HELP hubby is NOT happy with our new puppy...
 

Ok we got our new puppy exactly a week ago, he is 14 weeks old today. He was just fine until today. He is kind of skittish around the kids and hubby but loves me. He was just starting to really warm up to everyone and show people other than me attention. Now all of a sudden he is growling at my youngest son(15 months). No the baby and puppy are never ever alone together and if interaction occurs I am always and have always been directly inbetween them so my son can not get rough or accidentally hurt the puppy. And the dog is not a super small puppy he is a well built 6 pound dog. Suddenly today he chooses to start barking/growling at him though. Once he was just trying to stand up. It is never when the child actually has contact with him always when he is back a little ways. Anyone have any suggestions, because though we love our dog if I can not resolve this issue the dog will have to go because my kids come first ALWAYS. Help me please!!!

He is 14 weeks old, he is playing, he is scared one or both...have him sit on your childs lap on the sofa and give him treats etc., I think everyone is a little excited and not use to the whole puppy thing. Take him to Pet Smart Puppy school and bring the whole family...please don't give up on him just yet...

I am definitely not giving up on him yet. I cant let the child hold him cause he gets to excited and starts waving his arms. I only let him touch the dog if the dog lays by me then I hold his hand and show him how to do "soft touches/pets" I just cant figure out why he is so aggresive now. As far as a training class goes ummm thats not really possible, we literally live in the middle of nowhere as in 45 min to a town that has a walmart.

My situation was different Georgie was 2 when my son came along. My husband and I talked about what if Georgie has a difficult time adjusting to Isaiah and we both knew that giving Georgie up was not an option period. Whatever it took we would make it work. Isaiah is 5 and I am convinced Georgie has finally come around to the fact that Isaiah is here to stay lol. It takes time and patience but it can work. I can't imagine not having both my boys:) Lynzy gave you great advice and I am sure others will as well. Good luck!

Georgie reacted this way to Isaiah and it was such a good lesson to teach Isaiah to be gentle. Isaiah still gets a different reaction from Georgie when he approaches him like a wild man. I know your son is 15 months I promise I have been there. It literally took time and patience and teaching Isaiah to respect Georgie's space and now I have pictures of them cuddling:)

He's a puppy AND he's small. Small dogs get "freaked" (for lack of a better word) by kids because of their fast and quick movements. I'm sure your son didn't do anything to the puppy..it's just the reaction to him moving the way kids do.

This is why it is recommended time and time again for people with very young children to get a different type of dog. With that said, YOU can work on this and make it work. It will just take time to teach him and acclimate him. It's only been a week - this means in the beginning, the puppy was still "not comfortable" as it takes about a week on average for them to relax and feel at home in a new place. Now, he's comfortable and is showing that the quick moving small human is scary a little. Just reassure and always be there when they are in the same room together. As he grows older, they will both adjust to each other.

I understand that you human child must always come first, but don't give up too fast on your pup. He needs you to show him the way :)

Do not leave the dog with the child. You have to watch them constantly. My friend had the same problem. When she has the grandkids over, Max goes out in the backyard. He can come in but not be in the same room with the kids. Just don't trust him. You must protect those children. So sad to have to get rid of the dog. If you are very careful I think you can work this situation out. Get a fence and keep the dog away from the kids.

Yes, yes, and yes. Your child and your puppy are both babies and will each have their fears, etc., and will grow through them...and need to learn how to get along and peacefully co-exist. It just takes time, caring, love, patience, understanding, and a healthy smattering of logic and 'common sense' and it doesn't hurt to have some keen powers of analytical observation, watching body languages and putting yourself in both your child's place and your puppy's place to figure out why things are occurring. Make continual adjustments as needed...go slow and easy getting everyone comfortable in the same household. Everything has changed and the excitement is still fresh and new. You will all be together for quite some time most likely...no need to expect immediate perfection.

Yea what they ^ said, all great advise !

Treats, respect, gentle cuddles all of it. . . The only thing I would add is to be sure that your pup has his own safe place to rest. A cage for napping or whenever you or an adult is not right there to supervise. It's for their safety and your sons. Pups will and can bite if they feel unsafe or frightened.

Look below at my web site for training tips that may be helpful.

He may think he is playing. Maggie will growl at me when we are playing "try to get me". If I take a sort of "big" stance towards her she will make little growly noises, but I know it is part of the game....she will dance away from me, then try to hold her ground for a second. It is quite funny. Maybe the puppy is "standing his ground" because he is intimidated by the baby. Sorry to say this, but probably not the best age to get a dog...

