Children and Hovawart dogs.

The magnificent Hovawart is good with children and should not be anything other than a wonderful addition to the family. Whatever your lifestyle and despite sensational headlines about family dogs biting children, dogs will continue to be children's best friends and confidantes, just as they have been for centuries.

The Hovawart is an adaptable robust dog with a good prey drive, a stable temperament, and "strong nerves". They have a good nose and are watchful and protective and should never "sharp" or "hyper" like some other working breeds; they have the ability to "switch on" instantly if they feel real danger, they are a good family gaurd dog with a natural protective instinct.

Many families acquire Hovawart puppies (this applies to any dog) without thinking about the needs of the hovawart or the needs of their children. Parents ignore the necessity of creating healthy dog to child relationships in the mistaken belief and expectation that the puppy and their child(ren) will be able to instantly adapt to a new lifestyle, get along and tolerate one another.

"Mouthing" and children

When puppies start getting their adult teeth from around 3 months of age onwards they try to alleviate their discomfort by chewing; on everything including human fingers and feet. Little children can quickly become frustrated with the pup's teething habits, their sharp little puppy nails, and excitable behaviour, a hovawart pup has stiletto like puppy teeth and may hurt any childs tender skin. "Mouthing" and chewing are also ways in which puppies explore their environment and whilst you cannot prevent a puppy from teething, you can take steps to teach children how to respect and approach the hovawart puppy

Use positive dog training methods

The use of positive dog training methods can help to teach children that it's neither necessary or appropriate to use violence with other living creatures. One of the benefits of involving and educating your children in your hovawart's training is that it can reduce the chances of "dog-bites-child" scenarios. Depending on individual maturity, children from around seven years of age can play a role in helping you to teach the hovawart puppy new behaviours rather than merley practicing the ones he knows. Show children how to teach a new behaviour, such as Lie Down. As soon as your pup obeys your command to Lie Down easily, let the child try it, reinforcing "the children equals treats" concept in the hovawarts brain. Teach your children how to train, and teach your hovawart to respect and respond to your children simultaneously. If your child is very enthusiastic enroll him/her and your hovawart in a training class that encourages mature, responsible ownership. But first make certain that the training group does not use force-based methods such as choke chains and lead corrections. Involving children with training has another valuable benefit; all the family will all use the same language with your hovawart and have the same expectations.

Involve your children with training your hovawart pup as soon as possible.

You could for example carry your baby in a chest sling or rucsack while you train him, the hovawart will see that having the baby around does not stop the fun and makes "good things" happen. A little child can learn that lifting a hand up to his chest, makes your dog sit. To help the hovawart associate the child's gesture with Sit, instruct your child to feed the dog a treat every time the child hears the 'click' of the clicker or use a verbal marker. Have your child bring their hand to their chest when they hear the clicker. If the pup jumps up, have the child hide the treat behind his back, and to only give the treat to the dog when he sits. This teaches your dog not to grab the treat from the childs' hand and teaches the child not to reward jumping up. As the adult you must, consistently and lavishly reward your pup or young dog for sitting when he is around the child, in that way he learns to regard the behaviour as a highly valued or rewarded 'default behaviour' around the child.

Dogs live in a world of sensory input:

Sight, smell, and sound, hovawarts easily perceive tiny details - a small change in another´s behaviour, the expression in our eyes, they are so perceptive that they can be trained to answer your whispering voice, so there is no need to shout commands. Dogs learn in two main ways - through the associations they make with their environment, they like things that have positive associations and dislike the negative ones; and through conditioning - you use conditioning to teach behaviours like Sit, Lie Down, and Come; and when you train with rewards (games, toys or treats), you are also giving your dog a positive association with the training.

Things you should teach your children

Teach all children to respect dogs - a few rules to teach your child.

Treat the pup nicely. No hitting, kicking, or teasing him and no pulling of his tail and ears. Any dog will snap if provoked or hurt.
Children should speak in a normal tone of voice. No shouting or screaming in the puppy's face, his hearing is far more sensitive than theirs.
Do not hug or kiss the puppy. Humans show affection this way, but in the canine world, it can be threatening.
When the puppy walks away from you (the child), don't follow. This means he doesn't want to play anymore. (Establish a place in your house where the hovawart puppy can rest without your children or their friends disturbing him.) Teach your child to respect the puppy's resting place and to leave him alone
Children should not bother the puppy when he's eating or sleeping. These are times when dogs do not like to be disturbed.
Only two hands on the puppy at once. It's overwhelming when lots of children swarm over him. A frightened dog may bite.
No waving of arms in the air and squealing, it excites the dog,
If the puppy starts mouthing/biting your children, tell them that they should not push the pup away, scream stamp, or run. When the child reacts in this way, the dog thinks they're playing and will continue to "mouth" or bite. Older children (seven years plus), can stand up (if sitting), stay still, and ignore him (no eye contact, turn thier head away). The puppy will quickly become bored and look for something else to do. At this point, the child can give the dog a toy, which redirects the chewing onto an appropriate item.

Children will test and retest the boundaries, and is why adult supervision is compulsory to keep both the child(ren) and the hovawart puppy safe. By observing and watching their interactions and teaching children how to act properly around the hovawart puppy, you can create child and canine harmony at home. Setting up specific structured activities for the two to engage in is probably one of the best ways to encourage a safe bond. Take a look at playing a structured game together. With a little imagination it is not hard to see how you can reliably train both child and pup, remember that consistency in training and management helps them both learn more quickly, and ensures that the you all develop a good healthy loving bond.

Play-biting and mouthing behaviour.

Both play-biting and mouthing are normal behaviour for puppies, but it is important to redirect the puppy's attention onto toys, and not your hands, arms, or trouser legs!! Just as with children, begin teaching “manners” as soon as possible and establish boundaries for your puppy. Contact and attention are the basis for everything.

When the hovawart pup puts his mouth on your skin, you could squeal “Ouch!” - in a high pitched voice, mimicking the sound of a litter mate. Do not jerk your hands away or swing your arms around because this looks like a game to him. If he puts his mouth on you again, “Ouch” and ignore him, turn your back to him and do not make eye contact. You may need to leave the area/room for a minute to create a sort of a "time-out"period. You are teaching him that when he puts his mouth on you, all contact and attention stops.
Rough-housing, pushing and shoving and boisterous games with a hovawart puppy encourage biting behaviour.
Redirect the hovawart's mouthing. When he mouths a toy, praise and reward him with your attention.
Supervise children and young hovawarts. An adult should always be present to correct the mouthing behaviour because Hovawart puppies quickly learn they can get away with mouthing small children.
Always have a toy in each hand when playing with the puppy. Having a toy to offer is an easy way to encourage proper interaction. Teach your children that.