A New Puppy and a 10-Month-old Baby?

Hi H. W,

My father got a puppy when I was your sons age. My father had no problems with the dog being around me or me playing with the dog. I think it is a great idea to have a puppy at your sons age. I see it this way, you get your son familiar with animals especially dogs, then while he is growing up he will not be afraid of them. The dog will protect your son and family and they will be best friends. I think every family should have pets, especially when families have kids.

Also, I have had golden retrievers and they are great dogs and good for hunting. I know you stated you are going to train the dog to be a hunting dog all I have to say is dont worry your son will be find around the dog.
I hope this helps :).

M.

I think having animals is so wonderful but a lot of work. We have a dog and two kids under 5; and it is just hard to keep up with it all; the walking, washing, spending time with, playing, grooming, cleaning, etc. I will say for the kids it is amazing, they can have an animal to love and learn to respect. For me, it isn't so much as it is just a lot of work and I don't know how much the animal gets out of it as well. I will wait awhile until I get more animals until the kids are a bit older so I can give them the attention that I think they really deserve. Good luck!
T.

GO FOR IT!

We just got a new Standard Poodle puppy and I have a two year old and a 5 month old. Everything is perfect. It was a little hectic in the first few days, but things are really wonderful, and my 2 year old LOVES the dog and is having a blast.

We are a bit more used to dogs, though, since we have shown them for years and have always had them around. I am taking a break from showing to raise my kids, though, and having this puppy around has been such a blessing. Just my .02.

I have 11.5 and 8 year old German Shepherds. (Sydney and Raven). Syd was my dog before I met my husband and I invested a lot of training in her at TOPS in Grayslake. She's my girl and is a well behaved, dedicated family dog. She isn't good with other dogs and strangers and I'm very cautious with her around others. Very. After I met my DH I wanted a Black Shepherd, so we got Raven. She's the sweetest dog in the world. She's had training but not as extensive as Syd. Raven didn't really enjoy the training like Sydney did. Although a sweetheart, Raven's a house-wrecker. She took forever to house-train and still will cause trouble getting into things. But, her personality is so great that it offsets the badness in her - most days. Lol.

Ok, I say that so you know that I LOVE dogs. Our dogs were our life and we used to spend so much time with them. Then I got pregnant and had our first son (2.5 years old). All of a sudden the dog hair, smells (all dogs stink) and dirt started really, really getting to me. Here I was trying to keep up with my son, work full-time, run a house and then there were the dogs. It's harder when you have kids to take care of dogs.

My sons LOVE the dogs and the dogs are good with them. I think that it's great for kids to grow up with animals and it teaches them so much - even at a young age. But, it IS a lot of work. I vacuum every single day in one way or another (I did get a Roomba and it helps a lot!). This time of the year it is even harder because the ground is SO muddy. When they come in, it's a mess.

As for having a fenced yard...we have one, too. But we soon realized that although it's great for the dogs to run around - picking up poop in the WHOLE yard is a pain. And I didn't want to risk my son stepping or falling in a pile. So, we built an area for the dogs to be in to do their business. We line it with straw so it helps with the mud.

Personally, I'd rather have a dog when my boys were a little bit older so they could have an active part in caring for and playing with their pet. Once our dogs pass away, we'll probably wait to get another one when the boys can have a part in it. I know that no matter what age the kids are, the responsibility of the dog will fall on DH and I. But at this point it's just too much with the kids and the dogs.

That's just my opinon. I hope I don't come off as a lazy-butt. I'm not. I just wish I could spend less time brushing, cleaning up, feeding, playing with my dogs and more time with my boys. :)

Good luck to you.

I would highly recommend waiting as well. We couldn't wait to get a puppy either, but waited until our kids were old enough to understand not pulling/poking/etc on the dog. Also, puppies are 'nippy' by nature so it's inevitable that he/she will chew on whatever is near them for a few months. I also agree that it is a lot of work, much harder in the puppy stage, which will correspond with when your baby gets mobile.

i would highly recommend waiting.