Young dog + baby on the way
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Anonymous
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About 6 months ago we adopted a dog who is now about a year old. She is 55 lbs (35 when we got her!) and very sweet but also energetic. We live in a condo and had planned to buy a house and try for a baby in about 1.5-2 years. Well, a couple months ago I found out I'm pregnant, and now I'm not sure what to do! DH travels a lot so I am in charge of the bulk of the puppy care. I'm getting stressed out imagining walking the dog and keeping her entertained when I'm 7-9 months ( these past 3 have been tough). I'm even more worried about what happens when there's an actual baby but the dog needs to go out or is wound up and I can't take her out or go to the dog park. We don't have a yard.
Has anyone dealt with this? I'd love to hear from people who have been in this situation and made it work, and if there is anything I can do to start preparing. I'm planning to enroll her in another training class this fall, and hopefully she'll mellow out a little by the time baby comes, but it's a little scary. FWIW I'm not interested in extreme opinions, especially if they are A. Get rid of the dog, or B. How selfish to put the needs of baby before needs of dog. I'm just hoping to hear from reasonable people who have been through this. Thanks in advance! |
Anonymous
| Is there a tween or teen in your condo or neighborhood who you could hire to walk the dog in the mornings and after school? |
Anonymous
| There are professional dog walkers. |
Anonymous
Good suggestion. I have a daily midday dog walker and hadn't considered getting morning and night walks, probably mostly because of cost. Also, the pup usually wants to go out every 1-1.5 hours, so dog walker can't cover everything, but I'll look into finding out if there's a neighborhood kid that might do it for cheaper. |
Anonymous
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Not in your exact situation as I haven't had to deal with young dog + baby yet. I'm not sure if this is your first dog, but when we got my first dog a few years ago I was surprised and relieved at how much our dog mellowed between year 1 and year 2. Not all dogs do, but you may find that some of that puppy energy naturally subsides so unless you have a super energetic breed I would try not to worry too much about it.
Also, typically by the time a dog is one, even if it wants to go out every 1-1.5 hours it doesn't usually need to. These intervals should eventually get further apart. If they aren't, it may just be that the dog is bored and knows that if it begs, it will be taken out. The training class should help with ways to deal with this, but you could also look into some toys that help keep the dog more mentally stimulated. There are special kongs for inserting treats that can take the dog a while to figure out, as well as doggie puzzles that are designed to keep them occupied for a while. A less expensive trick is to freeze some of your dog's food in a kong for about 30 minutes and then give it to him. This can work if the dog is really food motivated. My dog lost interest, but this has worked for other dog owner friends. Finally, you might look into whether there are any reasonably priced doggie daycares near your house. Taking a dog every day is usually really expensive, but even once or twice a week might help your dog get some of its energy out. Some places will even let you sign up for half days. Good luck! |
Anonymous
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I love animals and I would consider rehoming the dog to a loving family. Get a friendly cat instead.
I had a dog with an infant and I was so relieved when the dog passed away of old age. And he was a quiet, easy small teenage dog. And i have a large yard so no walking was required. Your dg is young and cute, perfect time to place him with a loving family with older kids. If you keep the dog, consider moving to a place with a fenced something so you don't have to walk it as much. I just don't see how your walking schedule will remotely work with a baby. (you will be ok pregnant but it is much harder once the baby arrives.. |
Anonymous
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I wouldn't necessarily assume that you'll feel worse later in your pregnancy. I was a mess at week 12 with morning sickness, still sick at week 20 with back pain, uncomfortable at 30 weeks with limited stamina, but now at nearly 40 weeks I feel great. I have literally been feeling better every week since around 15 weeks. It is not what I expected at all.
For peace of mind I would come up with some source of assistance if you need it, but play it by ear. You may feel better later on, you may not. Pregnancy is funny like that. As far as getting ready for the baby, I would try to teach her not to jump on you so you will feel comfortable putting the baby in a carrier while walking the dog. To keep the dog and baby happy, you will just have to do your best to anticipate needs in advance--just like the parent of a second baby. If your infant cries for a minute while you get the dog situated, it is okay. If the dog is unhappy for a minute while you take care of the infant, that is okay too. Everyone will adjust. |
Anonymous
| I'm 36 weeks pregnant and a have a 40 lb dog with a moderate amount of energy. My suggestions would be a dog walker for a ~30 minute midday walk and occasional doggy day care if you don't have time for the park. I can still walk him at the end of my pregnancy (the hardest part is bendig over to pick up the poop!). If your dog has bad leash manners, you might want to take her to obedience classes, it worked wonders for us! Also, your dog will mellow out, maybe even by the end of your pregnancy. At 1 she's still basically a puppy. I agree with 6:51 about freezing the Kong, we use peanut butter and it keeps him occupied for a long time. |
Anonymous
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My suggestions?
