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puppy for 2 year old son?
by Clarissa
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
Hello, I am thinking of buying a puppy for my 12 year old daughter..But I have been holding it of because I have a 2 year old son...The puppy would never be left alone with my son, it would mostly be with my daughter.. We want to get a small dog and we think this is the perfect breed! Remember it would mostly sleep and live in my daughters room... Do you think it is a good idea?
DISCUSSION:
Clarissa:The Maltese is a wonderful breed. To be completely honest with you I would be a little concerned about a 2 yr old around these little babies. I recently adopted a 1 yr. old Maltese due to this problem. The lady that I got my Ty from had a 2 yr.old son and a 4 yr old son. She said that the 2 yr old literaly terrorized Ty. The child called it play but to Ty is was torture. She said that everytime the child came in the room Ty would run hide behind her. She finally decided to give Ty up for adoption. Since I already had one Maltese, Pete, and I introduced her to the breed, she gave me first choice at Ty. You can imagine how happy that made me. At first Ty cowarded down when anyone came near him even me. I have had him about a month now and he is comfortable with me, however if my son, who is 21 yrs. old or his friends come in he still cowards down. One of my son's friends told me today if he comes in and I am not home, Ty runs and hides in the corner or behind the sofa. That broke my heart. He also cowards around my husband. I have not had any children around since getting him but I'm sure he would hide from children. I am not saying that you should not have a Maltese around small children but if you get a Maltese or any small dog PLEASE do not allow the child to terrorize the dog. I think this lady just did not discliple her children very well. I hope one day that Ty will be happy to see everyone that comes his way.
I have had Yorkie's with babies in the house - commotion sent him scurrying to a safe place. I got Phoebe and had a four and five year old in the house - but I am home all day and these kids were practically born in a zoo! Seriously = my grandkids were with us temporarily and while Phoebe loves them, and they love her, a pen was the answer to keeping her from getting trampled under foot. A breeder of quality and character will not sell you a Maltese, for the sake of the dog (I had a heck of a time convincing breeders that I knew what I was doing and I do not begrudge them at all).
We had a German Shepherd who was wonderfully suited to children - he adored them and tolerated much childish affection, whereas a small child has no idea of their strength and a tiny dog could be seriously harmed accidentally and there are more than one instance where the dog retaliates by biting - in self defense.
I would also strongly suggest that you go sith a full grown dog rather than a puppy, the older the dog the better the chance of it not hurting your child in play and vice-versa. You can find wonderful dogs at the shelters, or do further research on various breeds and seek a rescue. Seriously, I think you should wait a few years before getting a Maltes or any dog of such diminutive size.
belle
I can understand how much you would want a Maltese. I truly cannot imagine a sweeter, more loving dog. As I write this my baby is on a pillow on my lap. He is the only "child" in our house. My husband and I are in our late 30's and it doesn't look like we're having children. Before deciding on a breed of dog, we did alot of research on dog personalities. We wanted to make sure we found a dog that fit in with our lifestyle. We bought a book written by an animal behaviorist, Judy Halliburton called "Raising Rover. I highly recommend it. She said that she does not recommend Maltese with children. She said that they will avoid the very young and tolerate the others. She said they will spend most of their time under the bed or coffee table. She said they are simply not comfortable with kids. I take Austin almost everywhere with me. He always is so excited when kids are around and he always welcomes them. So, I have wondered how he would behave if we had small kids around him in our home. This past weekend, my neighbors had their grandson who is ~18 mo old come to visit. Austin and I went over to meet the grandbaby (they also have 2 Maltese named Killie and Berkeley). I was quite surprised by Austin, Berkeley and Killie. The grandbaby was just an angel and did not chase them and did not try to play rough but all three Maltese hid. I really didn't think Austin would react that way. Take it into consideration. You might also purchase this book to research the different breeds and find one that is good with little kids. My best to you!
Terre W.
No no no no these babies are to precious and small to be around small chlidren they are the most wonderful dogs in the world but they should be with older more responsible people not around children!! You have enough to worry about with kids ! If you insist on getting a dog get a golden they are wonderful with kids of all ages.
