Cockapoos & Children.
'Are Cockapoos good with children?' is a question I am often asked, however I think the question should be 'Are the children good with dogs?' In general Cockapoos have wonderful temperaments and are accepting of people and animals alike yet both dogs and children need to learn to live together and respect one another.
In the first few weeks after bringing your puppy home, life will have dramatically changed, having a puppy is like having a new baby. You will need to watch him every waking moment, especially to achieve house training and avoid any bad habits from forming. Puppies require a lot of sleep, when sleeping your puppy will need to be left in peace. This is where a crate training is invaluable and where children must learn to allow him to rest. Puppies have sharp teeth and learn how hard they can bite from their siblings. When watching a litter of puppies playing they will bite each other and pull on each others ears and tails, however when one screams out the offending puppy will stop and the game is over, this is called 'Bite Inhibition'. In the scenario of a puppy playing with a child, a child's reaction to this mouthing is often to scream but also to wave their arms which in turn excites the puppy, who may start to jump and nip at the waving hands. The game must be ended before you get to this stage, thus the puppy learns not to nip at children.
In the first few weeks after bringing your puppy home, life will have dramatically changed, having a puppy is like having a new baby. You will need to watch him every waking moment, especially to achieve house training and avoid any bad habits from forming. Puppies require a lot of sleep, when sleeping your puppy will need to be left in peace. This is where a crate training is invaluable and where children must learn to allow him to rest. Puppies have sharp teeth and learn how hard they can bite from their siblings. When watching a litter of puppies playing they will bite each other and pull on each others ears and tails, however when one screams out the offending puppy will stop and the game is over, this is called 'Bite Inhibition'. In the scenario of a puppy playing with a child, a child's reaction to this mouthing is often to scream but also to wave their arms which in turn excites the puppy, who may start to jump and nip at the waving hands. The game must be ended before you get to this stage, thus the puppy learns not to nip at children.
It is needless to say that young children should never be left alone with a young puppy or dog as both can unintentionally cause each other harm with over excitement. Children need to learn to be calm around your new puppy and your puppy needs to learn not to mouth the children. Both young puppies and adult dogs need to learn boundaries. I always recommend puppy training classes and believe it is important for all members of your family including the children to take an active part in these classes. Puppy training classes are just as much about teaching family members the correct methods of training as well as teaching your puppy basic commands. Socialisation is so very important for your puppies development, if you have school children take your puppy with you to the school gates to meet all of the different people and to experience pushchairs, loud noises and general busy surroundings.
