Hi,
we were wondering if someone could give us some guidance! my husband and I are aiming to be first time Dog owners and are currently trying for our first baby. We have fallen in love with weimaraners but it has been suggested by some people to wait until we have had the baby first as the puppy may feel jealous, while others suggest we get the puppy trained first! Any suggestions from those of you in the know?
Daisy and Rob

Both the pup and the baby will require an enormous amount of time and commitment.  However the weim pup will need loads of socialising and training if you want a manageable companion, there is no shortcut for this, weims can be incredibly demanding, sensitive and mischievious, they also hate to be left alone for long periods ;)  I'm not sure I would recommend one for a first time dog owner, much less an owner who is going to be distracted by a new baby, a pup will need your total attention just to get it house trained (every 20 mins per day and when pup seems to need to go, for a few months at least) and I would estimate that it takes about 2 years to get a dog trained properly (reliable recall etc.)

Why not wait until the child/children are older to get such a beautiful, demanding breed?  You could use the time to get to know the breed and learn about dog management and training (and all about the terrible teens ;) )  You would also be giving yourselves time to find a really good breeder who could ensure you got the right dog for you (matching temperament etc. ) and be willing to help/advise you if there are any problems.

I know this is probably not what you want to hear but sometimes it's worth waiting until the time is right ;)

Personally, I would choose one or the other. They are both incredibly hard work, believe me the pup will be just as demanding as a baby. I have to agree with Dill, have your baby, if that's what you want, and wait till later for a pup when the child is old enough to understand how to treat a dog.

Without being negative,  why not see if you can conceive first, it is not always as easy as some would let you think

Dogs need taking out for walks, training and socialisiation from Day 1.  If you have a dog then a baby say when the dog is 18 months old what will you do when it is pouring with rain and the dog needs to go out for his walk?

Can you sensibly exercise a large HPR with a pushchair/pram in tow?

If your baby is ill, will you want to go out.

Is there someone you can leave the baby with whilst you take the dog out and/or vice versa.

TBH a Weimaraner is not necessarily the best choice for first time dog owners.  They are extremely strong both physically and mentally, they are born and bred to hunt and require a great deal of training to prevent them becoming hooligans.

Weims can be very destructive and very vocal.

Consider your choices extremely carefully, of course there are lots of people who manage very well, but you need to look at all the contingencies.

One of the reasons that I waited until my youngest child was 13 before getting a dog was that I knew that a dog wouldn't get the best attention before that. I had a husband who was often abroad and no family near. The thought of dragging two small children out for dog walks several times a day, whatever the weather, just was too much :) The dogs were worth waiting for :)

Daisy

I met my best friend nearly 18 years ago walking her 8 month labrador with her 6 month baby in the buggy, from that day untill she moved a few miles away a couple of years ago, we walked miles together just about every day through another baby, 3 GDB puppies and a newfoundland come rain or shine.  She is now a community paediatric nurse and was a posh person's nanny :) before she married, for her there would be no question that children need fresh air every day let alone the dog! :)
Having said that I never let my puppies go to families with small children as I believe few people are like my friend and the dogs needs are very often sidelined.

Some children are quite accomodating, but others aren't :) :)

Daisy

I don't think my friend "does" unaccomodating children ;) :D

How I used to envy friends whose babies actually slept in cars and buggies and didn't scream all day :D

Daisy

What is it the philosophers say "If a baby cries out in the wilderness does it make any sound"...........well not that the neighbours will hear anyway :D

As the others have said a puppy and a baby are about the same amount of work for the first two years pretty full on time consuming.

I would ideally ahve the dog first and when it was two or theree have the baby.  If you are wanting to start a family now I would tend to wait until the child ws going to Nursery or School thereby giving you time to devote to the pup.

Saying that I had my first dog when my daughter was a toddler, but it was very hard work and I did in hindsight make mistakes.  the one thing thankfully I did do right was to insist that the dog never played with children.  By this I mean join in their gamnes when they were running about.  Anytime there was child activity pup/dog was taught to come an lie down quietly by my side or ask to be allowed time out.  This was a sensitive often highly strung herding breed.

My second dog came when my kids were 4 and 14 months (first dog had died), and again pup had to learn that kids were not it's playmates and no rough stufff was allowed full stop.

I did walk both my dogs with pushchair in all weathers for many miles.  Both my dogs weighed between 40 and 50lb.  A dog the size of a weim could only really be safely walked on a head coolar with a pushchair, as my friend does her dobermannn (though she is a very expereinced owner).  When we go on our walks and she wants a ciagaretter I can still push her buggy and walk my five dogs, that is because they walk nicely.

That's fine walking the dogs during the day - but how do you walk the dogs after the children go to bed or early in the morning before school or if a child is sick ?? :) :)

Daisy

Well you walk the dog when the baby is awake, not that difficult as they both need taking for a walk, and ifr you have fractious babies a long walk in a pushchair is sometimes the only way to save your sanity :D

I had a Carrycot the baby slept in that was quickly clipped onto the buggy frame so if baby was asleep I could still go out to walk the dog, do shopping or visiting.

Do you mean if the parent is going to work?  I don't believe in full time workers having dogs so you would just walk while they were at school.
Obviously if the child was sick the dog doesn't get a walk unless one can be managed in the evening when partner is home but with the average child that doesn't add up to many days in a dogs live :)

I have been a single parent since my daughter was 3 and before my sone was born, so even without5 a partner to help out have never had a problem fitting the dogs needs in. 

