photo courtesy Cathy Fox

...
Diamonds in the Ruff encourages whole family participation;
however there are special safety concerns and responsibilities
for parents who choose to include their children
in their dog's learning experience:

Quiet voices and bodies are required in class. The dogs will be excited, distracted and apprehensive in class. Your dog may not act like the calm dog who lives in your house. High noise levels are stressful, and fast moving, excitable children add even more to the stress level of the dogs. Think "calm". The one holding the leash/treats is the only one who should be giving commands. The dog will become confused if he's trying to listen to everyone at once. Children should wait their turn quietly and not be bouncing around their dog (or ANY student's dog) while it is trying to concentrate. Dogs cannot listen and follow directions when distracted. They need space and focus to learn. Please see the page on "Kids & Dogs" for more helpful training hints! THIS IS A DOG TRAINING CLASS - You will be directly responsible for helping your "well-trained child" to train your dog. The definition of "well-trained child": • Rule #1 - children must be able to do a long-duration (quiet) sit-stay. • Rule #2 - children must follow directions on the first command • Rule #3 - children must perform a reliable re-call from distraction (come when called) Parent rules: • Rule #1 - Two parents (adults) should accompany children under eight years of age (one to watch the child and one to train the dog - you may take turns, of course!) • Rule #2 - No unattended children - supervise them at all times, please! Not all dogs are friendly and normally-friendly dogs may react totally out of character when stressed. PARENTS - please remind your children of the importance of not approaching or feeding other students' dogs without permission from you AND the dog's owner. This includes the instructor's dogs. (The instructor's dogs may try to convince you that they are never fed and that it is ok to approach and feed them, but please know that they are lying.) Thank you, for being responsible parents and dog owners and for giving your child the opportunity to learn to behave around dogs and have compassion for their well-being, and for caring enough to take the time to train your dog so it will be a safe and enjoyable companion for your child.   Would you like to apply the training philosophy you've learned with your puppy to the raising of your children? Check out this excellent online parenting group!   ©Carol A. Byrnes 1998, DIAMONDS IN THE RUFF

see also Kids & Dogs & Toddlers and Dogs

Carol and Eddie the whippet on a visit to an area school.