6 activities for children to do with dogs

For a child their dog is the best kind of best friend. Dogs don’t judge and they’re always there to provide comfort and distraction if school gets stressful, they argue with friends (or their parents) or life gets hard. That kind of relationship can take time to build, but there are some really great activities that can help them build it. Or, if your child and dog are already best friends, might give them a way to connect that’s not just creating chaos together…

One thing that will harm your child’s relationship with their dog is getting injured, especially bitten. Unfortunately this is a risk. Dogs can easily knock over small children when they get excited. And any dog can bite if they get ill, hurt or scared. So it’s really important to carefully supervise interactions between children and dogs.

1. Play together

Play is one of the most common ways that kids and dogs have fun together and can be a brilliant way to strengthen their bond. But it can also end up in tears and unfortunately sometimes with injuries. Young kids often just run around screaming while their dog chases them. And this can be enjoyable - until an overexcited dog starts to jump up or nip at a child’s ankles. And then it’s not that fun…

To avoid this, it’s best to either play fetch or tug so the focus is all on the toy. Choose really long tug toys so there’s plenty of space for your dog to bite the toy without accidentally biting your child’s hands. And teach your child to drop the toy if your dog’s teeth ever get close to their hands. Another way kids can accidentally get bitten playing is if they go to pick up a toy that a dog is holding. Playing with two toys avoids this. If your dog’s got one toy, your child can just go get the other one. And if your dog’s got both toys you’ll need to step in to help take one toy off your dog so they can both keep playing.

Play sessions between kids and dogs should be kept super short - 5 minutes max. Dogs get more and more excited the longer play lasts. And that’s when they start to jump and nip. It can be hard to do, but it’s important to end play after about 5 minutes. Depending on your child’s and dog’s personalities you could then encourage them to find a calmer activity to do together. Or you may need to separate them for around half an hour to let everyone calm down.

2. Teach their dog some tricks

Training isn’t just about teaching important life skills. It’s also a brilliant way to strengthen your bond (or your child’s) with your dog. The basis of any good relationship is about having fun together. And training gives your dog and your child another way to have fun together that’s a little more calm that constant play.

Trick training is one of the best types of training for kids to do with dogs. Tricks are just for fun so it doesn’t matter how quickly your dog learns them. And there are so many different tricks there’s something that works for every child and every dog no matter their size or skill. They can start with simple (and very cute) tricks like paw, spin and catching a treat. And work up to teaching more complex and impressive tricks like walking backwards, tidying up toys and waving goodbye.

3. Get them involved with enrichment

A lot of kids love to help care for their dog. And one of the most fun ways they can help is to prepare enrichment. If you’ve got any lick mats or puzzle feeders then your child can help fill them. Or they can make their own enrichment games from your recycling. Clean cardboard and paper are safe for most dogs as it’s not usually a concern if they swallow a small amount. Wrapping treats in layers of paper or putting them inside cardboard toilet roll inners and folding the ends are easy games to get started with. But you can really let your child be as creative as they want. Just make sure they don’t make the games so hard your dog gets frustrated.

Always check your child knows what dogs can safely eat so they don’t accidentally poison them. With younger children it’s best to give them the food they’re allowed to use. Then they can’t include something that could make your dog ill and you know they won’t overfeed them. But if you’ve got a responsible teenager part of the fun can be choosing what foods your dog might like.

4. Set a doggy treasure hunt

Dogs love to sniff. Scent is your dog’s main way of understanding the world. Getting your dog sniffing more will help them feel happier and is a great way of tiring them out so they sleep better. And setting a treasure hunt to find treats is a really way to encourage your dog to use their nose.

Your child will need to start by teaching your dog a ‘find it’ cue. Place a treat on the floor in front of your dog, point at it and say ‘find it’. Slowly move the treat further away and start hiding it so they need to sniff to find it. Be careful to not make the game too hard. But with some training your dog will become an expert. And then your child can hide lots of treats around your home or garden for your dog to hunt for.

5. Encourage them to read to their dog

Lots of children struggle with reading because they’re worried about getting things wrong and being corrected. But your dog isn’t gonna judge your kid if their pronunciation isn’t perfect. They have no idea what anything’s supposed to sound like. So reading aloud to your dog is a great way to build your child’s confidence with reading. It’s really important that your dog and kids can learn to be calm around each other, not just constantly play. And having some chill reading time a few times a week is a great way to encourage this.

But this isn’t just for small children. Teenagers who are learning another language can practise by reading or talking to their dog. They could even look up cues for tricks like paw or spin in the language they’re learning, and teach their dog to respond. Or if they’re studying for exams they can try explaining difficult topics to the dog. Then they can get the concept straight in their head without getting anxious that someone’s going to correct them.

6. Go on a walk as a family

Exercise and fresh air are great for everyone’s physical and mental health. But not all kids are super keen on getting outside and going for a walk. And teenagers usually think spending any time with their family is deeply uncool. One of the biggest benefits of having a dog is that their presence makes family walks much more exciting. You don’t have to go far - a short walk around your local park is enough to get everyone outside and off their screens. But it’s always fun to travel a bit further and explore somewhere new.

Walks aren’t just about walking. Splashing in puddles, jumping in piles of leaves and climbing on logs are all great fun for dogs and kids. And for more anxious kids, watching their dog do these things can give them the confidence to try too. Walks are also a good time to practise some tricks. Encourage your child to look for logs they could ask your dog to put their paws on or trees they could ask your dog to run around.

If you’ve got a sensible older teenager, they might be ready to take your dog out on a walk alone. Then they don’t have the horrendously embarrassing risk of ever being seen with their parents… You will need to consider how responsible your teenager is before you let them walk your dog alone. Think about how they’d cope if your dog got lost, injured or ended up in a fight with another dog. And if they want to take your dog out on a walk with their friends, you’ll need to consider how responsible those friends are too.