hi all, Our otherwise lovely 10 week old pup, who's generally doing fine and picking up all we're trying to do with him, gets endlessly excited by our three year olds play with him resulting in nips and bites, or tug of war with sleeves. I know this isn't abnormal or unusual but am slightly stumped about how to train it out of him. There never seems to be any positive behaviour associated to reward. Taking the boy away and ending the game doesn't seem to have any effect, whether it be a brief hiatus or a more lengthy separation. Anyone got any tips, or is this just something that needs to be tolerated until the pup grows out of it?
Keeping them separate except when closely supervised by you is the only way. I would use baby gates and room dividers. We have three year old twins in our family and, when they visit, they have been taught not to interact with the pups unless we are holding the pups (collars when bigger) and the pups are taught to leave the twins - and their toys - alone. As the children get older they will be taught how to play with pups and dogs. Here is an excellent article - http://www.thelabradorsite.com/how-to-play-safely-with-a-labrador/ ...
I don't think a 10 week old pup, and a 3 year old toddler sounds like a good mix! The toddler isn't going to really understand how to interact appropriately with a puppy. I'd do as Mags suggests and separate them until both are older and the puppy calmer and the child understands how to play appropriately with the puppy.
As other have said, supervise at all times and limit the time they have together. You could use a play pen for either of them, sometimes the puppy while the child roams around and sometimes for the child to play quietly while the puppy gets a chance to roam. There will be times when they will be together, that's unavoidable as they are both part of the same family. You can teach the child to stand still like a tree trunk with their arm tucked across their chest if the puppy is getting too much for them. Once we had trained Homer we taught my little niece how to play " find it" with him and how to make him sit and stay and down.
I had 6 year old twins when we got Meg. It's too much to expect excited kids or pup to understand the crocopup stage. I kept her and boys apart for quite some months, until teething and the crocodile phase was over. It didn't at all stop them all developing the best friendship ever.
