pet dog for the family

Since your kids are 11 and 12 years old, perhaps you could ask why they're afraid of them then try to handle it from there? It's usually linked to a previous experience - I'm personally scared of dogs because I had two encounters where dogs just chased after me and tried to bite me, but I would also like to have a pet dog someday (although I'm not sure whether I'd be allergic to their fur). Give them the exposure at pet shelters, volunteering or helping out with a friend's pet - please don't buy/adopt one back home without telling them. While it could be a good experience, it may also scare them even more and you would have to give the dog away because of that - it's not fair for the dog to be treated that way. If your main goal is to teach them about responsibility and love, there are many ways to do so - not just by having a pet dog at home. You can consider other animals, or even just regular volunteering is good enough! Also consider about the life changes that your kids may be going through, would they be transitioning to a next grade? Will they have extra-curricular activities to commit to? You have to greatly consider everything because the last thing you'd want is to be unable to take care of it because of financial or time constraints (it's not cheap for the vaccinations, checkups, food, grooming etc).

Here are two great articles with some useful tips you can try: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-stiffelman/8-tips-for-helping-kids-g_b_6102352.html http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/features/helping-your-child-overcome-a-fear-of-dogs?page=2 Thought you could start with first letting your children observe the dogs from somewhere they feel safe and in control. Go to a park in the evening or a pet shop. Explain to them that the dogs are also afraid of them. When they seemed more comfortable or tolerating of having dogs around the area, see if you have any friends with adult dogs (not puppies) whom you can bring your children over for a visit. Teach your children how to approach and “introduce” themselves to the dog. Let your children interact and play with your friend’s dog if they are ready. If you think they are still not ready to have a dog as a pet, try bringing them to volunteer at shelters. Or if they really can’t get over their fears, perhaps you can consider other pets like hamsters or rabbits. Good luck!

Sometimes, the fear of the unknown contributes to out biggest fears. It might not be a bad idea to expose them to friendly, innocuous, and harmless dogs (not puppies) first. They may be afraid because they have little to no experience with the positive sides of owning a dog. When exposing your kids to dogs, make sure you take it one step at a time. Start small and work your way up. Maybe introduce them first, then move on to petting. Then, so on and so forth. Make sure your kids know the etiquette of being around dogs. As kind and cute dogs are, they are still dangerous to some capacity. Make sure your kids aren't being rough or provoking the dogs. After all, dogs are afraid of us as well sometimes. http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/features/helping-your-child-overcome-a-fear-of-dogs

Fear of dogs usually comes from a previous experience --- might be good to talk to them to ask why they are afraid. They may have had an incident where a dog chased them while playing outside or heard a similar scary story from a friend. Based on why they are afraid, you can come up with a solution! Like bringing them to a petting zoo or exposing them to movies with the dogs as heroes.

I think you should just buy a puppy without telling your kids haha. NOBODY can resist an adorable face which screams "pet me". As puppies are young, timid and generally shy when you first get it, I think your kids will be less afraid and they'll want to care more for the it. As time goes by, I think their fear of dogs will probably fade away.

Please don't buy unless you know for sure your sons will be okay with them. The last thing you want to do is give the dog away because it's a mismatch for your family. I suggest volunteering at a pet shelter first with your boys. If they bond with a dog there, then adopt it. And yes, adopt, don't ever buy.

puppy's are great as they will be playful and friendly.maybe supervise them while petting. i did that to my niece who was 1years old. i pet the cat and slowly bring her hand in and pet it together.

we got a labrador for our 3 year old son. our dog Manis practically grew up w our son. a labrador is the best dog ever for any child to grow up with ❤

Introduce your kids to friends who have dogs, especially small and friendly dogs like silky terriers

Ask them what they are afraid of and calm them