[doggielover]

Coco is such a sweet wonderful dog, but he's not our dog anymore. We're very sad. We had him for 5 days and were totally committed to him until he started lunging & barking at the kids. I have little kids (2-6 year olds) in and out of my house almost every day. He cornered a 4 year old girl against our garage and my son got stuck on a stool in the kitchen with him barking and lunging. It started out slow but got progressively worse.

I may have been able to counter-condition him to not go after the kids but we didn't have any margin for error. We adopted him from a poodle rescue, I let them know what was happening and they suggested we bring him back and they refunded our money. He had not shown any signs of this in his foster home. We all thought it was a good match until this started happening. No one has hard feelings, I'm just pretty sad because I really was bonding with him.

We're now rethinking if a standard is the best idea for us...maybe something a little smaller.

Dee

 

[starkeeper]

Oh! Darn!

I have a lot of young children in and out of my home too and I go with starting with young puppies beacuse of this.

I absolutely dislike housebreaking and chewing of puppies and

I love adopting older rescues but if they are not specifically socialized with the noise and activity of little ones early on......it is tough.

Even when you get them as pups, they sometimes have issues with snapping.

Luckily, our current pup (seven months.....had her since 12 weeks) shows no signs of it.

I hope you find a good match with any next dog!

 

[tannerokeefe]

how old was he? Maybe it was jus a puppy thing? I think a Standard is a wonderful fit for our family and I have children ranging from 15 months-7 years. If the dog was older try finding one younger. Dutch(our 6month old Spoo) is awesome with our children, but of course just like any puppy if the kids friends are running around with their hands in the air Dutch thinks they are playing and starts to chase, bark, and playfully bite. I hope you find a good match.......just dont give up on the bigger dogs!!

 

[doggielover]

he is about 15 months old

 

[Purple Poodle]

Just to play the other hand how much dog interaction have your children had?

Its a wonderful thing you went with a rescue and I would totally suggest sticking with a rescue but maybe find one who is a bit older and has had lots if socialization with kids. Also maybe look for a smaller standard or larger Miniature.

 

[doggielover]

thanks for asking. my son had a dog his entire life up until a month ago. edited to say he's 4 years old

 

[WonderPup]

awww, thats to bad so sorry. It's always a shame when those things don't work out.

I think you might be on the right track though to maybe look for a larger minature.... thats a little easier for kids to handle being around but not small enough to be breakable like a toy would be.

 

[Jenspoo]

I have a lot of young children in and out of my home too and I go with starting with young puppies beacuse of this.

I absolutely dislike housebreaking and chewing of puppies and

I love adopting older rescues but if they are not specifically socialized with the noise and activity of little ones early on......it is tough.

Even when you get them as pups, they sometimes have issues with snapping.

Luckily, our current pup (seven months.....had her since 12 weeks) shows no signs of it.

I hope you find a good match with any next dog!

I totally agree. I had a greyhound that I adopted and it attacked my toy poodle over food. The poo is fine after he had surgery. My kids were 5 and 3 at the time and she would follow my 3 year old around if she had food. It scared me so we also returned her. Good thing you are returning him now because I had the greyhound for 3 months and totally bonded I cried for weeks over it but it was the right thing to do.
I am now waiting for my spoo he's 3 weeks on Saturday and we will start with a puppy. The resaon we went with the rescue is the chewing/potty training and it was a plus that the dog was fixed and had shots but with kids I am a firm believer that the dogs HAVE to be raised with YOUR family so that they know your rules. JMHO

Sorry your going through this itis really hard.
Jen

 

[kathyd]

I'm so sorry to hear that Coco didn't work out. I hope you'll find the perfect dog for your family soon.

 

[Sivaro]

I know you wanted to rescue a poodle and I thank you for that. There is nothing wrong with a standard poodle, I think they are actually better for children cause children can get too rough with a mini or a toy. Toys can get damaged around kids.

Perhaps get a baby to start with, kids run around and scream alot so an adult that hasnt been around this would get a bit upset.

 

[Purple Poodle]

Not to argue but when you have children aged 2 to 6 a Standard would be a bit too much to me. My sister has children in the same age range (2-8) and by far out of the three sizes I own the Mini is the best with them. Cher my Toy hates them and Tues my Standard it to boisterous for them but Jack the Mini can run and play and rough house with the boys (7yo) yet the 2yo can still make him obey.

Anyway just adding another though to finding the right dog

 

[SECRETO]

I have children for 18 months to 4 yrs and my 2 standards are great around my kids. Personally I would never get a smaller variety Poodle to live with my children. The Standards are calmer and can handle ruff play better. I think you will run into more problems trying to get a rescue that is family oriented rather then buying a young (8-12week) puppy.

Of course some people are really into rescue dogs only, but they dont always work out for families with young childern. I hope you find a dog that suits your family.

 

[Pamela]

The pup probably was socialzed with children - I have to watch Ginger because she has this fear thing - when my daughters little grandaughter Kayla comes over she pulls the dogs har (she is 2) if she ever gets Ginger I think she might bite. TEddy - you could do anything to him - he is very easygoing - she loves to play with him. The minis - well Cassie would bite her if she pulled the hair but Gabie just cries! so we have standards and minis here and one of each is not for children. Actually i would have to say that both minis not for small children. They love my grandsons who are older. I would go for a standard that has been around kids or a puppy. go to Cesar Milan site and see if you can get the episode "Pushy Poodle" where he trains the kids with the poodle - its great!

 

[doggielover]

Thanks all for your input. It should be an interesting road to the next 4 legged member of our family.

