Chows and Children?

[Dream4aChowChow]

As I mentioned in my last post I am seriously considering buying a Chow Chow puppy and am doing as much research as I possibly can before I take the plunge. I am in my mid twenties and hope to start a family in the next 5 years. How are Chows with young children and babies? Would it be best to have the Chow for a couple of years first before introducing a new baby or would it be possible to introduce a new Chow puppy to a family with very young children? I look forward to hearing your thoughts...(As you can see I am a very organised person, who likes to have a plan!)

[Hugo]

HI
When we got Hugo, our son was 6yrs old. They get on well together. I always watch them when playing though, incase our son gets too excited or rough with our Chow. We had a bull mastiff who was about 3yrs old when we had our human child. We had no problems introducing them, but Rodger was a perfect dog.
Good luck

[valerierichard27]

I have 2 chows, Nelly 2yrs and Romeo 4 months. I also have children, 7 and 3 yrs old, the dogs are very nice with them, but i do teach my children NOT to go bugg the dogs when they are in thier peaceful area (the dogs have thier own space) and NOT to play with thier food and water. As long as your dogs and children obey the rules you set, there should not be a probleme

[gumbychow]

hello
all dogs of all breeds are dangerous for children ...
they should choose the right dog, preferably between 8 and 10 wk
during this period the puppy can be modified to be compatible with a child.
choosing a good dog, you will see the parents of the dog owner ... ... places ... etc. (it is not his own idea of others).
Sell a baby dog if not our children less than 3 years.
But it is easier to buy the dog before (1 or 2) because it was easy to make a transfer at the level of authority within the family including the baby.
This may seem but elevate bizard 2 babies at the same time is difficult ....

The dog chow is a fascinating ease a family life, his ability to protect suggests that the choice is very good. . If you choose a baby chow return to the site ....
to get the best stuff to have a wonderful chow with everyone

a +
A chow is a big cat

[Merlin]

Would it be best to have the Chow for a couple of years first

My children grew up with dogs and personally I believe dog ownership to be a wonderful experience for children.
There are so many wonderful things children can learn about life through animals.

I was always teaching my children to respect that dogs are different. I certainly never allow my kids to play near dogs that are eating and they learned to recognize when dogs need their own space.


I think most people will tell you however, that puppies and toddlers can often be precarious mix if not managed properly and it's a lot of work.
A puppy is a lot of work, and little babies are a lot of work too, so to have babies and puppies at the same time is a large endeavour.


Success with dogs and children really depends on the adults and their capacity to properly manage their own household.

[gumbychow]

hellos dream4achow

For me it is better to have the chow before starting a family ...
reasons:
It educates our chow chow ...... such as master ....
We teach our children to be a good person ... as with animals.
A balanced and well-socialized Chow will readily accept any new member in the family.
With a minimum of effort ... and proper supervision for your child

a +
Good planning

[JasonandNat]

I had a chow when I was very young, he was a tremendous dog and I and all the kids in the neighbourhood played with him. He only ever disliked one kid, an we always assumed the little bugger asked for it. We played quite rough with our chow, but he was built like a bear and we had him from 6yrs to 12yrs and all the kids that came and went inbetween.

Now Nat and I have 2 chows, male and female, our girl loves everyone. Our big boy loves everyone at a distance (save a small percentage of people he just outright accepts), but he warns anyone getting 'fresh'. However he only does this without other options like walking away. We have lots of kids in the area with 4 parks and 22 km's of ravines. Not one kid or adult would consider them a threat, even those with pre-conceived irrational ideas of chows.

I trust both chows explicitly with my nieces, 5 and 6 and everyone else. Because we raised them that way.

Any dog can hurt anyone under the right circumstances. Anyone can hurt an animal under the right circumstances. Its reality 101.

I know some Shitzhu's around here that would bite a kid/adult any chance they get.

So no matter what dog you get, it is your responsibility to raise them appropriately. No matter what age you or they start at.

Few animals are more loyal to a family than a chow. Few provide as much pride to their owners either. Just reading these forums should be enough for you to grasp the wonder that is a chow.

All the best, whatever your decision.

[Judy Fox]

You have posed a problem there!

As your original question points out - there are two ways of dealing with what you want - i.e. a chow chow and a baby.

I think you have to look at it like this. You know when you intend to have your first baby and how you intend to raise him/her.

With the chow there are a lot of things you don't know. So, I suggest you research the breeders and meet any that you feel will provide a well bred chow from parents with good temperements. This is very important. Endeavour to see both the dam and the sire and satisfy yourself that they are good natured and reliable. The chances are their puppies will be reliable.

