How to Train a Puppy to Play Well With Children

It's a perfect-family fantasy; young children and a playful puppy romping happily on the front lawn. You can achieve this fantasy, but it requires effort and care on the part of the adults in the household. Remember, you need to train both your puppy and the kids.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Study up on various breeds and ask friends or a veterinarian for recommendations about the best breeds for households with children. Some breeds are high strung and jittery and lively children may frighten them; others are easygoing, gentle and can become delightful companions. Educate yourself before you bring the puppy home.

2. Enroll your puppy in a "puppy kindergarden" class at your local obedience school. These classes are specially tailored for young dogs and also provide an outlet for a puppy's extra energy.

3. Reinforce that you and your family have dominance over the puppy. This allows the puppy to learn his place in the household. Train the puppy to sit before you put down his food bowl, before you feed him and before you pet him. Reward positive behavior with praise and or a treat. If your puppy won't sit down, don't pet him until he does.

4. Give your puppy an alternative behavior to her bad behavior. If she bites or nips at your or your children's hands, say, "No" and redirect the behavior by giving her a chew toy instead. Teach your children to approach the puppy, scratch behind her ears with one hand, and give her a rawhide chew or other chew toy with the other hand. Start with short periods of time and work up to longer petting sessions as the puppy learns.

5. Prevent jumping. If your puppy jumps, cross your arms, say "Off" and turn away from him. Once he has all four paws on the floor and is calmer, turn back around and praise him. If the puppy continues to jump, continue to cross arms and turn away. When you turn back to the puppy, say "Sit" and give him a treat to reward the good behavior.

6. Train the puppy to spend time in a crate; the crate should become his sanctuary. Insist that the children never bother or tease a crated dog. Don't let your children crawl into the puppy's crate, even when it's empty. It's the dog's private place, your children need to respect that privacy. Allow him to protect his favorite toy or bone by taking it into his crate, off limits to the kids.

7. Be consistent. Consistently rewarding good behavior is just as important as disciplining bad behavior. This allows your puppy to learn what is and isn't appropriate.

Tips & Warnings

• Teach the children the most important rules concerning the dog's safety and their own: never, ever pull a dog's tail or try to poke him in the eye, pull his ears or hurt him physically in any way.
• Instruct the children never to take the dog's toys. Similarly, teach them never to leave their own toys on the floor. Anything on the floor is fair game to the puppy. Kids need to learn to keep shoes and homework out of reach of a curious puppy.
• Don't leave children under 10 alone with your new puppy.