Kids and a Puppy: Setting Rules Early

Baht is four months old, a mixed-breed puppy with floppy ears and no sense of personal space. Our kids, aged six and nine, were thrilled, and that is where the trouble started.

Within the first week we had rules: nobody carries him around like a backpack, feeding happens only at set times, and you always ask before waking him from a nap. I wrote them on the fridge. Baht cannot read, but the kids can, and that turned out to be exactly what we needed.