Puppy teething and children

[wassupdoc]

I'm looking for some advice.
We are due to get our new puppy in a couple of weeks. We are a family of 4 (dcs are 4 and 6). We have never had a dog before and I am wondering if we are doing the right thing as all these worries are popping into my head.
For those of you who have had a puppy and children, how do you get through the biting stage? I think my 4 year old would be really effected by being continuously bitten/gnawed at.

They will get bitten. It will depend slightly on the breed some are far mouthier than others, but it’s probably inevitable that it will happen a couple of times, and toys left lying about may get chewed. It might be easier to wait until the youngest understands it’s normal and will pass?

In terms of helping. Crate train. Don’t leave unsupervised, don’t let DC treat the puppy like a toy, puppies need ALOT of sleep and the more sleep that is interrupted by DC the more likely you have an overtired and overstimulated puppy that is more likely to get silly and mouthy.
Leave the dog alone while it’s eating or playing by itself with a toy. It will be more boring for them than they probably think

Yes I'm wondering if it's better to wait. We had planned to wait at least another year but my cousins dog has had puppies (unplanned) and it felt like too good of an opportunity to miss, but I am now having lots of worries and doubts

The key is to teach your children how to play safely with the puppy. Supervised at all times. When things get rough/ heated break up the play.
I would also introduce a do & don't for the children in regards to the puppy.
Maybe puppy's mum could write a little note about how to interact with a dog eg: that dogs don't have hands to explore so use their paws & teeth, can't say no if they want to stop so again use teeth or hide in their bed....

If it’s your cousins dog, what is the breed, do you know anything about the male dog?

That said I’d personally never get a puppy from an accidental litter, no health testing of the parents, no idea if the temperament is any good etc. I’d rather go through a reputable breeder where I could meet adult dogs from that line especially if I wanted a companion for children.

I really like the idea of writing a letter.

The puppies mum is a cockerpoo and the dad is a shitzu. Dad is neighbours dog, who I have seen lots of photos of and can meet if I want to. It was genuinely an accident as the cockerpoo was booked in to be spayed.

It was genuinely an accident as the cockerpoo was booked in to be spayed.

Not planned but there's absolutely no reason this couldn't have been prevented. There's no way I'd consider a pup from a litter like this, no health tests and owners who aren't even responsible enough to prevent their unspayed bitch meeting and tying with an intact male.

Personally (a lot of people love them) I wouldn’t get a cocker cross of any sort with very young children, very very prone to resource guarding (just have a look on spaniel aid to see how many have been relinquished after nipping a child in a guarding incident), poodles can be nervous.
I’d personally 100% rather hold fire, do some good research into a breed that actually is a good fit rather than just get a puppy from a family member as it’s convenient

I think of you have doubts it might be best to wait, maybe until your children are a bit older and can understand more about what the puppy will do and why they do it, and how they should react / interact and why.

Puppies are a nightmare (we currently have a 5 month old as well as our older two) and they need a lot of attention in the early months / first year to make sure you are really able to work on getting and rewarding the behaviours you want and quickly addressing the ones you don’t want.
Is the breed that your cousins dog is having the breed that is actually best for you and your family, and the breed that you want?
Dogs are a huge commitment so if they are not the right fit for your family then it will place a lot of pressure on all of your family. But the right dog / breed at the right time will undoubtedly add years of joy and pleasure to your family

Honestly, with little ones I wouldn’t. I have the best pup I’ve ever had at the minute and he hardly ever bites but he broke the skin 3 times this week and made me bleed.

Just here this morning for a small rant. Florapup has been a PITA for the last several days. The biting had settled a fair bit, but now she’s teething (15 weeks), so not just bitey, but also manic. Being a Weimaraner, she is a big lump of a pup too. So we have biting whilst jumping around (see husbands eye), barking and lunging at the other dogs if they have a chewy thing that she wants and she always wants what they have (no danger aside from accidents like DH’s eye). If I don’t put chewing things out, she has nothing to bite on but us or the furniture. I don’t like her at all at the moment (although I love her). I called her a knob this morning and it fits. 🤬🤬🤬🤬 Why are we doing this again?

I wouldn't take a dog from an unplanned litter like this, especially when you have small children in the house.

No matter how vigilant you are, puppies will bite and draw blood and it is hard to manage that with small, curious children = especially ones which play on the floor and leave their toys around

If you're having doubts now then I would say it would be best to wait until both children are in school.

Please ignore my last post. It was intended for a different thread. I’ll leave it there though, as it might be useful to the OP to see it’s not all fun and sweetness!