haven't been on here since we lost our beautiful weimy on new years day. at some point (not yet) we would love another dog but we have a 5 month old baby. i know a lot of people will say u shouldnt have young kids and dogs but i really want our children to grow up with dogs. our son is our first and we would like at least one more so i really dont want to wait until our 'potential' youngest child is older. (does that make sense?!) i appreciate that having young children and dogs isnt easy but im sure it will be an enjoyable challenge! when do people suggest a good time would be? also do we go for a puppy or maybe a rescue that is used to children and we know the background?

Could you cope with a baby crawling around in puppy wee and poo ;)

I must admit that my oldest 2 were 5 and 2 years old before we got a dog. That way they were sensible (haa haa) enough to know to behave. My youngest daughter was born when I had 5 dogs and a new litter of 4 pups in the house :D She was brought up around dogs :) In fact she learnt to walk using a dog as walking frame :D :D I didn't have any pups in the house when she was crawling though so I don't suppose I'm really qualified to comment.

I really think it would depend on you and your lifestyle. I think it is great to have dogs and kids grow up together. You also have to take into account that a lot of breeders (and rescue centres) won't sell to anyone with very young children.

It depends on whether YOU think you could cope or not. Personally I've never worried about kids and dogs and ages. I got my first dog when my eldest was 3, my second dog when my second eldest was 15 months (both dogs at the bridge now) I got missie when my 4th child was 2 1/2  never had a problem doing it at those ages. My first leo was 8 months old when my grand daughter was born (living here then) and she was only 3 months old when I got my second leo :) By the time my grand daughter was crawling around the youngest leo was completely housetrained :) And there is definately a connection with her and the first leo, though its lovely to watch her interact with all of them even though she is only 2 yrs old  (I have 3 leos now :D )
I would definately go for a puppy with a young child though you would still have to be extra careful when around a small child/baby, making use of dog & baby gates etc.  But thats just my experience and opinion :)

It all depends on whether you can manage pups and kids as both are hard work.  As for babies and puppy mess well you have to restrict where the pup and baby go.

I had puppies when twice when my kids were about a year old, and obviously had one of the children with a dog in situ.

For me it is down to whether you can physically manage the extra work.  I never found walking the dogs a problem as baby went in pushchair and off we went, taught my first three dogs to walk on lead with a buggy, in fact used to walk buggy and two dogs, but these are 20kg dogs.

I had the dogs because I wanted them.  Kids got on well with them and vice versa, but my kids grew out of the dogs and if you asked them they would sooner we didn't have them, but I expect when they grow up and have families they will want a dog of their own.

As a breeder I probably wouldn't let a puppy go to a home with such a tiny baby for purely selfish reasons. :(  I put so much time and effort into the planning, producing and rearing of my pups that I want them to have undivided attention during their first year of life (I consider what you put in to a pup in the first year is what you live with for the next 14! ;) ) which wouldn't be possible when you have a baby that needs so much of your energy.

I agree with Val.  I wouldn't sell a dog to anyone with pre-school children.   After nannying for umpteeen years I know you need eyes in the back of your head and all your time to care for the kids without having a young puppy in the midst of things too.    

Having just known of someone who returned a young pup to it's breeder because of this fact, I think it backs up my argument a  lot.   Once the kids are at primary school you have all day to commit to puppy care.

Me too - I usually suggest that potential owners with very young children wait a couple of years.

yeah i guessed most breeders wouldnt let a pup go to a home with a young child. walking etc wouldnt be a prob. our weimy never missed a walk when our son was born and would walk alongside the pushchair. its going to have to be something we think carefully about! i know it will be hard work! having a puppy is certainly harder work than having a baby!

