Help New puppy and kids are scared?

Question

I have a new puppy which is a Border Collie who is 8 weeks old. My two younger children aged 4 and 2 1/2 are frightened and I would just like some advice what the best way to introduce the puppy to them and to educate them so that they are not frightened of him.

Answer 1

ouch... a border with two very young kids...not recommended but its do able...have you got a playpen the puppy can go in? it has to be secure and stable. You could introduce the kids to it slowly when it is in the playpen so it cannot jump up/bite..or do any puppy things. If they then want to play with the pup..they are old enough to have it explained that the puppy will jump, and nibble and wet the floor. If you introduce them carefully..they will have a friend for life..and you won't end up having to rehome your extremely energetic puppy. If they dont get on to begin with, dont fret. Kids love cute cuddly things and they will soon warm to its antics...just be careful..and if the pup gets too excited encourage the kids to leave it alone until it calms down. That way the pup will learn it only gets attention when it is being calm....

I have a 5 month old springer pup with two toddlers...they were a bit scared to begin with..especially with the jumping, but we taught them to push the pup off and tell him ' No!'. They now have control over the pup and they will call him if they want to fuss him. It just takes patience...good luck

Answer 2

This is one of the things that people find out until AFTER they get the pup.

All those little puppy nips and chewing are really scary to very young children. Always supervise them; never leave the children in the same room as the pup.

Let the children stroke the puppy while you hold the sharp end (if they want to). Let them help to prepare its food, choose toys for it and get them involved without them having to handle it.

Have a look at a book called Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey which will give you advice on how to teach the pup not to bite fingers. They all do - it's normal but adults can cope whereas small children can be traumatised.

I tend to go on a bit when people ask whether they should get a dog for their very young children. This is one of the reasons.

Answer 3

An 8 week old border collie puppy is very cute and I'm sure that your kids will soon be won over.
The best way to build up their confidence is through your example. Go about your daily life with the children, caring for the new puppy. If they see you involved and unafraid, they will want to be involved and will copy you.
Don't make a big deal of things - don't force them into interaction with the puppy, there will be too much pressure on the children and the puppy will pick up on their nervous behaviour and end up frightened of them!
Don't exclude the puppy because of the children - or it will quickly learn to associate them with rejection.
Just let your children watch you play with and cuddle and care for the pup and they'll soon agree to get involved when they can see there is no danger.
Your puppy and the kids will soon be inseparable!

Answer 4

With small children like that, they have to be taught that running is going to trigger the pup to chase them. Loud screeching is going to trigger a reaction.

A Border Collie with small children...wow... you do realize what their instinct are right? They will literally herd children.

Find a puppy class and involve the 4 yr old in every aspect of it. Let the children feed the pup and brush him. Around the 2 1/2 yr old, you will need to be present for supervision at all times.

To a puppy or dog.....kids of that age are considered eye-pokers and ear pullers, so always have adult supervision.

Keeping the puppy away from the children will just make him overly excited when he is allowed to be around them.

Answer 5

Get your dog involved in Obedience classes as soon as she is old enough to. Until then, you can teach your kids how to handle the puppy and engage them in something fun with the pup, like rolling a ball to her or feeding her. You can intervene with the pup to make sure she doesn't jump up on them. Teach them how to feed the pup some treats but not too many.
They will get used to her. What is frightening them? Does she play rough with older kids? Are the older kids doing things that make the younger ones scared of her?

Answer 6

I think Border Collies are the worst pet you can have around childern they have so much energy they are born and bred as working dogs and no matter how much you entertain it you will not tire it out. They become board easily and eventually become snappy I have come across loads as I used to live on a farm and the amount that get given to farmers and is incredible. My friends father has a working collie that was given to him by a family as it bit their 4 year old sons face and it does not stop all day it only settles at around midnight after he has checked his cattle last thing and wants to be out and about in the early hours.
All I can say is good luck to you and your family. I know I will hit a raw note with what I am saying as there are many good ones out there but I would edge on the side of caution with this breed.

Answer 7

WOW you do have young children, and a puppy to boot. You are going to be one busy mommy :0)
We have a 170 lbs that is afraid of our new puppy! So I can see little kids being afraid, puppy's can hurt!!
You have also gotten yourself a hyper little bugger! Is there a reason you got such a dog as this?
Go slow, if you never had dogs around your children before a puppy is not the best one to start with, but now that you have the puppy.....
You need to start training that puppy ASAP!! I have had my Australian Shepherd for one week now, she is 7 weeks old. She has been taught already you do not bite me!! But Mr. had just gotten through his head today that he doesn't want her bitting him as well. He was letting her which I told him he is confusing the pup and today he understands what I am saying! She also knows her name, what "no" means, and knows to go outside to poddy (if anyone is letting her out is another story). We are working on fetching the ball and handing it to me now. She knows what "sit" means and almost has "lay down" memorized. This is all done as play time.
Your pup will have to learn not only not to bite, but to sit and lay down when the babies are around him/her. Start this now!
I would keep puppy and babies separate. Puppy still pee and poop on floor (if inside pup)? Babies put everything into there mouths, you get my drift?
Babies will also throw there toys onto the ground which puppy who doesn't know any better will pick up start chewing on. So you need to teach puppy what is and what is not chewible. Bottles are horrible for the dog will chew this up fast, or at least the nipple (tastes good).
In a house of chaos (which I am assuming this is the case with human babies and puppy baby this is what is going on) yelling at puppy will not help. The pup will get used to all the yelling and will start to ignore you, border collies like Aussies are very smart dogs! I had had a couple border collie pups, trained them and sold them, but at the moment have a Aussie/Border mix who I would not let around any small baby!! To a animal baby's and other animals are the same thing, could get a baby bit!
Teach your puppy it is OK that people are around his food bowl and to take things out of his mouth is OK. Also that pulling on his fur is OK. Babies do this as I am sure you know.
Need to teach the puppy that taking food out of the hands is a big no! It is cute to have a puppy lick the face, but in puppy talk this is GIVE ME FOOD NOW! Puppies will take food out of the mouth of babies.....

WOW do you have your work cut out for you! You did pick a good breed who is smart and easy enough to train though. Just remember your pup may not learn everything the way you want him/her to learn it! So be careful what you are teaching that puppy...it will take time for your pup to calm down too!

My goodness do I wish you all the patients in the world! When my three boys were babies my Aussie at the time was already fully trained....

Answer 8

A well-trained dog makes everyone happy, including his owner. Take a little time training him, and you'll never regret it; you'll always have an obedient dog by your side. Find more https://tr.im/XJCeT

By their nature, dogs are pack animals with a well-defined social order. Through basic training, you need to consistently make sure your puppy understands that you are the leader, not him. So in teaching him the basic rules, you take on the role of pack leader.

To fit into the family circle, your dog must be taught to recognize his name and such commands as come, heel, lie down and sit.

Answer 9

Help your kids to get used to the feared situation gradually. Some children need more time than others to enter a new situation. Don't push or force them, but use encouragement and praise for coping and approaching a feared situation. For example, if your child is afraid of dogs, read stories and watch a TV show about dogs and then get them acquainted with a small, friendly dog.

Answer 10

Start training the puppy right away. It's going to play and jump on the kids in the beginning, they've got loads of energy. Get it used to a leash. Trust me, get it enrolled in puppy school ASAP!!