Hi everyone .... a bit of advice would not go amiss

i got an 8 week old gsd yesterday and am having a few teething problems....

My main one that i have a 3 year old daughter who loves Jack (the puppy) but when he approaches her she starts screaming the house down and runs away... of course jack thinks this is a great game and promptly gives chase... :|

how do people handle the interaction of small puppies and children?

also im struggling with the crate training a bit....i have let him have the run of the kitchen but he wees all over it and the wife is not happy... ( for a change )

hes a lovely dog and i do really want it to work out

you can see his pedigree here if you are interested in that sort of thing

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/search.html?string_in=Araxes+Ajax&index_in=All&results_in=10

thanks

Damian

Hi Damian,

Well, I would start with several things. A drag line on the dog while in the house - at ALL times. Four to six feet long with no handle at the end - just a light weight drag line. When the pup starts to be a pup, you or your wife can easily and quickly grab or step on the line and have control. If the pup is not in his crate, he has his drag line on. Many folks on this forum are strong advocates of tethering the pup to YOU (or your wife)when not in the crate. Teathered pups can't run and chase children, they can't chew on furniture and it is far more likely that you are going to see the pups "I gotta go signals" when he is at your side. Three year olds and puppies need supervision, and this pup and child are not getting that. If the puppy is in your arms the child can pet him and he can't chase her, right?

Does the pup have free run of the kitchen all the time? When is he in his crate, what do you do when you take him out of the crate? Of course an eight week pup is going to pee where ever and when ever he has to go; he is a young, young pup and knows absolutley nothing else. Puppies generally pee after eating and drinking, after playing and immediately upon waking up. It is up to YOU to make sure he has the opportunity to relieve himself at these times and then if he is not under direct supervision, he goes back in the crate.

Puppies take an enormous amount of work and attention. If someone doesn't devote the attention this young guys needs at this point, you are setting him up for failure big time. And your wife will only become more and more unhappy with you. Hopepfully she was on board with this new pup coming into the home...

great advice thanks

he has been in his crate alot today and seems to have calmed down alot



he has been GOOD OUTDOORS several times and has learnt the sit command

not bad for day one

i have decided that free run of the kitchen is a bad idea...

''Three year olds and puppies need supervision, and this pup and child are not getting that. ''

that was a bit harsh love

i was just wondering HOW folk went about it...

the drag line is a good idea

he has never got within 2 feet of her you know im not a total moron

failure is not an option

thank you Barbara

Tethering and a drag line will be your best bets for a while. As Barbara said there is not much that can happen if the pup is under control.

As for the baby, well , she needs to learn some dog manners. At three, she is old enough to know that it is NOT OK to run and scream. Fun time, when the pup is put up, is one thing, but NOT around the puppy. SHE, and not the pup, needs to be corrected here.

Puppies are fun for little children, and the excitement can be overwhelming, but she needs to learn that dogs and puppies mean quiet behavior. This is VERY important because as the pup grows, if the child continues to act in a very excited way around the dog, it could trigger all kinds of very negative child/dog interaction scenarios. Imagine a four year old running from a one year old dog that thinks he is chasing a fun, squealy cat! It can cause fear, frustration or drive to get the squeaky toy that runs.

As the pup matures you can teach him that children are off limits and to stay away from her, but at this age, with this behavior, it would be unfair to the pup.

And incase you want advice on how we did it… Austin, my nephew whom I watched from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM, five days a week, was two when I brought Havok home. They were both interested in each other, but neither had the self control to be around each other. We spent time with the pup on walks, beach trips, playground time and other active activities where there was so much to distract them from each other that they almost forgot that the other existed. They became neutral to each other pretty quickly after that. Indoor or quiet time was spent with the TIRED pup lying quietly at my feet, on a leash, chewing a toy or sleeping. If he was not calm, he was pottied and then crated. This helped Austin to not get excited by the crazy pup. Nap time was the opportunity for the puppy to play crazy and be goofy, and those times were more than enough. If Austin got too excited or aggressive (and man can boys be rowdy!) he was told to sit down on the couch quietly. It was enough of a punishment that he would calm himself, but there were no negative associations. He was told that he had to “play gentle” with the puppy or he couldn’t play at all. He got over it very quickly!

 Quote: Damian Aker

''Three year olds and puppies need supervision, and this pup and child are not getting that. ''

that was a bit harsh love

i was just wondering HOW folk went about it...

You are right, it does sound harsh when I re-read it, and that was not my intention. Perhaps a bit blunt, but not harsh...

If the puppy is having the opportunity to pee in the kitchen consitantly, it is not being supervised - but you have made changes to that situation, so yeah!

Didn't mean to sound crabby... my apologies.

 Quote: JessicaKromer

Tethering and a drag line will be your best bets for a while. As Barbara said there is not much that can happen if the pup is under control.

This should be a billboard.

Managing the dog's environment is key. And I speak also from the position of someone who always has an adopted rescue or two in the house. Their intro to the house is always many days (perhaps weeks) tethered to me.

I wish I had learned about tethering dogs to my jeans years before I actually did.

thats ok Barbara im very happy you bothered to reply

great advice all round... thanks for the insight jessica that sounds like the way forward to me. My other daughter is 7 and is coping well and has decided to be a dog trainer when she grows up !

its a clear freezing full moon winter's night in the english countryside and we have just been running around for the last hour

seems to have worked wonders.... crate a bit?

do you give a last drink at a certain time ?

xx