16 week old puppy question

grlsroc · New member Joined: 09 Apr 2004 Posts: 9 Location: NH

My 16 week old puppy is afraid of kids. Is this just a stage or should i be worried.

winnie · Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2004 12:52 am Post subject:

how old was your pup when yu got him/her? My lab is scared of kids too, maybe she just needs to get use to them...are they rowdy around her or quiet and calm....maybe slowly intrduce her to children you know and make sure they are calm...im not sure though...goodluck

grlsroc · New member Joined: 09 Apr 2004 Posts: 9 Location: NH

I got her at 9 weeks and my daughter is 7 and she is wild and she scares her i try to tell her to knock it off but she never listens (adhd)So i am hoping she will just get used to hearing it and seeing it then maybe they can be friends.

kyles101 · Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2004 1:46 am Post subject:

ive noticed that kids have a big influence on dogs, especially puppies, so your dog might not get used to it. i know my dog is wary about kids that age as some of the kids down the park have tried to grab/pull/jump on her. one even pretended to hit her with a stick by waving it past her face fast. talk to your daughter more about it.

bullylove1 · Super Senior Member Joined: 18 Mar 2004 Posts: 1075

Kyle, that's terrible. I don't know how I would react if a child ever pretended to hit my dog in the face. I am way to overprotective of Harley. Some kids just dont' get it. My mom used to live next door to a family that had a girl about 9. The girl used to ride up and down the sidewalk and run a stick on our fence the whole way, back and forth, just to piss of my moms lab. Well, one day, my mom finally caught her and told her the next tiem she did it, she was gonna let the dog loose on her. NOT a good approach, but needless to say the child never did it again.

loves-da-pits · Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2004 5:45 pm Post subject:

Maybe you could convince your daughter to enteract with the pup with some games, like a gentle game of ball, or tugging with a tug rope. That way they can bond and enjoy each other company. Let her feed the pup sometimes. Not only the child and pup bond, but it also teaches pet responsibility to kids. I'm sure it will work itself out.

spencerpits · Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2004 9:37 pm Post subject:

For what it's worth, I have a male pup who is almost 16 weeks old. We got him a month ago today. He seemed real unsure of kids and guys; however, through lots of socialization over the last month, he has really turned around. And of course, some pups may take a little longer to 'warm up' to certain people. I'm sure your daughter and pup will become best buds. Your pup's confidence level may have a lot to do with it also, so try to take every opportunity to help him build up his confidence.

chickee · Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2004 11:26 pm Post subject:

loves-da-pits · Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2004 12:22 am Post subject:

Chickee: I know where you're coming from. But grlsroc has the pup and recognized that there might be a problem. I'm glad she's looking for advise before there's a major problem. I had a dog once that wouldn't tolerate small kids. You're at the point where you tell people to leave their kids home when they want to come and visit. But she really needs to get some kind of possitive interaction between the daughter and the pup. Give her some pet responsibilities such as feeding, playing, and the usual clean-up that comes along with having a pet. But then most 7 Yr. old kids are more interested in Sponge Bob than taking care of a dog. People just don't think the situation through before they commit to a pet. I just hope it all works out for the daughter AND more importantly for the dog. Dogs are the ones who get the shaft when they're not compatable with certain people's homes. And Pits seems to always have the odds stacked against them.

True_Pits · Super Senior Member Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 1433

I agree with chickee adhd just a reason for a kid to act up? A crutch for a parent to not discipline and a reason for there to be no consrqunces? Wonder how many kids actually have adhd? Wonder how many just need discipline? Or how many are just sleep deprived? How many on uneeded meds? Tell her to stop, if she doens't listen send her to her room. Your right she recognized a problem, and she can fix it by removing the child and giving a consequence when they do not listen. Otherwise the pup can only become worse and lead to fear biting, it won't be nice to put a dog down that you are attatched to or take your child to the emergency room for a dog bite.

loves-da-pits · Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2004 1:24 am Post subject:

Sorry True_Pits. Didn't see the ADHD thing. I think this ADHS is totally B.S. anyway. It's too easy to "Dope" your kids up so you don't have to discipline them. But what concerns me is a 16 week old puppy caught in the middle and could go to a shelter if it's not able to adapt to this particular home. I'm beginning to think that the pup was a spontanious notion without giving any thought to other issues going on in the home. I just hope the pup isn't the one to suffer the consequences.