That is where you come in. Once you have your puppy it is up to you to carry on where the breeding started - a bit like nurture and nature. You have the puppies nature in that its bloodlines are fixed but you have to put in the nurture and bring the puppy up to be a polite, well disciplined and pleasing creature. Chows are very good when raised well but can be monsters when bred badly and/or raised badly.

When you actually bring a puppy into the household is a difficult question to answer and quite frankly, I don't know what to advise. What I do know is that children do love puppies but the puppy must not be regarded as a toy.

Also, I would not suggest getting a puppy whilst you have a new baby. So maybe a chow chow before.......................I don't know.

The last thing I would like to say is that however good and well behaved a dog is, I would never 100% trust any dog with a child . They have to be constantly supervised. You only need a small child poke a dog in the eye or bang something into the dog and you could have trouble. Once the child and the dog have learned the rules and understand the standard of behaviour expected of each of them, you will have a good working household and the child and the dog will have fun with each other.

[ibsy]

Sadly when a dog attacks a child it's usually the child's fault. During my time in the vets a few dogs had to be "destroyed" because it had bitten a child.
It's a shame because Dog's know what any baby animal is and will only attack when provoked and as a last resort. A dog will never attack with out warning because the last thing it would want to do is hurt.
It's not a case of training the pup, it's a case of training the child, too many parents are careless with their children and let them do whatever to the animal expecting it to be tolerant to poking and prodding and pulling.

We were advised to tell potential pup owners to get the pup before the baby. That way you have the time to get the pup trained before the baby comes along, then, the pup becomes an established member of the family before the baby. With particularly lively pups it can be helpful to have a life size doll and train the dog to be careful around the doll that way when the baby arrives the dog will see the similarity between the doll and baby and already know the basic rules.

Also, never shoo the dog away from the baby, let the pup see and sniff the baby on a regular basis, that way the pup gets used to the smell of the baby and it's doesn't lead to any curiosity which is when it can become dangerous. Remember, that as long as your pup is wormed and has had jabs, it's not dirty or bad for the pup to lick the baby, some people are far too fussy and think that dogs spread germs the fact is a baby is more likely to be dirty and unhygienic compared to a puppy. Try and give the puppy as much attention as possible when the baby comes along so no jealousy happens and always tell your child to be gentle around the pup, stay away from it's food and let it sleep when it's sleeping. A long as the baby and pup are both taught manners there shouldn't be a problem.

[Victory]

I would advise you getting the puppy a few years before you have a baby. That way you can have a well trained and adjusted adult chow when the baby comes. My mom and dad had their MingToy before my niece was born and MingToy and Tiffany got along just fine, she used him to pull up on when she was learning to stand and walk, then when she was 2-3 she'd come into the house and start screaming Mingmingmingming in that high pitched way only little girls can and Ming would do zoomies. And when she was 5-6 she would order MingToy and the younger chow, LiChi around like her personal slaves. They obeyed her well.

The trick is to have the chow well trained, well socialized and to remember, always remember that a chow is not a human...problems come about when a baby is introduced often when the chow or canine has been allowed to think he/she is a human and develops jealousy over the baby. From the first your chow puppy should be taught that his/her posistion is under that of any human. Give him/her good experiences with other humans only, assert yourself as a trustworthy leader, patience, persistence, fairness, firmness. These are the tools to raise a well adjusted chow that welcome your new baby with joy and even become a guardian and nurse to your baby.

[Dream4aChowChow]

A big thank you to everyone for their replies. It's great to hear everyones opinions. It sounds like Chow Chow first is definately the way to go which is good as I can get my Chow sooner rather than later . I went to a 'discover dogs' show in London the other week and met some gorgeous Chows there, which has made me even more adamant that I want one! Thanks again for your replies, no doubt I will have more questions in due course!

[Judy Fox]

Do you live on The Island? If so, you will find there are some good breeders here. So, good luck with your chow chow - when you get one.

[KathrynH]

Hi! I was like you and did a ton of research before I agreed to get a Chow. My husband wanted one so bad, and of course all I heard was the horrible stories. I had a baby a week ago, and so far my Chow is GREAT with her, though he does get a little anxious when she starts making noises. I think he's just confused LOL But he doesn't bother her at all except to smell her, and when she moves suddenly it doesn't phase him. He is three years old, and we went to puppy classes, but like someone said earlier, please do not get a puppy when you have a new baby. You will be too exhausted and preoccupied to socialize and raise a puppy properly. Buddha, my Chow, is well trained to listen and we know his personality so well, that we know what to expect.