Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
11 Ideas for Integrating Children and Pets
I have been an animal lover for my entire life. I grew up around a farm and always had cats. Shortly after my husband and I were married, I needed to have some pets in my life. We got a couple of free kittens. Then, he got me the one pet I had always wanted, but never had - a basset hound. My first dog. We learned a lot together. Over the years, my love for dogs resulted in running a non-profit dog rescue. My extremely supportive and tolerant husband, myself and a small handful of volunteers saved over 100 dogs in about five years.
Training pets is a wonderful way to bond with them, work together with them and to establish rules through fun. Gumby loves giving the dogs and cats treats. The dogs know they are not to take food from her hands and they are to wait until she drops the treat to the ground. We have what I call well behaved beggers. Our dogs beg, but have always only been rewarded for sitting or laying.
6. Involvement in Feeding
It is important for the pets to see good things coming from this little, loud, fast, unpredictable creature that moved into their home. As mentioned above, Gumby loves giving the dogs and cats treats. In this house, she cannot take an active part in feeding the dogs just yet because they eat raw meat, but she can and does feed the cats and give the dogs water, treats and special stuffed kongs.
7. Know your Children, Know your Pets, Know and Respect Their LimitsNobody knows your child or your pets better than you. If your dog will happily chew a bone on the couch with a toddler sitting on him, great. But, if your dog can get a little grumpy with a bone and your well-meaning playful toddler thinks trying to take things from the mouth of the dog is a fun game for both of them (and maybe with a ball, for example, it is), maybe giving Fido a high value bone when the child is nearby is just something the dog isn't going to handle well. All people and animals have limits. Limits are natural and deserve our respect.
8. Create a Yes Environment
While the dog rescue is much smaller than it used to be, we do have 1 foster and I will put her shameless plug right here. Chloe is a 5 year young beautiful american pit bull terrier who is looking for a family to call her own :)
Our family now includes Chase the basset hound, the only dog ever accquired from a breeder before we learned about the millions of homeless dogs, Gracie a small furry mixed breed rescued from our local dog pound, Jasmine an american pit bull terrier rescued from a life of abuse and neglect, Max a cat who was abandoned on our doorstep when he was a kitten, Felix a cat who was abandoned at the manufacturing plant where I used to work, and most recently Reese and Pete The Cat (we have a Mickey Mouse addiction here), two keepers of the litter of five that was left on our doorstep.
It is important to me that Gumby be involved with the animals and have a positive experience with them and they with her. We want her to know how to effectively communicate and safely interact not only with our own pets but with any others she may encounter.
Here are a few ways that we are getting there:
Our family now includes Chase the basset hound, the only dog ever accquired from a breeder before we learned about the millions of homeless dogs, Gracie a small furry mixed breed rescued from our local dog pound, Jasmine an american pit bull terrier rescued from a life of abuse and neglect, Max a cat who was abandoned on our doorstep when he was a kitten, Felix a cat who was abandoned at the manufacturing plant where I used to work, and most recently Reese and Pete The Cat (we have a Mickey Mouse addiction here), two keepers of the litter of five that was left on our doorstep.
It is important to me that Gumby be involved with the animals and have a positive experience with them and they with her. We want her to know how to effectively communicate and safely interact not only with our own pets but with any others she may encounter.
Here are a few ways that we are getting there:
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| Gumby holding Elle, one of the kittens from our Fall drop off litter. Elle was spayed, updated on shots and happily rehomed |
1. Supervise, Supervise, Supervise
Animals can be unpredictable. Children can be unpredictable. Never leave them together unsupervised.
2. Gentle Touches
We strive to show and tell Gumby what she *can* do and not concentrate on what not to do. We are very careful with the words we choose and try to set up a successful environment. For petting the animals, when she was small we would always tell her to use "one finger". That is how she petted them for a long time. It's impossible to be rough, smack, or pull anything using just one finger. Now she understands the word "gentle" and uses her whole hand to stroke their fur very gently.
