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Raising puppies and kids together is one of the best things you can do for your puppy and your children. You have the opportunity to train your puppy to get along with kids and not be afraid of loud noises and sudden situations, and you also get to teach your kids how to treat an animal with love and compassion. This is important because while it’s true that dogs, especially dogs that have been trained can become valuable members of your family and give you much satisfaction through the years, it’s important to remember that a dog is really an animal. By that I mean that dogs are capable of causing harm, especially to kids who provoke them unmercifully, so dogs and kids together should be supervised.
Puppies are cute, no doubt, and small children might think they’re more like a “live” stuffed animal so it’s up to you to correct them. Try explaining to your children that puppies can be grumpy, like when they wake up from a nap, just like them and this might be one of the times they want to be left alone. Puppies just don’t want to be messed with when they’re sleeping or eating. They can’t talk, so they might growl or snap to say, “Leave me alone!”
What often happens when kids get together with a puppy is a fun game called “chase.” This is fun for a few minutes, until the puppy jumps on the kid, knocks her down, or nips on her legs. The puppy thinks he is playing with one of his siblings where nipping and jumping are the norm. The kids need to be shown how to play suitable games such as “fetch” while you’re kindly but firmly letting the puppy know what is not acceptable.
At all times it is important to be consistent with your puppy. If you allow him to play rough one time, then yell or hit him for doing the same behavior the next time, you’re going to end up with a dog with problems.
When explaining the rules involving the new puppy, be sure to stress that if the puppy doesn’t want to join them in play that they shouldn’t force themselves on the puppy. We all have our personal space boundaries and when someone gets too close and in our face, we don’t like it. Well, a puppy doesn’t like it either and will tell the child to back off by growling or nipping at them.
Another trouble spot when raising puppies and kids together is the lack of differentiation between toys that belong to the kids and toys that belong to the puppy. Most puppies can’t tell the difference… everything is fair game to them. Teach your kids to keep their things out of reach of the puppy. Otherwise, the pup might choke on small items or the kid might get bit if he tries to grab something out of the dog’s mouth.
Kids need to learn to play gently and kindly with the family pet and also how to treat him with the respect he deserves. Puppies are a lot like kids – they like to play, but sometimes need their own space and want to be alone. They also don’t like to be treated meanly or in an inconsistent manner.
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by Peg Baron