-doggie day care. Invest in it so your dog is tired and well socialized. Use it when you are alone, drop him off and go back a few hours later. -find friends with kids and socialize your dog to children. Possibly do so with a trainer so they can observe any potential issues. -some minor research on what to do when you bring baby home like have someone bring a used baby blanket home. A good dog will become protective of its pack by nature but depending on breed can be resource agreesive (my dog and tennis balls, for example). Sadly mom or dad can be a resource. But you have time to learn. Don't rehome a dog unless it's agreesive with children. There's no need. I have a 100lb dog and she loves kids, but I am still treating the birth of our child as something different. We babysat a child who screamed 90% of the time and are going to borrow a neighbors stroller to walk her with so she gets used to it. The sooner you start the better prepared you will all be. My worry is my dogs loss of attention. But she is my first baby! I love her more than anything and couldn't imagine her not being part of our family once we have a baby. It would be empty! Good luck! |
Anonymous
| There are doggy daycares, seriously, where you can let the dog run around half or all day. There's also dog parks in the area where you can take him and let him blow off steam. He may need more exercise. |
Anonymous
There's no "need" but a dog will make your life that much harder especially if you have no safe yard space. Your baby isn't here yet...just wait and see if you regret this advice once you are getting no sleep and, once your baby finally drifts off, your dog needs walked. Multiple times a day. Every day. If OP has been worn out by dog in pregnancy, a dog and kids is going to be worse. |
Anonymous
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Our dog was a bit further along in the mellowing out process (2.5 yo) but still very much a puppy. Getting her used to the baby turned out to be no big deal, so I don't know that I'd worry too much about practice/accilimation beforehand (not much to be gained from crying baby tapes, walking with an empty stroller, etc).
But doing some training classes now is a very good idea to get a handle on any obedience issues -- especially (i) jumping up (you don't want to worry about coming down the stairs w/baby and having pup jump up to see what you're carrying) and (ii) walking well on a leash (when you've got one hand on the stroller and one on the leash, you're not going to be in a position to manage a dog that's lunging after squirrels or people or other dogs, even if it's purely friendly). As one of the PPs said, there's also a good chance that another 5 months will take some of the edge off the puppy energy and chaos anyway. Also, you can definitely stretch the time between walks - by 1 yo our 60lb border collie was getting by just fine with walks every 4-5 hours (and every 1.5 hrs is just not manageable with a newborn). |
Anonymous
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I'm not suggesting you get rid of the dog, but I do think that is probably what will inevitably happen. Few reasons:
1. You've only had the dog 6 months. This isn't like a 10 year bond you've got going here. People naturally prefer their new babies to their dog even when the dog is a years-established member of the family. You don't have that time built in. 2. The dog is young and energetic and you live in a condo. It will need lots of exercise. It will not lie quietly in a corner and be old mellow chill dog. It will act out to get attention because you will be focusing on the baby. You will quickly get aggravated with the dog for needing a walk/playtime when you are giving everything you have to your baby and are exhausted. And God help the dog the first time it barks when the baby just went to sleep or jumps on the baby in excitement. You will want to murder it. 3. Your husband is gone a lot. Which means baby care will fall mostly to you. And dog care. And guess which one you'll gladly give up to be able to focus more on the other. I don't say this to try to convince you to give the dog up. It's just something I see a lot and wouldn't be surprised if it happened. |
Anonymous
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I have two dogs. They are both big (45 lbs and 85 lbs) and energetic. I loved having them through my whole pregnancy because it made me get out and exercise. Also when I was 39 weeks and ready for the baby to come, the dogs and I walked for miles and miles together trying to get labor started.
When the baby came, I got a dog walker. After the first three weeks or so, I started waking both of them while pushing the stroller. It is nice to get out of the house and walking the dogs was a great way to do that. Baby is now 15 months and I'm pregnant again, and we and the dogs are all doing just fine. Also, OP, your dog will mellow out. A two year old dog is very different than a one year old dog, who is basically just a big puppy. |
Anonymous
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If you love your dog, keep him. A bazillion people manage dogs and babies without any problems. If you do indeed run in to some issues, prepare yourself with dog walker and doggie daycare numbers now. I am terrible about worrying needlessly, but realize there is a possibility that all will go just fine.
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