4 and Above
Little Paws: Cousin Dog or Wild Dog?

In the story, Little Paws finds himself getting angry because he was teased by Duck. From this situation they all learn how to treat others around you with respect.

Aims of this story

In this activity you will look at differences, and how it is difficult to tell what a person, or animal, is thinking just by looking at them.

Have a chat with your child to see if they have any questions or concerns.

Key Messages

  • We need to treat dogs, and any animal, with respect.
  • We should never just grab an animal. It’s not fair on them and they may get upset, which could be dangerous for you.
  • Not all animals are the same. Just because YOUR dog is nice does not mean that all dogs are nice and we need to remember that – don’t think that all animals are the same, they are all different.
  • If a dog is growling, it's means it’s not happy, so stay away from it and then go and tell an adult who you trust straight away.
  • Always tell an adult you know you can trust if you are worried or scared about anything, especially around animals.
  • Having skills needed to deal with difficult situations can help to keep us safe.
  • We should try our best to help keep ourselves, and those we care about, safe.

Even though we might have some similarities (like being a boy, girl or having the same skin colour) does that mean we are exactly alike?

Show your child the ‘My favourites sheet’ and ask them to think of their answers to the 5 questions, you can also do this activity! Now you can compare your answers together.

Activity: My favourites

Do you see how each answer is similar or different? This is because each person is different and has their own favourite things.

Ask your child:

  • Do all animals look and behave the same?
  • Can you tell me about any different sorts of dogs you might have seen?
  • Do all those dogs act in the same way?

Explain to your child:

So, do you think all dogs are the same? I think we can agree they are definitely not! They, just like humans, have different moods, and if we are unlucky and catch a dog in a bad mood it can be dangerous for us.

We are now going to play a little game to see how we can best act around dogs. This information can help to keep us safe, but it is also about being fair to the dog. A dog deserves to be treated with kindness and respect, that way it should be happy and healthy, and we should be safe around it.

Show your child the ‘Dog Safety Activity Sheet’ and ask them to point out the answer they think is correct. You can compare their answers with the ‘Dog Safety Answer Sheet’.

Activity: Staying safe around dogs QUIZ

Answers: Staying safe around dogs QUIZ

Ask your child:

  • How do we respect each other?
  • What are some of the ways we can show a person how much we respect them?

If your child is struggling, use the examples below to aid them.

Some examples:

  • Being kind.
  • Being friendly.
  • By not being a bully.
  • Not asking someone to do something they don’t want to do.

Little Paws: Cousin Dog or Wild Dog Story Quiz

Take our quiz to see what you have learnt from this story!

Togetherness. Talking. Having Fun.