Best time to get a dog with young kid without waiting forever

[Anonymous]

We have a now 7 month old puppy with our youngest being 4.5, these are our issues:
1. toys end up in the puppy's mouth, kid does not consistently clean up
2. puppy thinks small children are also puppies and plays with them as such
3. puppy needs a lot of exercise at this point - more than my 4 year old wants to come along for
4. puppy is generally a teenage a-hole right now and can't be trusted alone outside her crate

I definitely wouldn't get a lab puppy with a 2 year old. At 4 it's doable because I can at least trust the kid to play in another room or be alone in the house when I'm right outside in the yard. You're going to have a very bad time if you need the 2 year old to come along for most walks and pee breaks.

[Anonymous]

Kindergarten

[Anonymous]

Any chance you're having another baby? My neighbor told me wait until your youngest is in K and I think that's good advice

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a similar lifestyle and knew we wanted a hound. We had a very hard time finding a good fit - many rescues will not adopt hounds to families with small kids because they are so needy (the dogs). It sounds like you want a puppy, so there are no restrictions - just be aware that having a puppy is like having a newborn all over again.

I would be fine with a grown dog but DH wants to start from scratch with a puppy so we're not dealing with the variables of other people's training, behavioral history, etc.

Yes on the newborn thing! Ha! That's why I waited til toddler was potty trained to consider

Will dh be the one handling the puppy? Because if not than his vote doesn't count. It is a LOT of work! I can not imagine having a 2-4 year old with a puppy!!! My pup is 1 years old now and we got him at 8 weeks. Trust me, you will make mistakes with your dog. Our first dog, now 13 we got as a 2 year old. Still work and needed training but, so much easier and they knew her personality. She was and is great with kids. My kids were 9 and 11. Don't set yourself up for mistakes and then the poor dog has to be re-homed because he nips or is bad with your kid. It isn't fair to the dog.

Both of us. He is the more experienced dog owner but I am home slightly more

If you are home more than it will be you, not both of you..lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any chance you're having another baby? My neighbor told me wait until your youngest is in K and I think that's good advice

Very very minimal chance. Still medically possible if IUD failed, but we are sure we're done.
I could live with waiting til K. I hadn't thought about the toy chewing aspect that one PP mentions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a now 7 month old puppy with our youngest being 4.5, these are our issues:
1. toys end up in the puppy's mouth, kid does not consistently clean up
2. puppy thinks small children are also puppies and plays with them as such
3. puppy needs a lot of exercise at this point - more than my 4 year old wants to come along for
4. puppy is generally a teenage a-hole right now and can't be trusted alone outside her crate

I definitely wouldn't get a lab puppy with a 2 year old. At 4 it's doable because I can at least trust the kid to play in another room or be alone in the house when I'm right outside in the yard. You're going to have a very bad time if you need the 2 year old to come along for most walks and pee breaks.

Great summary.

OP, if your husband doesn't want to wait, your family needs to get a housebroken adult. If he won't bend on the puppy thing, you need to wait.

[Anonymous]

OP, I am really not sure I understand your husband’s argument. Even a rescue with no training will have more wherewithal than a puppy. And you can screen out rescues to ensure you get a dog that is good with kids, etc. Our rescue needed a lot of training, but was crate and house trained when we got him at 13 months old, which is HUGE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a now 7 month old puppy with our youngest being 4.5, these are our issues:
1. toys end up in the puppy's mouth, kid does not consistently clean up
2. puppy thinks small children are also puppies and plays with them as such
3. puppy needs a lot of exercise at this point - more than my 4 year old wants to come along for
4. puppy is generally a teenage a-hole right now and can't be trusted alone outside her crate

I definitely wouldn't get a lab puppy with a 2 year old. At 4 it's doable because I can at least trust the kid to play in another room or be alone in the house when I'm right outside in the yard. You're going to have a very bad time if you need the 2 year old to come along for most walks and pee breaks.

Great summary.

OP, if your husband doesn't want to wait, your family needs to get a housebroken adult. If he won't bend on the puppy thing, you need to wait.

