Pets And Kids!

Does your child want a pet? Science may be on their side!

In this blog, I’m taking a look at the role of a pet in children’s lives – the benefits, the considerations, how to choose the right pet for your family, and the really critical training to ensure it’s a happy, healthy relationship for all involved.

First up – is it worth having a pet when you have kids? The science is very convincing on this front!

Here Are Some Of The Benefits Of Having A Pet For Kids

• There are links between pet ownership in childhood and a wide range of emotional health benefits including greater self-esteem, improved empathy skills and reduced anxiety and loneliness.*
• Having a family dog is linked with a big jump in physical activity for younger kids (particularly girls).**
• Contact with a pet can reduce cortisol (the stress hormone) and increase oxytocin (the love/bonding hormone, which can affect the development of compassion and empathy).**
• Kids that have exchanges with a dog show less stress and improved executive functioning (the process that allows us to plan, stay focused and block out distraction).***
• Having a pet helps children learn responsibility – pets need feeding, playtime, walking and training, and getting the kids involved teaches them to care for another being.
• I have worked alongside many families who choose to get a pet as an emotional support for neuro-diverse children, children struggling with trauma or anxiety, or children with disabilities, and have witnessed how transformative it can be in these children’s lives.
• I consider it equivalent to learning another language because they are…dog or cat!

How To Choose The Right Pet

Choosing the right pet will be a huge determining factor in the success of the relationship for the whole family!

Cats are smaller and can be cared for with much less effort compared with dogs. They take up less space, need less food, don’t need walking and usually don’t need grooming yet are still excellent companions and playmates. So cats are good for those with less time to dedicate to pet ownership. Dogs need more care and exercise, which would suit families with more active lifestyles, or older children who can be more involved.

You can also consider pets like rabbits and guinea pigs for lower maintenance options that children will still enjoy caring for and interacting with, or birds (many of which still require a high level of maintenance and stimulation – I like parrots, especially lorikeets!).

Dog Breeds For Families

If choosing a dog, carefully consider the breed you select. There are hundreds of options so I won’t delve too deep in this article, but here are some examples of factors to consider:

• Working breeds like border collies and blue heelers have TONNES of energy and need a lot of exercise and mental stimulation. Because kids tend to move and play in fast and unpredictable ways, sometimes working dogs can direct their herding behaviours towards children e.g. border collies might stalk them or try to round them up, cattle dogs might nip at their heels etc.
• Guard breeds like German Shepherds, Dobermans and Rottweilers can be awesome family pets if raised right, however they will likely be protective of your children. Though this sounds appealing, consider if your child has friends over and they’re roughhousing together – we don’t want the family dog thinking your child is under threat from their friend! For this reason, extensive socialisation with a wide variety of people (including lots of different children, not just your own) is critical.
• Tiny breeds like Chihuahuas and Pomeranians have very delicate little bodies, which can be easily injured if they are picked up incorrectly, dropped or their limbs pulled. I generally don’t recommend these breeds for households with young children who may not totally understand how to handle them carefully. Toy breeds may also become reactive to children if they feel threatened due to their rambunctious behaviour.
• Independent breeds like Huskies and Malamutes are more stubborn and more difficult to train, which isn’t ideal in a busy family household.
• Greyhounds are quite sensitive and have low energy needs, so may become stressed and anxious if in a noisy, child-filled household.
• Labradors are bred to be robust and emotionally resilient, meaning they are very well placed to cope with children’s unexpected behaviours, roughhousing and the general hubbub of a family home.
• Golden retrievers are easy to train, sociable and outgoing, great for families with kids. Plus they love to retrieve, so the kids can enjoy playing fetch!
• Poodle crosses often make great family dogs, for example a Cavoodle combines the affectionate companionable nature of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with a poodle to add some intelligence and pep. A great smaller option for families.
• Border terriers have plenty of energy, but are loyal and loving companions who often do well in a family environment.

There are so many options, and crossbreeds are often wonderful choices too – combining the best traits from multiple breeds.

Training Matters Most!

While breeding does impact many aspects of a pet’s personality, how you raise them still plays a HUGE role in shaping their behaviour. Any dog can be sociable or mal-socialised, confident or fearful, well-behaved or troublesome, great with kids or intolerant.

You’ll get the best results by choosing a breed that fits your family’s lifestyle AND doing the necessary early training to ensure a happy, relaxed, confident, sociable, well-behaved dog.

This is essential if you want your pet to add value to your child’s life – if a pet has problematic behaviours, it can cause immense stress to the whole family unit (which certainly isn’t in your child’s best interests), so do make sure training is a priority if you’re considering a pet.

Socialisation For Pets In Family Homes

If adding a pet to your family (particularly a dog, but this is also relevant to cats), the most important thing is early socialisation. You need to give your pet plenty of positive interactions with people of all ages, gender and race to ensure broad socialisation – and particularly focus on babies, toddlers and children. Socialising your pet with your own kids is not enough, you need to extend this to other children too!

A Pet Is Not Right For Every Family

Not every family can or should get a pet. Sometimes a living situation can be restrictive, it can be tricky to find rental properties with a pet, you may not have the time or financial ability to care for a pet right now, allergies can be an issue, or you just may not feel that it’s right for you!

It’s important to pay heed to these factors – getting a pet when your situation isn’t ideal is not going to work out well for anyone, and it may just add additional stress and hardship to family life.

It’s also extremely important not to get a pet for your child, and your child alone, with the expectation that they will provide all of its care. You need to be on board and willing to invest plenty of time and effort into the pet too, and also be willing to keep the pet long term should your child grow up and move out of home while the pet is still alive.

Alternatives To Pet Ownership

Many of the benefits of pets that I have listed can be enjoyed without actually owning a pet. Regular interaction with animals offers many of those same benefits – even just a few minutes petting a dog or cat can make a big difference to a child!

If you can’t or don’t want to get a pet yourself, here are some options to consider so that your child can still enjoy the benefits:

• Speak to your child’s school about the possibility of a pet program. Having calm, well-behaved pets in classrooms can offer a fantastic opportunity for your child to glean many of the benefits associated with contacts with pets.
• Look for opportunities in your local community, for example some libraries run “reading to pets” programs, where children can go and read books to dogs (a great opportunity to practise their reading and have that wonderful animal contact)
• Seek contact with friends’ and family members’ pets – you can go and visit, offer to walk their dogs, offer to pet sit when they’re going on holiday etc.
• Consider dog sharing, a real win-win for your child and the dog alike – your child gets that valuable interaction, the dog gets extra love, attention, exercise and mental stimulation when their owners are busy with work or other commitments. Ask friends/neighbours or check out platforms like Share My Pet or The Dog Share Collective to connect with dog owners.

So – What’s It Going To Be For You?

I hope this article has helped guide your decision around getting a pet for your family. It can be a wonderful addition to your children’s lives…IF the choice is right for you at your current stage of life.