Hey Woofa’s,

There’s no doubt right now that we are living in an unusual time!

Most of us are spending the majority of our time at home!

I have spoken to and seen many parents struggling to keep their kids constantly entertained!

This got me thinking, while I don’t have kids myself (many of my friends and customers are parents) that this might be a good time to teach our kids more about their dogs.

So, when I started writing it all up it turns out this is going to be a ‘Part Series’ because it was too much to put in one post.

Here are some important lessons your kids can learn about their dog while in isolation!

NOTE – you can obviously tweak this to make it age appropriate.

HISTORY!

It’s always good to start at the very beginning, it’s a very good place to start……….(hmm sound of music fan here)!

This is a good time for your kids to learn about where exactly dogs originated from and how they became domesticated.

Here are some questions to use:

1. What animal did dogs originally come from?
2. How many types of that animal did dogs come from?
3. How did wolves become domesticated?
4. Write down how many years it took to go from wolf to domesticated dog.
5. What general activities were dogs first used for?
6. Name one main use a dog has these days.
7. Describe the order the wolf pack work in.
8. What qualities does the Pack Leader need to have?
9. Name the four ways the wolf pack communicate.
10. Briefly explain how the wolf pack use these four ways to communicate.

You can have your kids do their own research (age appropriate) or here are some previous posts that may have the answers.

How Does the Wolf Pack Communicate – Energy

Where Does My Dog Come From

How Does the Wolf Pack Communicate – Scenting & Vocal Behaviour

Understanding the Wolf Pack

How Does the Wolf Pack Communicate – Body Language

LESSONS YOUR KIDS CAN LEARN ABOUT THEIR DOG!

Once your kids have a better understanding of where dogs originated from, the wolf pack hierarchy and how the wolf pack communicate – we can move on to how this all relates to their own dog/s.

Here are some activities and questions to get them thinking about their own dog/s –

1. Draw a picture of your dog/s.
2. Can you name what breed of dog or how many different breeds are in your dog?
3. Now, research the breed/s of your dog/s and note down any particular personality traits, exercise requirements, grooming specifics that your dog’s breed/s may need.
4. Are you, as a family, meeting your dog’s needs?  If not, write down what you need to be doing.
5. Can you think of anything you need to change or start doing, or stop doing with regards to your dog’s breed/s?  Write it down.
6. Does your dog do the things that are listed as their character/personality traits for their breed/s?  Write them down.
7. Are there any other things/ behaviours that your dog does that you like?  Write them down too.
8. Write down if there’s anything your dog does that you don’t like or don’t understand why they do it.

DISCUSSION TIME!

Have a chat to your kids about the information they have just learnt about dogs and how it relates to  their own dog/s.

1. How do they feel about what they now know?
2. Do they look at their dog/s differently?
3. Can they understand a little bit more about how their dog/s communicate?
4. Is there anything they think can be improved or changed when it comes to the family dog/s?

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?

While we are in isolation now is a good time for kids to learn more about their dogs.

Here are a few questions to get them learning the basics of where their dog/s came from and how they communicate.

It’s always good to have a discussion about what they are learning as well.

Part 2 – we will look at Basic Dog Anatomy.

IN THE COMMENTS BELOW – BILLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW – WHAT YOU LEARNT ABOUT YOUR DOG FROM THIS POST?

Cheers