I never wanted a dog. As I grew up I quickly jumped from school to job, marriage to house to kids, leaving no room for even thoughts about getting a dog. I felt smug towards those who felt tied down by their pets. I had secretly scoffed at people who treated their dogs like children. Whenever my husband brought up getting a dog I found myself repeating the same cold argument my dad used when we asked for a pet as children– “animals are meant to be outside”.
To top it all off I had absolutely no interest in dealing with the pet hair and drool in my already messy house or having our children step in a big steamer when running around outside. In short, I was positive I did not want a dog. Especially and baby and puppy, together.
And then we got a dog.
When I was seven months pregnant.
In the middle of winter.
With a 2 1/2 year old.
It is still up for discussion whether my slip in judgment was caused by pregnancy hormones (I’m guessing the same ones that make us cry during toilet paper commercials) or if my husband Jedi mind-tricked me, but I am leaning towards the latter. My co-workers can attest to the fact that I quickly became that proud annoying parent I never thought I would be: “We got a puppy! Look how cute he is! LOOK!” while shoving my phone in front of nurses and doctors faces alike. And all of their responses were: “You’re pregnant! It’s winter! What are you thinking?!” After hearing the same response about 40 times the consequences of our rash decision finally started to sink in.
The first few weeks were the hardest: Listening to puppy howl in his crate at night. Taking him out in a blizzard every hour. Spraying every surface possible (including hands) with anti-chew spray. Cleaning up accidents. Taking him for walks when all you want to do is sleep. And most importantly, teaching both puppy and child to treat each other with respect and caution. It was all such a whirlwind.
I had no clue what I was doing. When our beautiful baby boy came in February it was overwhelming and looking back I’m not sure how exactly we survived. It was hard enough learning how to look after a new baby and getting my daughter accustomed to being a big sister. Throwing a puppy into the mix who needed constant monitoring and attention really tested my patience. It was like having two newborns.
Now that our puppy has just had his first birthday, I am very happy to report that we have survived and that it was all worth it. Our house is full of energy and love and laughter because of him. He does a pretty good job keeping the kids occupied while I cook or get the dishes done which is a bonus. I sweep the floors a lot less. We spend a lot more time outdoors as a family and get more exercise. Our neighbours, friends and family adore him.
My children have such a close bond with him that will only continue to grow as years go by. He will be a constant joy in our children’s lives and he will always be there to greet them off the bus. This experience has made our family stronger and I am proud of what we have accomplished. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
We have invested a ridiculous amount of time on him to ensure life would progressively become easier and thankfully it is finally paying off. He knows all the necessary commands, has rarely chewed on our kids toys (although he has an impeccable destroy-rate when given his own), he is crate trained, gets along with other animals, is gentle with all children especially our own, will stay on our property and is learning to walk off leash. Having a puppy with young children is not for the faint-hearted but it is doable and will make your family’s life more full. The purpose of writing this article is so A. you all can laugh at my idiocy of taking on too much as always and B. I can help anyone who has decided to embark on a similar journey. Here are my suggestions.
Commit
I’m just going to say it. Getting a puppy requires a bigger commitment than having children in order for it to work. They are not of life and blood and it can be really difficult to deal with typical bad puppy behaviour if you are not 100% sure you wanted him/her. As anyone can see from looking on the Kijiji and Facebook classifieds it is a lot easier to get rid of a cumbersome pet than a raging toddler. And it’s not fair to the dog to be poorly kamagra 100mg treated or given away.
A dog owner needs to be completely committed to having a dog or else both of your lives will suffer. Do your research into what type of dog you want prior to getting one so that they will complement your lifestyle and activity level. And be honest with yourself. Are you really going to be willing to walk your highly active dog for an hour daily a year from now? Will you be home enough? We originally wanted an Australian shepherd but decided to get a smaller dog with a lower activity level.
Invest
I never realized how expensive dogs are before I owned one, and ours is only 10lbs! Between the cost of buying our puppy ($400), his shots, deworming and neutering ($600), good quality dog food ($40/month), toys and bones to prevent damage to your own items ($200), grooming ($50/visit), puppy classes ($160+) and other miscellaneous items it really can add up. And I’m not saying to just invest money either.
We invested a ton of time and effort in the early stages to teach our puppy the rules of our household. Dogs, just like babies do not automatically know not to chew on everything and defecate all over your house! Most dogs are people pleasers and if their owners spend time to train them it won’t take long for them to get the hint. We found that sternly saying “ah-ah!” when the dog does something bad sends a clear message that it was wrong behaviour, then we would give the dog a positive alternative (give him a chew toy, take outside to do business).
