Raising a German Shepherd Puppy Around Children
A well trained adult German Shepherd and one that has been socialised with children often makes a good companion for children. However any dog (adult or puppy) should be supervised when around very young children. Younger children tend to poke and grab at a dog and without the proper socialisation the dog may perceive this to be a threat and react badly.
German Shepherd puppies go through a phase when they are teething. And just like human babies this can hurt and the puppy will look for things to chew on in order to relieve the pain associated with the teething. Sometimes they may try to mouth and chew on your hand. This should be discouraged especially if they are practicing this behaviour on a child. It is also not a behaviour you want to see stay with them into adulthood.
The puppy may also use his teeth whilst playing with children just as they would when playing with their siblings or litter mates. This can hurt as their baby teeth are quite sharp and it is a behaviour that should be discouraged.
Young children have a naturally high pitch excited tone which can excite the puppy plus they often run around which to the puppy is an invitation to play. This is another reason why monitoring an infant when around German Shepherds or any other dog breed is a wise idea.
Raising a puppy with young children can be challenging but also rewarding. The bond that your child will have when it has grown up alongside a German Shepherd puppy will be a lifelong love affair.