Hi , my puppy patch is 12 weeks old today . I have 3 children, my youngest is only 2 and stays at home with me most of time while her brothers at school. Both my daughter and patch have a made a good bond but each of them don't know when to leave one another alone . I have to constantly watch what they are doing esp with patch nibbling and biting . I don't want to crate patch so I can have a quiet life but I can't seem to do nothing else during the day . Is this normal really and if anyone been in my situation. I am mainly on my own because my and my partner don't live together and he works rotating shifts. Will this ever end with them both ? If I could have some feedback that would be great , Thankyou
I am absolutely no expert as this is my first puppy. Hopefully some more experienced owners will be able to help too. But I have 2 kids of 4 and 6 and we have had our puppy, Jessie, for 6 weeks now. I think for sanity and safety you have to crate some times! I am a stay at home Mum and my 4 year old is home a lot of the time. I try to make sure that I only crate when I have spent quality time with the puppy. So this morning we had a walk, did some training and played in the garden and now I don't feel bad if she has some crate time! I have also taught the kids to stand up and walk away if she mouths or bites. But easier said than done with a two year old! i also try and give the dog a rawhide chew whilst the kids pet her, which stops her biting them and they get a 'cuddle'. They soon loose interest! Also, from other posts I get the impression that you haven't had Patch long? Could it be to some extent the novelty for your 2 year old? That WILL wear off in a few weeks! Mine are far less keen to be around her now, six weeks in! Hope this helps and hope you get some good advice from more experienced owners!
A very long time ago for me but when I had a young child and a puppy I used stair gates in the doorways of rooms. (Ive never had a crate.) It's one way of separating child and puppy so you can get on with something, so the child can play with things the puppy might chew and so the puppy can rest undisturbed.
Yes, stairgate, good point! Our puppy is confined to the kitchen by a gate. The kids are banned from bringing toys in here now unless they want them chewed!
Hi Jen, it can be very demanding coping with a toddler and a puppy at the same time. It won't go on forever but it seems as though it will when you are struggling. You need a way to separate your puppy from your toddler so that you can supervise their interaction. A baby gate or crate will help you with this. The fact that you are aware of the potential for abusing a crate means you are unlikely to be the sort of person that does this. But it is oK to take a break from the puppy for a little while, or to give your puppy a break from your kids.
My kids are older (16,14,8) but this is them too. I also crate my 14.5 week puppy to give all parties a break, and for puppy's safety (outdoor basketball with teenagers could result in a squashed dog!) I also have baby gates on all the kids rooms. This is to stop puppy eating toys or musical instruments, laptop cords etc It feels like hard work but it is getting easier so it's working for us. The crate also enforces puppy rest which is a good thing as she is most bitey and jumpy when she's tired.
