K-9 Coach Teaches Dogs and Kids

Did you know that April 26th was National Kids & Pets Day?

As a training company, is committed to educating as many people as we can about dog behavior and the important role that training plays in the lives of dogs, and the people that care for them. We of course care deeply about the welfare of dogs and strongly believe that teaching children how to properly and safely behave around them is of utmost importance. Just as with dogs themselves, creating positive dog experiences early in a child’s life benefits them in many short and long-term ways. Caring for any animal helps teach children about responsibility, they have a “friend” who will never judge them and they tend to be more confident, empathetic individuals.

For this month’s K-9 Book Club, we are excited to introduce you to a very special book, which has turned into a really fabulous project, involving a great group of kids!

Good Dog! Kids Teach Kids about Dog Behavior & Training was written BY kids, FOR kids. It is designed to teach kids about dog body language and to use this knowledge to be kind, respectful and safe around dogs in their home and in their community. It also teaches kids how to train dogs using clickers and positive reinforcement training techniques. An award-winning book, Good Dog is aimed at kids 8 to 14 years of age.

Not only did our trainer Vicki Tate read the book herself, on National Kids & Pets Day she visited a group of wonderful students at Riverbend Advanced Scholars Academy in Gainesville, GA. Fourth grade teacher, Robin Fair, has been working through the book with her students, as part of the 21st Century Skills program.

Here’s what Robin had to say about the book and the children’s’ reaction…

“We took the book and divided it into chapters, so the students could gather information about dog behavior and training. Then the students took each chapter and taught the class the information they learned from reading. “Good Dog” was very kid friendly, and my students learned many details about dog behavior.”

Reading Intervention Teacher Kadi Epps filled us in on how much fun the kids are having…

“I just walked in to Robin’s class and 3 kids were rolling around on the floor! They were acting out the cue’s you get from dogs and others were guessing!! Robin says she loves the book and it IS a great book for kids.”

Vicki had a fantastic time with the children and we are eagerly awaiting their very own blog posts about what they’ve been doing!

I am VERY impressed with this book. So much so, that I wish every child could read it with his or her family.

Most kids have no idea that dogs have their own language and so many dogs end up in shelters because they are misunderstood. They bite a child because the child did something inappropriate to the dog – who was giving signals that no one understood.

“Good Dog!” explains dog behavior in a way that children and adults can understand and the kids in the book accurately explain that language in their own terms.

The education of children with their dogs will make for long happy lives for the dogs and owners that are happy with their dog. The children at Riverbend Advanced Scholars Academy are learning from each other, utilizing 21st Century technologies and will eventually teach kids at other schools!

I recommend this book wholeheartedly - stay tuned for a follow up blog about my day with the children!

Want to see the book for yourself?  You will find a link to it in the Books & Publications section of our K-9U Library.