Others will have to chime in here, but I think that if you don't think it is going to work out it might be best to return the pup while he is still young enough to get adopted as a puppy and before he might learn anti-social, or anti-children behavior. I feel that giving up on him now won't make a big difference in his life, giving up on him in a few months might.

Good luck.

I personally dont think its being aggresive at all. Barking and growling is very normal puppy play.
I think this is being mistaken as agression and i am sure the puppy just wants to play.
Very very very few puppies this young growl and show agression all of the sudden.

Do you have a video camera or can you record on your phone? I would like to see exactly what your little one's growls are like. Sam is a week older, and he will do the same thing. Usually it's just to let us know he wants to play, or he's pissed that he's not the center of attention.

Research is SO important ;)

Galen barks at my DBF if he is zlking to me and does not show any attention to him. It is hard to know if he is being aggressive or just playful. When he growls, how does he look?

We found that Ziva's "voice" was quite growly and downright mean sounding when she was a puppy. We were very hard on correcting her for what we thought was agression turned out to be her way to communicate. (this was not showing teeth/ snipping behavior). Small dogs seem different than the bigger dogs we were used to, but good behavior still applies.

Ok with all due respect I did my research and I still chose a Yorkie. I knew it was going to be hard but my daddy always told me the harder the task the bigger the reward :) So nay sayers aside thank you all for the advise. I am not taking the puppy back or rehoming him. Kopper is a part of this family. Just like Fred who btw is a Jack russel that lives outside. A dog that is also said not to be a good small kid dog who is WONDERFUL with my kids. I know Kopper just needs time and patience I just wondered if I was missing anything being the newbie yorkie owner that I am. The dog is never ever ever left alone with either of the kids. My kids are wonderful and great (probably the best kids ever lol and yes I may be partial) But they are still kids and sometimes if they mean to or not kids hurt dogs. So I leave things undone and spend a lot of time socializing our puppy with our family and house training our puppy. He is a joy and runs and plays I honestly think he just has a very aggressive sounding play bark/growl. But I will keep everyone updated. One minute they are giving kisses and the next he is growling. I promised hubby to watch them extra extra close and I always correct him with a no no when he growls at the baby. Play or not its a behavior I want him to know is unacceptable. Then I lay him down sit the baby in my lap and take his hand and show him how to softly stroke the puppy. We CAN do this :)

My youngest daughter was just a year old when we brought home one of our dogs (not a yorkie) and she was fastinated by this walking,"talking" cuddly toy! ;)
She´d run around after him,pick him up wrong etc,and of course,when she got exited,the pup did too,and he was also a growler at playtime ;) It was VERY hard to keep them apart,because toddlers love puppies,they just do,so instead of doing that,we took advantage of that oportunity to help my daughter be more gentle with animals and to help the pup get used to being around kids.We also had yorkies back then (not puppies though) and it went fine.
I have 3 kids and have ALWAYS had dogs..always.For the past 10 years,we have had yorkies,but we also have rescues and fosters (outside) of all ages and we have made it work.
It takes time and patience but it´s doable.Initially you have to teach little kids to be gentle and respectful and the puppies to be less hyper around them ;) It´s not your pups fault,he isnt agressive or naughty..all pups are super playful and they all growl,nip and jump around as they play,you just have to direct his atention away from your son if he gets that way.
It wont always be like this..pups grow up and blend in and kids lose interest,it´ll be fine.It takes work though,but it´s worth it :D

We also have ducks,chickens,donkeys,birds,cats,turtles and peacocks etc etc,so my kids see ALOT of animlas being born and gowing up.Animals and kids can certainly live together in harmony no matter how small the animal ;)

I think everyone has given you great advice thus far and I like the fact that you are correcting with a no-no and then sitting down with your baby and showing him soft touches, etc. If you can incorporate some kind of treat - even putting a small bit of peanut butter on your son's finger and letting Kopper lick it off, I think may help. Kopper will view you son as a place to get good things. Just a thought. And I am glad to see that you are not giving up on him. I was following your threads before you brought Kopper home, so I know that you were asking questions then and educating yourself about your newest bundle of joy. :)

Well, this isn't the first time I've been called a "nay sayer", and as I recall, that applies to MandiesMom to. :rolleyes: But, I am in good company. ;)

I want you to understand one thing for sure...
I hope with all my heart, that your task goes as best it can, and that once you've overcome these issues (if you can), that you, your family, and your Yorkie, have the most wonderful, prosperous and long lives as possible.

Sincerely... Good Luck.

