Would you have.....

[piglets]

.....a large breed young dog around a baby? Im asking because when we got our boxer puppy i wasnt keen on ttc just yet. My plan was to wait a few years and then if we still wanted another LO we would try then. I wanted to have a bit of time for myself and lose weight and stuff like that. So we got our boxer who i love to pieces. Only thing is the more we talked about ttc the more i started to realise i didnt want to wait anymore (my OH is sneeky and kept dropping it into conversation and it worked lol) so if i had known we were going to try now i would never have got a big bouncy puppy!!! Im starting to worry about him jumping on me when pregnant and will i be able to get him out for enough walks, i had SPD last pregnancy so im told i will likely get it again and quite possibly worse. Then i worry he will knock the baby over or jump on him/her when he has one of his spaz outs. Lets say i got pregnant this cycle he will be around 13mnths old so i know i have some time to do training but you can only train so much- you cant really train the bounce out of a boxer lol!! Do you think its do-able? Im so stupid to have got myself into this position but i really did think we were going to wait. I do have other dogs but they are small and easy to walk i.e they dont pull and come back off lead!!! Im just starting to wonder if i will be able to cope. But i want to be able to.

 

[piglets]

Just wanted to add that hes a lovely puppy and i KNOW he wouldnt ever mean to hurt a baby!!! He hasnt realised hes getting big yet tho!!

 

[Emmamb]

We had a v boisterous staffy who was amazing throughout my pregnancy. Dogs have a sixth sense about it and try to protect you.when Kieron arrived he had a sniff of him but apart from that he wasn't bothered by him and when he had his mad bursts of energy he used to take a different route so not to knock Kieron. The 1st few weeks I was very wary but soon relaxed xx

 

[Esoames]

We have a staffy as well, and he loves Isla! He does get a bit bouncy when we have guest and she has fallen over a coulee of times, but that's because she leans on him and he moves. He used to peak over the Moses basket to check she was ok.

 

[lanny]

We have a shuh suz, and it is mental, drives me crazy, doesn't do anything I tell it BUT since I've had the baby he is brill with him from day one. When I was pregnant I use to think how on earth can I put the baby on the floor to play it will have a dog on it's head but he doesn't he just knows and he's really shocked me herbie is now 11 months and pulls the dogs ears ,fur and everything and the dog just let's him do it, if my mental crazy dog can Carm down around a baby Antibes can lol

 

[nik106]

He may actually be really good with a new baby! My mum has a large dog, he makes a boxer look small as he's a Golden Doodle with the full height of a standard poodle but the bulk of a retriever. He's a very beautiful very friendly dog, whom thinks he's a lapdog and does frequently climb on the sofa and sit on you, he's also very energetic and bouncy. But, he's getting really good with me and he was with my sister when she was pregnant, he no longer tries to climb on me, i suspect he's spotted that there isn't as much room to be able to anymore! We've had to kinda make him aware that he needs to be more careful but he's doing it.

As for my sister's baby, he goes over to see him (his is head is bigger than almost the whole baby) and occasionally he tries to butt his head into his face, but he's good about going away when you make him. Although, if you make him lie down, he does do puppy dog eyes and lie groaning/sighing because he's not allowed to sit with you though. I will be less worried about him being around my daughter and my sister would normally be so too had her little one not been 4 weeks prem and have a lowered immune system.

Animals often just seem to know that a little person is delicate, mostly they're just curious

 

[Piglet10]

my BIL has a couple of boxers, always nice and never bit anyone and turned on our nephew, he was ok as there were adults about but who knows what would have happened if no1 had! Scary biscuits! i personally wouldnt trust any dog 100% round a baby!!

when i was pg my mummy said "u only think u love ur dog, wait till ur baby comes and ull know what real love is" now, i did love my dog and never stopped but i got her point that i wud never put the dig first iykwim xxx

 

[cosmicgirl]

We had a boxer and then when the twins came along he didn't like it at all. Growling, showing his teeth and could not be trusted. My nerves where shot. I had to get him rehomed. It was awful x

 

[piglets]

Im just so torn now. I really wouldnt have got him if i had thought we were going to ttc, tbh the first month we werent really trying but i thought i was preg and when i found out i wasnt i was dissapointed and realised i didnt want to wait anymore. OH didnt want to wait anyway. Im worried im not going to be able to cope being preg with a big bouncy teenage puppy, im worried my SPD will prevent me walking him which will make him bouncier and naughty, i worried he will be unhappy and bored, im worried when the babies born im going to be stressed and tired and that he will accidently hurt bubba and now after all the replies on dogs that didnt like the bubbas im a bit worried he might get jealous and snappy and last of all .....im worried that im worrying about stuff that might not even happen!!! Crikey i do worry a lot dont i?!!

 

[Zazu]

I personally don't like the idea of any dogs around babies, but that's just me. I know they might not mean to hurt a child but you never know what the dog would do if it was getting it's fur or tail pulled by a child. I might be overreacting but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I'm not a dog lover though so it's an easy decision for me to make x

 

[piglets]

Ive got 3 other dogs and im not worried about them in the slightest, they are small spaniels and used to the kids and grew up with my youngest who is now 4 and believe me hes very rough and tumble kid we think hes got ADHD. My spaniels are so laid back all they do is sleep in the house and dont need excessive amounts of exercise as long as they get a walk theyre happy to just hang with me the rest of the day. Deep down my gut is telling me its not going to work from a lot of different angles.....but i do love him. Aaaarrggghh!!! I told OH that perhaps we should wait to have another LO lol but neither of us want to do that and anyway boxers are an active breed when older too. I feel so guilty even thinking about this.

