Maybe your kids are saying, “Please get me a puppy! I promise I’ll take care of it.” Or maybe your dog was your “baby” before you decided to start a family. Either way, there is much to think about as you consider such a big family change as a family pet. But Kate Anders, owner of Pretty Good Dog and an expert in both dog training and parent education, brings a wealth of information and practical family pet tips to this week’s Mom Enough show. Marti only wishes she’d had Kate’s good advice before she brought a puppy into her family when Erin and her brother were young kids!

 

What has been your experience with a family pet? Have you been surprised by the behavior of dogs or young children with each other? If you were bringing a puppy or dog into your family, what could you do to make this transition as smooth and safe as possible? Leave a comment below!

 

Stay tuned after this discussion for this month’s brief Relationships that Nurture feature, brought to you by St. David’s Center for Child and Family Development. This month’s feature focuses on signs and symptoms of depression in young children – and yes, even young children can be depressed!

 

For the Dogs & Storks® and the Dog & Baby Connection™ programs, click here.

For the Be A Tree™ dog safety and bite prevention program, click here.

For other resources suggested by Kate Anders, click here.

For St. David’s tip sheet on recognizing childhood depression, click here.