What are some effective ways to get my kids to warm up to out new puppy?

We adopted a puppy almost a week ago and while she is obedient she is still a puppy and her hyperactivity scares the kids ages 3 & 6. The kids have always been scared of animals because their exposure to them has been very limited, not because of any incidents. After almost a week the kids have shown little signs that they have warmed to her. We have to keep a gate up to divide the house, for example, while I cook dinner the kids go in their room and play while the dog hangs out with my husband and I. When dinner is ready the puppy goes in to the part of the house with the bedrooms while the kids come up to the dining/living room area. They will co-mingle in the back yard but only if an adult has the dog on a leash. They scream and run away whenever the puppy gets too close or tries to jump on them. We are training the puppy not to jump but it in the meantime it scares the kids when she does it. What are some ways I can get the kids to understand the puppy and be calmer with her?

screaming and running are DEFINITE ways to teach a pup to chase and nip.... DO NOT ALLOW kids to act that way. i see no reason to push the issue with the kids,, it is your dog,, if they dont want to deal with it,, probably better for all concerned..i would not banish the dog to isolation in another part of the house.. perhaps a ex-pen or crate in the living area would be best..train your kids on how to behave appropriately around dogs... so they will not get hurt.

Take the puppy for a long fast walk (or better yet a run) for about 45 minutes before setting up a "play time" with the kids. The puppy should be walked (run) like that at least once daily, twice would be better. It would lower her activity level and be less intimidating to the kids. After the walk when the dog will be more sedate then you can sit with her and your kids and pet her or give her little bits of her food as a treat. Instead of having this hyper "oh boy playtime" mentality you will have a calmer get to know each other session.

well if your kids are scared of the dog you should try to show them that the dos not going to do anything to them all he wants to do is say hi or you should try to put them in a room and try to let them play a game but if the dog gets to close again try taking him away from them and then put him down again and let them play.

I think quite often that children need to be socialized with pets the same way pets need to be socialized with humans.Keep in mind that puppies go thorough a critical period of socialization between eight and 16 weeks of age. During this period of time they mature very rapidly. If isolated from external stimuli and not exposed to the outside world, they can grow up to be fearful not only of adult dogs, but other humans as well.Children can pickup/emulate your behavior around your puppies quite quickly. With that in mind, I recommend you make playing with the puppies an event...something they can be excited about. 2-3 15 to 20 minute play session a day, follwoed with treats for both the puppies and the kids can make both puppies and children start looking forward to play-time.Also keep in mind that:- Puppies need a lot of rest, just like a growing child. Limit puppy-children play sessions to 15- to 30-minute periods, 2 – 3 times a day. - Young children may be tempted to shout at a puppy if they think he's doing something wrong. Be sure kids understand that puppies and dogs can be easily upset and startled by loud noises. - No teasing. Keeping a toy just out of reach will reinforce bad habits such as jumping up and excessive barking. - Wagging tails and play biting can be too rough for young children. Supervise interaction and separate them if the play is too rough. - Teach kids to care for a dog by showing them how to feed and groom him. The #1 consideration is to make sure that you make it FUN - for both dog and child. Do it the right way now, and they'll have both playmates and protectors for many years to come.

Puppies and children have a lot of energy and short attention spans, so start out with short sessions. Start slowly by exposing the pup and children together when a supervising adult is there. Never leave young children, a puppy or dog together without an adult. Give the puppy exercise (this might be benefical for the kids too) to drain some excess energy off. When the puppy seems relaxed, inform the children that they will need to stay calm (no screaming or running) and let one child go first (older one would probably be best, so younger one can see how to behave, or even an adult to show how it's done, if you think the 6 year old will not be a good example, don't let younger one watch). Bring the child and the puppy closer and closer (pup on leash), each time waiting to get closer when both are calm and relaxed. Praise the puppy and your child when they are calm and relaxed. Try not to get frustrated with either. You want both your children and your pup to associate only good things when they are near each other. Be careful to only give attention to behavior you want (from all of them). Work slowly and remove them from each other if things start to regress back to old behavior. Have child and pup sit apart and gradually bring them sitting closer and closer together, stop before they react to one another.Take it slow, they are all very young and are quick learners. In time they will learn to be calm around each other . Eventually, they can calmly pet the puppy (only when pup is calm too). Teach them to pet using long, slow pets. They are occassionally going to get a little excited around each other, their young. Also, try basic obedience and incorporate your children into those sessions or play sessions too (with an adult). When your children realize that they too can get the dog to sit they will be amazed. Don't forget you are the leader for all of them so stay calm and have patience.It's important also, that all of you do not give the puppy any attention for barking or jumping. Do not touch the puppy or talk to the puppy when misbehaving, you can say something like Oops! or Aat! in a neutral tone when pup misbehaves and then withdraw your attention, turn your back, until you get a behavior you want then praise, pet or treat puppy.We all enjoy rewards and praise. Give your children a reward when they behave too! Dogs as well as people need to be socialized with one another. Otherwise, fear developes with the unknown for both, as you are now aware. Don't dispare it's never too late. Keep socializing both gradually, protecting all of them, the best you can, from a bad experience and you will all do great! Good for you for taking this on before the children are older and it's more difficult to overcome their fear!