommend a child walking a dog alone until they can reliably and consistently follow directions, rules, and are able problem-solve issues that can arise. Teaching your child how to react to events, such as an off-leash dog approaching, a stranger wanting to pet the dog, or a prey animal running across the path in front of them is something that must be done before they are able to walk the dog. Typically, we do not see this being an option until they approach teenage years. Even then, you really need to consider if it is a safe choice depending on your dog and their behaviors.
\nChildren should be involved in walking when it is safe for them to, but it should remain the responsibility of the parents to make sure their dog gets walked. It’s a great opportunity for family bonding time, and if kids want to help walk the dog and are not physically able to restrain the dog then adding an extra leash to their harness or collar can make them feel included in the walking, but you remain in control of the dog and situation. Having parents there to help mitigate any situations that can arise is important.
\nThe other things that children should be responsible for are helping clean up after their dog. Picking up poop in the backyard or on walks isn’t something that anyone wants to do, but it is an important part of dog ownership.
\n\n
Elysia has been working with dogs and kids for over a decade. She is a CPDT-KA certified trainer and a Family Paws Parent Educator. She is a mom of two young children and co-owner of Pawstive Families Education & Training. Her business is dedicated to working specifically with families with dogs and help parents overcome any issues between dogs and kids. Elysia contracts for Family Paws as one of their presenters for their Webinars around Babies and Toddlers. She has a background in humane education, childcare and worked in shelters and rescues. Elysia is dedicated to educating parents on how to create bonds between their children and dogs that last a lifetime.
\n\n
See our related articles:
\n
Calgary’s Child Magazine © 2025 Calgary’s Child
