training 7 week old puppy to be gentle with baby and toddler

Question
QUESTION: We just got a darling, little, Jack. We named him Tempo and he's doing very well with potty training and sleeping through the night without messing his crate. He responds to me very well. Here is the problem: My 2 year old carried him around the house constantly for the past 2 days straight and I made sure she was being gentle but I often told her to put Tempo down and give him his space. He seemed fine with it for 2 days but this morning and on through the whole day, every time she tried to pick him up he would growl and try to nip her. When my daughter got down on the floor, Tempo would attack her and nip her arm and legs. I read somewhere to tuck his upper lip into his own teeth when he bites and I've been doing that consistently. Every time he bites I do that to him kind of hard and if he just keeps it up I put him in time out for a few minutes. Why do you suppose he was allowing her to carry him all around for 2 days and now he acts like he hates her?
ANSWER: Hello Carone,

I'm sure your daughter loves Tempo very very much, BUT she is only two years old.  Two year olds are just learning the concept of "be careful", and maybe she accidently hurt him a little. He is associating her with being imprisoned and hurt.  That sounds crude and I don't mean it to be, but quite honestly puppies and babies don't mix. I would not let her handle the puppy without adult supervision at all times. Maybe you could sit with her and have her pet the puppy while you are holding him.   
Right now your puppy is exploring and learning the family dynamics. If he learns at this age that your daughter is someone to "fear", it will be very very hard to change that as he grows older. They don't bite and growl for no reason.... He just does not want to be constrained or restricted in any way right now, and to do it will only make him more aggressive.  I'm sure your daughter is an adorable little girl who loves her puppy but she really can't differentiate between a live puppy and a stuffed animal. Yes, she understands IN THE MOMENT when you say to be careful, but human beings don't retain "reasoning" until we are at least 4 years old.  I do not sell or place any puppies with families with children under 5 years old. It's just too risky for both the baby and the puppy.  You are going to be busy! :)  One other thing that concerns me is the age of your puppy. 7 weeks is too young to be away from the litter. 8 weeks is the healthy minimum. Did you get him from a reputable breeder? If you got him at a pet store you could be in for some real problems. Sorry :(  I don't want to be a wet blanket, I only want to be honest and tell you the truth of the matter. You sound like a very consciencious and caring person, good luck with everything. Feel free to write anytime.
Carol
www.carolsjacks.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dear Carol,
    Thank you for the quick response. I actually got him 2 days before he was six weeks old and I was concerned that it was to early but I didn't know for sure. I got him from a lady who was selling them at a grocery store parking lot. My mother-in-law got one too. They are both males and since I live next door to my in-laws the puppies have been spending a lot of time together. What "real problems" am I looking at here?
    I totally understand what you said about my toddler. I made it very clear to her today that she was not to pick up the puppy at all, only to pet him gently. Thankfully he did very well with her today. Thank you again for the advice and please let me know what I may be in for with this precious little pup.
Carone

Answer
Oh my gosh. A supermarket parking lot? Are you in the states? I don't want to scare you but you have to know the risk you are taking with a puppy like that.

It was WAY TOO YOUNG to be seperated from it's mother, but it doesn't surprise me because the people who sell them only want the money, they don't care about the puppy at all.
The puppy needs it's first set of vaccinations at that age and I'm sure the person who sold it to you didn't want to pay for all those puppies vaccinations.  I vaccinate all my puppies at age 7 weeks. They need another set of vaccinations at 12 weeks.  
Disease - all puppies have worms. You have to have the puppy de-wormed by a veterinarian with medication. The worms can be passed on to you and your baby. I also deworm all my puppies at 9 weeks before they go to homes. They should have another deworming at the vet a couple of weeks later too.
Parvo-virus - is a killer of unhealthy overbred puppies.
It is CRUCIAL that you make sure the pup does not have parvo. The pup will have a bloody stool, vomit and get very sick, very fast.
Parents? - You don't know the parents of the puppy and how do you know it's a purebred jack russell? How do you know the parents were healthy? They could have a congenital disorder and you would never know until it was too late.
Owners? - who are the PEOPLE? How do you know how they treated the puppy? If the puppy had no socialization from humans it is not going to be a good pet. If the people were unkind and mistreated the pup, he will be aggressive and not like people.
Has the puppy's tail been docked? It's not really important that it be docked, but Jack Russell breeds have their tails docked. That costs money to have done too unless it was done by whoever sold him to you, which is also risky (infection).  
Maybe you will be one of the lucky ones who sails through all the scary stuff. I hope so. It is a very risky purchase and I hope you're not sorry about it.
Many many medical problems don't show up until later on down the road after you've fallen in love with the little bugger. It's heartbreaking and it's mean of the people who are selling them on the streets.
Did you happen to read the last page of my website?
Please don't think I am bragging, but there is a right way and a wrong way to bring a puppy into the world. Puppy mills are common in the Midwest and Pennsylvania is also very bad. I don't know where you are writing from but my advice to you is to get that puppy immediately to your veterinarian and have him checked out from head to foot. Get him all his vaccinations and deworm him. Make sure there are no ear mites, ticks or other parasites that he can bring into the house with the baby. Then pray or cross your fingers that he will be OK because there is no way to trace back any history on the pup. I sincerely wish you the very best of luck with him.
Please let me know how you make out and write to me at my private email address carolf1209@yahoo.com