The more you catch bad behaviour consistently and reward positive behaviour the less time it will take to train your puppy. Think of it as doggy boot camp. I would also recommend partitioning off your play room to begin with and teaching your kids to keep toys out of puppy’s reach in the beginning stages to avoid total toy destruction and meltdown city. If you are thinking of getting a puppy right before having a child I would recommend having the puppy housetrained before baby comes. Cleaning up messes will be the last thing you want to worry about when you have a newborn.
Protect
It is very important that your puppy has positive associations with your children from early on. But you must be there all the times as things can easily get out of hand. Even my now 3 1/2 year old who is generally very sweet and loving has been in roughly a million timeouts for being too rough with our puppy. We are probably excessively strict but this is not only to protect the puppy but to protect our kids from being bitten.
Being strict with your kids about your own dog will also teach them to be cautious of the ones they don’t know well. I recommend crate training your puppy so that you have somewhere to put your puppy for a timeout from the children or if you have to leave the room. Also putting them in a crate when you leave prevents your dog from destroying your house. We made the mistake of trusting our dog out recently and he chewed a hole in our couch. Awesome. Won’t make that mistake again!
Love
Treat your dog like any other member of your family because that is exactly what they are. In the beginning stages we wanted to make sure that our puppy knew who was alpha to prevent any behavioural issues and because we have young children we ended up taking that to a whole new level. After awhile I found that being so strict was taking away from our enjoyment of having a puppy and it just seemed like a whole lot of work.
Being a hard-ass all the time is tiring! So I would recommend that once your puppy is trained and knows his manners, relax and do the things with him that makes all that hard work worth while. For example, I love having him up on the couch in the evenings as it is the only quiet time we get together, even though we generally do not allow him up on his own (especially after the couch chewing incident). A little bit of loving goes a long way.
If you have chosen to raise a puppy with young children, good for you! You are very brave. If you put the effort forth and ride out the difficult times in the beginning it will all work out. Your family will have a loyal best friend to traverse the world with for years to come. Now what could be better than that?
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Thank you for posting this article our family of four is welcoming a puppy next week. The only articles I could find were negative and said I was crazy! I so appreciated you positive words.
Thank you for positives I got a puppy born in August 19m about be 2 in March and I’m pregnant but about to have a newborn in may
Ooooh boy, thank you so much for this! I literally have no words because you covered everything I have been experiencing having a new puppy and a two year old. It has been tough! But I love how you broke it all down.
I need to find the balance between giving my puppy love because my toddler hangs onto me every moment and I get super tired so to now have a puppy that hangs on to me haha it’s challenging. I said if I could remake my choice to take the puppy on, I’d probably say no but my son loves him so much already so I’m hoping to get better myself and I expect things will smooth out!,
Thanks for this article.
We have pretty much decided on getting a puppy and I am due in 6 weeks with first bub and I too will be told how crazy I am.
My husband and I will be home 6 months when bub is born and feel this is thr best time. I really appreciatr your advice
Thanks again
This has me feeling so much better. This might sound insane to others but to us we felt like after doing research and deciding to get an 11 week old puppy was a good fit for our family.
We currently have two small dogs ages 5 and 6 and two toddlers, a two year old and almost four year old. I’m currently expecting our third baby any day. My husband and I are committed to our new addition even with knowning we are about to have our third baby. My own mother has said I’m crazy, but I’m determined to create a loving home for all of our babies including fur babies. This new puppy has been with us one day and I feel like life is already crazy why not add some more fun to the mix despite what others might think.
This has me feeling so much better. This might sound insane to others but to us we felt like after doing research and deciding to get an 11 week old puppy was a good fit for our family.
We currently have two small dogs ages 5 and 6 and two toddlers, a two year old and almost four year old. I’m currently expecting our third baby any day. My husband and I are committed to our new addition even with knowning we are about to have our third baby. My own mother has said I’m crazy, but I’m determined to create a loving home for all of our babies including fur babies. This new puppy has been with us one day and I feel like life is already crazy why not add some more fun to the mix despite what others might think.
I’m so glad I ran across this today. Having a rough morning with the toddler, the 12 week old puppy and my own preggers self.
It can be done. Just need to work on my patience a bit. Plus the training. I/we can do this.
Say a prayer for me! Lol.
Awesome so glad you found this helpful! My dog is now 2 1/2 years old and I must say the bond between him and my children is irreplaceable! He follows my two year old’s commands, even when I don’t understand what he’s trying to say, lol. You can do this, mama! Just be sure you keep on top of them, and it will get easier I promise!!
