Hi i've just bought a new staffie bitch 9 weeks old and soo cute, what is the best way to rear this pup with 3 children ages 6, 10 and 14.  Can anyone give me any pointers please??

Hi Liz76,

Congrats on your new addition to your family.
Its impossible to give you the "best" way to rear a pup with kids, just be aware that she is a baby and needs to have her quiet time in a cage or her bed ( her little den) as they sleep alot . My son was 5 when I got my pup and he would forever try to pick him up which is a no no so that was banned lol. Kids need clear rules on what is right and wrong- I even had to tell off a friend one day for blowing in my pups face- she was finding it funny & entertaining him snapping at her but I saw it as tormenting him as he was in her arms at the time and couldn't get away from the situation! Now he's a EBt so you have to be careful in there raising being terriers they are high action dogs and once fired up can be hard to calm down:-)
obviously your older child can have a different relationship, feeding walking grooming but your younger two need to know that you and you only deal with the puppy first and foremost first and everything must be done with you present such as feeding,playing etc. Going to the library and getting a good dog training book will give you the knowledge on how to be with the pup and the children will copy you on how it is right to be with your pup. Children will naturally want to give in to every whim and spoil a new puppy but by setting clear boundaries now such as no on the settee or no in their beds will make her fit in easier and not be such hard work in 8 months time. By saying no to the pup and realising she can't get her own way all the time will make her a much more together girl in the long run. The more gentle they are with her the more she will love them and become a gentle dog.

puppies have very sharp teeth so make sure your children are aware of this. don't ever leave the pup in a room on it's own with the children without your supervision and make sure the pup can get away to a quiet space if she wants to.
the children must know that the pups bed is out of bounds for them and to leave her alone if she's tired. i'd also make sure they don't get the pup over excited as this will only wind the pup up and those little sharp teeth may end up nipping someone.
like the other post said make sure you set some ground rules for the pup and kids. she must know it's certain things are not allowed ie jumping up, nipping, not on furniture etc. if you start as you mean to go on then your have less problems down the line as the pup will of learn the boundaries  from the start.
i'd also tell the kids not to give their food to the pup so that she doesn't associate your food with hers and want be so inclined to beg or pinch food. maybe put her in her bed at your meal times so she knows there's nothing for her.
toilet training will be full on so take pup out every half hour and after a sleep, play or if she starts sniffing. this way she will learn a lot quicker and your have less accidents in the house.
i'd look out for a good training class so you can get started when she's had all her jabs, good socialization from the start is a must and it will also teach you and the pup good commands to use. this is something you can involve your children in to, so the pup learns to listen to them as well as you.
enjoy your new baby, do things right from the start and your have a lovely family dog further down the line. 

Hi

Can I recommend a brilliant book with absolutely everything you will need to know inside; called The perfect puppy by Gwen Bailey , you can buy it on amazon and it's superb. I know a lady who gives a copy with each pup she sells!

Have fun with your pup!

We used to get the 'hometime hoolies' which, when my youngest was a pup would also sometimes include a weeing accident!

My kids came home on the bus at the same time each day so I'd pop the dogs in the garden whilst we practised our hello's.  We'd make a point of ignoring the dogs whilst the kids said hello to people first then it was bottoms down for a brief hello.  No greeting unless the dogs were sitting was a rule we developed with our oldest dog who is a bit inclined to jump up and kiss you on the nose if you weren't firm about sitting.  OK for us but a bit alarming for some!

The youngest dog is now 2 but we still don't greet unless he is sitting - it's much nicer manners and prevents the kids from getting over excited and dog snogging too :)

Good luck

Actually, that's the one thing I would say is a must, so agree with dogsababe, the hometime greeting.

I've one Stafford who is a complete loon whenever anyone new visits, and the other (we learned!) is as calm as you like, simple difference - we ignored him when we came home until we were ready to say hello and he was calm.

Mouthing is another thing a lot of Stafford owners seem to have to deal with.  It's not something either of mine did, but I have heard it mentioned a lot.  Nip it in the bud early if it is something that happens in your house :)

Thank you so much for the sound advice, we are all looking forward to having years of enjoyment with Tess. xxx

Awww, as you may see from my username, my oldest girl is a Tess too!  :-)

Tess is a beautiful name for a staffie girly :-)
can't wait for you to put on a little piccy of your girl.. bet she's a right cutie! xx

lizi76

I too hope you have years of enjoyment with your new girl.

Staff pups can be very nippy so teaching her that human flesh and clothes are verboten is a priority and should begin asap.

The other thing to bear in mind is that staffies, whilst often great with people and children can (I say can, not always) be unreliable with other dogs. They can play too roughly and their doggy body language can be hard for other dogs to read, thus interactions can all end in tears. It is important therefore that you get your pup very well socialised with other breeds, by this I don't just mean access to other breeds, she needs to learn self control in the way she plays and not to be too rough. A good puppy class, where the trainers are properly qualified (APDT, APBC) should be able to guide you.

Of course, she may be a submissive bitch that is no trouble to anyone- a relative has a staffie girl that is fine with other dogs, but if yours is a bit bolder puppy girl, early training is even more vital.

It also goes without saying that the kids don't get to walk the dog alone. Unfortunately I have seen children as young as ten charged with walking an entire staffie male, alone, in the park!

Congratulations on the new addition to your family; in the right hands and with the right training they are a fabulous breed.