 

[Cazza]

Piglets - I have 9 dogs six of which are very large and bouncy. I have no intentions of any of my dogs going anywhere when this baby arrives.

All of my dogs are however trained to a very high standard I'm a dog trainer and we compete at a high level in several disciplines. They do live in the house but also have kennels and runs for when we are at work or go out.

Since TTC we have begun a new training regime with the dogs to prepare them for what is about to happen!!

Jumping up (which I love) is always by invitation only.

I borrowed a moses basket and a changing mat and have taught them they DO NOT approach unless requested.

They all know 'settle down' which means go to your beds and relax.

My youngest is a 13 month old exhuberant sled dog so he's had extra training on the lead, he wasn't bad but a bit flighty. Consider a Halti/headcollar to help achieve walking nicely on a loose lead.

I'm also borrowing a small buggy to take out for walks to get them used to having to walk alongside it.

Start carrying something arround (teddy) so thedogs see your attention elsewhere and learn to ignore it. Also seperate yourself fromthe dogs occassionally, shut the doors behind you for a few seconds and build it up.


I would strongly suggest you enrol in some positive reward based training classes (preferably clicker) now and start to get all the little things under control and it will seem less daunting. I have 3 Boxers at my training classes all are incredibly intelligent and learn really quickly.

I grew up surrounded by Jack Russels and Greyhounds and had a fabulous childhood amongst animals.

As has been mentioned above you should never put a child or dog in a position were something could happen, children should be taught from a very early age to respect any animal and animals the same reapect too. Baby gates are a fabulous way to keep everyone safe yet still have everyone interacting.

Most dogs are fascinated by children and seem to sense they have to be gentle - my 8 stone male Malamute crawls on the floor to greet children!!! But like Cosmic has said sometimes they become overawed by their prescence and you have to make sensible decisions on what is best for all concerned.

 

[LikeJohnnYoko]

I would, but it would have to be a dog I brought up and trained from puppyhood myself. I have more experience with bigger breeds than little ones and would feel comfortable owning one with children.

 

[Amyrose]

we are at the point of having to get rid of our dog hes only little and have no patience for kids i thought getting a little dog would be the best option for us but he is so snappy im afraid hes going to bite my little girl. i really think a larger dog would have been the better option for us i dont know what to do because my oldest girl adores him even though he has bitten her quiet a few times. he is a lovely little dog but i think he would be more suited to a retired couple that can just lavish attention on hom only all day long as he gets quiet jealous of the kids. sorry im no help just thought i would vent lol x

 

[piglets]

Awww bless you, im so sorry. (((hugs))) to you.

This is what i would like to try and avoid happening really. The kids all getting attatched and having to make the decision later when the dog is settled etc. I think im going to have to see how i cope before making a decision but i think we will be keeping him, i get really upset thinking about him not being here. But at the end of the day if it turns out best for him and best for my family i will find the home thats best for him. Hopefully it wont come to that tho.

 

[Maria1977]

We've got an 18 month old border collie and he's ok with our baby. He's a bit nervous of the sudden movements, and doesn't appreciate fur being pulled lol, but he's fine. Obviously we'd never leave the dog alone with the baby but it's been fine having both. We're actually getting another border collie puppy in a couple of months too!! And gonna be ttc again lol. Think we must be mental lol

 

[piglets]

I think its my boxers size put together with his bounciness that i worry a bit about, hes only very young still and he is already HUGE.

 

[l_maclean]

My parents have a collie - who is VERY VERY bouncy. But he is absolutely amazing with my neice and nephew. My brother and g/f lived with them when my neice was born - and right from the word Go - shep was brilliant with her - even when she was still in the car seat - he drop his toys for her to play with. And when she was just able to sit up on her own - he'd take her his tugger for her to grab but he only pulled on it enough for her to feel him - he never knocked her over at all. He was the same when my nephew came on the scene - even though they didnt live in the same house.

I hate to say it - but its probably one of those things you'll only be able to gage when a little one arrives. Some animals have a sixth sense when it comes to little ones - and even the most boisterous dog will calm down round them - other dogs get really jealous with little ones.

I guess what you maybe need to think about is if you decided to try again and it didnt work out - you'd be facing getting rid of the dog. If you could cope with that then i guess theres no harm in trying - it might all without.
xxx

 

[Emily0505]

I am a dog trainer and I work in a rescue centre so I have seen many a dog looking for a new home due to the arrival of a new baby. I will always ask the owners what they did to prepare the dog for the arrival of the new baby and quite often the answer is nothing. The dog is just expected to deal with and accept all the changes that a new baby brings with no fuss- total change in routine, less one to one time, often less exercise, disrupted sleep (yes a dog gets woken too when a bay cries! etc )

There are of course some circumstances where ,despite owners best efforts, the dog just cannot adapt and in some cases it is best for all concerned, including the dog, if it is placed in a new home. I would never judge a parent for rehoming their dog for the sake of their child's safety. I would advise however, if you do have to come to the decision to rehome your dog, please do it through a reputable rescue centre that can match him with a suitable new owner and offer advice and support to his new owners to ensure all goes smoothly. Hopefully it will not come to that though.

There were some really good tips given in an earlier post in this thread and I would really recommend that you start this type of training with your dog asap. My dogs already know some commands that will be useful for when I have a baby- go to bed, leave it, stay and walk back. When I get my BFP (and pleeeeease let it be soon) I will start some specific training with them. Can't really walk down the street with a pram at the moment without giving too much away and I can't think of any convincing white lies as to why I have a pram with me...hmmm...maybe... I have the pram incase my dogs get tired and can't walk any further! Don't think that would cut it somehow- especially as I have collies that don't do getting tired!!

XX