I agree about not forcing dogs to accept strangers attentions, like I said this isn't my first dog! I have always had rescue dogs, and they have each come with their own issues.
Being new to toy breeds, I was simply wondering how others found them to react to/with children. All of my large rescue dogs who weren't brought up with children still loved them. I don't have much frame of reference about toy breeds and Havs.
That may have been all you were asking, but this is The Havanese Forum. You'll get more
You'd be surprised how many people are worried they are actually supposed to push a puppy to overcome fear! I was lucky to learn that early because my Hav was more cautious, but even an experienced owner with confident dogs might have never have that opportunity. Many people here are lifetime Havanese experts, but many are like me - my Havanese was not only my first Havanese, he was my first puppy and first dog ever! I have read countless threads and some of the most useful are like this, where everyone from expert to pet owner shares their experiences and what they learned, even if it's more than the simple answer. Which is pretty unanimous, Havanese are great with kids. Maybe your experience with your Havanese puppy will be different from your previous dog, not because it's a Havanese, but because it's a different time in your life. I'm always a bit in awe of the experienced dog owners who don't spend all of their time second guessing everything
Our puppy was well socialized by the breeder, developed fantastic bite inhibition, and is responsive in play with children and people. To be completely honest I think beyond manners and house training kids need guidance more than the Havanese, and it's true of all dogs. I say this as someone with experience working with youth, not puppies
Even in families with multiple dogs or puppies, each one is different, and kids are experiencing it at different ages. It's helpful to give refreshers and explanations even when kids are saying, "I know, I know." It doesn't have to be nagging, everyone needs refreshers sometimes. It's something I appreciate about the forum! We repeat a lot of the same advice, but I hear it in different ways. When everyone shares their experiences, I can both relate to and learn from them, and often stories remind me of what I want to work on with my Havanese.
As far as my own kids, it was their first dog, but one naturally read our dogs' body language and the other could see it when it was described. It still helped everyone to point it out. DS needed a lot of help with physical handling, even at 12. We didn't anticipate he wouldn't be able to pick up the puppy out of his expen because of his mobility issues. We had to problem solve and figured out how to open the expen a certain way and Sundance would climb up a bit and then DS could pick him up from there. We also spent a lot of time practicing handling and how to hold him. After DS accidentally let Sundance out using a different door after school and DS could not keep up (Sundance made a beeline for the park in our neighborhood and waited there at least) DS was especially motivated to play recall games. DD had hurt feelings a couple of times from puppy nipping she actively encouraged, so we worked through that. Both of my kids made a game out of letting Sundance pull off their socks, which they found hilarious unless it was time to leave for school. This is real life, everyone has blind spots. DH has a talent for choosing the worst possible play times, when Sundance has just calmed down or settled in, and he's an adult! I'm compulsive about training and work on certain things and then forget about them. And these are just the mistakes - "learning experiences" - I thought of quickly.
And.....Havanese are great with kids