It's no reflection on you weezie. :)  It's just that with babies and puppies together, if you are going to train them both correctly ;) then you need to do what you need to do when you need to do it! :)  And you only have one pair of hands, one pair of legs, one pair of eyes etc.   If you're changing a nappy, you can't be aware of what the pup's doing.
In the same way Mothers manage with twins, two babies born close together, maybe you could manage a baby and a puppy.  It's just that as a breeder I want my puppy to have more then 'manage'.  I want my pups to have the best possible puppyhood to reach their full potential as adults, and to me that means undivided attention. :)

yeah i appreciate that and all your advice! a weimy pup was pretty hard work but very very worth it!! we're lucky that 99% of the time my husband and i will both be at home. we would probably prefer a rescue but only if we could find one that was used to children and obvioulsy not in the immediate future!! im sure we could find a rescue that could share some love with our little boy, that must be better than being lonely in a kennel!

Have you considered going to your breed society/rescue, and find out if there is an adult that has lived with children and needs rehoming for any reason other than temperament problems?   There are some lovely dogs that go into rescue for reasons other than instability, and you might be able to find a wonderful dog this way (I'm thinking about Craigles here)

Margot

You've got a big heart weezie, but sometimes taking on a rescue adult can involve more training than taking on a puppy. :(  Unless the adult has had plenty of socialisation and good basic training, then it's not a simple thing to integrate into a family home.  Most well trained adults don't end up in rescue because someone knows someone (have you read craigles story?) and a new home is easy to find. :)

I think that once the children are at school or at least at nursery for a couple of mornings a week, is a perfect time to bring a puppy into the family.  The children have a degree of independence, and have the ability to respect that the puppy is not a toy. :)

yeah! i see where u r coming from!! my brother is getting a puppy in the summer so at least our little boy will be around dogs a lot until the time is right for us!!! our weimy was 2 and a half when our son was born and was perfect! she was really settled and good as gold! its such a shame she died so young as she was the perfect age for us to have a baby! it was all planned!!

My daughter has a wee baby of six months and she wants a pup or at least a dog to grow with Lily.  I have said to her that all the work will be too much and to have an older dog our at least one that won't need all the work.  Our Cavie is over 2 now and steady as anything, she is after her i can tell now.   What have i started....
Yvonne

im so sorry you lost your dog, and at such a young age as well.
is a baby really easier than a puppy?????
i have no advice re the puppy/young baby thing as i have never had that situation, but my friend got a puppy when her son was 6 months old and she was fine with it but she was a very strong capable woman and the pup was easy and you never really know what you are going to get.
Im sure it would be too much for me as i like my sleep!

When my first baby was 5 months old I could have coped with another baby or a pup. When my baby was 12 to 18 months no way!   Fortunately my second baby was already on the way or I simply would not have had a second kid! Then all their toddler friends come to play and you toddler to so many  places  that won't let in dogs to give them a wide experience of the world.. well no way could I have had a dog.

Many people do have pups and babies...many of those pups end up in rescues for many reasons.. some reasons being beyond control like maybe something so basic like the baby has asthma or allergies.

However if you are both home that is so different, and if you live in an area where you are established with friends and relatives to support you again that is going to make it easier. And you lost your beautiful dog so young too which again is different because your home should have a dog there. I don't know, I lost my dog young at three and a half and I think at such times it is fine to let your heart rule. With the puppy crate training these days it makes it easier to give the pup refuge and training and the quality the time it needs. A  young pup though  would learn to fit in with you  and you can train it up as you want with none of the risky unknowns that may come out in a rescue... I'd not gofor a rescue with a baby..it's not worth the risk.    To be honest a baby at 5 months is at the easiest age so asap is probably the best time for a pup...or wait until after the hyper-active crazy toddler stage..which can last a few years! ..or decades!   ;) So I'd say either get a pup very soon or wait until when the baby is in school or pre-school...

I think some good breeders would consider you but would grill you to bits with trying to work out if this was going to work and get you to explain how you will manage both the baby and met all the needs of the dog. Even with a baby having two of you home is a wonderful plus factor!   Good luck.