Your children should also be included when you visit shelters. They will enjoy meeting the different dogs as you make the difficult choice of selecting the right pet for your family. It's also a great way to see how the dog reacts to kids and to help ensure that you come home with a family-friendly pet who will fit in well.

In any household where dogs and children are being raised together, it's important to institute ground rules right away, teaching youngsters to respect their furry companion. Undoubtedly the best way to introduce good habits is for parents to teach by example.

It's a good idea to make toddlers and small children sit on the floor if they want to hold or play with their new friend. They should not be allowed to pick up the animal or attempt to carry it around. It's also a good time to make sure they understand not to pull on the puppy's ears or tail. If your children have friends who come to play, they need to be taught rules about how to behave with your new puppy, too.

Even young children should be allowed to get involved with their pet's daily routine. It teaches them the responsibilities of pet ownership. Allow them to monitor the puppy's water and food bowl and report back to you if they are empty. By the time your kids are about 7 years old, they will be ready to take on the job of keeping the food and water bowls replenished. Be sure to teach your child how to measure the food so that the pet does not get overfed.

Children will also enjoy getting involved in the grooming routine. It's a good idea to teach kids about the different grooming brushes and combs, but to leave the actual handling of the tools to an adult. Older kids and teens can be taught to groom the pet properly; younger kids can learn how to brush gently once the proper grooming has been completed.

It's very important to teach kids to leave the puppy's toys alone and to never tease their pet and pry a toy away. By the same token, your pet must also be taught which toys are not his to play with.

Everyone in the household needs to be aware of the dangers of leaving small plastic toys and other items lying around the house, because chewing on and ingesting them can be fatal to your pet.

Because dogs are such social and friendly creatures, they will enjoy being included in family outings, as well as being taken to special doggie events. Depending upon your pup's breed, he may enjoy dog agility activities, canine freestyle dancing and other fun canine sports. Such events are great activities for kids to participate in. In fact, they are fun for the entire family.