My ten year old daughter is jealous of our puppy. How can I get her to like him, and him to like her more?

Question

I am looking for some serious answers here. Getting rid of our dog (or daughter) is not an option! We got a 6 month old male Pomeranian about 3 months ago. At first my ten year old daughter liked him, but when she saw that he like me (her mom) she started to get jealous of him and was sometimes a bit rough with him (pulling him away from me). She has made him yelp on more than one occassion. He is only 4 pounds and she doesn't handle him as gently as she needs to, although she understands she shouldn't hurt him and is trying to be nicer. What can I do to prevent him from being nippy, and what can I do to help her get over her jealousy? Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Wow, your daughter is acting more like a 3 yr old. She is old enough to behave and be gentle with a puppy I guess it would be like bringing home a new baby, make sure you spent seperate time with the older child. A 4 lb Pom puppy is very fragile, hope she doesn't hurt the pup. I have 2 Poms, one is 5 monthss old, so I know they are very fragile.

Answer 2

At 10 years old, she should be old enough to understand that, that is not how to treat animals. You can't blame the dog for being nippy. He is only trying to protect himself and letting her know that he don't like what she is doing.

You could try including her in feeding, training and other activities so she feels more included.

ADD:
I had 2 children, ages 2 and 5 when I got my Min Pin. I did not tolerate my children mistreating any animals under any circumstances. They are now 21 and 24 and have a wonderful understanding of all living creatures.

Answer 3

try letting your daughter have some training time with the puppy. Think of something that you want to teach your puppy (sit, lay down, shake...) and let her teach him. make sure to decide how you are going to teach him and make sure she knows that she needs to be patient and consistant. There are many methods to training puppy tricks so you may want to get a puppy training book. Pick a method that sounds good to you and stick with it. Always supervise so you know that she is sticking with the plan and is not being rough with him. This is a great way for your puppy and daughter to bond, and will give her a great sense of accomplishment when done. She will be able to tell people "i taught him how to do that". Also, you can let her feed the puppy and come along for walks. These are other good ways for them to bond. As for being nippy, puppies just do that. What i do with my puppies when they try to bite on me is grab either the top or bottom jaw and just hold it long enough to be annoying then stop playing with him for a little. Be careful not to actually shut his mouth. As you know, puppies have razor sharp teeth and you don't want him to bite his tounge! good luck and hope this helps!

Answer 4

I think you need to have a serious chat with your daughter about cruelty and jealousy and what it means and does to people. At 10, she is certainly old enough to understand that needs to be kind to a small being, human or canine.

The behavior she exhibits, hurting the dog, is frightening - for her as well as for the dog. I suspect your daughter has more problems and issues than jealousy of your poor puppy.
You might well need to get her some counseling.

If you think she is going to hurt the puppy again, and the puppy will snap out of defensive fear, please give your pom to a breed rescue now, before this happens, then get your daughter some serious intervention to help her with her issues.

Answer 5

Step OneBegin your training early - when your puppy is 6 weeks old, if possible.
2Step TwoTeach your puppy that biting hurts you. When he bites, give a sharp "no!" or "ouch!" - or even a yelp like a dog would make. This is the same reaction that your puppy would get from another puppy if he bit too hard during play. It teaches him that he's been too rough, and the odds are that he'll be more gentle next time.
3Step ThreeRemove your hand slowly - don't jerk it away - and give your puppy a toy that he can chew on without damage.
4Step FourIf your puppy ignores your reaction and bites again, repeat your "no!," "ouch!" or yelp, and leave the room for a few minutes. Let your puppy know that when he bites, he will lose his playmate. This, too, mirrors the reaction he would get from another puppy if he played too roughly.
5Step FiveBe persistent in your training. As your puppy's behavior improves and his bites are softer, continue to yelp or give a sharp "no!" or "ouch!" whenever he puts his teeth on you. Make it clear that all bites are painful and unacceptable to humans.
6Step SixReinforce your puppy's good behavior. Whenever he licks you without using his teeth and whenever he plays nicely and appropriately, give him plenty of praise.
7Step SevenBegin teaching the "off" command after your puppy has stopped biting with any pressure. Hold a handful of the puppy's dry food, close your hand and say "off." After a few seconds, if the puppy has not touched your hand, say "take it" and give him a piece of food. You are teaching him that "off" means not to touch.
8Step EightContinue to give a sharp yelp, "no!" or "ouch!" any time your puppy bites you unexpectedly. If you see the bite coming, give the "off" command.
9Step NineEnroll your puppy in an obedience class where he can socialize with other dogs when he is about 6 months old. Their interaction will help to reinforce what you teach him, since rough play with other dogs will likely cause them to yelp and cut off play. At the same time, your puppy will learn the difference between people's limits and other dogs' limits - dogs will allow rougher play than people will.
Tips & Warnings
Make sure your puppy always has plenty of chew toys to exercise his mouthing and chewing instincts.
Make sure your puppy is getting plenty of exercise and play time every day. Going for walks, playing fetch and learning tricks are great distractions that may reduce biting.
Try to create a consistent schedule for play time - perhaps 15 to 30 minutes, twice a day. Your puppy will learn to look forward to that time and will be less likely to seek attention at other times.
Remind all family members, including children, to be consistent about the "no biting" rule.
If your training doesn't seem to be working or if your puppy becomes aggressive instead of backing off when you indicate that he's hurt you, see a veterinarian or professional trainer for help.
Rough games like tug-of-war and wrestling may encourage aggressive behavior, including biting.
If you have young children, don't leave your puppy alone with them until he has learned not to bite.

Answer 6

Have her train the dog to do a trick each month. Look through the dog training over on Youtube for pointers on what can be done. He may be small, but he can learn to high five, turn in a circle, roll over, stand up on hind legs and turn, etc.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dog+training+tricks

Answer 7

Maybe you could hold the puppy, and let your daughter gently pet him and feed him treats, or pieces of dog food out of her hand. Maybe let the puppy curl up on her lap while she is watching tv or something. Hope I helped.