Puppy and children?

Hi guys I have a few issues with our lovely Bella whereby I am worried whether or not we are going about things the right way?

Firstly and most importantly she is still occasionally nipping at the children and their clothing, especially (aged 3 and 1) and even growling/talking once or twice. Whilst i am sure she is playing in her own eyes this can be quite scary for the little ones. The action I tend to take here is to distract Bella with a loud noise rather than to accost, then shortly afterwards under direct supervision make sure dog and child cuddle, fuss or play together as I don't want them to become fearful or seperate from each other.

Also Bella only seems to respond to my leadership and won't take much direction from my OH. She if anything seems scared of me which is very upsetting, have I broken trust here?

These issues aside things are going well but I'm really stressing that we're doing things wrong as I love Bella a hell of alot more than I expected I could love a dog!

All help and feedback appreciated.

Sorry I cannot help personally with the issues you are having with Bella. We dont have any children and Rocky had already gone through the puppy stage before we adopted him from a rescue centre.

However, please have a read through the link below I'm sure you will find it useful. I'm sure others will be along shortly who have been through both:

http://staffy-bull-terrier.co.uk/staffiepupsandyoungchildren.html

I can't help hugely, how old is Bella now?

My dad is strict with Loki, in terms of voice and body language (no hitting or anything of the sort). Loki acts submissive around my dad, but he also loves my dad, has a good rough game of tug-of-war with him, enjoys his affection, etc. So if that sounds similar, I'd say Bella sees you as a bit strict, but still loves you and isn't scared of you. If that bothers you, just be a bit less strict and more relaxed. What you're doing sounds fine, but maybe instead of distracting, just ignore her until she stops biting, and then start playing with her again or giving her affection. Don't worry though, it can take a while. Loki took ages to get the hang of not biting all the time, he was really constant with it, but eventually he got there. So will Bella as long as you keep with the training.

Hi mate, I had mine as a puppy with very young kids and yes I remember similar things. You'll be pleased to hear there's hope

Firstly these dogs will play as rough as they can get away with so it is your job to set the limit as soon as you can. Play a screaming game with your kids and encourage them to do so whenever the puppy plays too rough and then to ignore her. She will soon know the rules if she wants to be part of the family play and believe me she does.

I was over the top with my girl a couple of times also and I was worried about breaking the bond but there's nothing like a good old play walk and feed to win them back.

BTW, mine is over 3 now and she is so good with kids I don't think there's a better most trusty breed to have around kids, and I had a few dogs of different breeds so I'm not just being partial to her for her good looks.

Thanks for all your help and support guys, it's so reassuring having the advice of others that have been through similar things or even just a sympathetic ear lol.

Again thanks all, it's nice to know there's some light at the end of the tunnel!

Oh and Bella is 10 weeks

Oh god yes this is normal. Tash was like it for god knows how many weeks with the kids, nipping them, jumping up at them and worse with my youngest who is 4. Then when her big teeth came through it seemed to stop. If she was nipping alot we would get a frozen kong stuffed with peanut butter out of the fridge and i would get one of the kids to give it to her and it would keep her amused. Also a stag bar is a good idea, they do tend to nip alot more if their teeth are hurting.