Training puppy with small kids????

[moodiblu03]

I have a blue heeler/lab mix, she is 3 months old. She is doing a good job of obeying with myself and my husband, but she just runs over the kids (2 girls, 3 and 5 years old)- jumping on them (in turn scratching them), nipping at them. I guess the girls are small like her, so she just plays with them!

Any advice???
Thanks!

[deidra]

You need to correct that now. Can you and the girls go to obedience classes together? The dog needs to obey the whole family, if it does not that could mean trouble. That nip could turn to a bite and seriously injure your kids and in turn the dog will have to be put down. It is not because the girls are the same size as her so she wants to play with them it is just she has no respect for them. I highly recommend obedience classes. i have 2 small brothers and sister and I babysit the neighborhood kids and if my dogs did that I would be in so much trouble. Bentley used to be that way until I started having them keep treat in their pockets and having them do obedience training with him even relatives did it. I have had a blue heeler and those dogs need a lot of exercise and with lab mixed in it needs off leash time to. How much is the dog walked in a day? It would not fix the problem but if he is exercised to were he can keep his focus that would be great. Your oldest is the same age as my sister and it is hard to keep a puppy under control with 2 small kids need to know what triggers the dog and to NOT do it when the dog is around.

[HersheyK's Dad]

My son is about to go through the same thing with his girls, the same age as yours. I told him to plan multiple sequences through puppy training classes, him or his wife first, then with the 5 year old, then with the 3 year old. It will reinforce with the dog, and teach the girls how to handle the dog also. I find it tough with young kids. HK is a great dog, listens very well to me. But when the granddaughters come over she goes nuts with excitement. We have tried most of the recommended techniques. She is great with adults, but can't hold back her excitement with the kids. She wouldn't harm them on purpose, but sometimes the excitement ends up knocking one of them down. She doesn't jump on them, but often that lean into for attention is more than they can keep their balance with. Once the first 2 minutes passes she is great. We have taken to letting her out of the house to great then outside. She has more room for her run around them and the contact frequency is reduced.

[Jan2009]

My pup just turned 10 weeks and is going to start obedience training tomorrow. She also bites not nips my 3 & 6 yr old. She gave my son a good gash on his chest I had to put a butterfly bandage on it as it bled and open. I was furious! So we are getting professional help. I hope it helps I can not and will not have a dog that bites my children no matter how much we love her. I need to stop this now. I hope you too get her nipping under control...Good Luck!

[dweck]

It is very, very difficult to train children to properly run a dog though obedience class. Kids just don't have the consistency -- nor the patience, nor the vocal fortitude -- to pull it off. A commend of "OFF" needs to be clear to the dog that you mean business.

Futher, a pup is very apt to see behavior of children -- running, high-pitched squealing/laughing/screaming -- as very puppy-like behavior and will therefore feed into it. As if your child is a littermate.

As a parent, you've got to establish yourself as in-charge first, then 'lift' your children in the pack above the dog. Remind that the pecking order is Mom/Dad, THEN kids, THEN dog. So all the usual routines come into play: NILF etc.

[Tanya]

My pup just turned 10 weeks and is going to start obedience training tomorrow. She also bites not nips my 3 & 6 yr old. She gave my son a good gash on his chest I had to put a butterfly bandage on it as it bled and open. I was furious! So we are getting professional help. I hope it helps I can not and will not have a dog that bites my children no matter how much we love her. I need to stop this now. I hope you too get her nipping under control...Good Luck!

puppies are rambunctious and have sharp teeth, it's not unsual for ADULTS to get scratched/nipped/bit by accident. ESPECIALLY (but not ONLY) if you also physical play between kids and dogs. heck, a huge part of puppy training IS "no bite". but good on you to get a trainer to help the family get off to a good start. I think that is a very very very good idea.

It's about training both the kids and the dogs and never leave them unsupervised. then as dweck explained, elevate the kids above "fellow puppies" to leaders.

[kaytris]

Dogs Love School - Training Games You Can Play At Home

"GO WILD & FREEZE
This is a GREAT game for energetic dogs that jump up on people when overexcited.
This game teaches dogs to sit politely when asked to, even when very wound-up. Go Wild & Freeze becomes even more fun when children are included as players in the game because it teaches the kids a positive way to play with their puppy and manage his behavior.

What to do: First teach your puppy to sit for a treat by holding one just above his nose then raising it slightly and moving it toward the back of his head. As the dog reaches upward for the treat, his rear will go to the floor in a sit. Click or praise and give the treat.
Next, teach the kids and other players how to get the dog to sit for treats.
Now you're ready to start the game!

Call "Go Wild!" and have everyone jump around, wiggle, wave arms, and make happy sounds. After a few seconds, call "Freeze!" and have everyone stop and stand tall. When the action stops, the player closest to the dog asks him to sit and rewards with a treat when he does.
Then start another round. Each time wait a little longer before calling "Freeze"... after a few rounds, your puppy will automatically be sitting when the players stop and stand tall."

(start this game with the puppy on leash, held by an adult)

[SharonaZamboni]

Bean really loves kids and gets very excited when he sees them. I watched my almost-2 grandson quite a bit, and I did notice that Bean was much calmer when they were both outside. Maybe if your dog is like this, have the kids start training him outside.