Female Dog Names Beginning With V

Considerations When You Have Young Children

Getting a dog when you have children is a wonderful idea. It's a great way to teach them respect for animals and responsibility. Children can divvy up the care for the dog amongst themselves. But, with having a dog comes some special considerations- especially if you have young children.

Large dogs are generally not suitable for a house with young children. They can unintentionally knock little kids down when playing, or otherwise get too rough. These incidents can leave kids injured and cause a fear of dogs to develop. The last thing you want is your plan to adopt going awry in that way!

Generally, dogs under 30 pounds are going to be ideal for small children. Once your children are old enough to be steady on their feet, you can consider a larger dog. Still, we recommend avoiding extremely active or naturally protective dog breeds until your children hit their teens. Even with a small dog, children should be taught to respect its space and to never pull on its ears or tail.

Keep in mind that many rescues are growing increasingly picky about adopting dogs to households with young children. They aren't doing this out of personal spite, but for the well-being of their dogs. Many dogs in rescues come from rough backgrounds, giving them issues that make them unsuitable for some family homes. Talk to your local rescue about what dogs they have that are suited for homes with younger children.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Artem Beliaikin / Unsplash.