I need help with 2 issues

My puppy is 10 weeks old. My first big issue is that he will not leave my cats alone. He chases them, bites on them. I think he it trying to play, and sometimes the cats (well at least one) doesn't seem to mind, however he will just get bigger and he will be more likely to hurt the cats. He has been scratched and hissed at by them, and I will grab his collar until the cats run off and tell him "no" but he hasn't seemed to learn. I thought after getting scratched a few times he would leave them alone, but he doesn't.

My next issue is that when my kids run and play (mainly outside but occasionally inside too) he will chase after them and growl and nip at them. If he happens to be on a leash I will pull him towards me and tell him no, and make him sit till my kid is farther away. If he isn't on a leash I tell my kid to stop running and to tell him to sit. He doesn't listen to my kids though, I'm not sure if their voices are.....I dont know what word maybe strong enough, to get him to follow commands. The kids are, 8, 5, and 2(will be 3 Wednesday) it's mostly the younger 2 he does this to.

Sophie was an adult when we adopted her. I'm sure puppy training is going to be a more ongoing process. But for maybe two weeks I used a plant mister. Just room temp water but every time she gave chase to a cat I misted her face. After two weeks I just had to touch the bottle and she'd ignore the cats. She was a stubborn case though. I was tweezing claws from her forehead and she still didn't get the idea for awhile.

At 10 weeks, your puppy is showing totally normal behaviour and you are doing everything correctly!

It takes time. My puppy is now 15 weeks and still tries to chase the cat. I keep the puppy on a house-line so I can stop her. If she chooses not to chase the cat (because she has a toy or bone, or she's sleepy) she gets lots of praise and extra-special treats IMMEDIATELY.

In the meantime, set up barriers that your cat can jump so it can get away, and remember to give your cat lots of attention!

Re your children; again, the long line will help. Just let the puppy drag it about, you can then step on it when you need to stop/grab the pup quickly. Tell the puppy, "No," calmly, and offer it a toy instead.

Encourage the children to carry treats or puppy toys with them. They then have something to offer the pup as an alternative to their ankles/legs for biting. Tell them to stand STILL, DONT scream or shout, but show the pup the toy or treats by putting it near the puppy's nose, then toss this a short distance away so the pup follows it.

Get the children to help with training the puppy - show them how to ask for a sit, down, come when called, stay on a mat, etc. They should only train while you supervise at first, then as the pup and the children gain in confidence, they can start to ask for a sit, or heel, or down, before a game is offered.

If the puppy bites - the game STOPS! Immediately. Pick the puppy up and put him somewhere he cannot reach the children - a playpen is a godsend, but any room you can shut the door on will do. Time out for a minute, and when the pup is calm, he/she can come out again. Repeat as often as needed.

Be persistent and consistent, and you WILL get there! It takes time, don't expect instant results - but don't despair either, you don't have a 'demon dog'! At my puppy's first class, we all displayed our 'puppy hands' - all of us had hands covered in small wounds from puppy teeth. It is NORMAL and your puppy will stop doing it eventually!

Meant to add - NEVER let your pup near your 2year old unless you have it under close control! You cannot expect a 2 year old to understand the puppy, or vice-versa. Just keep them seperated until the puppy has grown and is settling down.

Lots of training 'sit', 'down' and 'stay' or 'wait' will be the best way forward for you - getting a good, solidly-responded to 'sit!' Can be a life-line when you have young children. Ask for a sit whenever the youngster makes a noise, falls over, or otherwise gets the pup's attention. Praise and treat like crazy if the pup looks at you instead and performs a sit!

Again, don't despair - you'll get there, but damage-limitation will be your best option in the meantime. Just never let them get too close to one another unless you are right there with them, able to prevent any mishaps.

I agree that you should never leave the kids with your pup unattended for your own peace of mind. You cannot really expect kids to scold your pup and the pup will obey right away. But you can take the pro-active approach and avoid things from getting out of control. Here is a great instructional material about how to stop nipping: [link removed]

I will repeat too, better to err on the side of caution and never leave a child under ten alone with a dog. Your eight year old can be coached in the ways of safely interacting with your pup. But you have to protect the younger ones.

We spent a few lessons with a professional trainer and our Golden Retriever changed instantly after these lessons.