How To Have Your New Puppy Play with Kids

By Ed Frawley  |  Last modified: July 24, 2025

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One of the most common questions we get from new dog owners is about how to get their puppy to interact with their small children. Here is a typical question that came in from my free management course:

Sometimes we want things for our dogs and kids that are not possible, unrealistic, and in many cases, dangerous. That's what you're facing.

A 6-year-old child is not going to safely play with a 9-week-old puppy without getting chewed on and scratched. That is just not going to happen.

When puppies are with littermates, they bite, chew, and jump up on one another. When they move in with a family, they think that's how to interact with the new family. Why wouldn't they? That's all they have known since the day they were born.

The problem is, which I am sure you already know, puppies have sharp needle baby teeth. They are like little land sharks.

Let your puppy bite your hand and quickly jerk it away. You will see WHY they are often called razor teeth. Puppies keep these baby teeth until they lose them at 5 to 6 months of age. Then they grow their adult teeth, which aren't as sharp, but still dangerous.

Puppies also have sharp nails that scratch even when the puppy doesn't mean to.

It's our job to teach them how to interact with humans. That does not happen overnight. It takes months, not weeks.

In the meantime, puppy owners need to practice good management techniques. That means learning how to use ex-pens, dog crates, and puppy leashes in the house. Learning to put the cute puppy away when they are starting to become overly excited is the first challenge most new puppy owners struggle with. It's important to manage your puppy to prevent bad behavior from becoming a habit.

They also need to teach these kids not to do anything with the pups unless you are right there to supervise. This interaction always needs to be on leash so you can control the situation.

One of the best ways to start this interaction is on walks. Puppies need exercise. They need to burn off all the energy they have. The same often applies to our kids. Taking them both for a walk is a good step to teach each of them how to interact and get along. I recommend two walks a day for both kids and puppies. Walks with our dogs are one of the most valuable and least used training tools that people use.

One thing I caution new puppy owners against is to be very careful not to over-correct their puppies. Too often, the owners lack of supervision or lack of attention results in a puppy doing something he shouldn't, be it with kids or getting into something they shouldn't. Correcting the puppy for our mistake doesn't create the result we want.

When puppy owners take the time and have the patience to learn how to raise a puppy correctly, they end up with a really nice family pet.

The thing you need to realize is many puppies (depending on their temperament) may not be ready to interact with the kids until they are at least 1 year old or older. Our Border Terrier (Stella) was 3 ½ years old before we trusted her enough to leave her out of her crate when we left the house.

That process goes a lot faster when you have the right information and tools for your training program.

Raising a Puppy with Kids in the House

A Real-Life Puppy Training Course for Real-Life Families

Finally—a puppy training course that understands your life isn’t quiet, controlled, or predictable! Created by a professional dog trainer, mother of two, and breeder of Chocolate Labs, this course is designed specifically for families with young children who are adding a puppy to their already energetic household. Forget picture-perfect training setups. This course meets you in the middle of the chaos, with practical lessons you can actually use—starting the moment your puppy comes home.

You'll Learn:

• Safely introducing your new puppy to household dogs and children
• Puppy-proofing your home and setting crate rules
• Socializing your puppy in the city, at parks, and in restaurants
• Navigating dog parks, elevators, stairs, and even biking adventures
• Crate training basics and setting your puppy up for lifelong success

Whether you're navigating your toddler’s toy explosions or trying to walk your puppy through a busy city block, this course offers relatable, real-world solutions. It’s fun, practical, and perfect for getting the whole family involved in raising a well-rounded, confident dog.

We sell the tools to teach you how to raise your puppy to get along with your children. I have produced many excellent puppy videos to help train your dog in multiple areas. Below is a list of recommended products that we sell. You can also browse more products.

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About Author

Ed Frawley

Ed Frawley is the founder and owner of Leerburg.com and has been producing professional dog training videos since 1982. Over the years, he has collaborated with some of the most respected dog trainers in the country. His body of work includes 194 full-length training DVDs and 95 comprehensive online courses. In addition to these, he has produced and published over 4,000 short training videos available free of charge on Leerburg.com and across the company's social media platforms.

Ed and his wife, Cindy—also a professional dog trainer—bred working-line German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois for more than 35 years. Although they retired from breeding in 2009, they had produced over 300 litters by that time.

Ed also served as a K9 handler for the local sheriff's department for 10 years, working in partnership with the West Central Drug Task Force. During his time in law enforcement, he handled multiple narcotics and patrol dogs and conducted more than 1,000 K9 searches. If you want to learn more about Ed, read about his history here.

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