Nip the Nip
Sounds like your puppy just gets over excited. Puppies nip each other and play rough. Depending on his age and stage of development here are a few things that may help.
1. After You say a dramatic high pitched Oucheeeeeeeeeeeeeee ! Immediately put him on the floor or turn your back or walk away and ignore for about 5 seconds. He needs to learn 'Never put teeth on people, because they will stop playing.
If love bites are not corrected it can lead to real bites that break skin.
2. If he nips while playing say 'Enough" and give him a toy instead of your hand and say 'Good TOY' when he bites the toy. Your cue word does not have to be Enough, You can use what ever feels right for you,like NO, or STOP IT. What ever cue word you use, say the same cue every time.Everyone in your family should use the same Cue words. (I do not like to say NoBite because, then you have to teach a new cue word for barking, rough play,fighting with other pets etc..) Enough is easy to use , and it always means Stop what you are doing right now !
Please do not play tug of war type of games with yourpuppy. This is too exciting for them, they get in that rip up the prey tranceand you may get nipped.

Really guys... return the dog, do more research, Yorkie are not for families with small kids ??? I have to say "in my opinion" Thats ridiculous !

I have 4 Yorkies, 2 kids and I have done in home childcare for more than 25 yrs. and have the occasional litter of Yorkies (as I do now). My Quincy is now 10 and we got him when my son was 1yr old. Plus I've had kids of all ages in and out of my home for those past 10 yrs with no incident what so ever. Its not the type of dog that you must worry about it is the way that you teach your child regardless of age how to treat the animal, whether is be a (Yorkie, cat, duck or whatever the case may be) and that goes both ways. You must teach both your child and the dog/Yorkie what is acceptable behavior and what is not.

We love and adore our Yorkies and without them our lives would feel empty. When trying to find homes for our pups I would never, ever refuse a family a pup just because they have children. What is so wrong! I do however make sure that they are capable of providing the pup with the appropriate care and training necessary and will grow up in a happy and healthy environment . ♥ OP continue doing what your doing. It wont happen over night but with time your pup and your son will adjust to one another. You have to understand that your pup has gone from all fur kids and playing at will to now only skin kids. Thats a big adjustment, just as it is for you son who has this little furry critter that he doesn't know quite what to do with. Give it time . . .

Hi there. I don't really have any advice to add - the above is all excellent stuff. I just wanted to say that 10 week old Chewie has been with us for two weeks now and I've noticed that he too is changing a little bit. He's just starting to growl - at silly things, it's weird - and bark at the oddest moments. So your pup's growling at Jr. probably wasn't personal at all. He's just a growing pup and he's changing and doing new stuff. Hopefully your hubby will come around though. It's nice to have support. I agreed with the poster that suggested puppy training at Petsmart. You would be amazed at what six sessions can do. Good luck. :)

Make sure he gets plenty of exercise. Puppies have a lot of energy. Direct his attention toward positive play.

If you have not already, institute a schedule, a daily routine for your puppy. Try to do all things -- mealtime, short play periods, rest and bedtime -- at the same time each day. He will fall into the rhythm and this will have a calming effect.

Also, I posted on your other thread about cherries. You mentioned that you used this as a lure for him to back to his crate. Sorry if I misunderstood, but I just wanted to make sure that you know cherries are toxic to dogs. Cherries and Dogs - Cherry Poisoning in Dogs and Cats A reaction to a toxin can also cause aberrant behavior.

I probably misspelled it was cheerios :) it's the only people food he gets :)

Cheerios :thumbup::thumbup::)

I joined the forum last week after getting my puppy and understand the frustration when some of these people feel it's there duty to treat others like children, scold them and rather than being helpful or not saying anything at all, get on their soap box and rant on and on. I won't do that to you. This is my observation.

I have a daughter, almost 4. This isn't the same as having a baby like you. Now it's time to understand the pack concept. Right now you are the alpha dog and yorky has separation anxiety and also is finding his place in the pack. One of the reasons I chose a male dog is because I wanted to tote him around and he be my pet. I do share him with my daughter but my husband doesn't want anything to do with him. We have 4 dogs and we do keep order. The rotty and european boxer are trained at a military police school for guard and protection. The boxer can attack an armed man if I need him to. What's amazing about him is my daughter can be sitting on him while he's laying down perfectly aware that she's there and he's her pet, then 5 min later attack on command. Anyway my point is keeping boundaries clear in the line of the pack and you being empowered, having the control over the dogs because your "alpha," you call the shots. Whoever is feeding the dog will receive affection from the dog. The baby is seen as competition. The dog wants to dominate over the baby. He feels insecure. You may want to give the puppy a stuffed dog toy, this will sound funny, that it can hump. lol seriously, my toy poodle totally did this because she wasn't big enough to be dominate over the big dogs and she felt the need and that's what the dogs do to show dominance. So if you puppy has something it can be dominate over when it feels insecure, it'll help.

