Giant Schnauzer Puppies and Children

LR
28th July, 2011 16:31

From infants to toddlers, different challenges await you and your giant schnauzer puppies when you try to keep peace in a house full of children and animals. While giant schnauzer puppies will usually do well with children, remember that they are a big and strong breed, and there are still steps that can be taken to ensure that parents, kids and puppies remain healthy and happy under one roof.

Bringing a newborn into the house with giant schnauzer puppies is, in essence, adding a member to the pack. To make the addition go as smoothly as possible, take some precautions and make some preparations before making the introduction. Many suggest bringing a blanket or other item home from the hospital before mother and child arrive, though the reasons for doing so vary. Some suggest allowing the Giants to become familiar with the scent, being careful not to allow the puppies to pull, tug, shake or otherwise play with the item. Training can then begin using the blanket or other item. For example, you might teach the giant schnauzer puppies to sit when presented the item and then reward the Giant for doing so. The giant schnauzer puppies then learn to associate the scent with the sit command and the reward. Others suggest teaching the giant schnauzer puppies to stay away from the blanket or other item before the child arrives in the home.

When mother and child arrive at home, it may be a good idea to allow the giant schnauzer puppies to first greet mom alone, allowing the pent up energy and the excitement to pass before introducing the new member of the family. Baby gates can also be used to create separation areas for the giant schnauzer puppies and the newborns. Finally, even if the giant schnauzer puppies and the babies seem to get along, it is never a good idea to leave the two together unsupervised.

Toddlers present new challenges to the puppy and child relationship. Adults can actually help to ready the giant schnauzer puppies to adapt to having toddlers in the home by acting like a kid! Adults can handle the giant schnauzer puppies and interact with them like a child would interact with them. Pet, hug and otherwise handle the Giants in a variety of manners. Be overly energetic and “bouncy” to familiarize the Giants with this behavior, so as to reduce the anxiety and surprise when the behavior is exhibited by the toddlers. Also, teach the child as well as the dog! Teach children rules for handling the dog and rules for how to act around the Giants. Of course, kids will be kids and dogs will be dogs, so it is still a good idea to always have supervision when the two are together.

Socializing the giant schnauzer puppies at a young age will also help if children are later added to the family. Expose your Giants to babies and children as often as possible so that having a baby or child in the same space is not a new or unique experience.