How to let the kids handle treat time at home

Kids giving dogs treats works best with a few fixed rules: an adult in the room, the dog sitting or standing still first, one small piece at a time on a flat open hand or dropped to the floor, and one spot for treat time. Older kids can take on more as the routine settles.

When is a child ready to give the dog treats?

The adult decides, and the decision is about two things: the child and the dog. There is no set age on this page, because kids and dogs differ too much for one number to be fair to both.

Look at the child first. Can they stand still for a few seconds, keep a hand open and listen to a quick instruction? A child who can do those three things is a candidate for the job. A child who wants to run, wave the piece or tease is not ready yet, and that is fine. Try again in a few weeks.

Then look at the dog. A dog that waits politely, takes food gently and settles afterward is easy to start with. A dog that lunges, grabs or gets wound up around food needs the adult to hand out the treat for now, with the child standing beside you. Nothing here is a test the child fails. It is a matter of picking the right order.

Start with one child, one dog and one piece, with you standing close.

How should a child hold out a treat?

Flat and open. Fingers together, thumb tucked alongside, palm up, with the treat sitting in the middle. The dog takes it from the palm, and the child's fingers stay out of the way.

For smaller hands, or a dog who snatches, skip the hand and drop the treat on the floor. The child holds the piece over the floor, lets go, and the dog finds it. That works for the smallest kids, for nervous kids and for fast eaters. It also keeps little fingers out of reach, and nothing needs explaining.

Show the child once with your own hand, then let them copy it. Say what you are doing in short words: "flat hand, fingers together, wait." Kids copy what they see, so it helps if every adult in the house does it the same way.

What house rules keep treat time steady?

Write them down and tape them to the fridge or the cupboard where the treats live. The same rules every time are easier for a child to follow than a talk each day.

• An adult stays in the room whenever the child gives a treat.
• One small piece at a time, and the dog finishes it before the next.
• The dog sits or stands still first, with no jumping.
• No teasing: the piece goes to the dog, not up in the air.
• Not during the dog's meals or while it is sleeping.
• Hands get washed after treat time.

On the last one, the FDA advises washing your hands after handling pet food, and that is a good habit for kids to pick up with treats too. The agency's page on raw pet food diets says so in its own words.

These are house rules, not promises about any dog. Change them to fit your family, and write down the changes.

The box is for intermittent or supplemental feeding, so the adult sets aside the day's portion and the child hands out only from that.

How can kids help with the monthly box?

Plenty, and most of it has nothing to do with the dog's mouth. Let a child open the box with you and read off what is inside. Let them reseal the open bag with a clip or a tight fold when treat time is over. Let them be the one who carries the sealed bags to the cupboard.

A chart on the fridge works well for older kids: a column for each month, a note for what the dog went for, and a sticker. The contents change by month and the photos on our page are examples, so there is always something new to write down.

The proteins to skip stay with the adults. If something needs to change, contact us and name the pet, and we update the list. Our dog box page explains how the monthly lineup works.

When should kids leave treats to an adult?

When the dog is eating, sleeping, chewing a toy or guarding something. When guests are over, since an excited dog and a new face make a muddled moment. When the child is upset, tired or rushed. And when the dog is clearly not in the mood.

In each of those cases the adult takes over the treat, and the child can still be the one who says "sit." That keeps the child in the routine while the adult handles the tricky moment.

The treats in the box are our own single ingredient treats, and some have Greek yogurt or cheddar cheese bases, which is worth knowing when the adults write the skip list. For more ideas on running a treat routine at home, see our guides.