# New puppy and children!



## Very muddy (Jun 8, 2012)

Hi there. We bring our new puppy home next week and I am starting to get quite nervous in case we do something terrible and make a huge mistake!! 

Anyway, I have two children (11 and 8) who are very enthusiastic about becoming puppy owners. I just wondered if anyone had any tips for raising calm and happy puppies with very enthusiastic and active children. 

Any tips would be very welcome.

Many thanks.


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## RubyCockapoo (Feb 5, 2011)

Hi and welcome

My advice would be to get signed up for a local obedience class for when the little one is old enough (they fill up fast) and take one or both of the kids with you, they generally arer very good at carrying the training on outside of 'classes' where we adults perhaps don't dedicate the same level of attention.

Once the kids learn how to clicker train (or similar) then you'll find the pup will come on in leaps and bounds! Sit, stay, high five, shake hands, etc (walking close too, everything)

Good luck

Ian


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## kat (Jun 23, 2012)

im nervous also, bring our pup home in 2 weeks, i have a 5 yr old and a crawling 9 month old !! can i still hope for a quite and calm pup/adult dog lol


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## wellerfeller (Jul 12, 2011)

Best bit of advice I would give would be to have a crate. I found it invaluable when puppy/ kids/ me or all of the above needed some time out.
Puppies need a lot of sleep and can get very bitey if they are tired but still playing and chasing around. It is a sanity saver when the puppy and young kids are not actually listening to you! 
I could not have done with out it as I too had a 4 year old, who was terrified of dogs and a 1 year old crawler when we got our dog. It was very stressful at times but now they are all the best of buddies and a real joy to watch them be around each other and interact. Our Children are growing up with our dog and it's a wonderful experience for all of us.


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## S.Claire (Sep 1, 2011)

It will be absolutely fine. Crate and obedience training early on is very good advice.
Also getting your children involved as much as possible. E.g. training and giving food etc. The pup must learn that he is bottom of the pack. I do not have children myself (not yet) but have lots of friends who do who are regulars at mine.
The key with their little ones (2+) was to make sure Nacho knew he must sit and not jump at their faces etc - they do like little humans! All puppies are biters too so just let the children know it is a phase. The best way I dealt with the bitey stage was to have a 'time out' room and shout very loudly when he did bite me or my clothes. Some people yelp, I shouted 'NO' to startle him out of it! It took a while but it works 

Good luck - you will have so much fun! Keep us updated xx


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## SPCnut (Apr 25, 2012)

My girls are 10 and 8 and we brought Daisy home in April. We have had a great transition except for the fact that the 8yo is deathly afraid of any living creature that has 4+ legs. She wanted a puppy just as bad as the 10yo, but has had a harder time getting used to her. The nipping is what scares her. Now that Daisy is older and much calmer, the 8yo will walk on the same carpet as her and hold/pet her. Daisy also knows that she is scared of her and treats her way different than us other 3. 

You will do fine. Enjoy


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## Jedicrazy (Apr 26, 2011)

Hi, don't worry you will be fine but prepare yourself for hard work for the first few weeks. Remember what it's like with a newborn? Well a puppy is similar. As already advised get them really involved in the training and establish some ground rules for your house that you want the kids to follow. The kids will need to understand that have to give the puppy some space and rest. 

Puppy will change from a snuggly/sleepy puppy to a sometimes crazy mad thing that wants to snap and play with your legs/fingers/toes! This is a normal development phase and you will get through it with good training for the dog and your children. When Puppy gets bitey teach them to turn their back, yelp loudly and lift flappy hands up in the air. If this doesn't work then time out in the crate or a separate room to calm things down. Play games where the kids give then take toys away so avoid possession guarding and allow them to give the food. 

Your children are bit older than mine were when our puppy first came home so should be ok. Good luck and enjoy your new addition.


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## Hfd (Aug 19, 2011)

Hi there, 
We brought Billy home last August and he is nearly 1 year old. Our daughters are also 11 and 8 and we got them involved from the first day. We took them one at a time to puppy class, had them help with feeding, walking, bathing etc, they also joined in lots of puppy play. 
The biting stage was a bit hard at first but we encouraged them to say 'NO', turn their backs, stop play. We also used time out in the downstairs cloak (dog not kids!). 
It is important to set boundaries for your puppy and get the kids to stick to it - eg rules on feeding from table, jumping on sofas / beds. 
Ours has been a great experience and we seem to have loads more quality family time together along with extra fresh air and exercise!
Good luck
H x


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## Scarlett (Dec 15, 2011)

I don't really have advice for you, just a couple of comments  I agree with the above poster about having a crate. We crate trained Scarlett and it worked really well when she got a bit too excited and needed to calm down. For my second comment, I know that all cockapoos are different, but Scarlett is fantastic with kids. We have taken her to a lot of different places to interact with many people. I have also been taking her to my moms in-home daycare ever since we brought her home, so she has had lots of experience playing with children, and she is wonderful with them.


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## designsbyisis (Dec 27, 2011)

I've got 3 boys (5,7 and 11)
Its been busy but well worth it now Dexter is settled 
I agree totally with the crate.
Also maybe organise yourself a puppy proof (if there is such a thing) room with a child gate on so that pup will have freedom but also separate from the children. 
I also took my elder two to training which helped. Middle son does training each morning for 5 minutes before school for me. 
They must be prepared for the fact that pup will nip & bite & jump. Give them rules on how to deal with it. Get them involved in feeding regime too.

Have fun x


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## Very muddy (Jun 8, 2012)

Thank you so much for your helpful comments. We've had Monty (11 weeks) for a week now and are getting a handle on it all! What a steep learning curve but so worth it - we are so pleased with him and he is much loved. I just want to ensure that he is a calm happy dog, not a stroppy snappy one but I know a lot of that comes down to hard work on our part.

We are finding the mouthing and biting is the biggest challenge at the moment but I hadn't thought this might be down to tiredness on his part. He tends to get over excited and then any fingers or toes close by can expect a munching. I was playing with him this afternoon before the kids came home and he was very happily playing and then ran at me full pelt down the garden and wrapped his teeth round my ankle. I wasn't impressed. 

We've sort of crate trained him (!) meaning he is crated overnight and when we go out. Otherwise we have a gate on the kitchen door so he has the kitchen to mooch about in and the back door into the garden is open a lot so he pops in and out. Do you think it should be a bit more structured? He seems quite relaxed and laid back .. When he's not trying to bite us!!! 

Thank you for your help. X


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## SPCnut (Apr 25, 2012)

Sounds like things are going well. Daisy is nearly 21 weeks old and just starting to settle down on the biting and nipping. It does taking time. Hang in there


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## S.Claire (Sep 1, 2011)

Very muddy said:


> Thank you so much for your helpful comments. We've had Monty (11 weeks) for a week now and are getting a handle on it all! What a steep learning curve but so worth it - we are so pleased with him and he is much loved. I just want to ensure that he is a calm happy dog, not a stroppy snappy one but I know a lot of that comes down to hard work on our part.
> 
> We are finding the mouthing and biting is the biggest challenge at the moment but I hadn't thought this might be down to tiredness on his part. He tends to get over excited and then any fingers or toes close by can expect a munching. I was playing with him this afternoon before the kids came home and he was very happily playing and then ran at me full pelt down the garden and wrapped his teeth round my ankle. I wasn't impressed.
> 
> ...



Sounds like you are doing everything perfectly! It's great that you have a bit more space for him in your kitchen to roam around!  Keep up the hard work. xx


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