 

[WonderPup]

ROFL.... Jen, I'm sorry I've yet to meet a standard that I can honestly say is calmer as a young dog than a toy or a mini. (no offensive to anyone but I don't care for toys much... I'm a big dog person I suppose??) Less yippy FOR SURE but not easier to handle. I'm noticing that the spoos are kind of like labs and goldens in that they don't seem to grow up untl they are two. Keep in mind to Jen, that you probably handle your standards better than a lot of people I meet, being a more experienced dog owner and all?

I do kind of agree though that perhaps a younger dog might be a better choice than an older one who may not have had much interaction with children? Then again, if you found one that grew up with kids or was around them a lot in foster care then that would be ok too. You just have to look at it case by case I suppose, every dog and situation will be different.

 

[pagan-poodle]

Im so sorry to hear about this,i had similar problems but also as well as aggression he was sick

Any how hope you find a pup soon,id say go for a minature they are on a smaller scale and just as fun

 

[Harley_chik]

This is just my very humble opinion, but toy breeds in general tend to be less tolerant of kids. They also tend to hold a grudge toward anyone they think has mistreated them. They don't understand that the kids didn't mean it. That can mean they might be aggressive towards kids or that they just avoid them. Kids don't get why the dog won't have anything to do with them and their feelings get hurt.

When I got my Maltese, 9 years ago, my brother was you typical PITA teenage boy. He used to tease Bailey (never abused or injured him) and to this day Bailey is uncomfortable around him. Bailely used to hate him with a passion and it's only in the last few years that he will let Taylor hold him. I can only think of one kid that Bailey has been comfortable around. (I have the sweetest pics of him and a friends 8 year old daughter.) I've also seen this with the neighbors Pugs and Chihuahuas and several toy poodles that belonged to various family members. IMO, it's a form of self preservation, they can't fight back or get away as easily as a larger dog. Of course there are exceptions. I agree that you should look into a puppy, pehaps a standard that will grow to be fairly small. I have no experience with Minis whatsoever. I haven't even seen one in my area, which is weird now that I think about it. It's mostly toys and a handful of Standards.

If you get a chance, you might want to watch some episodes of "It's Me or the Dog." I don't agree with Victoria Stillwell on everything, but she has some excellent insights about fearful and/or small dogs. I've seen her make the kids get on the ground so they can see things from the dog's perspective. How big and possible scary people can look, etc. It really seems to get through to the kids.

 

[SECRETO]

ROFL.... Jen, I'm sorry I've yet to meet a standard that I can honestly say is calmer as a young dog than a toy or a mini. (no offensive to anyone but I don't care for toys much... I'm a big dog person I suppose??) Less yippy FOR SURE but not easier to handle. I'm noticing that the spoos are kind of like labs and goldens in that they don't seem to grow up untl they are two. Keep in mind to Jen, that you probably handle your standards better than a lot of people I meet, being a more experienced dog owner and all?

I do kind of agree though that perhaps a younger dog might be a better choice than an older one who may not have had much interaction with children? Then again, if you found one that grew up with kids or was around them a lot in foster care then that would be ok too. You just have to look at it case by case I suppose, every dog and situation will be different.

Wow, my opinion made you ROLF....great! :bad:

Considering I have 2 children and have now owned three Standard Poodles (2 raised as from young puppies), yes thats exactly what I have found to be true. When you read the breed standard for the Standard Poodle, it litterally states that Standards are considered the calmest of the three varieties of Poodles. I also have a friend that has a toy Poodle and another with a miniature...yep, my Standard's are calmer then both there dogs.


I dont need to be a certified dog trainer to have a opinion on what my actual Standard Poodle experience has been with children. Thanks anyhow for your input!

 

[spoospirit]

I have two standard puppies. One is very quiet and laid-back and has no problem with anyone; child or adult. The other, we just lost, loved everybody and was never overly excited or aggressive toward anyone. I know that my sister's two standards are also like this. They all have been going to a nursing home to visit the residents there since we got them; which was between 9 weeks and 12 weeks. They are so well behaved that the staff cannot wait for our next visit. They thought the two older puppies were adults because they were so well behaved.

My grandson comes to visit at least a couple of times a week. He is four. He plays with the dogs and there has never been any issues.

The only experience I have of a smaller breed is my sister's toy poodle. He also goes to the nursing home to visit. However, he is more easily agitated and seems to take great delight in instigating trouble with the spoos. Dianne has worked consistently with him and he has improved a great deal.

Getting the right poodle can be a real challenge but I am sure you will eventually find one that fits in with your family. Good luck with your search.

 

[Jenspoo]

The only large dog I have had has been the greyhound and they come from a totally different background than other rescues, but I do have the toy poodle/bichon mix with kids.

Toby (toy poodle mix) and I'm calling him a toy if he isn't a toy then he's a small mini he's weighs 9lbs don't know how tall he is. I had him before I had children. We didn't know much about dogs and babies but never had an issue with him. When we brought them home from the hospital he sniffed them in the car seat and then went on his way. That has been the on going relationship between our kids and dog. He will growl at them if they are pestering him to much. He doesn't 'love' the kids. He will fetch a little from them now but he can't play much cause of his bad back (he will not be with us much longer).

So my experience with him is he is mine and my husbands' dog. The kids have had little to do with him and he with them. If they are on the couch bouncing around he goes to the other end. There is NO problem with either dog or kids but neither have the 'lassie bond'. So in my case it is true that the smaller breed likes the older people better, if my kids were calmer and not so noisy then maybe he would have bonded but they are not. =)