Getting a dog

[twinklestar25]

Has anyone gotten a dog when you've decided no more children? I've thought about it for years and think we may go for it next yr when our boys will be 7&4

 

[george83]

My cousin has just done this and her children are 9 and 5. She doesn't live locally but by her Facebook posts they all love it

 

[mouse_chicky]

haha, Dh promised me a dog if we didn't do IUI for a third. In the end, I decided on my own that IUI wasn't for me. But I'm still torn on the dog thing. Dh and I both work, and I know dogs need social interaction. Any breeds ok for being alone part of the day?

 

[confused87com]

I got dog when my youngest turned one. Dogs are great but a lot of work. I'm a vet nurse and already have a dog and completely under estimated how hard it would be! Each dog is so different. One of mine is happy home alone for a good chunk of the day.he has a dog flap. But the other would destroy the house. It's worth really looking into the realities of having a dog first. I'm not sure I would have gotten my puppy in hind sight. It's a lot of work

 

[hellohefalump]

We have a labradoodle and he's amazing. Really great with the kids too, my youngest was about 6 I think when we got him. The puppy stage was hard, because he destroyed everything (3 sofas!) but he's really good now. Kids love him and he's very friendly. We walk him twice a day, which is good exercise for us humans aswell!

 

[Xpecta]

I'm pregnant with my last baby, so I feel like I belong in this area of BnB.

Anyways, I got a dog earlier in 2016. I figured I had 3 kids, and I could handle a dog...... Wow..... Was I wrong. Puppies are so different than children haha. I know... Naive right? Well, if you have the time for a puppy and training, then sure. If not, then maybe get an older dog? My friend did that and they got a great family dog. And there are some breeds that are fine being left alone. Mine is an outdoor dog, so he has lots of space to run and play.

Here's a pic of my pup Dax:

https://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m633/Xpecta/20161203_085059.jpg

 

[mara16jade]

Dogs are wonderful. But yes, they can be a lot of work. If you put in the time for the first few months to really train them, it'll help you sooo much in the long run.

We have 3 dachshunds. With our first, I took her to obedience training. She is very well behaved. With our second, I tried to pass on what we learned with our first...and it worked ok - not great. With our third, I hate to even admit it, but we didn't try too hard to do much training and while he's a sweet dog and knows basic commands, he's the "worst" behaved.

The point I'm making is, put in the effort early. You won't regret it!

 

[Jessicahide]

My dog is 9, wouldn't be without him, he is great x

 

[mummy2_1]

I would love a dog once the kids are older, but I'm petrified of the horror stories you hear of dogs turning on children. I know that the stories are of dogs that are mistreated and some that come from terrible backgrounds that lead to them turning, but I don't know if I could ever fully trust a dog no matter what bread. (I was bitten by a stray dog growing up, not badly, but left me shook up)

 

[Jessicahide]

I would love a dog once the kids are older, but I'm petrified of the horror stories you hear of dogs turning on children. I know that the stories are of dogs that are mistreated and some that come from terrible backgrounds that lead to them turning, but I don't know if I could ever fully trust a dog no matter what bread. (I was bitten by a stray dog growing up, not badly, but left me shook up)

No your right, you can't ever trust a dog 100% but they are far less likely to hurt your child than a person is, they are a simple creature and they follow a pattern as long as you follow the pack rules and it knows its bottom.

 

[Wobbles]

I've been thinking about it too ...

My partner has said definitely no more children which I feel the same about but you have that 'niggle' so he told me to get a dog I've been on and off wanting one for a couple of years but like pointed out they are hard work. I've been researching what type of dog would suit our family.