Reply to Getting a puppy when you have small children?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Would you wait a few years?  It's really nice to have the help form the older kids, and once the youngest are past age 4 or so, you really decrease the likelihood that the child is going to hurt the puppy and cause the puppy to do something you'll all regret.  I love dogs and grew up with them, but we've got a puppy now with our three, and I'm glad they are not younger -- it's hard enough getting the youngest to interact appropriately with the puppy.[/quote]

Op here. We aren't done having kids though and I assume we'll have another in about 3 years. Can't imagine spending 7 years without a dog. I understand small dogs who bite and how to train. The breed we want is laid back and not nippy like labs. [/quote]

I have always had dogs also growing up, in college and after college.  I know how to raise and train a dog.  But not waiting until my kids were older was a HUGE mistake.  My kids were 3 and 5 when we got our puppy.  I did a lot of research and chose a breed that was laid back.  But even a laid back breed goes nuts after a child freaks and starts wailing and flailing their arms when a puppy bites (because there is not a single breed laid back enough that it will never nip as a puppy).  Trust me I taught my kids EVERY trick in the book about what to do when the puppy nipped at them.  Our puppy was awesome with my husband and I and with older kids.  But with ours, it always though they were playing or that they were puppies.  It nipped them the most and the kids always ripped the hands out, which caused scratches.  Or the puppy would jump on them and scratch their legs and they would freak out again and the puppy would get all riled up and get all playful (aka nippy). Like when they nip and growl with their litter siblings and get all worked up in play?  My kids are now 5 and 7 and neither of them like the dog very much.  They ignore it completely.  Our dog is very calm now, and it is pretty much a rug, but the kids never cuddle with it.  I think they just remember how many boo boos the dog gave them  :( [/quote]

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