My Dumb Dog

Puppies, especially when they are new to your family can be an exciting event in your lives especially if you have children. It is quite the memorable experience when you have prepared for a new puppy and chosen that special friend whether it’s from a shelter, pet store, or breeder and you bring it into the home for the very first time! Be sure to view these raised dog bowl for your doggie right away.

As exciting as this event is, if you have children you must supervise every interaction between a puppy and your kids for at least the first few days following your puppy’s first days in their new home! To effectively provide positive socialization between your child and your new canine companion, follow these helpful tips! First, have your child sit on the floor with his or her legs crossed. Carefully and slowly bring the puppy to your child. Tell your child to lay out “their gentle hands” with palms down and knuckle side up so that puppy can sniff their hands. Be sure that you take a look at pajamas for dogs and discount dog clothes for your puppies and older doggies.

Allow pup to sniff on their own time. This will require a little patience, but you should never force the puppy to sniff. Then the puppy is done sniffing(they will let you know) your child’s scent, gently pick the puppy up and place gently in your child’s lap. Let him or her pet the puppy, while always indicating they need to use “gentle hands” while doing so. Don’t forget to be encouraging to your child, this is a new experience for them as well! There a 2 things that your puppy will do. First the puppy may stay on your child’s lap, enjoying the pampering and attention they are getting. They may also fall asleep.

Second, he will leave to walk around and explore his new environment. If he decides to explore, let him do it while you are watching to make sure that he doesn’t get himself into any kind of danger. You will also want to encourage your child to not react loudly or feel badly if pup decides to do this because it is a good thing for them to look around their new home. Any child I don’t care who they are, weill be thrilled and amazed with their puppy and like with most children, they will want to grab their pup and pull them back onto their laps to cuddle with.

You as a parent and responsible dog owner must remind them to be gentle while petting. You will want to discourgage such things as grabbing, poking, or pulling at the new puppy as this could cause injury or fearful and aggressive behaviors. If puppy suddenly bolts from your child’s lap, remember that this little guy or gal may still be going through separation anxiety from being away from its mother or wants to explore their new surroundings.

If your child feels discouraged by this behavior and feels that their puppy “dislikes” them, just reassure them that the puppy is like a baby and wants to explore their new home and may be missing its mother! Boost your child’s confidence by reassuring them that by them giving the new puppy it’s space that they are doing what is best and making their new friendship stronger! After letting your new puppy have another look around their surroundings, gently pick them up again and place them in your child’s lap.

To keep them there, give them one or two of their favorite treats that you’ve brought with you. If he starts to show signs of wanting to escape, show him the treat and have your child gently feed it to him. Your child should place the treat on their palm for the puppy to lick, not on her fingertips where the puppy can accidentally nip them while he grabs for the food. Being calm and keeping a low voice, and staying positive is a great way to create an exciting and long lasting friendship with your family!