It is important for potential puppy owners to understand there are three very common puppy behaviors that cause owners' distress; mouthing or play biting, potty training, and crying in the crate.
These are totally normal puppy behaviors but compounding them with raising a small child can make the tasks seem daunting,” says Zimmerman.
A house line is absolutely invaluable for managing your puppy's behavior in the early days. “Using a leash in the house when your puppy is outside of the crate will give you the ability to prevent ‘naughty’ behaviors such as jumping on, chasing, and mouthing at your child,
while also teaching your puppy how to be calm in the house and to prevent potty training accidents,” says Zimmerman. After a few episodes of puppy jumping resulting in a toddler meltdown, we decided to try it.
With our previous dog, we didn’t use the crate much. I worked from home, but otherwise the house was quiet and he was able to find peace and rest with ease. Lowen did not have that luxury with a toddler running rampant throughout the house. And we all know an overstimulated, overtired puppy is no fun.
“Using your crate regularly throughout the day helps normalize the crate, decreasing whining and crying so you and your toddler can stay well-rested,” says Zimmerman.
Don't forget to also teach your child healthy boundaries when it comes to interacting with their puppy, such as not pulling on fur, hugging the puppy, chasing the puppy, or messing with the puppies food,” says Zimmerman.
Even if your puppy tolerates these behaviors, teaching your toddler to respect a puppy's space will help prevent potential problems with other dogs in the future.
Puppy owners should provide their puppies with daily mental and physical stimulation, including obedience training, to help give their puppies an outlet for their energy,” says Zimmerman. On top of that, you also have to watch both puppy and toddler like a hawk in the early days.
One way to manage this, while also making sure you have time for other necessary life activities, is to break the day up and give everyone some time out. “It is totally okay to split up your puppy’s day between intentional time spent training, playing, and exercising, and spending downtime in their kennel,” says Zimmerman.