chickee · Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2004 3:13 am Post subject:

chickee · Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2004 3:17 am Post subject:

I just now noticed the ADHD thing. My question now is, why bring an innocent animal into this household to begin with? Especially when the parents can't control the child? UGH. Confused

loves-da-pits · Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2004 3:24 am Post subject:

Chickee: My thoughts exactly!! But what about the pup that's already there? What do you suggest? The pup has a slim chance in a shelter. Is there anyway they can make this work?

kyles101 · Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2004 5:08 am Post subject:

it may have a slim chance in a shelter but it least it will have a chance. it wont have any chance at all if this kid terrorises it constantly. it will bite that child or another one day and be put down instantly. now im going to hop on my soapbox. i too feel that using adhd as an excuse is stupid. kids with adhd still understand whats right and wrong and they still understand punishment. they arent fragile little beings who need to be doped up, wrapped in cotton wool and be let to do whatever their hearts desire. as chickee said, trying to say 'knock it off' isnt a punishment.

ah, reminds me of the story about this kid who terrorised his dog but the parents didnt pay any attention to it. one day the dog bit the child and was put down. the vet couldnt believe the dog actually bit someone and did an autopsy. he found a crayon shoved in the dogs ear canal. i dont like it when parents think its acceptable for kids to terrorise pets. that 'my dog has to put up with everything my child does or its gone' attitude stinks.

chickee · Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2004 5:12 am Post subject:

daddyfs · Member Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 145 Location: Tennessee

wow, this is too easy.. discipline the child.. you should never have to TRY and tell your child anythin.. and what can you expect from a pup that feels threatin everyday by your child?? if your afraid to discipline your child, then maybe you should find another home for your pup...

Sara · Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2004 12:38 pm Post subject:

You're all making good points...

I have adult ADD and so I'm annoyed at the ADHD BS comments but can see where they are coming from.

I'm also thinking that if this person is still using ADHD as an excuse for their life or kids being difficult...they shouldn't have purchased a dog...much less an APBT.

Dogs CAN be good for a child with ADD but only after the problems associated with the disease/illness have been addressed and are under control (as much as possible). Often times giving a kid like this the responsibility and DESIRE to follow through and do a physical activity that requires concentration is a GREAT way to help a kid in the throws of ADD/ADHD... But the kid has to be under control and you HAVE to keep your kid safe... Teach the kid to respect the dog or you'll end up as another statistic on the news and dogbite websites... An advocate for BSL if you're not carefull... Please don't take these comments as being mean etc... WE care about the breed and your child and beleive you need to re-think your situation to make it safer for both child and dog.

grlsroc · New member Joined: 09 Apr 2004 Posts: 9 Location: NH

You guys have taken this way out of control , i never said she torments her she just runs and gets mad when she chases her and i tell her to stop running. This was not a spare of the moment buy i waited months for her and i have 3 other dogs and everyone gets along and there not scared of my daughter and the puppy has been doing much better with her since she has stoped running and sits down and plays with her. Now about ADHD do any of you have kids ? Its not BS if you know what it is and have to live with it and all the meds dont make them zombies. So for all of you that think i dont know how to disipline my daughter , you dont know me or what goes on in my life. My dogs have never been abused and she is the only one that came from a breeder the others were all rescued.So she will never end up in the shelter. Thanks for all the bashing here. I will now be leaving your board to find another that might help when its asked for , instead of comenting on things that they really dont know about.

Sara · Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2004 5:29 pm Post subject:

Don't leave.

The reason people commented the way they did, some harsher than others, was because we didn't have the whole story... It did sound a bit like your child was being pretty rough on the dog... We responded according to what we knew... You didn't elaborate so we couldn't have known what you were talking about... We were speaking generally as you were so don't get so upset about that...

I have ADD and some of the comments were insensitive...but as a person who has it...I'm used to the crappy comments and let them go...if you don't you'll be driven insane by them.

Sorry I hope you'll re-consider your choice. THere's lots of good info one can get here...