This makes me feel a little better! My son is 11 months old, and we just got an 8 week old chocolate lab puppy. We wanted to get him while my son was still young so they could form a bond and grow up together, best buddies 🙂 Then four days before we’re due to pick up the puppy, surprise! I find out I’m pregnant. There have been many tears shed from worry that I’m not going to be able to handle a 20 month old, newborn, and puppy all at once…and I’m still questioning my sanity…but hearing from someone who’s “been there, done that” and survived really helps 😀
I’d love to know how you managed! Attempting the same…
Hi Kimberly! I just read your comment and I am now at the same situation: with a 11 months baby and thinking about to get a lab puppy ( our 10 years old lab passed when our baby was 1 month).. but everybody says that we shouldn’t get a puppy… My heart is begging for another dog…
how was you situation at that time? Did you really get the puppy, and how was everything?
We currently have a 9 week old lab and a 2 year old toddler. Honestly, if you want to be running round all day without stopping with no chance of even going to the toilet then don’t do it. I regret it. Hoping it’ll get easier but no I would not recommend a puppy with a baby or toddler. I would say a child school age or over so you have the time properly when they’re at school.
Thanks for your article. I’m currently 7 months pregnant, have 2 boys (4,7) and we just got a 12 week old golden retriever. This was my husbands idea, I’ve never been an animal person. So far I’ve been handling it ok, but I’m super worried what will happen when baby comes. Your article made me feel a little peace – there’s a chance this might actually work and we will feel it’s worth it.
Thank you so much for this inspiring and motivating piece. We have a 4 year and 1 year old boy and brought home a beautiful Springer spaniel puppy in September this year. She is now 18 weeks old. I feel like I’m going insane sometimes with the chewing and the house training (nearly there!) But great to hear there might be a calmer future somewhere in sight, where we can all enjoy the life as we dreamt of. I loved your comment about ‘now sweeping the floors less’. I didn’t think I was so fussy and I find myself constantly trying to be rid of muddy paws. Just need to let it go….
Thank you so much for your post. My husband brought a 5 week old puppy, while i am weeks away in welcoming our baby boy. All of my family and friends said that we were crazy in doing so. But reading your post, i feel encouraged to make this work. I just hope that all goes well .
I hope all is well in your busy, adorable household! 😄
I’m still trying to convince my husband that getting a puppy (while 17 weeks pregnant) is not a completely bad idea. This article is very helpful. He argument is that the house needs to be organized still and we need to declutter and have a better routine. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
Hi Rhi, no it’s not all bad but it is a lot of work! It really helps to have both of you on board completely before bringing a puppy into your world 😊
I can relate so much to you. Thank you.
I am 8 months pregnant, with two 3-month old puppies.
I am beyond stressed, and worried. How did you do it ???? How were you able to tend to baby and puppy at the same time ? Taking the dogs out, and getting baby ready in morning — how ?? And avoiding accidents with puppy while getting baby ready. Tending to baby (ie. changing diaper), and energetic pup is there ? Just having them in the same room together, how would you avoid puppy playing roughly with baby ?? (ie. grabbing a body part).
I’m so scared, and at a loss as to what to do.
Hi Krista! Sounds like you are in the same boat I was (x2!). Congratulations as I’m sure by now you have had your wonderful baby. I hope life has settled for you. The most important thing that saved my sanity was crate training. I could put our pup in the crate to prevent accidents while I tended to our baby. To keep them separated at first we didn’t let our pup up on the couch, and didn’t let pup near baby’s face. With crate training, you can keep some semblance of control, and it’s handy as they grow and you leave the house or have other toddlers over that may be rough on your pup. I’m wishing you all the best! Check in if you can 😊
Hi, I know this is an old blog post but isnt the internet awesome in it’s ways of finding what we need at the time. I am in love with a Golden Retriever puppy and my partner and I have discussed getting our daughter a dog after she turns 1yrs old – she’s almost 10 mos old now and if we jump at the chance to get this pup she would be 8 weeks old when we bring her home. I found a few positive articles such as yours, but most saying how unrealistic this would be. I’m feeling like we have what it takes to make it work, and I so want the timing to be right. Thank you for your positive article and your valuable advice on how to make it work with a puppy and a young child.
My fiancé and I have just committed to getting a puppy in a few weeks but we are also trying for a baby so could find out we’re expecting at any time. Your post really set my mind at ease that it can be done to have both! Thank you!
