The Difference Between Babies and Puppies

I've said it many times before, a puppy and a baby are almost the same thing, except puppies don't grow up to talk back to you. Well the rest of what I'm going to say, some people may not like, because I think parents could learn a thing or two from The Dog Whisperer, and no I'm not joking. Now before anyone calls Child Services on me, hear me out.

• Establish dominance- Now that sounds weird when you're talking about kids, but it's also incredibly necessary. If the parent does not establish dominance and control, you get the kids from those "Nanny 911" shows, and really, who wants a kid like that?
• Be consistent about the rules- I've said this one before too. If you let your dog up on the couch one time, it's going to think it's OK every other time. If there's something you don't want your child to do, don't cave in and make an exception "Just this one time" because after that, they're going to do it again and again.
• Discipline and praise- Make it a point to correct bad behavior every time, but also make sure you encourage good behavior by praising and rewarding them when they do something right. Even a simple hug or high-five can go a long way with a child.
• Exercise- As it is for a dog, so it is for my boys at least. The more they play and run around and burn off excess energy, the better behaved they are and the more eager they are to listen. Even allowing your children time to run around the living room going completely nuts can help. You don't have to go outside or take them for walks or run on a treadmill, just let them play.

I'm not saying go out and buy a crate and roll up a newspaper, but there are some similarities in the way we train our dogs and our children. Proverbs says, "Train up a child in the way he should go..." That's exactly what parents should be doing. We know how we want our dogs to act, so we train them to act that way. How do we want our kids to act, and shouldn't we be training them to be that way?

Something to think about....