New puppy -- Am I crazy?!

Vamason89

Yesterday was my birthday. (Yay birthdays!) Anyhow, my husband got me the ultimate surprise and got me a beautiful baby girl golden retriever. We already have the best dog ever. He's a 4 year old golden and we wanted to get him a puppy to raise before he becomes an old man buuuut now I'm slightly concerned I'm insane because I'm due in 7 months. Is anybody else in the same boat here? Can we be crazy puppy people together?

I attached a picture of her for your viewing pleasure. Because it'd be rude not to, really.

saraawlbr

I'm definitely the wrong person to weigh in on this because I'm doggie crazy and already talking to hubby about a second fur baby daily. He thinks we should wait until after the baby comes home. I disagree and think we should get the puppy now and have time to train it and adjust it before the baby comes home. Interested in the thoughts of others so I can add the ones that side with me to my daily presentation of why

Vamason89

Haha you sound like me. Thankfully (at least I think...?) husband agreed about wanting to train her first before baby. Hopefully she catches on quick and it'll be seamless. HA!

willashbaby

At least you should have enough time to have her house broken and decently trained before baby comes. Better get to work!

emzy86

We decided to get a puppy too just before we found out we were pregnant. It was too late to back out then because we had already paid a deposit. It has added some extra stress to my life I must admit. And it has been hard! Maya is a cavoodle, and it's hard house training her. Plus she wants to bite all the time. First pair of thongs ruined tonight. However, she is sort of training me for a baby. She wakes me once or twice a night to take her to the toilet. Although, we can go straight back to bed once she's done. No feeding, burping, changing settling etc! I'll probably go crazy soon!

willashbaby

I have a cavalier. He's about one and half now. We crate trained and it was the best thing ever. I highly recommend it, especially if you need the dog trained quickly. We also used Roxie's pet stain spray when he had pee accidents in the beginning so he never "marked" an area. We would immediately steam clean with a handheld spot cleaner and then spray. And we NEVER used wee wee pads. Right from the beginning our dog knew it was NOT OK to "make" in the house and that he was only to do that outside. We Mostly feed him in the morning so pooping at night isn't an issue and at this point he can hold it in like a champ and is allowed to sleep in bed. He has only woken us up once in the last six months to go out and that was because he had the runs. We were vigilant as anything when he was potty training. We kept him contained to a small area and would take him out frequently. We also used bells on the door and trained him to hit them to go out BC we didn't want him barking. It can be done!

m6tonner

We found out we were pregnant less than a week after our sweet old man dog passed away. We have a 5 year old dog, and it's definitely different only being a 1 dog home. We just moved, and we decided it is not a good time to add a puppy to our lives. New home, new state, new jobs, new baby... But once we feel more settled in, we will be a 2 dog family again! I say go for it, just like a baby, if you wait til you're ready, you're never ready!

Vamason89

@m6tonner That's a really good point and the attitude I should adopt. We meet the pup today so here goes nothing!

Mommyduclos

I have a 8 month old labradoodle and he's great at this point but the beginning was very tough. He's not too "puppy" anymore. But some dogs are puppies until even 2 or 3 years. So if your puppy has settled down quite a bit and decently trained I think you'll be fine, however if puppy is still bouncing off the walls, puppy crazy you might run into challenges feeling safe putting the babe on the floor or in a bouncy or whatever with the dog around

BritDillinger

I'm just as much of a puppy lover as the rest of you, but my husband is the biggest cat person alive so we ended up adopting two kittens pretty much right at the time we found out we were expecting! I know cats aren't the same in levels of training and housebreaking, but we have definitely been having loads of fun teaching them tricks and going on outdoor excursions with the harness and leash! Plus, teaching the children to be gentle with kittens before the baby arrives in January, haha!

Edit: 

The image I posted was huge. How do you make it small the way you ladies did?

Here's the link just in case you want to see, haha. - https://i57.tinypic.com/2rykc2w.jpg

Mamabeagle

DH suggested recently that when I'm on maternity leave getting a new puppy would be perfect because I'd be home to potty train it. I quickly shot that down.

nickicb7

I am in a very similar position. We got our puppy 1 week before I found out Iw as PG. I knew we were trying but I really didn't think it was going to happen so fast and I was sure Id have a bit longer to raise puppy. So we are going to have the baby when puppy is 10 months old. We have had to change some plans, like when we were going to fix him. Originally we thought we'd get past a year to give him growth, but now we are going to fix him before baby comes, to help calm him, and make sure there is no aggression. 

