As a dog trainer, I've carried a general policy about involving children in the process of training the family dog: leave the tough stuff to the adults. Usually I'm pleased when children want to take part in feeding and walking the dog, but until recently I've been reluctant to allow children under the age of ten to take much part at all in the actual training and discipline of the dog. Then along came the Micheletti family...

Mrs. Tracy Micheletti gave me a call shortly after Christmas when Santa Claus brought her daughter, Megan, a Sheltie puppy. We discussed the pros and cons of the breed and of the sexes. Feeling that Santa had probably made a good choice, we scheduled a Puppy Preschool class for early January. I talked with Tracy one other time before Puppy Preschool to help her shop for the appropriate toys and the like, but then didn't see her again until January.

When it came time for Puppy Preschool, I must admit that I wasn't sure 9-year-old Megan was going to be up to the task of training little Cody once he reached the appropriate age. Granted she was full of questions and seemed very intent on absorbing all the information I was dishing out. But she was also a normal, beautiful 9-year-old, with her own interests and school and the like. I wasn't going to hold my breath. I talked with Tracy and made it clear that there were some aspects of the training that she was going to need to oversee. She agreed and we kept the training program scheduled.

When training with Cody began I realized that there were a lot of things that had been done right in my absence, and a few things that could have been done differently. Cody was a handful the first few lessons, and I still had my doubts. But there was definitely something there between Megan and Cody. It became very obvious very quickly that Megan loved Cody and Cody desperately loved Megan. Tracy was soon having to take very little part in the training sessions (except to watch and learn, and reword some of the things I said as only a mom can), and Cody was quickly working better for Megan than me. Now I consider Megan my star pupil and Cody is doing very well. I think Megan would admit that she put a lot of effort into his training and had to overcome a few fears along the way, but she and Cody came out no worse for wear.

Since Megan Micheletti and Cody, I've had another client (a young lady under ten) do exceptionally well with her dog, and I see no reason for the trend to stop. Megan has single-handedly changed my opinion on short folks training dogs. My training philosophy for the dogs has always been to tailor the program to the individual dog. Now I realize that kids and dogs can work very well together as long as I also tailor the program to the individual kid.

Children can work very well with dogs indeed. However, I still feel very strongly that parents need to take responsibility for the training in the beginning. As the parents feel the child is responsible and willing enough to take part in, or even control the training then the roles can gradually reverse. Parents should also keep in mind the type of dog they are considering, and never leave a toddler or baby near a dog without adult supervision.

When purchasing a dog for your child, it may be helpful to first consult a reputable trainer and breeders in your area to determine what type of dog will live best with you. I strongly recommend training to stop any of the dog's bad behaviors from instilling fear in your child. Don't expect that the relationship will always be perfect. There will probably be times when you as parents will garner much of the responsibility for the dog, during everyday life and activities and certainly financially. By making wise choices and being realistic from the outset you can create a beautiful friendship that will last a lifetime.

Many thanks to Tracy, Ray, Megan, Mackenzie (blowfish), and Cody Micheletti for the photographs, the fun, and the lesson learned.

Feel free to e-mail me with any questions or comments about kids and dogs.