What we love about trick training is that there is no age limit. Trick training can be done anywhere and anytime. It also does not require any special tools, equipment or facilities unlike most of other dog sports. The choice of tricks is pretty much unlimited too.
We just adore this video of the little girl and her dog. They both loving it and just watch at the bond they have- it is truly inspirational.
Kids who train their dogs or involved in dog training gain a lot from it as well:
1) Kids learn to be more patient with others
Teaching your dog a new trick requires quite a lot of patience in both explaining the dog what you want and also practicing until the dog “gets it”. Learning to be patient with others is a life skill.
2) Kids learn to bond with others
The connection you get with a dog is truly special. Kids who have experienced this special bond will treasure it throughout their lives. As research shows kids who have a bond with their dog also more likely to be comphortable in having a closer connection with people. It helps with building friendships and social skills.
3) Kids tend to be more physically active
Dogs, cats and other animals provide a huge encouragement for your child to get up and to do things. They work much better than anything else to get your child away from computers, phones and from being lost in the virtual reality. Dogs are particularly great to encourage kids to play, spend more time outside and to be physically active.
4) Kids learn to be more grounded
Animals live here and now. They do not drift away into phantasy worlds or virtual reality. They enjoy their life and they are true to their emotions. They show when they are happy and when they are sad. Animals are very attuned to the world around them.
By spending time with their dog kids learn to be more present and see the world around them. It is like meditation in many ways, but even better!
5) Kids learn to control their emotions
Dogs and other animals are widely used in therapy to help people who are depressed, lonely, have mood swings etc. There is a huge amount of research showing positive impact of the time kids spend with their animals on their mental health and emotional climate in their family. Dogs are great teachers of emothional intelligence.
6) Kids learn to be more compassionate
By looking after animals kids learn to recognise better the feelings of others and to respond to them. Recognising how others feel is the first important step in being compassionate.
7) Kids refine their non-verbal communication
If your kid is involved in training a dog he/she will learn to read the body language much better and will strengthen the awareness of non-verbal communication in general. Having more control of your own body language and effectively reading non-verbal messages of others around them is a fundamental live skill.
Try to involve your kids more into dog training. If you have bigger kids they will be able to work on the Trick Dog titles or Talent Show Dog titles on their own or with minimal guidance from you. With younger kids you can do it together.
It is wonderful to spend quality time together doing something you all enjoy.
We have the largest selection of tricks anywhere on the web on our website: www.DogTalent Association- see the Talent Dog Show titles section.
Choose something you want to work on and involve your kids!
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