This page is for all you kids who are interested in learning
about
dogs, how to help look after your own pet dog, and how to be safe around dogs.
Have fun and enjoy the activities. There is a lot to learn. Please keep coming back. We will put something new on this page regularly.
Parents: There is a lot of information on child safety around dogs in the links at the bottom of this page.
Note: Because this page uses scripts you may get the following message "Internet Explorer restricted this web page from running scripts or ActiveX controls." You may have to allow blocked content if you can't see the jumping sheep or the answers to the puzzles, for example.
Unfortunately the jumping sheep below can't be seen on the iPad because the animation is powered by Flash. We are very sorry about that, but we decided to leave the sheep on the page because they are fun for the people who are able to see them!
Jumping Sheep!!
Move your cursor over the sheep and watch them jump!
(from sheepgame.co.uk)
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Easy Tricks to Teach Your Dog
Two tricks this time:
How to teach "Speak"
and then how to teach "Quiet"
"Tricks are fun! Tricks, like games, keep your dog alert and energetic. They give your dog a chance to play. Tricks give you and your dog time to be together. Tricks help your dog to 'learn how to learn'. If they can learn tricks, then they can learn obedience and good behaviour. Go ahead...have some fun and teach your dog some tricks!" http://www.loveyourdog.com
Choose a game that your dog loves to play, like catch with a ball, or hide and seek with a toy. Then get him excited by saying, "Let's play! Want to play?" and show him the ball or toy. Jump and act silly so he barks and then say, "Good dog, speak!" Then play the game as his reward for learning "Speak".
TIP: You can't make a dog bark, but you can get him happy and excited so he wants to bark. After a while, your dog will bark when you say, "Speak."
Caution! If you have a dog that already causes trouble because of his barking, you might not want to encourage this behaviour. If you decide it's OK to teach it, be sure to teach "Quiet", too.
This is easiest if your dog already knows how to speak. Tell your dog to "Speak", or catch him when he is barking. Get right in front of him and say "Quiet". The second he stops, even if it is to take a breath, give him a treat. You might want to hold your hand or palm in front of his face to add a visual signal. Practice playing "quiet" often and your dog will be loving the word "Quiet".
TIP: As you teach your dog "Quiet", gradually increase the quiet time from 2 seconds to 5 seconds or more. Then, when he understands the trick, make a game of it. Tell him to "Speak", "Speak", "Speak", and then "Quiet". Then "Speak" again. It's a great trick that will entertain your friends, and your pup will look so smart!
1. Dogs don't need to see a vet. They are healthy animals.
2. Dogs like getting their ears pulled.
3. You shouldn't tease or chase a dog.
4. When meeting a new dog, always let the dog come to you.
5. It's a good idea to reach through a fence to pet a dog.
6. Never touch a dog that is hurt.
7. Loud noises can frighten a dog.
8. Never put your hand between two dogs.
9. It's OK to wake a sleeping dog suddenly.
10. Always have an adult present when walking a dog.
When you have finished all the questions, the answers are in the right-hand column:
(no peeking until you have finished the puzzle!)
How many did you answer correctly?
Did you get more correct answers than your parents or siblings?
Answers
1. False - All pets should visit a veterinarian (see page 1): Dogs are living creatures and they need regular check-ups to ensure that they are healthy. Regular dental cleaning, grooming and nail clipping are also important.
2. False - Never pull a dog’s ears or tail (page 4): Pulling a dog’s ears or tail can hurt him and he may bite to defend himself.
3. True - Never tease or chase a dog (page 3): Teasing or chasing a dog is very dangerous. The dog may feel threatened and defend himself by biting.
4. True - When meeting a new dog, always let the dog come to you (page 6): Dogs have their own way of meeting new people. They use their sense of smell to understand who and what you are. Sometimes they need a little time to feel comfortable around you. If you have permission from the dog’s owner to meet his dog, extend your hand with palm down and allow the dog to approach and sniff your hand.
5. False - Never reach through a fence to pet a dog (page 9): Dogs are very protective of their home and property. They may see you as a threat and may bite your hand to protect their property.
6. True - Never touch a dog that is hurt. Get an adult to help the dog (page 11): Injured animals may be in pain and frightened. They may bite or try to run and hide, which could cause additional injuries or make it more difficult to get them the care needed.
7. True - Never make loud noises around dogs (page 16): Loud noises can frighten a dog. He may jump on you or bite you.
8. True - Never put your hand between two dogs (page 18): Dogs like to play with each other. If they get overly excited, they could accidentally bite you.
9. False - Never wake a sleeping dog suddenly (page 20): Waking a sleeping dog suddenly may startle him and he may bite.
10. True - Always have an adult present when walking a dog (page 22): We suggest using two leashes. An adult holds a long leash and the child holds a shorter leash in case the child has problem controlling the dog, e.g. the dog sees a cat and decides to chase it.
quiz compiled by Julie More
Colouring Pages Contest
We would love to hear from you
Click here and print out the picture that opens. Colour the picture carefully with pencils or crayons.
