Searching for Reading Material

[Melissa Lowman]

First, I want to say Happy New Year!!! Good Riddance 2013! (Had to be said)...now to the point. Recently I purchased Raising puppies and Kids Together by by Pia Silvani and Lynn Eckhardt. While very informative it is geared more toward raising puppies and toddlers. Does anyone know of any good reference books for raising puppies and older kids (9 yrs old)? I keep having conversations with my son on how routines, etc. will change, what he will be RESPONSIBLE for in helping to raise our new addition and his response is always..."I know mom". Hmmmm, right. He's nine! He doesn't know squat about raising this puppy. I don't want to sound like the "nagging" mom so I'm asking everyone here for any helpful tips, book ideas, etc. for my boy. I feel I need to kind of train him before this puppy. 

Does that sound strange? Am I thinking about this too much?

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Yep...I get it. Been there, done that! Wouldn't change a thing! It sounds like he loves animals and that is a wonderful trait to nurture!

[Julie and Max]

I agree with Karen on this one. Expecting your son to be responsible is probably going to end in frustration and disappointment for you, and maybe resentment for him. Getting them involved is great, but you can't expect them to stick to a routine, and there are some puppy problems that I don't think kids are equipped to cope with. 

[Jennifer and Jack]

She isn't saying be responsible she is saying help......it would be a sad world if you can expect a nine year old child to have some sort of responsibility....a part...small....not anything that would be detrimental to the puppy if not done .....what kind of grown ups are going to be created if at nine years old they can't learn a few basic puppy things....and God forbid learn about responsibility a little.

Also maybe you can go visit a shelter and see some dogs there.....maybe he can play with them, talk to,the volunteers etc. before I became a. Nurse I was a children's director and we had kids six weeks through fifth grade. We had people for. The shelter come in and talk to the kids about animal safety.....how to approach a dog....(don't ) what happens when people don't care for dogs properly..of course it was age appropriate owe didn't horrify them...

You got this and will do a great job.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I agree that helping is good. My kids were good helpers with Hershey, but some nagging was involved from Mom :) Books about puppy stages would be good, too. I LOVE puppies, but they come cute for a reason. I was so unprepared the first time around with the puppy nipping stage, which can be confusing and scary for a youngster. Just like kids, they go through so many stages...some good, some bad, but with patience and training, they are almost always survivable. Good luck!!

[Jennifer and Jack]

Lol about them coming cute for a reason ...so so true.

[Melissa Lowman]

Thank you...you get it!

[Wendy and Myla]

I don't know of any books but I think the more involved he is in the planning of the puppy, the more he will help!  I would ask his opinion about anything you are reading eg potty bells, crate training, time-outs, nipping etc.  Also, he could help decide before the puppy comes on what words to use for the main training because that does have to be consistent by all family members like "go pee" or "no bite"  or "off" etc.  My 10 year old grandson has learned a lot from agility classes with his other grandma and loves telling me what he has learned like no tug-of-war, how to use treats etc.  I also think that he has to know ahead of time that puppies will nip and it will hurt and it takes at least six months for them to learn that it is totally not acceptable - sometimes kids will give up on the puppy because it seems that all the puppy wants to do is hurt them.  I know I was totally frustrated with Myla's nipping and I didn't have kids around all the time. It sounds like you're doing all you can to make this transition easy for both the puppy and your son which is great because if a child has high expectations and is expecting a puppy to act like a grown dog, it can end up badly for the puppy. Have fun and good luck!

[Bonnie and Kona]

Quite a few years ago I read a book by Richard Wolters called Family Dog. In it he teaches you how to train your puppy by using photos of his little girl doing what he advises. I see that it is available on Amazon.com. Different photos than the copy I had but still a child involved. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Personally, I would expect nothing but offer chances to.... whatever.  In the meantime, I would immerse my son in wonderful stories of kids and their animals (fact and fiction).  There are tons out there - go to the library and ask the children's librarian. Once everything settles down you can make doing a dog something (like feeding at night) a specific chore, but, yes, nagging WILL be involved.