It's best to make it clear to the puppy that baby comes first and puppy comes last in the line. Have your baby sit on your lap and if the puppy starts acting up, do the, "chich," sound. If puppy keeps it up, don't say anything but give puppy a little tap to get his focus off of baby. Also 14 weeks begins the "terrible twos" of puppyhood. Puppy will challenge your authority. So you've got almost two 2 year olds in your home; human baby and puppy at the same stage.

Food is another big deal and like most toddlers, they may want to check out dog's food etc. which a dog doesn't like to share it's food and will snap to defend it if not relaxed. My recommendation is to watch the Dog Whisperer and check out some of his shows about small breeds and watch how he trains the owners to get along with their dogs. Here's one I found he did with a yorkshire terrier that maybe you can relate to?

Dog whisperer S03E14 Yorkshire Terrier - YouTube

I do believe you can make this work but it will be you as a married couple setting up those boundaries and together reinforcing them once you figure out the line of the pack ;0)

I'll tell you, i have a personal protection guard dog, he knows he's my dog. He won't get into the van to go to school unless I load him up. Maybe your husband will let you get a female yorky too that will love him because what I've read is the male yorky gets cuddly with the female humans and the female yorky gets cuddly or prefers the male humans.

It'll be hard with a toddler but hopefully you can do the "chich," sound and definitely give puppy the message that baby comes first and that isn't negotiable. Hope you keep posting!

I also believe that this often toted belief maybe be changing. I live with a screaming 4 yr old who is the one we spend the most time correcting in interactions w/ Milo, not him, and she has gotten way better. But Milo has always expressed the nicest behavior and is INCREDIBLY patient with her, in fact, I call him her partner in crime. He is always around when she is doing something wrong. She stole a box of candy, found them both, wrappers all over the place, he is chewing on the box, her with chocolate on her face, another time she didn't want her cereal, commenced to flush it down the toilet, found her scraping it into toilet, he is licking milk and flying chunks of cereal off of toilet seat, another time, she is wetting toilet paper, making soggy balls, and he is pulling the paper roll all across the bathroom floor... I try not to laugh, but they are truly a terror TOGETHER!!! They also enjoy coordinated take downs, she goes for your waist and he goes for your shoes or pants leg, she literally is his bonnie and he's her clyde.
The only time he has ever gotten snappy with her is when he has been given a rarely given special treat, and she has to be told to give him his space, but these again are rare instances. In my case, a yorkie and a young kid can coexist happily in same environment.

LOL Kids, What would our little fur butts do without them! I always say why should a Yorkie be denyed the love of a child just because of their size .

:lol tears:eyetearss

The pup does not have to have contact with the child to be afraid. Fast movement and loud noise can both be factors that can scare a puppy. If he is afraid of the child you have got some issues to deal with.
Your puppy is 14 weeks old and 6lbs? Is it all Yorkie or is it a mix? I ask because that is quite large for a Yorkie pup. The terrier breeds tend to be quite excitable. You might want to keep your child away from the pup when he is playing or running around. You don't want a dog that is afraid of your child. You want their interaction to be peaceful and non threatening.

Honestly I believe he was just wanting to play. I kept him on a leash while inside today (with a harness) so if I needed to be able to get them apart I could and fast. They absolutely positively never ever ever in a million years have access to each other without me being in the middle of them. That being said it went better today, he only barked at him once and that was this morning before I had him on the harness/leash. I am so glad to find others who know kids and dogs no matter the size (of either) can be taught to live well together. That said I must say to the ones who are always spouting that kids and yorkies/small breeds should not be kept together. You dont actually make most people not buy them, you just make them not ask for help. So instead of helping them with your knowledge you box them into their lack of and they may not be able to get through this training experience or that. Why not just agree to disagree and not say anything. Whatever happened to building people up instead of tearing them down. Because honestly no matter how it is meant to come across it is coming across as condescending. Like we have a group of Yorkie snobs lol I am not one to be bothered by it everyone has their own opinions and thats fine. But I am not going to box myself or my kids in because of their size and age. I am going to teach them how to respect animals of all size and the dog will learn he comes last in the pack. That being said I am glad I found the support of Yorkie talk. It has been an interesting week with our new pup, and just finding out that my oldest is going to have to have his tonsils and adenoids out and tubes put in his ears I imagine those two weeks of recovery with a new pup in the house will be interesting. But not impossible, and having a puppy there to lick little boys awake makes our house a happy one full of giggles and smiles :) The 14 week compared to the terrible twos is a very good comparison. That would explain a lot of defiance I have met the last few days :D But he knows when I mean business. He was getting into something he wasnt supposed to earlier and I told him to lay down and he dropped so fast you would have thought he was dead! He is every bit as honery as my skin babies!!!