Maybe the kids are right though and THEIR needs have had to fit around those of the dogs :D :D :D

I did keep my kids in pushchairs until they were 4 so that they wouldn't slow me down or get underfoot whilst walking the dogs, LOL !!! :D

I suppose that my view on dog ownership was based on not being able to rely on hubby being home to help (with children or dogs) and also having a very difficult baby. Once they got older and went to school, I worked school hours so having a puppy wasn't a good idea - hence we got an older rescue dog and the children were old enough to do dog walks before and after school, leaving me to do the lunch time and late evening walk :)

I really would recommend people to have the baby first and then see how they cope - not everyone finds coping with children so easy and not all babies are easy :D :D

Daisy

I do agree Daisy, my friend is supernanny and not everyone will have the benefits of her enormous experience.  It's really best to see how you are coping with motherhood first and only fit a dog in if you really think you can manage it and cater to its needs properly :) it's only fair allround then to dog, child and mother ;)

I am afraid you will HAVE to believe in full time workers having dogs Isabel, cos there are plenty of us about! :D

Whether you agree with the practice, of course, is another matter. :D :D

Quite :) I will have to word it better in future ;)

I definitely wouldnt get the dog before the baby. I have a Weimaraner and they are really clumsy with their paws, they go at everything with their paws, so if you had a young baby it could be quite dangerous. However they are an absolutely lovely dog but a bit big and boisterous for babies.

TBH never found any of my Weims to be clumsy, quite the opposite.  And of course one would not be leaving a dog with a baby in any case.....................

I definately agree with Brainless on this one. We waited until my youngest was 3 and at playschool and my eldest is 5. We have now got a puppy, he loves the children and the children love him, they will grow up together, have childhood memories of him and he is already my sons best friend, they follow each other everywhere. When you have young children and are at home all day anyway, I think it is the perfect time to get a dog as you are there and can devote the time to it that it needs. They play with each other, so this actually gives me a bit of free time;-) My pup is not yet old enough to need walks and even when he is, he is not a breed that needs walking for an hour twice a day.(this is something we thought about when choosing our breed) When he does need his walks, I will walk him with my children if they are home and the weather is dry, or when they are at playschool or wait til my husband comes home of an evening and take him then. The kids can't wait to get to the forest with him or beech. I have the best memories as a child with our dogs and I want my children to experience the love and happiness a dog can bring to a family.:-)

I think it depends on each individuals situation. As it is, we waited until our son was 3 before we started looking at getting a puppy, and since the pup will not be ready till after October, by then our son will be at nursery, and I will not be going back to work.

I once read a story on the net about a family getting a puppy, Mum and Dad both worked full time and all 3 kids were at school, Mum arranged for a neighbour to come into their house and let the puppy out of his crate to go to the toilet, play with him for an hour, let him have another wee, and then put him back in his crate. They must have had a really nice neighbour, but what was the point of getting a puppy and then expecting a neighbour to look after it all day?

IMO a puppy needs social interaction at all times, obviously you have to be able to leave him for a couple of hours, so you can go to the supermarket or even if you have a VERY part time job, but I can't see how you can successfully house break a puppy if there is no one there to show him how to behave.

Having said all of that, we always had at least one dog while we were growing up and my Mum and Dad always worked full time, and had 5 kids, and still managed to tend to all of the dogs needs, although goodness knows how, I don't think I'll ever know!

Like I said, I think it is down to individuals situations, but maybe if more people thought a little bit more realisticly what it will be like to look after a puppy, they would decide themselves that it wouldn't be a good idea, before they go and make the mistake.

JMO, Nat

I'm not sure if this is common with Aussie pups as I have only had the one (Margot is the best person to check with) - but Tara was a little monster at chewing. Fortunately we got her at the end of the June when both my then teenagers were home from school/uni and so she was not left alone (we do have an older dog tho) until the children were back at school/uni at the end of September. I was only working two mornings a week at this time, so she was fine left in her crate until I came home at lunchtime. We restricted her to the kitchen until she could be trusted to go into other rooms under someone's watchful eye - but if she was left more than a few minutes she would chew whatever she could - skirting-board, door frames, walls :D Even a trip to the loo was enough time :D She was fine as long as someone was there with her to play, train or just keep an eye and although she did have plenty of things that she was allowed to chew, she always preferred something that she wasn't :D :D However, gradually the chewing decreased and by the time she got to a year (she had her first season at this time) the chewing stopped completely and she is now 100% trustworthy :) So be warned :D :D

Daisy

Hi Daisy,

Thanks for the warning! I haven't heard that it is common for excessive chewing in Aussies, but I will ask Margot next time she is about, it makes no difference anyway, there is no way I will change my mind about this breed, I honestly think they were made just for me!!! :D

I don't work (except as a cleaner, child minder, nurse, accountant, and all of the rest of it!!!) so I will be home most of the day, except when out with the puppy anyway. I pop into town a couple of times a week, but we will be crate training so the pup will be in there when we are out. I think everywhere else, except to go to the supermarket, we will be taking the dog with us so, hopefully there won't be too much chance for chewing the wrong things!

I will keep an eye out for Margot and see what she says (she is like a Godess with these dogs!!!) but I'm not too worried!

Natalie

Hey - I'm no goddess!!!!      I have to ask people all the time - its just that sometimes (like this afternoon)  can quickly have a "surf about" - and can answer questions - all the other Aussies people are too busy doing "proper work" - or are actually dealing with their dogs instead of typing about them :D

Margot

Yes sorry, I should say thanks to everyone else who has helped - this site is so useful, and all of the debates that people have been moaning on about, to someone like me who doesn't yet have a dog, it is a great way to learn different methods, with out making the mistakes first (although I am sure there will be many more to made when we get the puppy!)

So thanks to everyone - even if you don't read this as the thread is about family trees not dog's!!! :D Sorry again Emma!!

Nat

I'm killing time until 5 when I can pick my two up from the kennels (I was away for the weekend). The house is too quiet - although I did enjoy the lie-in this morning and went up to Cambridge to visit my son without having to charge back to walk them :)

Daisy