While visiting my sister recently, my two daughters were introduced to a pet guinea pig. We are a pet free family for various reasons, so my daughters have little exposure to pets. In fact, my 5 year old is usually terrified of any dog that gets close to her. My 2 year old is a bit more comfortable around dogs, although she's not a fan of cats for some reason.
Both thought the guinea was cool in its cage, but once taken out they both hesitated. My oldest was willing to pet it, but the youngest wanted nothing to do with the guinea pig. The guinea pig was a fidgety little sucker with paws/feet that were constantly moving. A dog is usually more still, so it's not a surprise she balked at petting it.
Other than talking to my daughters about pets and exposing them to pets when we possible, I'm not sure what the best solution is to get them over this fear. Getting a pet of our own is not an option. Well, I guess it is an option, but it's the worst option available. Small pets like hamsters and guinea pigs are less trouble than a dog, but they bring a distinct, not so nice, odor to the house.
I think pets are great for kids and can teach them responsibility along with a bit of science, but the pet has to be a good fit for the entire home. Right now pets are just not a good fit in our house.
Both thought the guinea was cool in its cage, but once taken out they both hesitated. My oldest was willing to pet it, but the youngest wanted nothing to do with the guinea pig. The guinea pig was a fidgety little sucker with paws/feet that were constantly moving. A dog is usually more still, so it's not a surprise she balked at petting it.
Other than talking to my daughters about pets and exposing them to pets when we possible, I'm not sure what the best solution is to get them over this fear. Getting a pet of our own is not an option. Well, I guess it is an option, but it's the worst option available. Small pets like hamsters and guinea pigs are less trouble than a dog, but they bring a distinct, not so nice, odor to the house.
I think pets are great for kids and can teach them responsibility along with a bit of science, but the pet has to be a good fit for the entire home. Right now pets are just not a good fit in our house.
When AM was younger, I would take her to "meet and greets" by the shelters that they had at our local pet stores. Not so that we'd get a dog (eventually we did but that was a very different process) but so that she'd get used to dogs. (We've always had cats so not an issue for her)
ReplyDeleteThere are some good resources out there about how to teach your child to behave around dogs, and I think that's something that everyone should do. Because some pet owners are ridiculous and think "their little pooogie" is fine off-leash. But even responsible dog owners (like me) can't be blamed if a kid comes up and sticks their face in the dog's face or something stupid like that. (Yes, a kid did this to my dog while we were out. Fortunately he's the sweetest dog in the world.)
Not that I think your kids would do that, but I also think that those same lessons help them be more comfortable around dogs since they know what to do.
That's a good suggestion. My daughters were both around two other dogs this week when we visited family. My oldest actually warmed up quite nicely. The true test is how she'll react when she sees her next new dog. My oldest is not the type of kid who'll pop her face right in a random dog's face. My youngest, on the other hand, is a different story.
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