How can I tell if my child is ready for a dog?

[MyBusyUser]

My child keeps asking for a dog and I’m torn. I don’t doubt the enthusiasm, I doubt the follow‑through once it becomes daily work. Has anyone found a good way to test whether a child is actually ready before getting a real pet?

How old are they? Do you know anyone with a dog that they could do regular walks with?

It will always be your dog and your responsibility though, if you do decide to get one.

Surely the question is do you want a dog?

How old are they? I was ready by about 4

Ime kids shouldn't be responsible for pets, they can help with feeding etc but I've never seen it work out that the kid actually looks after it properly. So it always ends up with either the let becoming the parent's pet when the kid loses interest, or the pet isn't cared for properly, which isn't right. Especially since dogs need walks which other pets don't.

Children are never ready. This dog will be your responsibility alone. So YOU need to want it. Your child is completely irrelevant to the care of this animal. Like alcohol they are not old enough to handle it or make any decisions here. It’s 100% on you.

so are you ready to be a full time dog owner?

I don't think a child is ever ready for a dog. Although they may be ready for you to have a dog in the home.

How ready are you for a dog? The dog is your responsibility.

My eldest daughter wished for a dog every birthday from the age of 4. I was not a dog person as had a negative view of them from childhood.

I eventually caved once she was 21. She loves her dog who is 7 this year. I’m now happy to provide doggy daycare whilst she is at work and I do love dear dog too but wouldn’t go out of my way to have one of my own.

“Ready” as in can you trust them to give the dog space/not hurt it etc etc then I’d say the child needs to be 4/5 at the youngest.

Ready as in to take full responsibility for a dog - 16+ and even that’s pushing it especially if it’s a puppy.

A dog is a lot of work and no child will be able to do everything themselves without adult help and supervision.

My 11 year old takes our (friendly, well trained) dog for short walks alone - she’s sensible and will pick up poo! She will also feed him etc when we ask.
I don’t think it would be fair to ask a child her age to be fully responsible for a dog though

A child, even a teenager, cannot possibly fathom the responsibility that comes with a pet and so cannot be reliably judged to be “ready” to be responsible for one.

I’m not saying kids can’t be responsible, my DDs did 95%+ of the care for their guinea pigs, but I still had to order food, organise holiday care, nag them sometimes.

A dog is a level of responsibility that no child can be expected to take on (we have a dog!).

I always wanted a dog but waited until the kids were 12 & 14 because i knew it would be up to me to walk it regularly without necessarily having to take the kids as well - best desicion i ever made.

It’s more the case ‘are you ready?’. I’ve only seen a few situations where children have really stepped up to care for the pet. It mostly falls on the parent if our own and neighbours experiences are anything to go by.

I’ve always had a dog, I’d say most by 5 should be able to follow rules like don’t get in the dog’s face, pull its tail, etc. so basic dog safety,
but neither of my children even the young adult do more than the occasional dog walk. It’s your dog, the buck will always stop with you if you get it.

in terms of how you can tell about safety - does your child get in dog’s faces or touch before asking when you see dogs in the street? are they generally good at following safety rules?

I got given my dog when I was 10, I think. We’d always had a dog, but he was Mine. I trained him, walked him and fed him. Obviously my parents helped out but I read all the books and walked him every day. Also trained him agility in the back garden, before it was a Thing. But then, I am autistic and was obsessed with animals from before I could walk…

edited because actually I was nearer 8 🤪

As a guide, most rescues will ask for children to be age 5+ , basically because that's the age they're at school, have got used to listening, can usually follow instructions etc.
As others have said, you should only get a dog if you want one, no child ever has kept up with walking , feeding etc long term and each child can be extremely variable. What are your plans if child doesn't take to dog or dog doesn't take to child . Depending on age of child and dog, does child understand that a lot of dogs will mouth and nip, despite being 'cute' How do you plan to manage this?
We foster for Spaniel Aid, a lot of their relinquishments are as a result of poorly thought out family relationships, if your child is boisterous, will the dog be ok with all the noise etc? Will child listen properly to being told dog needs to be left alone when sleeping, eating, on their own space?
You know your own child , mine was 7 when we first had a dog, a slightly older golden retriever, he loved her a lot, but she was definitely my dog.

We got our dog when our youngest was about 3.5 and I learned why rescues won’t rehome with under 5s. We got through it but it was unnecessarily stressful trying to teach her how to behave around the dog and prevent her poking him in the eye etc. But I agree with pps that the main question is are you ready for the extra work, mess, and reduced flexibility involved. That’s the main issue.

It’s never the child’s dog, it’s yours. Sure you can make deals that they had dog responsibilities but if they don’t do it you have to prepare to take over.

What happens when your child grows and goes to uni, moves out etc. Housing a dog makes their options limited and expensive.

When they are able to do things to a routine without substantial reminding in order for them to take on aspects of the dog care in an age appropriate way

If they are younger this would be accepting that they need to come with you on walks with the dog every day. As they get older this might mean them being able to let the dog out periodically so they can go out for a wee and letting you know if there is a poo to be cleaned up as well as playing regularly with them and older still taking them on short walks and being able to feed them occasionally.

We had dogs as kids and we weren't responsible for them but we were involved in a similar way to what I described above.

I helped my Mum take care of the cats, feeding, litter trays, letting them out etc. when I was little but they were essentially her cats. My first pet was a rabbit when i was 7, he only required food, fresh water and cleaning out his hutch once a week. I didn't get my own cat who was solely my responsibility til I was 16. If your child wants a pet then either get them a small animal who requires less care than a cat or a dog and be prepared for the child to lose interest and leave the care to you. I don't think a dog is a good first pet unless you acknowledge that the dog is yours and you are responsible for it. If you don't want that responsibility and you can't rely on your child to take care of them, early morning/late night walks, 24 hr toilet breaks, feeding, cleaning etc. then don't get a dog.

90% of the dog's care will be down to you or your partner so it's your decision. Do research into family friendly breeds and what type of care and training they will need. Dogs are a massive commitment to your family life but they can be a wonderful part of the family.

I used to ask for a dog every Christmas when I was a child. I eventually got one when I was 37. I had children after getting the dog, but if I didn't already have a dog, I would not be considering getting one until my youngest child was at least 7.

It depends. Are you an experienced dog owner yourself? How old is the child?

Like a pp, I wanted a dog ever since I could remember, but was 34 before I was able to fulfil my dream. I adore dogs but children can be fickle and irresponsible, so best to assume that he will be yours.

We have a 5 month old puppy. We love her, but she’s very hard work

How old is your child? I would not want to be doing this with young children

Unless they're an adult, it will be your dog and your responsibility.

If they are under 7 then I would say they shouldn't even be left unsupervised with a dog.

I mean this really! We had dogs when my kids were growing up the first when my youngest was 2, anyway if you want a dog in your family you have to be prepared to do a lot of the work .

I bring my dog out for a pee at 11 at night and before/ at 7 in the morning.

He gets played with and walked.

When we go to visit my mum we either only do a short visit or he goes to kennels.

We no longer go to eg day long trips to a shopping centre to include cinema and food

We rarely go on proper day trips that can’t include a dog

We’ve started putting him into kennels (doggy daycare!) for play dates as two of the kids we have over are properly terrified of dogs so twenty quid every time lol

But if you don’t care about any of this and honestly plan on him being by your side no matter what do honestly go for it (once the child is over 8 imo as especially as a puppy they can knock kids over easily)