Puppies and Babies

[BullyOpie]

Hi Everyone, I have been lurking here for a while and have learned a bunch of great info! We picked up our new bully puppy Opie on the 27th, he is now 9.5 weeks old, and he has been amazing so far! He is getting the potty training about as well as i could have hoped for and is so cuddly when he gets tired, a perfect puppy! I was told by my vet and our walker that he should meet kids soon to learn how to socialize with them. So this weekend some friends are coming by with their 14.5 month old daughter. Now Opie is chewing on everything, especially our feet, pants, legs etc.. Is having their baby around really a good idea? My walker told me that dogs just know to act gently around kids, I'm not sure Opie knows much besides, "chew on mom and dad or anyone nearby", when he is excited. Any info would be greatly appreciated! Now here are some pics of our little man!!

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

to you and Opie! He is so handsome. I would tell you that Opie is NOT going to know that those little people are not teething toys! No way! And I know from experience! But..bullies love kids and I do think he should be exposed to them. What we did and STILL do..is put Opie on a leash..even in the house. Try to have the kids calmly meet Opie, even ignoring him at first. He will calm down and be able to love those little people. I'd be careful he doesn't jump at their faces..just to love..and accidentally hurt them. My grandsons first words included..NO JAKE!!
So glad you found us..it will be fun to watch Opie grow!

 

[BullyOpie]

Thanks for the quick reply! We will keep him on leash around her and when he gets pooped, which is after about a 1/2 hour of play, they can interact more! I just read on another site that playing pull games with his toys is a bad idea, is this true?

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

Thanks for the quick reply! We will keep him on leash around her and when he gets pooped, which is after about a 1/2 hour of play, they can interact more! I just read on another site that playing pull games with his toys is a bad idea, is this true?

I think trainers and such think its too aggressive. Personally..I've had very strong dogs..Rotties..Dobies..etc and never had an issue with them playing tug of war with toys or anything. You just want to stop any growling and possessiveness immediately. Others might feel differently, but we have a kong tug toy and my dogs love it.

 

[laurendoodler]

Hi there, welcome to EBN! Opie is just precious.

Delilah has never been rough with any child, not even as a puppy. She has been around newborn infants, and she would just lay there with them and lick them. She loooves babies and children.

 

[luseaann]

Each EB is unique. Some will sense they should be careful around small children, others will not even notice. As far as pull toys, there should be no problem. What we do is give toys or food, or bones to our EBs and then take them away to test the aggressiveness of our puppies. We have 2. So far there have been no issues. They allow us to take their food, toys, or bones away without any growling. We have taught our dogs NO. One listens very well (the bad one, or should I say mischievous) the other not so much. She has a mind of her own. Certainly keep her on the leash, but praise her highly for correct behavior.

 

[acarabias]

My dogs LOVE my kids, but they do get way too excited and have knocked over my 24 month old several times and jump to try to kiss my five year old and are too rough when they get excited. My girls love them though and understand they are happy to see them. They are great with them when they are in a controlled environment like an adult around holding them or on a bed with everyone there. Good luck!

 

[BruceP]

to EBN...Opie (love the name) is a doll... what a sweetie . Sounds like you are getting some good advice. Ask away any other questions you may have; we all love bullies and love to help... as ALSO love pix so post away!!!! lol

 

[Vicaroo1000]

Welcome! Opie is a doll boy!

 

[Sabrina]

Hi there! What a cute puppy! Congrats!
My name is Sabrina and I have a 4-month bully named Boris. In my experience, tug-of-war games aren't good at all. Boris is quite dominant and that may be the reason, but as soon as we read about these types of games, we immediately stopped playing them and all of a sudden he started being more submissive... They say you shouldn't play tug of war until your dog respects you and understands that you are the pack leader. I totally agree. In any case, never let them win because you have to show them that you're the boss!
Congrats again!
Sab

 

[SunDog]

OMG what a cutie. Your life just got filled with a LOT of love. re: babies in my experience babies are one thing, toddlers are another. Lupe will literally scoot on her tummy, head down, kiss and kiss and roll on her back in front of babies. Even now--she's 3--I always sit next to any visiting babies (our family seems to be on a roll, so we have a lot of visitors!). With toddlers I always keep her on a leash if everyone is playing in the yard. She doesn't chase, but her weight alone can send a kid to the ground.

Also, is this your first dog? Even if not, it's worth reading a few books on training and playing. To me, bullies are so unique and they can be sensitive. We do very limited tug of war and stop any toy-play if Lupe growls.

Enjoy your beautiful boy!

 

[2BullyMama]

Welcome to EBN and the wonderful world of bulldogs!

Each dog is different in how they will be when it comes to interaction with dogs, animals, childern, etc.... keep him on lead till you know how he will do with them. Also, for the nipping/biting -- get a spray bottle fill it with water and when he is doig somehting you deem unacceptable -- witha very firm NO - spray him in the face. He will get the hint real fast that momma/daddy do not wnat me doing this.

GOOD LUCK!

 

[Bella'sMom]

Welcome Welcome Welcome. Your little Opie is so amazingly cute!

You have a lot of suggestions on here and no two bullies are the same. I have two and both are different with different situations. As far as chewing, make sure you have lots of toys and items for him to chew on. If he starts at your or anyones hands and feet, distract him with the toy to chew on. It takes lots of patience, but he will soon get it.

I can't wait to see photos of Opie and the Baby, I am sure they will be just fine.

 

[Gold bullies]

I play tug with Bonez, I haven't had any other issues with him. It's like he knows he can do it with his toys and nothing else. They get excited when I wash thier blankets and put them back in thier crates , I say no and they stop. Opie is cute :D

 

[Alice Kable]

Welcome to you and Opie. He is a total doll!
We have had 2 grandkids, now 17 & 16, basically grow up from infants around our Bulldogs. The dogs somehow knew to be gentle with the babies. The dogs were in awe of the babies, sharing their NylaBones, Kongs, blankets and crates with them. Bulldogs and babies go together!