We have three boys, ages three years old down to a couple months old, and we have absolutely loved having dogs in our lives, especially the wonderful English yellow labs! We chose Labrador Retrievers very intentionally because they are family-friendly while still being very smart. Luke originally had a yellow lab when we got married and I fell in love with the breed, their personalities, and also their beautiful coats and warm temperaments.
We completely trust our older dogs with our boys, but we keep a close eye on any younger dogs less than one year old, because while they are very friendly, they are not fully emotionally mature and trained yet. We have spent years with our older dogs training them what is acceptable and what’s not acceptable around people, and we draw a hard line at any nipping and jumping. For our family that is something that we do not ever allow just because we have small children and family close by, and we want people to be able to feel welcomed in our home and that our dogs are under control.
When a puppy is young they might be totally friendly, but it is still scary to a two-year-old when a puppy comes barreling quickly at them, so we are always around and making sure that they aren’t overwhelming our kids, and we do the same thing with watching the boys to make sure they aren’t too rough with the dogs. The boys love running around the yard with the dogs, throwing fetch and chasing them around, but we are there to make sure it never gets out of hand and it helps both the child and the dog to know that there is an adult there making sure it doesn’t get too rough, although dogs love to play and love the social interaction, especially Labrador Retrievers!
Our kiddos love to give them treats and it’s great for both the boys and the dogs. It teaches the dogs gentleness, they will take a treat out of our boys’ hands very gently and carefully and have never bitten one of our boys, but this is very intentional and we make sure they are sitting and obeying before they are ever given any treats. We are also very intentional to teach our children how to care for the dogs properly and to give them the respect that they want to receive. It is a great learning opportunity for kids to learn how to care for a dog, both physically (feeding them and making sure they are healthy) and also emotionally (how we talk to the dogs, how we pet them, etc.).
I really believe our oldest has a much more tender heart because of how he was raised to care for the dogs lovingly and the puppies as well. When we don’t have puppies, he will ask me almost on a weekly basis when there will be puppies again. It truly amazes me how much of a help he can be when we do have puppies even though he is only almost 4 years old! He loves to get water for them and feed them, and even help clean up their poop when that time comes! It has already taught him so much about responsibility. Now I don’t just let him do any of that stuff on his own, I’m always around to help him and show him how to do it, but he is such a quick learner and it really gives him a sense of purpose when he does a job well and knows he was a big help to his mommy and daddy.
Having a dog or puppy with children can be a wonderful experience! Yes, it is a lot of work, but it is a great way to teach children responsibility, how to treat animals, and it provides a wonderful relationship that your child will remember for the rest of their life.