New Puppy

[PepperPot3]

Three weeks ago we brought a West Highland Terrier Puppy . He is now nearly 10 weeks old. All has been fine with my two eldest children ( 10 and 7 ) but recently my youngest ds (3) has taken to teasing the dog. We have told ds off and explained to him why he shouldn't etc but it seems to make no difference. He seems to think that he is playing with the dog and it is funny. We have had him throw the dog, sit on his back, constantly pick him up, take his toys away. We have tried to give our ds more attention and to ignore the dog as we thought he might be feeling left out.
Anyway, tonight the dog snapped at ds and left him with a bleeding bite mark on his face. My dh thinks that this is a natural reaction that any dog would have done, but I think maybe because he is a terrier he may be more snappy. We were both in the room at the time as we try to always be there when they are together but it still happened.
Is this possible to sort out or do we have to find the dog a new home? It is lovely having a dog but my son comes first. I know that he should not treat the dog this way and we are trying to explain it to him but he just doesn't seem to listen. Any advice appreciated. TIA.

[PeachyClair]

Westies do this IME and yes, it can be trained out of them (wish MIL would do it but anyway)...

He's probably the right age to start dog training classes anyhow, I would ask at the vets.

[cupcakes]

training.
and see if you can find a class where you can take ds. We take ds (5) and dd(3) to our dog's puppy classes and I think it helps them.

[Joannie2]

I hope I don't sound too harsh but you really need to protect the wee pup, it is very much a baby still and will be for serveral months more. Most dogs, regardless of breed, when treated roughly or teased in this manner will react, either a growl or a nip. All pups love to use their mouths, it's their way of interacting with their playmates and learning about the world, you need to teach your pup bite inhibition so that it understands the strength of its jaws. I would not allow your son to play with the pup at all until he understands how to respect the pup - remember that no matter how much you want everyone to get on it takes time. Your son and the puppy do not need to be best friends right now - take things slowly and at a pace the pup is happy with. It is vital that the pup and your son are never left unsupervised and that you are alway there to make sure that the pup is not put in a situation that it can't deal with. As for training, it is important to train terrier pups from an early age and I recommend booking into a well organised puppy class that uses rewards rather than punishment as a training technique - go along beforehand to make sure you like the training style of the trainer. Terriers need gentle handling they do not react well to bullying or punishment - a gentle, tolerant hand and rewards always work best and make for a happy confident dog.

I must stress, never let your son sit on any dog, particularly a pup, it could seriously injure the pup and I would certainly not blame the dog if it's reaction was to bite. I would also never let a child pick up a dog - being carried is not natural for dogs and should only be attempted by experienced handlers.

Good Luck

[hercules]

I've been looking for a dog recently and was given good advice by several breeders that you need to train the child as much as the puppy.