How to discipline a 2yr old for animal cruelty?

Question

First of all I don't have kids but I was wondering what's the effective way to discipline a 2 1/2yr old child when she hits kicks strangles her dog and cat?

And spanking doesn't work let's say and she/he keeps doing it?

I'm just wondering how parents teach their kids that animal cruelty is wrong and to teach them to respect animals.

Answer 1

A 2/12 year old does not necessarily understand the concept of how hard or rough they are with an animal. If they are too rough, the animal needs to be separated from the child. Start out with a stuffed animal and pet it gently and let the child model what you are doing. Talk to the child about how nice they are petting the stuffed toy. If they start to hurt the toy, cry like a child and explain that it hurts the dog/cat when they do this. When they begin to understand this concept, introduce the real animal for short periods of time to the child while supervised. Never leave a small child alone with an animal. An animal that is normally gentle will still bite if they feel threatened. It is up to the adult in this situation to keep everyone safe. Do not assume the child gets it, empathy is learned between 3-4.
Hope this helps!

Answer 2

I would be extremely worried if my 2 year old strangled a dog or cat. You can explain that gives them an owee and that is not nice. But if the behavior continues I think we are heading to the developmental pschologist to see what can be done about the situation and if there is a concern.

I would also keep the child away from any pets or animals until I was sure he/she would not hurt an animal. Teaching a child to be nice to pets is easy and can be done early. Pet the doggy softly and that sort of thing, but severe behavior like your describing would really worry me.

Toddlers should never be left alone with pets anyway.

Answer 3

We have worked with our kids from the time they first took notice of a furry animal around. We have 3 cats and all our extended family members have dogs. Teaching them very early to pet nice and not hit or pull or whatever is key. But that still isn't always enough. Even a young child who is taught this will test their limits at times.

Within reason we allow natural consequences. For example, if our toddler goes over to pet one of our cats and is doing great for a bit and then suddenly pulls its tail then the cat is going to bite or scratch to get away...or hiss and run away. A hiss alone scares our toddler. If bitten or scratched, we go and clean it off right away and then while comforting we also talk about how we have to pet nice so the cat doesn't hurt her. Usually we can go about 2 weeks before she tries it again. But that's what little ones do...they test those waters over and over. Our older daughter did this off and on til she was 4. She's wonderful with the cats now.

Now with dogs it's a bit different. Our cats hiss, scratch or bite and then go and sulk in hiding spot for a few hours. Dogs, even the most loving ones, just don't always do that. So we have made it a rule to always have at least 1 adult in the room where there is a dog and a child. We pay attention to the dogs moods and if the dog looks like its going to snap (as in show teeth but not biting) then the dog gets locked up in a separate room for a bit. Luckily this isn't that often. Most of the dogs are lickers and it drives the toddler nuts and so she knows other than a quick if she doesn't want to be slobbered on then she better stay away from the dogs. LOL!

Once our older daughter turned 3 we started giving her time outs any time she hurt the cats or one of the dogs. So she got her natural consequence plus the time out. And she was one that would occasionally try and sit on the cats. For that my husband felt an immediate swat was called for. For her it was. She wouldn't try it again for another month or so because even the lightest swat hurt her feelings.

Another help for us is modeling good behavior with the animals. If the kids see us petting nice, hugging them, treating them gently then they will want to do that as well for the most part. So even when one of our cats sticks his claws into me and draws blood cause he's hungry and I'm reading my latest book, then I've got to resist the urge to toss his feline butt across the room. LOL!

Hope this helps!

Answer 4

2yr olds have no idea of things like mortality and don't understand that they are capable of actually hurting something. Hurting an animal doesn't make them cruel or evil and they should certainly never be spanked for that. The proper way to TEACH them is to grab their hand and tell them no, tell him/her that gave the kitty an ouch and to love the doggie or kitty and pet the animal with their hand, very gently. Make sure from that point on, the child isn't left alone with the animal but be sure to call the pet over several times throughout the day and sit on the ground with the toddler. Show him/her how we love the pet and give it kisses, etc. When he or she does pet the animal correctly, give lots of praises.

Answer 5

Do not spank, that teaches hitting. Keep the child away from the pet unless supervised. For both of their safety. Show by your own actions how to treat a pet. Always be loving and gentle with the pet. Take the child's hand and show the child how to pet nicely. Over time the child will learn. Two is still very nuch a baby. They are at the me stage still.

Answer 6

Find the animal a new home, because teaching children kindness takes a long time and you're risking some serious bites if they stay together.

Then, take your child to a behavioral screening. Animal cruelty is indicative of several troublesome things, and you should be sure the child is neurotypical - that is, capable of understanding you at the level you're talking to. Once you're sure of that, you can buy the child a houseplant or a bowl of goldfish.

I'd suggest the houseplant. Make it her plant. Tell her it needs her to be nice, and to remember water.

Answer 7

You can't teach that to a 2-year-old. If "no, no!" Doesn't work, keep the child away from animals.
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Answer 8

Don't let her anywhere near the pets until she realized it hurts them... if you don't not only will the pet be hurt but it will feel abused and strike back and hurt the child very bad. its a safety issue for both.