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Training with Children Present
Hello!
I have a question about keeping a training session flowing when a young child is present. I have clients with a wonderful little girl. The clients like to have her present for training sessions with their puppy. The little girl is smart and kind, but very young (7 or so) and often interrupts or grabs a parent’s clicker and starts clicking/making noise at inappropriate times and the session then goes off the rails. The parents often want “information to come from a trainer for authority purposes”, but I don’t have kids and am not sure how to gently redirect a sessions without seeming like I’m scolding or being rude. One thing I have mentioned many times is that the little girl should not use the clicker because she doesn’t have the timing (or impulse control) for the tool. I advised using the word “yes” instead. Aside from that, I’m at a loss for how to run things smoothly. I love these clients (and their puppy of course!) and want to do my best. Any advice? Thank you!
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8 Replies
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@LisaOMy Sounds like you are doing a good job with coming up with the child using yes instead of the clicker. This can be pretty tricky. I wonder if the session could be split up. Maybe during time the girl can watch and have a special coloring book or handouts of puppy body language or something. So she feels special and is observing the lesson? Hopefully you get quality training time in and she can join for later part if the parents want. This is a great question and I can’t wait to see what others say!
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@LisaOMy , see if you can find moments to loop the child into the session, giving her specific tasks to do. Maybe go get some more treats that the mom left in the kitchen (on purpose); or go get a toy that the dog likes when you’re taking a break in training, so she can engage with the dog then; or be the one to deliver a treat after the mom has clicked.
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I am dealing with this very thing right now. I got a call from a puppy owner who wanted to get her 3 kids involved with training the puppy. The kids are 9, 7 and 4. We discussed the advantages and disadvantages of having the kids involved (mostly, the disadvantages; a huge distraction for the puppy, the kids trying to learn at the same time as the parents, marker timing etc)
Like you, we decided a marker word was better than the clicker. Fortunately, I was a social worker in a children’s residential setting for 28 years prior to my career change and have pretty good kid skills. I made sure to include them and had each family member take a few turns with each skill. The kids lasted 2 sessions before they decided they were bored and now aren’t a part of it any more, which is what I figured would happen.
I hope it works out for you!!
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Great discussion and points already made – it can be challenging to work with kids but oh so rewarding! I agree that giving age-appropriate jobs is important.
If the dog is amenable, I like playing I spy… I spy Tipper’s shoulder… and the kid touches the shoulder while mom feeds a treat (or vice versa) – this can help a dog be comfortable with the kid being close and touching, as well as teach the child how to touch (flat, open hand, gently)
If the child is able to count, you can have them create a hash-mark counter and watch for X behavior (wags, eye contact, lip licks)
Similarly, they can watch mom/dad train and look for praise points like feeding without dropping the treat or doing something else you instruct – kids will pick up on the mistakes too, catching parents out is always fun. 🙂
With the parents who want to turn the whole lesson over to you so you can work with the child, have a parent-teacher conference to set goals. This can be before a session – but make sure they are ready to speak with you without the child present. It may be a follow up/prep phone call too. Questions like… What is their child capable of doing? What will the parent help follow up with after you are gone? What are realistic practice times they can work with the child during the week? These kinds of questions can help the parent see their role. Affirm you are the coach for the session but they are the coach every day.
Jen Shryock at Family Paws has AWESOME coloring pages, Doggie Detective pages and other helpful family resources. Check out her site and programs!
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@catherine These are amazing suggestions! I especially love the I spy game! What a great idea. Definitely will be remembering this for future reference!!!
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@pawsup You are welcome!
I love getting kids involved in enrichment and recall games, too… They can leave a treat trail, pack recyclables with treats, play hide and seek…. Anything the dog is up for, the kids can usually help.
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Wow, thank you!!!
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Thank you, everyone, for the excellent input!
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