Pets with kids..

[Momma`Kat]

I know lotsa people on here have dogs/cats with their LO's

Which do you think is best around young children? I am wanting to get a pet when I move but cant decide! Alanna has never been around pets and im scared that she will be too rough with a pet in the house and end up getting hurt

How easy is it to teach little ones to be gentle with pets and not to keep bugging them?

If I got a dog I would get either a labrador or a standard poodle. I would prefer a poodle because labradors have a very strong doggy smell, and poodles are more hypoallergenic and dont shed as much!

Thoughts ladies?

 

[netty]

i think it just takes patience to teach a child how to be around animals, when my mum got her dog we used to tell my baby brother that he should treat the puppy like a little baby and look after it coz it misses its mummy and he used to be so gentle. Having apuppy will be fine as it will grow up with your child, its just hard work though lol like having another kid!

 

[tinytoes]

I've been wondering about this as I would love to get a puppy but Im still not sure as I have two very small babies and Im afraid I wouldnt have enough time to be fair to a puppy . I'd consider a cat but oh hates them .

 

[Lacey's Mummy]

We don't have any pets but my parents have 3 dogs (all poodles) and 2 cats.
All 3 dogs are very patient with charley, he hits them, pulls their hair and they just let him!
1 of the cats is the same, will just let him pulls his hair but the female cat gets aggressive and will swipe at charley so we make sure he's never left in the same room as her alone.
I think it's the individual animal that depends on how they are with children.
Some dogs are aggressive but some can cats be too.
Just keep an eye on them x.

 

[netty]

yeah i wouldnt leave any child alone with an animal no matter how placid, its just too risky i think. Kids like to pull tails and ear lol

 

[Dragonfly Fi]

Jasper is just learning to be gentle with the cat, She is SO tolerant of him but she hates him really lol

he is 16 months old, its a constant battle from stopping him from 'playing' with her!

i would get a dog, one of Jaspers best friends is a mates dog called Alfie, they LOVE each other

 

[l_maclean]

My folks have a cat and a dog, and both are great with the kids - the cat when she was younger would tolerate a LOT more from a child than an adult - its like they know kids dont know any better.

That said my neice and nephew have their own cat who runs wild with them, but they both know that granny's cat is an old lady and not for playing with, and they leave her alone.

A cat would take significantly less work than a dog when you have a young child. Also IMO there is less risk of LO getting hurt from a cat - scratch Vs bite.

I think if you have pets when LO's are you its easier to teach them to be gentle earlier because they become used to the animals quicker, rather than a slightly older/rebelious child who decides to igonore mummy.

xxx

 

[nattyv86]

we have a rottie and shes amazingly good with kids. there not a dog for every one tho i think we just fell lucky with zena xx

 

[MrsR]

We have cats and they were both brilliant when Sebastian was tiny. We had to literally make sure that we held his hand and showed him how to stroke them (we also said 'nicely' as we helped him stroke them) and now he knows how to stroke animals and if he is a bit rough we say 'nicely' and he changes to be gentle again. My parents have dogs and he's the same with them. My sister's cats just made themselves scarce when we stayed there for a week and when they were down he was very gentle with them. I want a dog too but am unsure what type.

 

[MissJuly10]

It's a shame Staffies have such a bad reputation cos my dogs are amazing with children, I have 3 Staffordshire Bull Terrier bitches and they're fab and the breed is actually said to be a great family dog. My MIL had 2, SIL has 2 and BIL has 1 as well. SIL has 5 children and BIL has 2 kiddies and all the dogs are great with them.

Obviously they have their own personalities and I think how a dog behaves around a child is also to do with how they're trained so if you want a puppy, you'd need to put in the time to teach both dog and LO how to respect each other and to recognise boundaries etc.

I think it'd be easier in one sense to get a puppy so they could grow up together rather than try and introduce an older dog to your LO.

One of my dogs is slightly less tolerant of children than the other two. She likes her space so tends to steer clear if she can, otherwise she does grumble a bit but she is more than happy to go to her bed when she's told. The other two, I can't fault them, they've had ears pulled, eyes poked, tails pulled and been stroked to within an inch of their lives and dribbled on, yet they've never made a fuss and instead they literally just walk away when they've had enough.

Every dog is different though, and as good as my girls are with children, I'd never leave them alone with a LO.

