Little Steps Reviews: Family Dog Training With Dogniversity In Hong Kong

WHAT WE LEARNED WITH DOGNIVERSITY: Safe Dog Training Tips And Tricks For Infants, Toddlers, And Kids

Many parents have a good fantasy about children growing up with dogs but are too afraid of the possibility of something happening to their children. As children, they rely on their parents to guide interactions with dogs.  Team Little Steps Asia recently invited Dogniversity's, Eurica Li, a Certified Professional Dog Trainer over for a 2-day training on tips and tricks to better understand the needs of both child & dog and provide tools to help them grow up happily together.

What we learned?

• Babies And Dogs:  Introducing newborns to the family dog can be a stressful event for families.  Eurica took us through key tips on how to introduce newborns and babies safely.  For newborns, many parents introduce their youngsters by holding the babies and bringing them close to the dog (pushing them into the dog).  This can create stress for your dog and reactions can vary.  Eurica's top tip is to make the introduction more positive by taking it slow.  While holding the baby, make sure the adult is between the dog and the baby. Introduce the baby by holding the baby in your arm while giving yummy treats to your dog to build up a good association with the baby's present. You can continue doing this for the following weeks to make a smoother introduction.
• Toddlers And Dogs:  Toddlers love to pull on dogs and this can be very dangerous. It's super important that we educate our toddlers on how to behave around dogs and respect them as an individual. Instead of touching a dog randomly, Eurica shared more appropriate dog-touching tips for toddlers. The best thing is for the adult to hold the toddler's hand together with their fingers (so there can't be any grabbing) and let the adults guide them to pet a dog. This is a more effective way to protect the little fingers and create positive interaction between them. There also needs to be a lot of monitoring by adults. Never leave children alone with a dog - it's key to always be actively monitoring at this age. You can also set up a fence to make sure everyone is safe while the adult has to be away for a short while, like cooking or going to the bathroom.
• Kids And Dogs:  These ages are great for getting them involved in the day-to-day management of the family pets.  Eurica shared with us the best ways kids can help train, feed, and groom while teaching them responsible pet ownership.

HOW DOGNIVERSITY CAN HELP YOUR FAMILY?

Dogniversity can help with a slew of pet and family questions!  Beyond safety tips, we also worked with Eurica on a few challenges our home was experiencing.  We recently introduced two dogs from two different homes into one home and there were some challenges related to potty training, schedules for walks/breaks, and general boundaries in the home.  Eurica helped with establishing a schedule, breaking bad habits, and sharing her insight on general dog communication.  She was extremely resourceful, efficient, and a pleasure to work with as well.  A huge thank you from us and Little Steps pups - Nala (the Rottweiler) and Scout (the Cavapoo) for helping get them settled again!

• Private Training / Consultations - Every dog and home is unique!  Dogniversity offers private customized training programs to help families learn the best tips needed for any situation related to dog and kid safety.  This can be attended by the whole family!  Contact them - info@dogniversity.com
• Dog Training Workshops - Dogniversity offers dog training workshops and training for all dogs. Contact them - info@dogniversity.com