3. Dogs Eat Alone
This one is plain, simple and self explanatory. It is a positively framed statement of how the dogs eat that was told to her daily when it was time to feed the dogs. Now, she will tell anyone simply that "Dogs eat alone." We never said "Do not go near the dogs when they eat", "Do not take their food", or other statements that concentrate on what she is "forbidden" to do or actions she should not take. We do not try to invoke any fear of what happens if one takes food from a dog who doesn't do well with that sort of thing (though we have told her that not all dogs like to share as a reason *why* they eat alone); in fact, we encourage her to watch them eat from a reasonable distance.
4. Only Pick up Toys from the Floor
Gumby loves handing the dogs toys and playing fetch with them. What we needed to help her learn was that once they take the toy, it is their toy. We are always there during play to ensure she is not reaching into their mouths. Accidents, grumpy dogs, whatever the reason, it is simply never a good idea for a child to have their hands in a dogs mouth. Our dogs know a "Give" command and Gumby knows how to use it.
5. Involvement in TrainingGumby loves handing the dogs toys and playing fetch with them. What we needed to help her learn was that once they take the toy, it is their toy. We are always there during play to ensure she is not reaching into their mouths. Accidents, grumpy dogs, whatever the reason, it is simply never a good idea for a child to have their hands in a dogs mouth. Our dogs know a "Give" command and Gumby knows how to use it.
Training pets is a wonderful way to bond with them, work together with them and to establish rules through fun. Gumby loves giving the dogs and cats treats. The dogs know they are not to take food from her hands and they are to wait until she drops the treat to the ground. We have what I call well behaved beggers. Our dogs beg, but have always only been rewarded for sitting or laying.
 |
| Gumby, just over 2 years old, using the hand signal for "Down" and two of her dogs obeying and awaiting their treat! |
6. Involvement in Feeding
It is important for the pets to see good things coming from this little, loud, fast, unpredictable creature that moved into their home. As mentioned above, Gumby loves giving the dogs and cats treats. In this house, she cannot take an active part in feeding the dogs just yet because they eat raw meat, but she can and does feed the cats and give the dogs water, treats and special stuffed kongs.
 |
| Gumby, age 2, feeding Max and her own kitty some milk. |
7. Know your Children, Know your Pets, Know and Respect Their Limits
8. Create a Yes Environment
Creating a "Yes" Environment for a child is doing what needs done to ensure success such as baby proofing, putting away items that the little one is not ready for yet or that isn't safe, putting away things that cause the parent to have to say "No" repeatedly, creating unnesseccary tension and stress. This can apply for pets as well. You will note that none of the pictures I will ever post of our dogs has a dog bed. A certain grumpy hound dog does not like to be bothered once he is all curled up and comfy on his dog bed, ie: he growls. A growling dog is giving a warning and sending a message for his need for uninterrupted rest the only way that he knows how. While we talk to Gumby about letting sleeping dogs lie, if you will, there is no need to take unnesseccary risks. When we saw the dogs beds become a problem, we picked them up. If there are toys the dogs treasure or guard, remove them. Anything that could possibly be a point of contention or set anyone up for a mistake should be removed. I am not advocating that the dog's owner not seek to help work on these problems, but I am saying this should be done at a specific training times and not when a little one is possibly going to be interacting with the pet.
9. Pets Need Their Own Space
We didn't throw those dog beds out, however. The dogs can all enjoy them from their own little doggie room. They can go there to sleep, to enjoy special treats such as kongs, or just when they dont want to play and need some quiet time. When they tell us they want quiet time, we put up a baby gate and they can have the rest they need and can return when they are ready.
10. People Need Their Own Space
The pets needing a break from the child seems to go hand in hand with the child needing a break from the pets in this house. Sometimes the dogs are giving too many kisses, sometimes the kittens have attacked our feet just about as many times as we can take, sometimes they just won't play the way Gumby is expecting them too and it upsets her. We let Gumby know that it's okay to "take a break" from the pets. Instead of hitting them, kicking them, swatting at them or doing whatever other behaviors a toddler may do because they are expressing themselves the only way they know how, Gumby knows to ask Mamma or Deeda to move the pets or to take a break from them.
11. Let Everone Know When they are Interacting Properly
We didn't throw those dog beds out, however. The dogs can all enjoy them from their own little doggie room. They can go there to sleep, to enjoy special treats such as kongs, or just when they dont want to play and need some quiet time. When they tell us they want quiet time, we put up a baby gate and they can have the rest they need and can return when they are ready.