OP here - i'm the impatient one, he's fine with waiting a few years

[Anonymous]

I say when the kid is 7/8 because then you don't have to bundle up the kid and drag them along on every single dog walk! It we got our lab when our youngest was just about to turn 8. It was really nice to take the kid along when he wanted to come, but not have to force him to come along. And given the sidewalks and bushes in this area, pushing a stroller while walking a rambunctious dog would really be difficult in a few places. (Our dog is well trained now, at least; the combo just wouldn't physically fit on some of our sidewalks.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I say when the kid is 7/8 because then you don't have to bundle up the kid and drag them along on every single dog walk! It we got our lab when our youngest was just about to turn 8. It was really nice to take the kid along when he wanted to come, but not have to force him to come along. And given the sidewalks and bushes in this area, pushing a stroller while walking a rambunctious dog would really be difficult in a few places. (Our dog is well trained now, at least; the combo just wouldn't physically fit on some of our sidewalks.)

Omg another thing I hadn't thought of! This thread is making me more ok with waiting lol

[Anonymous]

OP, the only reason to wait is: biting & care.
Puppies will all bite. You live through it. They grow out of it (teething). Wear leather gloves
Your children, regardless of age, will never help w/the dog as much as you imagine/plan.

[Anonymous]

I don't relate to these answers at all, other than the reminders about toddler toys and such things you may not have thought of. You know yourself and your family best, OP. You know your schedule. Sure, you may not want to take the child along on the early morning walk--if your spouse is home at that time it's a non-issue. If you can create a contained area and are organized about toys, none of the warnings are a big deal.

Lots of people have a second child when their first is two and, despite all the cliches about puppies being just like having a baby... well, that's another I can't relate to at all.

I have raised six puppies in my adult life and: no nursing, no nanny needed, slept through the night after a day or two; potty training is much quicker and easier... like babies, super cute and cuddly and loveable and sleep most of the day BUT no whining and no crying! Having a puppy is a lot of work but, if you know it, and are structured and organized about it, it really isn't that big of a deal. And you can take a break and put the puppy in the crate without guilt.

For me, working from home or having some time off, and adopting the pup during good weather make life MUCH easier for a new owner. Other than that, I personally wouldn't wait.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't relate to these answers at all, other than the reminders about toddler toys and such things you may not have thought of. You know yourself and your family best, OP. You know your schedule. Sure, you may not want to take the child along on the early morning walk--if your spouse is home at that time it's a non-issue. If you can create a contained area and are organized about toys, none of the warnings are a big deal.

Lots of people have a second child when their first is two and, despite all the cliches about puppies being just like having a baby... well, that's another I can't relate to at all.

I have raised six puppies in my adult life and: no nursing, no nanny needed, slept through the night after a day or two; potty training is much quicker and easier... like babies, super cute and cuddly and loveable and sleep most of the day BUT no whining and no crying! Having a puppy is a lot of work but, if you know it, and are structured and organized about it, it really isn't that big of a deal. And you can take a break and put the puppy in the crate without guilt.

For me, working from home or having some time off, and adopting the pup during good weather make life MUCH easier for a new owner. Other than that, I personally wouldn't wait.

OP here, this is super helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't relate to these answers at all, other than the reminders about toddler toys and such things you may not have thought of. You know yourself and your family best, OP. You know your schedule. Sure, you may not want to take the child along on the early morning walk--if your spouse is home at that time it's a non-issue. If you can create a contained area and are organized about toys, none of the warnings are a big deal.

Lots of people have a second child when their first is two and, despite all the cliches about puppies being just like having a baby... well, that's another I can't relate to at all.

I have raised six puppies in my adult life and: no nursing, no nanny needed, slept through the night after a day or two; potty training is much quicker and easier... like babies, super cute and cuddly and loveable and sleep most of the day BUT no whining and no crying! Having a puppy is a lot of work but, if you know it, and are structured and organized about it, it really isn't that big of a deal. And you can take a break and put the puppy in the crate without guilt.

For me, working from home or having some time off, and adopting the pup during good weather make life MUCH easier for a new owner. Other than that, I personally wouldn't wait.

OP here, this is super helpful.

dp Just remember the pp was an experienced dog owner. Is this your first puppy? I don't have a toddler but, it is a lot of work that I think the pp is poo-pooing. What is the harm in waiting just a few years if you must have a puppy? Three years go by so quickly! I just don't get the rush.

[Anonymous]

I already had my Malamute when I had my baby. It is a lot of work managing a toddler even with an already trained, well-behaved dog. And we always keep an eye on the dog and child even though both of them interact well. My dog is getting on in years and much as I can’t imagine a dog-less household we are going to wait until DC is at least 8-10 before considering another one.