5 Ways That Dogs Teach Responsibility to Children

If you’re someone who happened to grow up with a dog, you probably have a lot of fond memories. After all, a good pet is like a member of the family. And so, now that you’re a parent, it’s understandable that you would like your child to have the same experience as you did. In fact, there are child experts who believe a pet is one of the best things that your son or daughter could have; especially when it comes to teaching them about responsibility.

If you’re curious to know about some of the ways that a dog can help a child become more responsible, here are five proven ones below:

Dogs teach your children to stick to a schedule. There are studies which indicate that it’s helpful to a child’s development if they are able to stick to a schedule. This would include a sleeping, eating and even studying schedule. If this has been a bit of a challenge in your home, getting a dog can help to put things back on track. By putting your child in charge of some of the pet’s needs, they will have to get used to feeding the dog at a certain time and taking it out to use the bathroom or to take a walk too.

Dogs teach your children to share. If your child seems to have a difficult time sharing, that’s another reason to consider getting a dog. For one thing, they will have to learn how to share some of your attention. For another, it will show them how to make their pet’s needs a priority.

Dogs teach your children to tell the truth. A responsible person is an honest individual. That said, a dog can definitely help your children to stay consistent when it comes to telling the truth. When you ask your child a question like “Did you take Spot out today?”, if they say “yes” but it’s not the truth, eventually Spot will let you know. Either he will use the bathroom in the house or seem extremely restless. Yes, a dog will get your child used to being forthcoming with information.

Dogs teach your children compassion. If you were to ask someone who works at a dog training company like Beyond the Leash for some other reasons why pets teach responsibility , one of the things that they might mention to you is the fact that dogs tend to teach children compassion. By the very definition of the word, compassion is about seeing someone in need or in pain and wanting to do what you can to make things better for them. When a dog is hungry or even if it has hurt itself somehow, your child will be sure to be sensitive to that. Being a compassionate person is a wonderful character trait.

Dogs teach your children commitment. As your child continues to grow and develop, it will be important for them to learn what it means to honor their commitments. By making sure that they have regular chores related to their dog, it will teach them to fulfill their obligations. Being a committed individual is something wonderful that they can carry with them throughout the rest of their lives.