10. People Need Their Own Space
The pets needing a break from the child seems to go hand in hand with the child needing a break from the pets in this house. Sometimes the dogs are giving too many kisses, sometimes the kittens have attacked our feet just about as many times as we can take, sometimes they just won't play the way Gumby is expecting them too and it upsets her. We let Gumby know that it's okay to "take a break" from the pets. Instead of hitting them, kicking them, swatting at them or doing whatever other behaviors a toddler may do because they are expressing themselves the only way they know how, Gumby knows to ask Mamma or Deeda to move the pets or to take a break from them.
11. Let Everone Know When they are Interacting Properly
Positive feedback goes a long way. When the dogs are playing gently, sitting for treats, laying to be covered with blankets or whatever else, tell them they are being good. Slip them an extra snack. When Gumby is giving out toys, we tell her that makes the dogs happy and they love their toys. When she is touching them gently, we tell her that makes them feel safe. While the dogs are rewarded solely for their behavior, Gumby is given feedback about how her actions are affecting the dogs feelings and well-being to help her see the positive impact that she can have on their lives.
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| Gumby ensuring everyone is safe, warm and comfortable :) |
What have you found useful to integrating your pets with your children? What challenges have you had?
Friday, April 22, 2011
Gardening with Gumby: First Starter Seeds
I am finally getting around to posting pictures of our seeds that we have started for the garden! We are having a lot of fun with this project. We haven't had a garden for several years and are looking forward to it now that I will have more time because I stay home with Gumby. This is also something we think she will enjoy and we are sure she will learn a lot.
We have never started any garden veggies from seeds before, ever. This, like anything else in life, is a learning experience for the whole family.
We went to a couple of stores and let Gumby pick out the seeds herself. She had a lot of fun doing this. It gives her ownership on the project and lets her know she is a contributing member of the family. We didn't worry about the few things she picked out that we don't really care for - we're going to grow them and try them and let her try them. We try not to limit her tastes and preferences because of our own. She was so excited.
We also picked some neat looking plants such as the Carnival Peppers (purple, white, yellow, orange) and Chili Peppers.
To start the plants, we got a couple of those seed starting kits with the pods. They are cute and Gumby had fun investigating the pods while they were little dry disks. We all enjoyed pouring warm water on them and watching them expand.
We started planting around the end of March and did maybe 18 plants each evening once every few days or a week. It was the right amount of time that Gumby would enjoy planting before getting bored.
Choosing a spot to place the next two pepper seeds.
Carefully placing 2 pepper seeds.
Covering the seeds.
What we have so far: Eggplant (which has mostly died :( by the time I am writing this), Celery (tiny, TINY seeds so we have way more than the suggested 2-4 per pod), Carnival Peppers, Tomatoes and Cayenne Peppers.
The first thing we planted was celery and this is how it looked as it started to come up.
Gumby likes checking in on the plants and seeing their progress :)
This is how the seedlings are coming along today.
The first column on the left are the tomatoes.
The next 4 and a half are the 2 types of peppers. You'll notice they have tan soil. Peppers took the longest by far to come up. And, before they sprouted, the pods were encased in this fuzzy white stuff I had never seen before. Thanks to the internet, I learned it was called "dampening off" and is a fungus that grows if the pods are too moist from having the lid on, etc. I found a few natural remedies that did the trick: a strong batch of chamomile tea and cinammon, which not only gave it the tan color and got rid of the fungus, but it made it smell great too! The fungus is mostly harmless as long as it doesn't overtake the seedlings. And, as a side note to "getting rid" of it, I don't think you ever really get rid of it once it's there (bummer), but you can easily control it.
The next 2 and a half are what remains of the eggplants :( I don't know what went wrong here. They came up just fine. You'll notice a couple of the pods are missing. I gave them to my mom. I think hers are still doing okay.
The final 4 rows are the celery which seem to be doing okay. I should probably thin them out. Mom got 2 of these also.
