my Doodle is trying to make my 3yr old his litter mate.

[Autumn & Hank]

Hi, so this is our first puppy ever. And we where told by the breeder that this might happen, well it has Hank has taken my 3yr as a litter mate everytime sbe enters a room he attacks her (not mean) or circlesaround her.
Another issue is our puppy is getting "fresh" with Dora. How long does this last? And is he too young?

Thank you

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

There is lots of advice on kids and puppies in the Puppy Madness Group. Also if you do a search on how to stop nipping and such you will find lots of helpful information. http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/puppymadness

I have no experience with raising a puppy around such a young child but I understand it to be very challenging, especially for a first time puppy owner. You will find lots of support here. Hang in there and good luck!

[BG and Gavin]

First of all, Hank is just as cute as can be!  I agree with what Sherri has said.  Raising a doodle puppy can be difficult and it is compounded with a young child.  Teaching Hank his boundaries will be the first order of business.  He should not be left loose around you child.  Keep him on a leash in the house to prevent him from going after your child.  Keeping him tethered to you as you go about your daily routine is a good training exercise.  He is too young to be able to "play" appropriately with your child.  This may be a goal somewhere down the line when he is trained and older, but for now your child should only pet the puppy when you have firm control of him.  The nipping, rambunctious behaviour is all normal and with appropriate exercise (they need lots!) and obedience training he will have the best chance of being a great family dog!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

I agree that they should be kept seperate. He is too young to understand how to interact with her, but she is also too young to understand how to interact with him. Unsupervised/unstructured play time could result in some bad habits. I know my five year old neice does not play well with Sophie because she will hold her toys up in the air to get them away from Sophie but Sophie will think this is a jumping game, then Devyn cries that Sophie is jumping on her. She doesn't understand what she is doing wrong and neither does Sophie. Any play time together should be thoroughly supervised and guided by the adults in the household. I like the idea of tethering hank to yourself at all times around the house. this is great for correcting other behaviours too, and helps him bond to you, the pack leader.

[Lynda Kamrath]

I thought when you said "litter mate" that you meant he wanted to sleep with her.  Humping and nipping is something else, but not at all unusual for a puppy.  Does she laugh or shout when he does these things?  That would be encouraging to him. I would teach her to say very firmly, "NO".  He will need to accept her as dominant and will stop the behavior.  Tell her it is her job to teach him that she is the boss in the household, after the adults.  He is just testing the water.  It will work out as these dogs are very intelligent and want to please their people.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

In addition to what the others have said, be sure that your 3 year old is not "hugging" your puppy, especially around the neck. Dogs do not view "hugging" as an affectionate gesture, it is seen as an attempt to dominate them, very much the way one puppy will try to get ahold of another's neck, climb on his back, wrestle him to the ground, etc., and the puppy will respond in the same way. Teach your child to only touch Hank on his sides, chest or back, and to only stroke, never grab or hug.

[Richard Crowe]

I don't mean to sound glib but, a growing puppy (especially a puppy who will grow into a large dog) and a toddler are not a great combination.   The owner and parent must train BOTH the puppy AND the toddler regarding appropriate interaction and that takes a lot of work.

I would say that MOST puppies and toddlers cannot interact on their own.  That is where adult supervision comes into play.  And those interaction problems are why many doodles (as well as other dogs) are rehomed.

Most rescue groups have rules against adopting to homes with young children for that very reason.  The minimum ages differ between groups because, the interaction problems differ between breeds and sizes of dogs.

We receive a number of Maltese into our rescue group every year because of inapropriate interaction between young kids and the dogs.  Some of the problem rests with the dogs, some of the problem rests with the kids but, a major part of the problem can be traced to parents/owners unwillingness or inability to assume the leadership role in the "family pack".

We have seen inappropriate behavior in even older children when they and their parents come by to meet a rescue dog.  Usually the kid's inapprpriate behavior can be traced to the parents lack of dog knowledge and lack of ability or willingness to discipline their children. Obviously, those families do not get approved by us to get one of our rescues.

OTOH, I have seen both younger and older kids who have excellent dog manners and who can bond instantly with dogs.  It is wonderful to witness an immediate bonding like that!

Some dogs just naturally accept young children better than other dogs.  I was at an adoption event many years ago where I found my wonderful German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Wolf mix dog.  As I was waiting in line to sign the paperwork, a kid came runnng up and pulled the dog's (she was about six months old at the time) tail.  She turned around and kissed the kid and I thought THIS I THE DOG I WANT!  I was never disappointed in the ten years we shared our lives together.  The only problem with her was she was always wagging her big tail and could easily knock over a toddler...

 

 

 

[Adina P]

Way easier to train and manage a puppy than it is to train a toddler =)

[F, Calla & Luca]

I just read through this advice and it seems like there are great suggestions. The only thing I have to add is not only will some child behaviors encourage jumping but running near a puppy will encourage the puppy to chase too.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Good point, F. The high pitched tones and arm waving/flapping that often accompany a toddler's running around can ramp up the puppy's excitement level and encourage chasing and grabbing, too.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Luca terrorized twin girl neighbors. They would scream and run in my yard. He thought it was terrific. He jumped on one, maybe he scratched her. I don't remember the details. I did try to tell them to stand still near a tree and stop shrieking if he got going. For about two years after that they would only interact through the fence. Sometimes now they come with friends to see the dogs and do "training".

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I give you a lot of credit for recognizing what the issue is in this circumstance. So many owners do not. Many think the bought a bad dog, think the pup is aggressive, don't understand, or just don't seek help.
So many dogs are given up to rescues because of this very issue.
Your pup thinks your daughter is ADORABLE, fun, wonderful. Let's Play.

Now is the time to work with a trainer. It may be a long year, but ultimately you will all enjoy each other for many years to come

[Ginny Nightingale]

I don't have any youngsters here on a regular basis--but when i do my dogs get so excited and do behave inappropriately--they want to play! And they are not pups! So, good luck with all this great advice and start training everyone now--including your toddler--one of the things my trainer uses with little kids is to tell them to "be a tree"--stand perfectly still, do not look at the dog and put your hands at your sides--maybe your child is too young to grasp this, but the pup will usually just sit and look at them waiting for them to move--when they don't, the pup walks away....too boring!