This is from a post by DogTv.com as I was their guest writer for the June 13, 2017 post by them.
Here is the link:  http://blog.dogtv.com/?p=2208

JUNE 13, 2017 IN FROM THE ALPHA DOGS
BY RON LEVI
0 COMMENTS Hi Humans, 
I hope your’e all pawesome.
Today’s guest writer is Heather Szasz, Founder of www.mypuppybox.com. “My Puppy Box” along with a version about Dog Rescues called “My Puppy Rescue Box”, are fun educational boxes for children to learn how to be safe around dogs, care and being responsible for a dog.












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Confidence.
Children who have poor social skills, learn how to have impulse control. Improve their self-esteem by the child talking to and confiding in the dog. Remember a dog is a source of unconditional love and never judges.



​Younger Readers
Children who are having difficulty reading, will read to a dog, rather than a person. Many schools have therapy dogs, to have one on one sessions with children who will be more relaxed and open to reading now with a dog.




​Exercise
With computer games, etc. We live in a world that children want to spend more time sitting than exercising. Studies have shown that children with dogs, run and play and go for walks, gaining health benefits, while having fun.
Families
We live such busy schedules, with work, extra school/sports activities. The dog becomes the bond between the siblings and with the parents of the family. When playing with a dog, walking the dog together, everyone forgets the hectic life, relax and are just being with each other. This may help lower blood pressure.




Healthier Children
Now studies have found that children with dogs are 50% less likely to develop allergies and asthma than those who grow up without a dog.
Stress Hormones of an autistic child are dramatically reduced when living with a trained service dog. This creates a drop-in behavior problems.
Even babies who live with a dog, have a chance of avoiding respiratory illnesses and infections.
Cuddling a dog reduces stress, loneliness and anxiety.


Being A Caregiver
Children learn how to care for the dog through feeding, providing water, brushing the dog. As boys growing up do not play like girls with taking care of dolls, they do not know how to practice being a care giver. With a dog in the house, they now have that opportunity.


Responsibility
With parents teaching their children the responsibilities of dog ownership gradually as the child gets older. They are teaching the children the importance of the responsibilities, patience and work. Tools that are so important in life.


This information tells how important it is in many ways for children and dogs to live together. There is one component that is valuable for all the above, Education for the parents and the children.


Education for a Successful Child and Dog Relationship
We spoke about the benefits before and how important they are to the child and one bite will have a child’s view of a dog be so different. They can be scared around all dogs, never have the opportunity again to have a pet in their life. Loose the dog they loved because now it is taken away from the family. Blame themselves for the dog going away.
In this country each year, 77% of children between the ages of 5-10 are bitten each year. These bites are by dogs they know, yes even their family dog.
To prevent this happening both the parents and the children need to have the education to understand a dog’s body language. Teach the children how to respect a dog.  While there are many videos on this subject, a company called My Puppy Box LLC has created a box with all the information for the children and family to be successful in raising their dog. Together through fun interactive books, the family can learn how to be the best care givers for their dogs. www.mypuppybox.com

Why are so many children being bitten by dogs they know? The parents do not have the knowledge, so the children have no education on what is right and wrong with their interactions with dogs. That is why I created My Puppy Box.  Lets create this nation of learning what works for their best friend, their faithful companion. 
​www.mypuppybox.com

Dr. Wagner says she's been on an amazing journey and it has definitely changed the way she practices veterinary medicine.
"I've been doing energy medicine now for 20 years," she says. "Something I noticed along the way really brought me to understand the energetics of the human-animal bond.
We know the bond is emotional. We get that. Everybody gets that in our profession, anybody that loves a pet. But I came to see that there's an energy. There's an interspecies healing that goes on. When I first noticed it, I thought 'Okay. This is too crazy, even for me.' Then I thought, 'What is the basis of science?' It's observation.
You can't turn away from things. You have to sit and look at them, then you develop your hypothesis, then you test it. But the basis, the foundation, is observation. I started observing. What I saw over all these years is that our pets reflect us. It's not that we make them sick. There's nothing wrong.
But it's a journey we're walking together. Sometimes the connection is literal, for example, both the person and the pet have heart disease. Or it can be metaphorical. If a pet has a behavior problem, I'll ask the client 'In what way is your pet's problem like you? What can you learn from your pet?'
If we can learn that connection and help ourselves to heal, it shifts the energy for the pet. It's profound. We still have to do all the right things on the physical plane, nutrition and so forth. But where I see healing happen is when the human understands what to learn from their pet."