Then tell us why your pet is special, and what rules you have in your house to make your pet safe.
Send it to us at [email protected] with your email address. We will choose a winner each month and post it in our newsletter for everybody to see.
Everyone wants to be treated with kindness, including animals. Kindness is the best way to form a bond with your pet.
Healthy pets are happy pets.
Your pet is very happy that you look after him so well.
What if You Can't Have a Dog?
Not everyone can add a dog to their family.
Perhaps your house is too small (you live in an apartment or condo), or your landlord doesn't allow you to keep a dog. Perhaps your family just doesn't have the time to exercise a dog, groom her, or take her to the vet when she is sick. Or maybe someone in your family has allergies to dogs.
Have you considered a cuddly, friendly little hamster or gerbil instead? Or even something not quite as cuddly, like a tortoise or a fish?
How about a rabbit or a guinea pig? They make wonderful, affectionate and fairly long-lived pets. Or a mouse or rat? They are intelligent and can be taught to do tricks quite easily. How about a hamster or gerbil? A chinchilla? Or, if the allergic person cannot tolerate any animal hair, there are pet birds. Or fish. Did you know that with patience you can actually train a goldfish to do simple tricks such as swimming through a hoop for
rewards? Amazing!
Be sure to check out your local humane society or animal rescue when looking for a new pet. They frequently have many different types of animals, both large and small.
Some very colourful and low-maintenance pets:
Tropical fish
There are tropical, cold water and salt water varieties of aquarium fish. For beginners, the tropical and cold water varieties can be easier to look after, and often many different species can be kept together.
Aquariums can be made of glass or plastic. Glass is easiest to keep clean, and doesn’t scratch easily, but is a bit heavier. The shape is important, because the fish need a large water surface area to help oxygenate their water. So goldfish bowls and tall but narrow tanks are less suitable homes for the fish (except for Bettas, which are described briefly below). An aquarium full of water is very heavy, so somewhere sturdy and out of the sun needs to
be found to
support it.
Heaters and filters are inexpensive and easy to find in pet stores. And real plants are useful and beautiful additions to the aquarium. They will help oxygenate the water. Ornamental rocks are best bought from the pet store too, because they will be free from possibly harmful chemicals. Just be careful that they don’t have any sharp edges that the fish can injure themselves on.
The aquarium should not be overcrowded with fish, otherwise the water will get dirty very quickly and the available oxygen used up. This will encourage diseases in the fish. Make sure the tank is out of the sun because overheating the water may kill the fish. Also, algae will grow very fast and spoil the view of the fish.
Some of the easiest fish to begin with are guppies (hardy, colourful and active, and they breed readily), swordtails, cardinals, tetras, platies, danios and zebras. Some fish do jump out of the water, so remember to keep the aquarium covered. A light inside the cover is nice, to bring out the colours of the fish.
Bettas (also known as Siamese Fighting Fish) are another easy variety. They come in many beautiful colours and the males have lovely, flowing fins. The males live up to their name Fighting Fish, and can’t be kept together because they may kill each other. They do quite well in an aquarium mixed with other fish, however. They are very easy to keep, and they don’t need a large aquarium because they are surface breathers. They also don’t like an aquarium with
a strong
filter that disturbs the water as they originate from slow-moving streams and are not strong swimmers.
Male Bettas make “bubble nests” (small nests of bubbles at the surface or under leaves). You can put a mirror in front of his tank, and he will think it’s another male and put on quite a display with his lovely fins. But don’t leave the mirror there for too long, he may exhaust himself! Bettas are a type of fish that may jump out of the aquarium.
Goldfish are hardy cold water fish. Some of them are very beautiful and multi-coloured. However, their tanks do need cleaning out very regularly. Goldfish are also known for jumping out, and many have been found gasping for air, or even dead, after escaping from their tank. A very sad sight indeed.
Remember:
Keep that aquarium covered in case the cat goes fishing!
Here are some useful fish keeping links for you, with much more information:
"Get dog smart with Diggity the Dog! Diggity the Dog’s story encompasses the number one cure for the dog bite
epidemic. The story takes children on a fun walk through the
neighborhood. Along the way, children encounter a whole lot of dogs in
different situations. Diggity tells the "do's" and "don'ts" - right from
the doggie's mouth."
Little Liam was fatally bitten by his family's own beloved dog. This site is full of information for parents and caregivers - such as dog body language; dog stress signals; signs of anxiety; why dogs bite; Be a Tree, and more. Well illustrated.
"Science Kids is the home of science & technology on the Internet for children around the world.”
This wonderful website helps kids learn about the amazing world of science by enjoying the “fun science experiments, cool facts, online games, free activities, ideas, lesson plans, photos, quizzes, videos & science fair projects."
The people at the Love your dog website have very generously allowed us to reproduce some of their articles. Please visit them, there is lots to enjoy there.
