Puppies & kids?

Question

I have 11 puppies 5 days old and I can't seem to keep my 3 yr old two 7 yr olds and a 5 yr old away from them, Mom dog is great and doesn't seem to care but every time I turn my back one or two of the kids are in the welping pin with the puppies I keep telling them to stay out but it goes in one ear and out the other what should I do ? and will this make the puppies sick ?

Answer 1

Kids really do have a mind of their own don't they? Your 7 year olds (are they twins?) are old enough to handle the pups correctly, and would love the chance to supervise the younger ones to make sure they don't harm the pups. The 3 year old would make me nervous, but the 5 year old is probably going to be alright with them as well. Try to move the pups in a room or bathroom and put a child gate across so your littlest one cannot go in by him/herself. My parents breed labradors and my 16 month old son is excellent with the pups because we showed him how to handle and pet them correctly. Kids are smart, learn fast and enjoy responsibility. Give the older ones chores to help out like feeding and watering the mom, or changing the bedding to help them feel included. People who don't have kids don't understand how hard they can be and will probably give you rude and bad advice so don't listen to them. Your children will NOT make the puppies sick as diseases generally only target one species. Remember the saying, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em! Apply this to the pups and kids, and try to get the whole family included in raising your newest additions. The puppies will grow up to be friendly, well rounded, and make excellent pets. Good luck!

Answer 2

I would say move the puppies and lock them in a room but this sounds like a disciplinary issue. You have to make your kids leave the pups alone.All your kids is at the age where they will not hold a pup the proper way and they can drop the pup and break its legs.I have heard although not sure how true it is that constant handling of a puppy can make the puppy sick or even die because the puppy will get over heated from the humans body tempature.Start giving those kids time outs and be on those kids at all times.Before you say Im judging your parental skills I will tell you I have 6 boys ages 2yrs through 16yrs old.I know how kids can be but for the puppies health you must make them listen.Also the 5 and 7 year olds should be listining to you most of the time by now.

Answer 3

You need to keep the children AWAY from the puppies. Put the pups in their own room with their mom, and make it off limits to the children until the puppies are at least 5-6 weeks old.

Puppies immune systems are very fragile; they can't handle an overload of germs (and as you know little kids get into everything).

Also, the puppies bones and musculature can't take a lot of handling at this age.

The kids need to "look but don't touch".

Answer 4

To directly answer your first question: You should discipline your children. Use whatever methods you prefer to *make* them understand.

TO directly answer your second question: Your children can make them sick they can also kill them. Your two youngest are FAR to young to be trusted around a puppy so fragile.

If you don't have the environment to raise puppies, why do you have them? I'm concerned that you haven't thought this breeding thing through. These are questions that should not need to be asked and that should have been addressed when you were studying to be a breeder. Please, have your female fixed as soon as she is able to be. We don't need more Backyard Breeders breeding dogs - too many dogs die as it is because of them.

Edit: This is the golden who you allowed to breed on her FIRST heat cycle??????? Accident or not, Shame on you! Please, have all your dogs fixed. You are not an ethical breeder and obviously dont care about becoming one. Shame on you. You can't control your dogs OR your children and you think that you are a good choice for bringing more pups into this world? For shame.

Answer 5

I almost didn't respond to this question, but WHO is the parent here? If one of those children inadvertently kills a puppy, it will never be forgotten. If they won't leave the puppies alone, how about some time out, like 1 minute for each year old the child is?? I hope you will have your poor dog spayed after this. There are too many dogs in shelters who need to be rescued.

Answer 6

Get your dog fixed so you don't have this problem again. If you can't control your kids you shouln't have let you dog get pregnet. As it is: lock the puppies in a room where you can watch them at all times to keep the kids out, or put them in a room that the kids cannot get into.

Answer 7

It's really not considered safe to have young children around dogs of any age. You should never leave your kids with the pups or mom unsupervised. Children can accidently hurt a dog plus they act like prey. This is the cause of alot of dog bites every year.

Answer 8

Did you try explaining to them that if they handle the puppies that they would get sick { the puppies that is }.
Newborn pups can get very sick and die, if handled to much. Would you like it if you where a puppy and some kid would be picking you up every second. NOoooooo.

If talking to them don't help. Paddle them and teach them the word NO...

Answer 9

Keep the kids out of the whelping pen before one of the puppies gets dropped or hurt some other way. The mom won't be so friendly then - her instinct is to protect her puppies.

Answer 10

I usually move my puppies into a wire crate with bumper pads after they are whelped. This way I have more control over my children's access to them.

I don't think your children's access to the puppies will get them sick, however, they may inadvertantly harm the puppies. Kids don't seem to understand that they can drop, poke, or even sit on a puppy and hurt it.