Dogs live in the world of positive and negative energy.  We as their owners, impact them 24/7. When we are happy, they love all over us. When we are sad, they are there by our side. When we are angry, they walk away from us.
As a dog trainer and life coach, I have noticed that the dogs also take on our issues. What do I mean by that? A couple one day, I worked with, whose lab was cautious around people but loved dogs. The owner had taken her to work with him for months as a puppy and noticed that it took her weeks to warm up to his work colleagues. I asked him, how are you with people, he replied, cautious. He had been training his dog through his own issues of trusting people.
Separation Anxiety is very common in dogs. Working with a client whose dog suffered with this, she realized as we kept talking, that she still had an issue with being a child and her parents leaving her. Now her dog was mirroring this issue.
Another lady whose dog would snap in fear if she was feeling trapped. Yes, you guessed it, she herself feels trapped with certain people and situations in her life and she snaps at people when she feels this way.
Remember where you put your negative energy, is where the dog is going to mirror. I had a client, whose dog would pee in her husband’s office, chew on his chair. She could not understand why. After working with her for about an hour, I asked her, how is your relationship with your husband. She replies, I want a divorce. So the dog is being negative with anything her husband has, because she is.
Dogs come into our life to heal us of what we are not willing to heal ourselves of. Quote by Kevin Behan, author of the book, Your Dog Is Your Mirror.
I hear people saying, the dog chose me. I said this, with Pebbles my Pitbull. I was volunteering at the shelter and busy walking dogs. Twice I walked past the kennel where she was and she was sitting so square, just looking at me, every time I went past. It prompted me to take her out and I knew I needed to adopt her. She was 7 months old with bad kennel cough. She joined my pack of 3 dogs and little did I know she was going to mirror my fear of trust with myself and others around me. She was with me for 6 years and suddenly 3 weeks ago, became ill and in 24 hours, had passed away. She is my angel on letting me see how to trust and for this, my life is so richer.
Do you have a dog, who is mirroring you? Release them and yourself by letting go of the issue.  We can make more impact on the health and wellbeing of our dog, than we realize.  

 I believe that walking with your dog is team work. That you are on the walk together for exercise and stimulation. We check out the cars going by, look at peoples yards, what people have done to the houses etc. Dogs are checking out what dogs live in the neighborhood by smelling their scent, what wildlife was here last night, listen to the dogs barking in the area, what the barking means etc.
​So first, not being on the phone when walking with your dog. Enjoy the experiences together. Be a team. 

Yesterday, within 24 hours of showing signs of not feeling well. Pebbles went to the rainbow bridge. So sudden, such a loss. She was adopted at 7 months old from the local animal control shelter. I was volunteering that day, went past her kennel to get another dog to take out for exercise and she was sitting so nicely looking at me as I passed. Later I went to take another dog out from the back of the kennels and there she was again sitting nicely looking at me. I decided to take her out before I finished my volunteering and was taken by her personality, she was coughing with kennel cough and had been there for 3 weeks already. The following day, I adopted her, she came and joined my 3 other dogs. It wasn't until a few weeks later,  her fear aggression started to show up, this is when she taught me how to trust myself, as a person and as a dog trainer. The next 6 years, she became the best teacher I could have ever asked for. She taught me how to just relax and let the small stuff, just disappear. She taught me how to be the best I could be for everyone I came across in my life, personally and as a dog trainer. She holds a special place in my heart and always will. Pebbles you are so missed. You came into my life for a reason.     

Many people adopt another dog and open the door to their house and expect the new dog and their own dog to get along straight away. You have to take time. I say at least 7-10 days before the dogs are together off leash in the house. Sometimes longer. When I bought home Snickers home  from the shelter. She was dog no 6 coming into my house. She stayed in the guest room and only went on a walk with another dog when my husband and I could take one dog each. This way they were not close together. We also would walk each dog with Snickers in the backyard on leashes. They would sniff under the guest room door and get each others scent. I would let the other dogs in her room when she was out and I would allow her to roam the house when the other dogs were out. They would sniff through the pool screen. On day 10, I knew it was time to let her in the pack. Remember also that these are 6 female dogs and females can be more difficult to live together. 

Snickers loving the laundry basket !!