goldlion

Hey ladies, I was just wondering... how soon after baby is born do you think it's okay to get a puppy. DH is dying for one, but I'm hesitant. I don't want to get one NOW because the baby is due soon and I don't want to have to train and whatnot right now. How old should our LO be before we splurge and get a pup?

Jenny

Hmm, thats a hard one to answer. I would wait awhile, we didn't get a puppy until Drake was around 2 and it was already a full grown dog that was already house trained. Before getting her we had a puppy but ended up selling her because it was way too much for me. Training and dealing with the terrible twos was awful. I thought I was going nuts lol.
We ended up selling the dog we got after the puppy a few months ago because I knew I wouldn't be able to deal with a newborn, 4 year old and a dog who was hyper (she was a chihuahua/minpin, so full of energy). I've decided to stick to my kitties until my kids are 4+ years. Then we might get a dog then. But everyone is different, if you think you can cope with a baby and puppy then go for it. Or you could do what I did, and get an older dog thats already been trained etc.

LilysMummy

Wait untill you have LO chances are your OH wont want a puppy aswell once LO is here lol!

xx

Sweetie

A puppy is a LOT of work!

It's probably in your best interest to wait until you have real time to help it grow up and become a family dog that you can be proud of. Puppies are similar to babies in a lot of ways, they need to be put out every couple of hours, after every time they eat, every time they wake up and after every time that you play with them. They need to be walked (exercise), and socialized. I know people will say that there are other ways to raise puppies and that it's really not that hard, I agree to a certain extent, however these are basic guidelines that will most often end up with you having a family dog that you are proud of.

Another important thing to note, it's important that the dogs personality fit your lifestyle. Dependant on things like how active you are, where you live (no sense getting a border collie when you are living in an apartment, you will end up with a neurotic dog, unless you have hours to exercise it a ,and surely your house guests will wonder why they are being herded... it's what the dog is meant to do) That is just one example I know, but again that said, choosing a dog that fits your family is SO important.

That all said. I will admit that I ended up getting a puppy about 4 days before we found out we were expecting and lord did I ever question myself about that one! I was fortunate that my OH took over EVERYTHING to do with the puppy, feeding, socializing, potty training, walking, while I was dealing with being sick all the time. At this point my pup is just 3 months old and I have been VERY lucky (have also done some dog training before) and he is 99% potty trained, has a reliable recall (come), sits and lays on command as well as does his job as a retriever very well (was purchased as a bird dog). He is no where near done tho and I still fourtunately have another six months to dedicate to him and his growth. My fingers are crossed. I could not imagine having to deal with all of this while having a baby here too. Again it can be done, but it will take a LOT of planning and thought.

This all is probably way more than anyone wants to know but, I know that a lot of people always say that "I want my baby and puppy to grow up together" I just really want people to think it through. Puppies grow into dogs and if they don't receive proper attention growing up you could end up with a dog you aren't so proud of.

coccyx

I agree with sweetie, a puppy needs a lot of training and interaction etc, not to mention clearing up poop and wee, and naughty chewing! Can be tiring without a baby to look after as well!

Wobbles

Puppies are a handful - You got handful with your spraying cat believe me puppy wee is NOT nice then you have the puppy CHEWING and it will ...babies stuff?

I really wouldn't but thats my personal opinion hun x

Tam

lorrilou

It all depends on how well you could cope, cos effectively it would be like having 2 babies.

We got sasha when nicole was 18 months and its really nice cos they are like best friends and sasha is really protective of nicole.

Remember tho that puppies have a tendency to snap and boy are those teeth sharp!!!

goldlion

oh, I most definitely don't want one now! I think I'd lose my mind trying to train a pup and care for my LO.

so maybe it's safest to get one when the LO is around 2 years-ish?

Tam