If you have children and dogs then what is the ratio in your household?
Do you live in town or in the country?
Thanks

my son really wants a dog but he has ADHD and I want to know if the dog would help him.

Children & Puppies: Getting Your Child & New Puppy Off To A Great Start

Nothing is more adorable than seeing a small child and a loving puppy playing happily together. What's even better to know, is that psychological studies have proven that people who are fortunate enough to grow up with a dog in the family household tend to have happier childhoods.

Kids who grow up with a family dog learn respect for other creatures as well as caring for them. These kids learn empathy, sympathy, handling responsibilities. They also develop self-confidence and self-esteem by knowing they are contributing to taking care of a living creature.

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These benefits and learning experiences between children and their pets do not occur automatically. It takes a responsible and patient adult to properly introduce the child to the new puppy and teach him/her how to properly interact with this new member of the family.

At the same time, the puppy needs to learn respect and obey the child the same way as he respects and obeys the other members of the household. This way, every member of the family can have a loving and healthy relationship.

The manner in which you approach your puppy and the experiences that you give him from his very first minute in the house will create a lasting impact throughout his entire life. From the first introduction, your child should learn the proper way to treat the puppy. Your child should realize that the puppy is a baby, and in many ways should be treated like one.

Avoiding Injuries To The Puppy & Your Child

Children around the age of 7 years and younger have the tendency to get excited when faced with new situations and experiences. This excitement may not be ideal when it comes to meeting a new puppy, or a dog of any age for that matter.

Excited behaviors such as making loud noises, chasing after the puppy, pulling at him, and other aggressive behaviors will result in the puppy getting scared.

In this situation, the puppy will more likely run away instead of letting the child pet him. A very young puppy will try to find his mom and hide under her, while a puppy around 12 weeks old will perceive these behaviors as either a threat or an aggressive play and will most likely react by nipping or jumping up.

The proper way of introducing your new pet to your child is through restraint and guidance. Your child should realize that the puppy is a baby and that your child should be gentle when handling him. To better teach your young ones how to be gentle, use a stuffed animal and teach her how to pet it properly. Practice this with your child for a few days before the puppy arrives home.

I've got a new lawn with some weeds and would like to zap em. what exactly is harmful to children and dogs. i've got an indoor dog, and a 3 month old so neither are out in the yard but it would be useful information to know.

according to scotts annual program i would use...

Scott's Turf Builder Winterguard with Plus 2 Weed Control
Scotts Turf Builder With Halts Crabgrass Preventer
Scotts Turf Builder With Plus 2 Weed Control
Scotts Turf Builder Lawn Fertilizer with 2% Iron

are all fertilizers harmful or are there some that are safe??
Scotts Turf Builder With SummerGuard

Kids & Puppies - Rules To Follow When Bringing Home Your Child's First Puppy

I can still remember the very first day that my Mom and Dad brought home a new puppy for my brothers and myself. It was probably the most exciting day of my life and the very first time that I fell in love with my pet dog. His name was Laddy and he became my very first best friend. That day happened almost 30 years ago. Laddy is unfortunately not with us anymore, but the memory of my first puppy will live on forever.

Your Child's First Puppy Memories

As you can tell, getting a dog was one of the fondest moments of my childhood and if you're planning to offer the same joy and excitement for your child by giving him or her a new puppy, it will be a gift that you and your kids will never forget. The day you present that adorable and loving pup to your children, the memory will be etched in their minds forever.

Teaching Your Children What To Expect When The Puppy Arrives

There is one word that can describe what it's going to be like for your children as they are introduced to this sweet tiny puppy: Excitement!

All little boys and girls go absolutely crazy when they see a puppy somewhere out in town and since it is going to be their new puppy, you can guarantee this excitement to be magnified by 1000%

Your job is to ensure that your children can remain as calm as possible. Let them know that you understand how exciting it is when the new puppy gets home, but at the same time you must teach them that he is going to be extremely scared and nervous. A puppy will need some space so that he does not get overly frightened.

Teach your kids to avoid yelling and shouting. Let them know that all roughhousing and grabbing of the puppy is forbidden. In addition, declare an official rule that the siblings can not fight with each other in front of the puppy, ever.

The best way to go about this is to have a family meeting before you bring the dog home and make sure to go over all of the rules with your children. Have them repeat these rules until you're confident that the kids can be trusted with the puppy so that he does not get harmed or frightened.

Dogs & Babies - 3 Ways To Help Your Puppy Adjust To Your Newborn Baby

Are you having a new baby soon? Congratulations! Bringing a brand new son or daughter into this world is one of life's greatest pleasures. Your baby is going to make a life-changing addition to your house.

And when you already have a "little one" running around then you need to prepare him for the arrival of the new family member. Yes, the "little one" that I am referring to is your puppy. Many dog owners forget to take the necessary steps needed to help their puppy adjust to having someone else in the house that will get more attention than they are getting. Here are a few ways to help you prepare:

1. The most important thing that you can do is to allow your pup the opportunity to socialize with small children inside your house. While this may not be practical for some people, the idea here is to have small toddlers and children introduced into the house so that your puppy can understand that these little people are friendly and he has no reason to feel defensive or insecure.

Have your friends who have children come over and play with your dog in the house. If your puppy seems a little aggressive at first, a great way to help them adjust is to allow the children to carry dog treats in their hands so that the puppy can associate the treat to a child as being something positive. This will help relieve tension for the dog when your new baby arrives.

2. Dogs thrive on repetitive schedules. Your puppy is the same way. If you have gone through the same routine on a daily basis with your puppy as far as feeding times, exercise times, play times, etc. then you need to realize that the schedule may suddenly change when your new baby is born. This sudden shift in the daily routine can prove to be alarming to your puppy, especially with the addition of a new person in the house that is getting all the attention.

A few weeks before the baby is due, start changing up the daily routine so your puppy can get used to it. Perhaps change around his feeding times. Exercise with your puppy at different times each day. Maybe take a nap unexpectedly in the room in which your baby will be sleeping. Although doing these things may sound strange, you will understand the benefit that it has upon your puppy when your schedule is personally thrown way off guard due to taking care of the responsibilities of a new baby. This will help your puppy to not be so alarmed when you are doing different things each day.

3. Immediately stop any games that you play with your puppy which are on the aggressive side. For example, most dog owners love to play tug-of-war with their dogs, or play-wrestle. There is absolutely nothing wrong with these dog games and you should continue them in the near future. However, it doesn't take much common sense to understand that your dog may view the new baby as a toy which he wants to play these same aggressive games with. Let's not have that happen!