Donna & Gracie
No. I hate to be so blunt about this but it is a big decision to make. I have a 4 year old little boy, who is very gentle, however, I never ever, ever leave the 2 alone. Once you have the little fur baby in your home it will be too hard and heart breaking to have to give him up for adoption. I wanted another child but my husband said no, but... you can have a dog. So I chose the maltese. I really wish now that I would have waited, it is a huge effort to keep my son and Tanner(fur baby) away from each other except under extremly close supervision. Maltese are as precious and fragile as a new born. Please keep this into consideration. I do wish you the best of luck.
Jennifer and Tanner
A Maltese might be an excellent pet for your twelve year old, but not your two year old. I will be the first to admit that each family/child and dog are different, but the dilligence required on your part and the nature of the beast - so to speak - would really be asking for trouble!
Leslie R
May I make another suggestion as to breed? Shih-tzus are generally very good with children and they tend to be larger than maltese. Perhaps more research on your part might be helpful. Maltese and very small children don't usually mix well.
JP
Although the maltese is wonderful with children, a child under 3 has a hard time resisting picking up (and dropping) the fur baby. I had read this and found it true whenever any of my 3 nieces visited last year when they were 3 years old. They are sturdy, but they cannot be dropped. A friend's young child dropped their bichon puppy and it suffered a broken leg as a result. Another friend did supervise her 3 year old grandson whenever he was around her maltese - he loved chasing the puppy, but the furbaby could run into his crate for rest! The grandson is 4 now and no problem. Good luck.
Linda R.
HI Clarissa, I'm sorry but I agree with everyone else, because of the same reason. Maltese are great with kids, but they are just too small to be with a 2 year old. Even when childen are told to be soft they don't understand soft. I'm have a certified pet sitter that takes care of my pets all 5 ( 3 dogs, 2 cats) she has a 3 year old. that is great with my shih tzu and Rottweiler. When seeing him with my maltese he was carring her by her neck and his mother keeped showing him how to carry her but he was choking her and saying he was being soft. I ended up taking her from him and telling him no to let her go. Poor baby was looking at me to protect her. This is our job as parents of the little white babies to protect. Children that are small just don't understand. Shih Tzus are a great breed for kids because they weigh 12 to 25 pounds. Now this little boy has Min pins. Maltese just look like stuff animals..Good Luck. Try again when your son is older. My son is 9 and my daughter is 12 ,Orion is best friends with them. Maltese have a big enough heart to love everyone. One last thing because of my pet sitters son my husband and myself had to find a new pet sitter with no children. rethink it out best of luck...
Tracey W.
Clarissa, I have a nephew who will be 3 in Nov, the Beasties used to run and hide but now they aren't afraid of him. He doesn't see them that often but he is always very gentle .......... BUT ..... there is no way I would leave him with them unsupervised for even a second. If you can be absolutely certain that your 2 yr old will never be left alone (even for a second)with the puppy then go for the Maltese. If you have even the slightest doubt then I agree with the others, a larger puppy is probably better .... how about a Westie or a Lhasa? I'm not sure how good either of those breeds are with children, though.
Deanna (Moose & Squirrel)
I think it depends entirely on the dog & the child. I am 13 & have a Maltese baby that the whole family adores! Which includes a 12,7,5,3 yr. old girls & a 9 yr. old boy. Everybody's gentle with him & Love him dearly. Buddy is a true family dog, hates being alone and loves his version of rough housing (it basically is nipping at your feet and running away) We generally don't leave Buddy alone w/ the 3 & 5 yr. old & we also realize Buddy is an exception to the norm for a maltese. We also know children that are 11&10 and regularly kick, bite & smack their lab mix.
And I know a Golden that bites growls & pounces & has been known to attack. It really all depends on who, where & when.Good luck with your search!Love,Courtney,Caroline,Jimmy,Katie,Sammie,Sally & "the Baby" (Buddy)
Courtney
I'm sorry I forgot to mention a key point. Even though Buddy loves his whole family ranging in age of 3-mommy& Daddy. He does not like very small babies (under 2) we brought Buddy home when the youngest was 2 & he refuses to associate w/ people younger than that. I thought that might help your decision.Love, the kids,
Courtney
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