Would you trust your dog to babysit your 10-12 year old children?

Question

I am asking this because I have on occasion left my sister in the care of my dogs while running to the store.. She was already old enough to do stuff on her own and stay by herself for a few minutes but I felt far safer leaving her with my dogs than alone.. Do you feel the same? Do you trust your dogs that much to leave them alone with a young person? I know I do.. and I felt that my dogs would protect her in case of emergency far better than even I could. By the way my dogs are well trained and were raised with my sister around and they love her just as they do me. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she could do anything to those dogs and they would not hurt her.. do you trust your dogs like that or do you secretly doubt them? Would you put the life of your loved ones in the paws of your dog, or would you be worried the dog would hurt your loved one rather than protect them?

Yes my sister knows what to do in case of all emergencies like fire etc and I went over it with her before every time leaving her alone.. we had a drill if anything went wrong in the house like a fire she was to go outside in the fenced in yard with the dogs and leave the door open for the cats to get out. She was not to answer the door or the phone and I was only going to the store around the corner 5 mintues there and back. I am only asking if you really trust the training you have given your dogs.. it isnt about the dogs as much as its about trusting your skills as a dog trainer and trusting that what you have taught your dogs makes them trustworthy. I know my dogs would protect against an intruder my male is super defensive against strangers he wont let them near me or anyone else he loves for that matter until they prove their intent.

Geez I am not saying leave a dog with a toddler! What I am saying is a kid that is already old enough to be by themselves for a few minutes or an hour.. would you rather leave them completely alone or with a dog by their side??

Answer 1

I don't think it's a matter of trusting the dogs to look after her. You have to be able to trust that your sister is mature enough to handle emergency situations when home alone. Yes, the dogs may protect her in the event of a break-in or something similar, but will your sister know what to do other then hide behind the dogs?

I know that if my son were home alone my dogs would protect him from any intruders, but I also know that my son knows exactly what to do in case of a fire, a break-in, an injury, or anything else.

It really isn't about the dogs, they're just a bonus when children are left home alone.

Answer 2

I would totally trust my dogs around kids that I knew, but not around kids that I didn't know. I'm not worried about the dogs misbehaving, but I'd have concerns about the kids behavior.

However, I would not consider the dogs a "babysitter" under any circumstances. They can't phone anyone in an emergency, and don't have powers of higher thought to work out complicated situations. As for intruders, one of my dogs would bark and possibly bite if she felt she or someone she loved was threatened, the other would happily lead her new friend to all the valuables in the house in exchange for a treat.

Bottom line, dogs aren't babysitters, but if I was leaving a 10-12 year old alone at the house for a few minutes I'd feel better leaving her with the dogs than without.

Answer 3

Ok, repeat after me "my dog is not a human in a fur coat, nor is a dog a babysitter on all fours".

Dogs are and will always be dogs and as such can never and should never be "trusted" to be anything but dogs. What would the dog do locked in your home if the child was sick or the house caught fire? Can the dog use the phone to call for help?

I have a service dog who has been training since he was 6 months old. He outsmarts me sometimes, he can press a button to call 911 in an emergency and can drag me off a road when fall. He is trained to be friendly and was picked because of exceeding intelligence, trainability and stability. He can unlock the front door and go for help. He can get food for me.

But still I only trust him to be a dog. My friends bring their children over and he is leashed and sits next to me and the children are monitored by me and their parents to ensure their behavior. I have seen these highly trained dogs bite when provoked by irresponsible behavior and this foolish notion of trust.

I have seen seemingly intelligent people behave horribly and to be honest if they did it to me I would bite them. Consider how unreliable children are when their intention are good. This is why we leash our dogs in public. Even if you trust your dog if you are not there to intervene if something goes wrong then what. What if the child allows a friend or neighbor into the home? This is just about responsibility. How many owners of dog who bite say they never thought their dog would ever hurt someone?

Answer 4

i agree with most people here. Dogs are not babysitters but a 12 year old can take care of theirselves. As long as they have been taught what to do in different situations then they will be ok. my mom started leaving me alone for a few hours a day while she worked when i was 7. I knew to come in, lock the door, not to answer for no one, dont tell anyone my mom wasnt there, all the good things people teach their kids. But I think my mom felt safer knowing we had our dog at home with me. I would trust my dog to be alone with any older children but not with small kids. they tend to be too mean to dogs.

Answer 5

At 11 and 12 yr old, I was often left alone to care for my newborn twin sisters, and I would babysit for the woman across the street. A responsible 10-12 yr old can watch out for themselves. They just need to know not to open the door to strangers, etc. I don't have any kids left at hokme, but I wouldn't leave my chihuahuas and children alone together because of the safety of the chihuahuas.

Answer 6

My dogs stay home all the time, everybody in my family (Well, my brother is 10 so almost) is old enough to take care of themselves, we all know what to do in case of fire but I do think that the dogs would help the children out alot if somebody tried to break in. I really don't think anybody would though, we have 3 pitbulls and an alarm system, but just in case.

Answer 7

I would not worry about my family members getting hurt, but I would doubt guarding ability with some dogs. People should not assume that a dog is going to lay down it's life to protect home and family. Many people are shocked to find out that the family pet allowed a burglar in the house and sat quietly by while they cleaned the house out. I feel that dogs (pets of all kinds really) are capable of great and heroic deeds. Just don't assume that they will come through how you think they should. People sometimes don't even come through how they should.

Answer 8

Dogs will do almost anything for their humans if they are treated right, and it looks like your dog is treated very well.
It is true that in case of an emergency an dog would be willing to attack somebody who tried to hurt his master or rescue somebody.
If your sister is 10-12 years old she can take care of herself pretty well, so there isn't too much to worry about. Leaving her with a dog is safer than by herself, that's true.
The bottom line is she will be safe if she is reasonably independant and she has a dog by her side. Just keep a cell phone with you so that she can call you if she needs you and she should be fine.

Answer 9

No but I wouldn't trust it the other way around either(let a 10-12 year old to babysit my dogs).There is things you can trust your dog with and things you can't.Leaving a small child with them isn't one of them.The dog might protect her if strangers got in the house or maybe in the case of fire(pull her outside) but wouldn't be able to save her if she spilled some chemical on her,or if she cut or burnt herself with something or hurt herself with something.They would also not be able to keep her from leaving the house so it's a bad idea...and I would never trust animals with my small children or siblings even if I thought they were the best pets in the world...it's just not responsible.

Answer 10

I trust the dog...just not the children, but then again she was old enough.
for an emergency run to the store I guess it's ok.
But I don't think you should make a habit of it.