Do not forget about aspects of canine health care such as worming and control of other parasites which should be a routine part of responsible dog ownership. However, care must be taken to ensure that this is not overlooked with all the new activities associated with the arrival of a new child.

Children should be educated in the responsibilities of pet ownership. For example, teach them that pets are not toys and that they do feel pain if handled roughly. Pets may become upset by too much petting or stimulation. Teach your child to heed warning signs (such as hissing, lip curling, retreating, and growling) that indicate that their animal friend wants to be left alone. Likewise, teach your children how to behave with dogs who are tied in the yard. Children tend to tease tethered dogs even without realizing it, which can lead to aggressive behavior. Many instances of dogs attacking children occur when the dog is tethered in the yard and a screaming or running child enters his space.

It's often good any time that a new dog is added to the family that the dog attend a training course. This not only give the dog expectations for behavior, but many training courses expect your family to attend and give you rules and guidelines to start you out in the right direction.

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