New Boxer Puppy and Children

[ncarino]

Okay - I hope to get some valuable imsigt from you pros...

2 of my children are a little anxious when it comes to dogs... my dad's Boxer,Tyson scares them. We are getting a boxer pup this summer and was wondering what anyone's thoughts were...I have been told that it will be different because of the size of the dog. I hope so... I just want the kids to grow up with a Boxer!

[Please Work]

My middle child used to freak out when a large dog was around. When we went to pick our pup she freaked out when we were greeted by the mother and the breeder had to put her away (she was 6). But she has no problems with Ruby (our Boxer), Ruby is quite big now and mid child (now 7) is fine, has tea parties, dresses her up. I think because we got her as a pup and she grew up with my mid child she didn't really notice how big Ruby was getting. I have also noticed she doesn't freak out around neighbours Germ Shep anymore.
Good luck

[Caney Creek]

I think that it will help to start out with a puppy. That way as the pup grows, the kids slowly get accustomed to him being bigger and bigger

My cousin's two young daughters used to not like big dogs, but then they got a German Shepherd puppy. Actually, they were scared of the puppy for about a month (sharp puppy teeth) but once it started getting better about mouthing everyone, they loved the puppy. They get on the floor and play and wrestle, the dog just loves the attention. Pretty soon puppy was taller the kids and would just walk over and licks them in the face, and they don't seem to mind at all.

[TwoDogs]

"...We are planning on bringing home a new pup this summer - I have 4 children ages 10, 7, 5, and 3. How do I go about training and not confusing the pup? Inevitably, the kids will be commanding their own 'sits', 'comes', etc. Will this confuse the dog? SHould I stop them from making any commands? ...or should I let them interact with the dog as they would - nicely of course... while doing the basic training on the side by myself?..."

The OP posted the above quote in a different thread which the mod closed and directed posters to respond to here, so here's my advise on both subjects because I think they are related...

With regards to your kids being nervous about dogs and particularly the size of dogs, I think that since you are getting a puppy, they won't be intimidated because of the small size. A puppy's small size is very approachable and even people who fear dogs will most often approach a pup. Additionally, your kids will be around this pup as it grows so they will gradually be exposed to a dog that they feel comfortable around that just happens to be getting larger and larger all the time. I bet they won't even realize that their little puppy is turning into one of those "scarier" bigger dogs right before their eyes.

However, just because they aren't intimidated by the size, doesn't mean that they won't continue to be nervous around the pup. I've seen puppies turn kids who were fine with calm adult dogs into kids who were absolutely petrified of dogs regardless of size. Puppies move fast, use their paws and claws, jump on you, and bite--a lot. I raised my pup from 16 weeks alongside my 2 year old toddler and there are things I would recommend doing to help make sure your kids don't become afraid of the pup. First, and most recommended is to do some real work on bite inhibition. Making sure this pup learns early the strength of its bite and that human skin is inappropriate to bite will really help your situation. A puppy that is mouthy and nippy can hurt a child. Kids squeal and run away and the pup thinks its all a game and chases or the kids swat at the pup and the pup starts to become hand-shy. Either way, the outcome is not good. Get on that bite inhibition training right away and save yourself headaches down the road. An other puppy behavior which kids can find intimidating is jumping. Kids are smaller and closer to the ground so even a new pup can reach their chest and face when it jumps, knocking them to the ground, hurting and frightening them. You can teach even a young pup that jumping is inappropriate if you do it in a positive manner. Turn away and deny them attention if they jump, only give them affection and attention if they have all feet on the floor. It's tough to teach this with kids, but even small children can understand this technique and with your help, can practice it with the pup. Lastly, a well-trained "leave it" and "drop it" cue are invaluable for when that pup tries to grab a kids toy or something they've dropped.

Which leads me to the question you asked about training your pup, and if the kids behavior will disrupt the training or confuse the pup. My answer is no, not if you involve the kids in the training. I recommend it for 3 reasons. First, it lets the dog realize that the kids are also worthy of respect. Second, it helps the pup generalize the good behaviors it is learning during training to include behaving in different environments and with different people. Thirdly, it really empowers kids and build their confidence around animals to know that they can communicate with a dog in an appropriate way that they can see is safe and effective.

Your 10 year old could probably go to training classes with you provided the facility you attend allows it. There are a number of places that actually offer "Kids & Pups" classes that could be very beneficial to you. I would definitely have the 10 and 7 year old practice with you and the pup at home. Having the pup practice "sit" with the kids is great because it is a behavior that the kids can easily recongnize and reward, and it teaches the pup to offer "sits" around kids. Even your little 5 and 3 year old can help you with things like washing the dog's bowl, measuring out the food, brushing the pup to teach them to be comfortable around the pup and give them a job.

I think the more you involve the kids with your training, the better the pup will behave around the kids and the more confident and less nervous the kids will be around the pup.