In exchange, Mom gave me 2 wonderful little basil starts with a clever plant marker made with a plastic spoon and marker :) My mom is clever like that :)
As shown below, Gumby is having a rockin' good time with the family garden! :)
I can't wait until we give her a garden sensory box ... but that is a post for another day! :)
Are you starting a garden? What did you plant?
Do you have any tips for involving toddlers?
We have never started any garden veggies from seeds before, ever. This, like anything else in life, is a learning experience for the whole family.
We went to a couple of stores and let Gumby pick out the seeds herself. She had a lot of fun doing this. It gives her ownership on the project and lets her know she is a contributing member of the family. We didn't worry about the few things she picked out that we don't really care for - we're going to grow them and try them and let her try them. We try not to limit her tastes and preferences because of our own. She was so excited.
We also picked some neat looking plants such as the Carnival Peppers (purple, white, yellow, orange) and Chili Peppers.
To start the plants, we got a couple of those seed starting kits with the pods. They are cute and Gumby had fun investigating the pods while they were little dry disks. We all enjoyed pouring warm water on them and watching them expand.
We started planting around the end of March and did maybe 18 plants each evening once every few days or a week. It was the right amount of time that Gumby would enjoy planting before getting bored.
Choosing a spot to place the next two pepper seeds.
Covering the seeds.
What we have so far: Eggplant (which has mostly died :( by the time I am writing this), Celery (tiny, TINY seeds so we have way more than the suggested 2-4 per pod), Carnival Peppers, Tomatoes and Cayenne Peppers.
The first thing we planted was celery and this is how it looked as it started to come up.
Gumby likes checking in on the plants and seeing their progress :)
This is how the seedlings are coming along today.
The first column on the left are the tomatoes.
The next 4 and a half are the 2 types of peppers. You'll notice they have tan soil. Peppers took the longest by far to come up. And, before they sprouted, the pods were encased in this fuzzy white stuff I had never seen before. Thanks to the internet, I learned it was called "dampening off" and is a fungus that grows if the pods are too moist from having the lid on, etc. I found a few natural remedies that did the trick: a strong batch of chamomile tea and cinammon, which not only gave it the tan color and got rid of the fungus, but it made it smell great too! The fungus is mostly harmless as long as it doesn't overtake the seedlings. And, as a side note to "getting rid" of it, I don't think you ever really get rid of it once it's there (bummer), but you can easily control it.
The next 2 and a half are what remains of the eggplants :( I don't know what went wrong here. They came up just fine. You'll notice a couple of the pods are missing. I gave them to my mom. I think hers are still doing okay.
The final 4 rows are the celery which seem to be doing okay. I should probably thin them out. Mom got 2 of these also.
In exchange, Mom gave me 2 wonderful little basil starts with a clever plant marker made with a plastic spoon and marker :) My mom is clever like that :)
As shown below, Gumby is having a rockin' good time with the family garden! :)
I can't wait until we give her a garden sensory box ... but that is a post for another day! :)
Are you starting a garden? What did you plant?
Do you have any tips for involving toddlers?
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Ten Reasons I Choose to Nurse My Toddler...
When I was pregnant, it seemed like everyone wanted to know if I was going to nurse and then for how long. I don't think I even knew humans breastfed prior to becoming pregnant; I had never seen it, but for some reason, my answer to the questions was always "Yes, I'm going to give breastfeeding a try for at least six months and then it depends on how it goes after the baby gets teeth." For some reason, I was doubtful and kept those free formula samples in the cupboard "just incase" (never did use them). I had read about the risks of feeding babies with formula and I knew I wanted to give breastfeeding a try. What I didn't know was about the amazing aspects of a nursing relationship *other* than food. We have blown past 6 months, 12 months and 24 months. I definitely didn't plan on extended nursing, but why stop a good thing? We will wean when she is ready. Gumby still nurses very often and we both absolutely love our special time together. For 10 reasons why extended nursing is important to us, head over to my guest post on one of my favorite blogs Code Name: Mama! :)
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Day 3: Good Luck on Your First Day!
Dear Robert,
Good Luck on your first day on the job. We hope it goes smoothly for you; we know you will do great and be effective as you care so much about everything you do. You are determined, hardworking and intelligent.
We miss you, love you and are eagerly awaiting your safe return!
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