 Barked: Wed Jul 13, '11 7:37am PST |
 | |  | | I agree with the idea of getting the kids and the puppy involved in a class. It will help them bond and the kids will have a better understanding of what the dog needs.
Maxie is my 11 month old Shihpoo- he is 18.8lbs, very solidly built, but Shihpoos do range in size as you can see from the postings. Max is great with the grandkids- they range from 7-11....but I have monitored their playtime with him because especially when he was real little (and we got him at 10 weeks)- to them he was just the best little toy. The kids don't know any better and learning to respect an animal's needs is such a great life lesson for kids and helps them bond to the animal rather than just see it as a fun little toy.
Puppies still need a lot of sleep and are learning to trust the world. Kids' constant energy level and unpredictable movements can be too much for them. The more you can provide positive experiences early on, the more confident and calm dog you will have later on. It's kind of like when you protect your kids from certain scary situations in the world until they are ready for them.
I just adopted another Shihpoo- a rescue dog- 1 yr old. Her name is Lily Anne, she is 11 lbs and has been with us 3 days. Already she is acting like she has been here all her life in spite of being picked up as a badly matted stray (it took them an hour to shave her) and failing the food aggression test at the shelter. They were going to euthanize her but a rescue group took her in and worked on the food aggression issue ...which didn't take long. She is doing fine with that here and her and Maxie have become the best of friends, sharing bones and chew toys and even eating out of each other's dishes now. And they were going to euthanize her! If I was an 11 lb dog living on the streets (and she had been there a while judging from her condition)- I'd guard my food too! It's probably why she survived. I will post pics of her after she goes to the groomer today.
I have dogs all my life, but this mix of Shihtzu-Poodle produces seems to produce such a sweet, wonderful dog. You're very smart to think about the best way to handle this situation now- and I aplaud your foresight and committment to this little pup.. for everything you put into this puppy now- will reward you for the rest of his life.
Good luck and keep us posted! |  |  | |  |
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