PUPPIES AND INFANTS

IF YOU WANT A PUPPY WITH AN INFANT THE 
CHALLENGES ARE GREAT.   

IF YOU WANT TO OWN A DOG AND HAVE VERY 
YOUNG CHILDREN OR HAVE A DOG WHO CAN 
INTERACT SAFELY WITH CHILDREN SAFELY YOU 
MUST TEACH THE DOG HOW TO BEHAVE AROUND 
THEM.  A YOUNG PUPPY CAN NOT DO THIS. 

THE VERY FIRST THING YOU MUST DO BEFORE A PUPPY 
IS EVER BROUGHT HOME WITH YOU IS TO EDUCATE 
YOUR CHILDREN ABOUT DOGS AND PUPPIES.  IT IS 
VERY HARD WHEN YOU HAVE AN INFANT OR TODDLER.   
YOU MUST MAKE THEM UNDERSTAND THAT THE PUPPY 
IS NOT A TOY, IT IS A LIVING BREATHING CREATURE WITH 
FEELINGS JUST LIKE THEM. 

YOU MUST CONSIDER THE AGE OF THE PUPPY.  YOU CAN NOT 
EXPECT A 2, 3, OR EVEN 5 MONTH OLD PUPPY TO BE ABLE TO 
BE TRAINED ENOUGH TO BE SAFE WITH A BABY OR TODDLER.  
I TOTALLY RECOMMENT THAT YOU WAIT UNTIL YOUR CHILD IS 
AT LEAST 6 YEARS OR OLDER BEFORE YOU PURCHASE A YOUNG PUPPY.

AN OLDER PUPPY AROUND 6 MONTHS OR OLDER WHO HAS 
FINISHED TEETHING CAN SOMETIMES UNDERSTAND AND BE 
ABLE TO BE TAUGHT HOW TO SAFELY LIVE WITH A SMALL CHILD.  
AGAIN I DO NOT RECOMMEND THAT YOU TAKE THE CHANCE WITH 
AN INFANT OR TODDLER. 

PLEASE ALSO CONSIDER THE AGE OF YOUR CHILDREN, ARE THEY 
OLD ENOUGH TO UNDRSTAND YOUR RULES AND OBEY THEM?   A 
YOUNG CHILD CAN BE VERY ROUGH ON A PUPPY AND TEACH THE 
PUPPY BAD HABBITS OF DEFENDING HIMSELF WHEN A YOUNG CHILD 
PULLS ON AN EAR OR PULLS A TAIL OR SQUEZZING HIM TO TIGHT.  
YOUNG CHILDREN ALSO DO NOT UNDER THAT THEY CAN’T JUST DROP 
A PUPPY.  YOUNG CHILDREN ALSO DON’T UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS 
NOT OK TO PICK A PUPPY UP BY THE NECK OR EAR.  THE PUPPY 
WILL ONLY NATURALLY DEFEND ITSELF BY BITING TO GET AWAY 
FROM THE PAIN.  

BEHAVIOR & PLAY

YOUNG PUPPIES CANNOT BE EXPECTED TO TOLERATE THE 
BEHAVIOR OF BABIES AND TODDLERS, WITHOUT JUMPING 
ON THEM AND NIPPING.  AFTER ALL, THIS IS HOW PUPPIES PLAY 
WITH THEIR LITTERMATES.  PUPPIES MUST BE OLD ENOUGH TO 
BE ABLE TO BE TAUGHT THAT HUMAN CHILDREN ARE NOT THEIR 
LITTERMATES.  IF THIS ISN’T TAUGHT, A GROWING PUPPY’S 
BEHAVIOR WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY ROUGH, AND THE 
ODDS INCREASE THAT A SMALL CHILD WILL BE SERIOUSLY 
HURT DURING PLAY TIME.


SUPERVISION & TRANING

PUPPIES AND BABIES HAVE UNSOPHISTICATED 
COMMUNIARION SKILLS WITH THEIR OWN SPECIES, 
AND NON-EXISTENT SKILLS WITH ANOTHER SPECIES.  
BOTH NEED CONSTANT SUPERVISION AND EDUCATION.  
BOTH NEED ENVIRONMENTS PROTECTING THEM  FROM 
THEIR INNOCENCE AND IMPULSES.  YOU CANNOT BLAME 
A PUPPY FOR BITING A BABY.  IT SIMPLY DOES NOT KNOW 
ANY BETTER YET.  YOUNG CHILDREN REQUIRE UNDIVIDED 
ATTENTION, AS DO YOUNG PUPPIES.  TO DO BOTH AT ONCE 
IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE, AND IS AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN.

REMEMBER, AN ANIMAL IS A STRANGE OBJECT TO AN 
INFANT, AND AN INFANT IS NEW TO THE ANIMAL.  THE TWO 
SHOULD BE INTRODUCED TO EACH OTHER FOR PERIODS OF TIME,  
VERY VERY GRADUALLY.  

NEVER LEAVE THEM ALONE TOGETHER NEVER!!!!!!!!\

CHILDREN MUST LEARN NOT TO PULL TAILS, EARS, OR POKE AT 
THE ANIMALS.  ALSO MOST ANIMALS ARE AFRAID OF LOUD NOISES, 
AND WILL RETREAT IF APPROACHED QUICKLY.  TODDLERS SEEM 
TO LOVE TO RUN AFTER ANIMALS, WHICH ONLY MAKES THE 
ANIMAL RUN THE OTHER WAY.  TO AN ANIMAL, EVEN A SMALL 
CHILD CAN LOOK LIKE A GIANT AND A NORMALLY GENTLE PET 
MAY RESORT TO SCRATCHING OR BITING TO PROTECT HIMSELF 
WHEN FRIGHTENED.  

AGAIN I DO NOT RECOMMEND GETTING A PUPPY WHEN YOU 
ALREADY HAVE AN INFANT OR TODDLER.  I CAN NOT TELL YOU 
THE TIMES A PARENT CALLS TO AGAIN TO TRY AND GET A PUPPY 
FOR THEIR  OLDER CHILD THAT IS AFRAID OF DOGS TO HELP HIM 
GET OVER HIS FEAR .  

**** MAY SON WAS BITTEN WHEN HE WAS 2 YEARS OLD BY A
 PUPPY AND I CAN’T GET HIM OVER BEING AFRAID OF DOGS, I 
THOUGHT IF I GOT HIM A PUPPY AND THE PUPPY GROWS UP 
WITH HIM IT WILL GET HIM OVER HIS FEARS.  OR MY DAUGHTER 
WAS KNOCKED DOWN BY A YOUNG DOG AND SCRATCHED AND BIT.******

IF THESE PARENTS HAD WAITED UNTIL THE CHILD WAS 
OLDER THIS SITUATION WOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED.  
AND A 6 OR 7 YEAR OLD CHILDS INNOCENCE WOULD STILL 
BE THERE TO GROW UP WITH A LOVING PET .