I was happy to come across this post, it makes me feel a little better. I am due with our 2nd child any day now, we have a 9 y/o son, a 4 y/o dog and are planning to get a puppy in about a month. I have been having serious doubts about adding the puppy to the mix. Everything I’ve come across has been so negative. I feel like we can make it work, especially with my son being 9 and being able to take care of the puppy. Just wanted to say ‘Thank You’ for the wonderful, encouraging post!
Thank you for this! I realize this article is older now but holy crap
Is it relevant for me right now! 18 month old and 11 week old golden retriever puppy. I feel like neither one of them listen to me and o am a broken record. I feel like I am constantly saying no. So that fact that this phase will end is all that is keeping me going. Does it really take a year?!
Looking at getting a puppy to replace an older dog who passed. What kind of dog did you end up getting?
So happy I stumbled on this old post! Everyone is so right in that people react very negatively to getting a puppy when you have littles. We are getting our great dane puppy in 2 weeks. My boys are older at 22 months and 7 years but I still get the negative comments. We thought long and hard and intentionally chose the “gentle giant” breed to compliment our family. I am so excited to expand our family but sometimes people’s reactions kill all the joy. Will it be chaotic, yes. Will I cry and regret my decision when i’m sleep deprived and she’s howling in the crate at night? Probably! But I know that getting through the initial phase will be all worth it. Thank you again for the positive take and encouragement!
No problem, I wish you and your family all the best with your new bundle of joy 🙂
How refreshing to hear positive attitudes towards puppies and babies! We have a 18 month old spaniel, 5 month baby girl and just added a 8 week old German shepherd to the brood and why not I am off for another 6 months so he will be kept entertained and have plenty of attention during his puppy stage plus I am going to be taking him training on a Sunday morning which gives me time out, will it be hard yes, will it be worth it yes especially as we have a dog who will deter burglars yet be a loyal member of our family when my husband is away. People are quick to judge and be negative but your life is your life, live or enjoy it.. do what makes you happy! Xx
I think we are all insane! My baby is due in 6 weeks and we just got a sweet but completely untrained 9 month old American Foxhound / Lab mix. She is tiny and generally good natured, but between the potty mistakes and the excess of energy just when my energy level has plummeted. I’m a little overwhelmed. She is the first dog I have ever owned so the playful barking/growling is just as intimidating as grumpy barking/growling. And my mothering instincts make me want to be too gentle and not alpha enough. Anyways, I wouldn’t trade her, she is awesome! But why did I not put this off until I was healed from giving birth?!?
Even though this article is old, I am happy I found it. I have a 4 year old, i am due any day now with our 2nd and we just got a 12 week old boxer/pitty mix. Oh and I also have a 6yr old yorkie. So overwhelmed is an understatement and Im praying I can continue along.
We were dead set on getting a puppy while I’m pregnant, and the puppy would be 5 months old once the baby was born. I have two school aged kids a 4 year and 2 year old… so I talked myself out of it thinking I wouldn’t get to enjoy the time with my last baby, r divide my attention to all who need it but I haven’t told my husband because I was scared to make a mistake – all the kids want a dog so bad, and so do we.. I have no idea when the right time is to bring a dog into our life but this article was so much more positive and reassuring then all the others I’ve read so I’m so glad to have come across it!
Hi,
This article is great and your thoughts are good. That’s right, dogs love to play with kids. I like your suggestions good Such as #commit #protection #Love. thank you very much for sharing this nice article.
Priyota Parma
Executive Consultant
Dog Mexico
I am so glad you wrote this. Currently sitting in the tub with a 12 week old puppy laying on the floor and a 2 year old crying in his room. (Nap time) thank you for making me feel normal for regretting the puppy. Thank you for letting me know I’m not alone in my tearful thoughts of I can’t do this, I should just give him back. This season will end! So thank you for making me feel seen and heard.
I know this is a super old post but we just went and picked out our Springer spaniel puppy, who were absolutely besotted with. We pick him up in 4 weeks. Just did a test last night and it was positive! I’m 5 weeks pregnant and now freaking out about being pregnant and dealing with a puppy. But we’re already in love and can’t imagine not getting him. Praying it all goes well 😬😬
Just came across this post! Husband and I had decided on getting a golden retriever puppy in 2 weeks (he will be 12 weeks when we get him) and recently found out we were pregnant. We’ve only heard negative opinions about getting the dog at this stage ( puppy will be 11 months when newborn gets here) it’s gotten us debating if we should hold off for now? We’ll be first time dog parents so not sure if we have a clear enough picture!
Great story which is helping all the dodgy looks I get – easier! I got a 5 month old puppy when my daughter was 3.5 months. We already had a chihuahua and a 3 year old. Whatever it possessed us? Doggy Bootcamp it is! Xx