Sorry for the long post, hope that helped in some way.

x x

 

[Momma`Kat]

Thanks, Actually i agree wholeheartedly, Staffys, and even pitbulls are great family dogs.. When raised by the right people!
Circumstances changed so cant move at the moment But I have narrowed it down to.. English Bulldog.. Standard Poodle.. Or a Staffy

 

[NatEvz]

We have two staffy bitches, who are half sisters. Our eldest is 5 this year and our little one is 4 this year. They have been amazing with sam. Especially holly our eldest. They too have been pulled, pinched, bitten to within an inch of their lives without so much as a grumble. Infact if holly had her own way shed lick him and follow him all day. Star is a bit wary but then this is the dog that is scared of the washing basket. My brother has the litter brother to holly and he is a huge boy, but is the same with sam as our 2.
Its such a shame theyve gotten such a bad name because of a few morons who bring them up the wrong way, anyone who knows the breed will tell you what amazing dogs they are. I wouldnt have any other breed of dog now xxx

Sent from my GT-S5830 using Tapatalk

 

[MissJuly10]

Totally agree. They're really just big softies, it's a huge shame so many people train them to be nasty or allow bad behaviour - it ruins the dog and their reputation.

Even as I'm typing this, I'm being nudged and interrupted for cuddles by my girls.

x x

 

[Cazza]

My LO will have 8 dogs and 3 cats to grow up with!!

I grew up with a working pack of Jack Russells - ratters by day, dressed up in dolls clothes and taught tricks by night!!

Whatever breed both child and dog need to be taught respect, no hitting or pulling of fur allowed from the start. Also give the dog a space to call it's own and teach the baby not to disturb it there.

Like Miss J one of my dogs is a little less keen on small people (she's ok in the garden playing ball but doesn't want to be up close and personal with them!!) than the others but she knows she always has a cage up in the garden room to go hide in when we have my friends youngsters here.

Staffies are fabulous family dogs, Poodles can be highly strung and slightly 'mad' and English Bull Terriers are brilliant clumsy built like tanks clowns so need to be taught to be gentle as it may not come naturally!!

Even though you can't have a dog now it's worth getting you LO used to a child friendly dog now to prepare for when you can.

 

[dollface79]

Mine will have 1 shar pei dog, 3 cats and 1 chinchilla to grow up with lol I'm not worried in the slightest as i think i have the worlds dumbest and most soft dog ever who thinks he is a cat and sleeps with a kitten!

 

[LuW]

Oh I think poodles have this rep of being high strung and theyre really not. They were bred to hunt so will follow and protect no matter what the cost to themselves. My nana's lived with me when I first moved out and had one of my rather scary looking neighbours pinned flat against a wall because the dog thought the guy was trying to hurt me. And while he's funny over food he's brilliant with any kiddies that come around, wasn't brought up with terribly young children but just sits there looking at you like 'seriously? can the go now I want to sleep' The stories I have of any of my nana's poodles make them sound pretty vicious tbh but in the context it was deserved to them. Once they see you and part of their part they'll take on anything to keep you safe. The old poodle who passed away about 4 years ago would always lie on the end of the spare bed (mine and my brothers when we stopped) and wouldn't even let my grandparents in to say night without growling if he wasn't sure it was them!

Though minis and standards can be headstrong with adults and cocky. The current poodle took to 'arguing' with the older dog and my nana when he was being told off as a 3 year old(still does it now and he's 7 in march =/) and will happily tell you were you are sitting and then just dive on you but I think thats just our fault tbh!! They do need a really firm hand! Toys are different... I don't care more for them- no energy and I've yet to meet one that doesn't act like a spoilt brat!!


Scared of staffies and rotties though =/ had a few bad run ins!! Really love Bull terriers though.

Think our choices are JTR, miniture Poodle (I will get one one day!! and I will make him walk it! haha!) westie or a yorkie. I weigh like nothing and have had my nanas poodles knock me down recently so smaller breeds all the way for me!

 

[BabysMomma]

I have two staffies and they're great with Avery. Real gentle and they'll alert me when she cries by running to me. I would never trust a dog alone with my child no matter what though. Just as we have our off days so do we, only we can gripe about it and give off but dogs can nip as it all they know.

It's just always supervision of both baby/child and dog cos let's face it...kids can proper annoy dogs too. x

 

[babyem]

I'm going to get two kittens when I move, so they get used to the baby and grow up with it x