Don't know quite what to do......

[daltonlady]

My Partner and I are trying for a baby; however he has also mentioned about getting a dog. We lost our last dog in February of this year and miss the walks and just having a dog around. You hear of experiences where dogs get jealous and owners having to give their dogs up when a child comes along.

I just would like to know what other people think. Do pets and babies mix? Can they all get along together?

Thanks

[rachel21xx]

of coursethey can my best advice is to get a youngish puppy and let them grow together, i wouldnt get a dog before the baby though, good luck x

[Kaleidoscope]

I'm curious about this too. I have two doggies (boxer and staffie, both daft and cute) and two cats (hoorah, I haven't cleaned the litter tray for months, yippee!) I'm going to play it by ear. I assume they'll find it odd and welcome a new person but animals are just as individual as people. If I encounter an issue I'll seek advice and prepared to rehome as a last resort. I think they'll just be super protective of a new family member! Who knows! xx

[Hbaby1]

I have been asking the same question . We have a young dog , a lurcher . She is still very boisterous , without an ounce of malice in her . She will be one when baby arrives. My hope is that she will be protective of the new arrival and not jealous . She likes to be involved in everything we do ! Bless her. I would hate to have to give her back to the rescue centre as she is part of this family. My partner and I have discussed what may or may not happen , and we can only play it by ear , after all she is a dog , and the new baby will come first . Lets hope that after a few weeks , doggy will adjust to the new situation. There's loads of advice on the Internet about how to introduce the two etc . But I am sorry I can not remember the names of the websites . Good luck with everything ladies x

[daltonlady]

Thank you all for the replies ladies. It is so difficult to know what to do for the best. I would love to have a dog and don't like the idea of having to send them back to a home if things didnt work out.

I might do some further research as suggested.

x

[Mumaj]

This is from my friend who is a dog trainer: From the puppy point of view - the first 16wks of a dogs life are the most important, they need to be socialised, start training and develop a routine in this period, trying to do this around a baby would be extremely challenging.

The puppy will be learning bite inhibition and teething with needle like teeth, it is likely to steal and destroy things around the house which could be harmful to it, or to the child, as the child grows and starts exploring it will start grabbing at things and using things to support itself, again this could be damaging to the dog, but if the dog reacts, extremely dangerous to the child - dogs only have so many ways they can say 'get off you're hurting me'. Bacteria and parasites puppies can carry? Expense of both? And wanting to make sure that both lead a fulfilled existence, if a baby keeps you up for 24hrs how are they gona have the energy to walk and train the dog? Or the patience? Both the baby and the pup deserve 100% at such young, important ages and the mum deserves a rest!

I'm a dog trainer and I wouldn't be able to have a baby and a puppy! I wouldn't have a child until all of my dogs had reached maturity. At 3yrs old I'd assume that's prob an okay age to then get a pup as you can tell a child of that age 'no' and they start to understand what's wrong and right and have a routine... Although they do have a lot of stuff to chew >:o>

If you do feel the need to get a dog perhaps an older dog that is known to be great around children.

This is me: i had a dog she was 4, she was lovely and everyone commented on what a great, friendly dog she was. Unfortunately when my son came along she started to seem a little on edge, i thought it was just maybe something she needed to get used to over time. I never left them alone together i was always cautious (i kinda am with everything) but when my son was turning 1 for no reason at all. My son was sat on the floor and she launched at him and bit him on the face. LUCKILY missing his eye and not breaking his skin. It happened so fast i didnt have time to intervein which scaries me the most. It was so quick. But obviously she had to go. It was a horrible experience and so heartbreaking to give her away. But i needed to do whats best for my son and also her, she obviously didnt feel comfortable in her own home anymore and she deserved to be in a home shes happy in. Maybe just hold off till after you have the baby, see how you feel. Fingers crossed you have a brilliant baby but if you do have a baby that needs a lot of attention or keeps you awake a lot the last thing your going to want to do is take the dog for a walk. Lol. I am a dog lover, but i think i'll be waiting till my children are a lot older till i think about having another dog. Good luck.