Memolines ~ Fear →familiarity → command: my little girl growing up with her big dog
Though it takes time and patience, seeing the pride on her face when a much larger animal follows her orders is priceless.
We once had a German Shepherd who later passed away from illness. Before my daughter was born, I often thought about how to let her grow up with a large dog. I believed this would help build her confidence, based on my own experience.
We already had a small dog at home, but small dogs are easy to manage – if they misbehave, you can simply pick them up. A German Shepherd is completely different. At 60 - 80 pounds, you can't just pick it up when it misbehaves – you need to train it properly.
There was a time when I didn't know how to properly interact with our large dog. The dog would lead me instead of me leading it. Later, as we learned better training methods and established clear boundaries, our relationship with the dog gradually improved. I wanted to give my daughter this same valuable experience.
About two months before my baby was born, I came across an adoption listing for a female German Shepherd and decisively brought her home.
As a newborn, my daughter showed no reaction to either of our dogs. Around her first birthday, she began to recognize these creatures and started feeding them treats.
After she learned to walk, she began to fear the large dog. She didn't mind the small dog because of its size, but the German Shepherd was much bigger than her, and she would cry whenever it bumped into her. I taught her to tell the dog "no" and "sit."
After turning two, my daughter started interacting more with the dogs and began acting like a little owner, loudly telling the dog to "move" and giving other commands. Though her words weren't clear and neither dogs really listened to her, what mattered was that she was no longer afraid of them.
This reminds me of the term "acclimatization" from hiking – getting used to a new environment over time. I think my daughter was slowly getting comfortable with the dogs and learning how to handle both the small and large ones.
Recently, she's enjoyed putting the large dog in its crate and letting it out. She also started paying attention to the small dog's eating habits. The small dog is somewhat picky, and my daughter will watch to make sure it eats, sometimes hand-feeding it or placing food on the ground to encourage it.
I've found many similarities between raising kids and training dogs. The most important is setting clear boundaries. Dogs and children are alike – if you let them take charge completely, it's like running a meeting without any control. The result is often a mess.
While kids and dogs need some freedom, as parents or dog owners, we still need to guide them. Kids can make some choices on their own, but parents must know when to say "no" and when to step in. This creates a good balance between freedom and needed guidance.
Watching my daughter go from fearing the big dog to bossing it around, I think my decision to have her grow up with a large dog was right. Though it takes time and patience, seeing the pride on her face when a much larger animal follows her orders is priceless. This experience will help build her confidence and help her face other challenges as she grows up.