So here I am raising a 4 month old Lab puppy at 10 weeks pregnant. My husband works shift work, so he is home a lot and very involved and helpful, and now Im off for the summer, so Im hoping with both of us around this summer, we will be able to get him well trained, but we may have to consider a trainer. At this point he is teething and has become a bit of a biter, In trying to deal with his biting he has gotten a bit aggressive, which makes me nervous. So we will have to make sure to nip that before baby comes. My very last resort would be to get rig of him. That was not my plan and not at all the kind of Dog owner that I am. I believe in being a forever home when you take the responsibility. But with Baby on the way... We are really just gonna have to try hard and do whatever we can to make it work.

Given that Goldens, like Lab's , are very good family animals and very loyal and friendly, as well s the fact that you have an older dog to help with the raising, my guess is you will be okay. However, you will need someone to be on top of the training, and may also want to consider a trainer if need be. I hope you get to keep it!

Good Luck

SummerOH

I don't think it's crazy at all.  7 months is plenty of time to train her and everyone to settle in.  Of course, we have 3 rambunctious Boston Terriers, so this is coming from a fellow dog lover!

Love4littlethings24

I don't think it's crazy! We have a golden that's amazing! She's sooo great with kids and babies and she's so gentle! It's my 100 pound puppy German Shepard were worried about.

BethP321

You'll have plenty of time to train her before baby comes, which is great. BUT when the puppy meets baby for the first time, you don't really know what to expect. She is a puppy and they continue to act as puppies until they are about two years old when they start to "slow down". I would advise you keep a good eye on puppy around the baby and if it gets out of hand, obviously baby is off limits until both dog and baby get a little bit older. What a great companion for the baby to grow up with though! I begged my parents to adopt my first dog at age 5. He passed the day after my 16 birthday. I wish dogs lived forever, but I was thankful I got the little brother I always wanted (I was an only child). Good luck on all your adventures (:

meredithfharris

Yep, we got a puppy a month or so before I found out that I was pregnant. We got a black lab and shes about 6 months old. She's doing great and will be a yr old when the baby comes. I would suggest puppy class! That helped us a lot.

BabyRut2015

You have plenty of time! We got a chocolate lab puppy in Jan & he'll be almost a year when the baby gets here, which we felt was plenty of time (and labs are WILD). Your pup will be 7-9 mths old when baby comes? He'll be fine! Yay for new puppy babies!

steph_pegasus

I don't think you're crazy to get a new puppy as long as you make the effort to train her properly in the next 7 months.
Our lab mix was almost 2 yrs when DD was born, but still very puppyish at times so we made sure to keep a close eye on her any time she was near the baby. She's a gentle dog for the most part now unless she gets excited, and DD is now 2 so we've been teaching her to be gentle and kind with the dog.
Good luck!

jfritschie87

I just got a husky pup named Sasha at the beginning of this month. I also have a 3yr old husky and they are both a handful!! Training sasha has been a bitch! Today i found one of my ultrasound pics shredded to pieces and a half a bag of old marshmallows empty on the floor. She somehow escaped from her little play pen area and got into everything while i was grocery shopping. My ultrasound pic was on a shelf that i have no idea how she managed to get it. Puppies in general are frustrating, especially huskies. Sometimes i think what the hell did i get myself into but then i realize it will all be worth it when she gets older and my other husky will have another doggie friend for the rest of his life. They really are fantastic dogs though when they settle down. The first year is always the hardest!

Sahara26

We have a two year old Chocolate Lab. When he was a puppy, he could be a little terror. I took him to puppy class and then to another "manners" class when he was about 6 months old. He loved learning tricks and basics like sit, stay, down etc. By about 8 months, he had calmed down a lot. Training definitely helped but sometimes he still acts like a puppy. He gets very excited when people come over. So we are working on teaching him to settle now.

gatorrn06

We have had our two dogs 7 and 9 years before our daughter came along. I loved them like my child at first...now they drive me crazy! I'm totally done with dogs. Life is crazy with a toddler and two dogs. I'm pregnant with my second and if they bark and wake up the baby I may lose my mind. My advice....wait until after the baby and then decide!

mollyj931

Agree with many others and if a new puppy is inevitable then now is better than after baby.
We got our two puppies prior to having kids and I honestly don't want another until the kids are much older. We have 2 dogs, 2 kids and baby on the way and its pretty crazy!!

CaraBoonie

Our cat died last year and we originally were considering getting another cat to have it over it's baby stage by the time baby came, I do love babies and their animals! But honestly for now we're enjoying not having to take care of anybody but ourselves and when baby comes it'll be nice to only have to deal with one small creature's poop, haha. We definitely plan on getting a couple cats down the road, but it was serendipitous timing that ours passed when she did (she was suuuper old and had been sick awhile, so while we cried for a week straight when it happened we also know it was natural and her time). I don't know how you mommas deal with pets while pregnant! I spent a night at my friend's place and her pet woke me up every 5 seconds wanting something, it's so nice to be able to sleep on my own schedule for now! haha

aphilli8

I volunteer at our local shelter and will never NOT be shocked at how many people surrender pets because they somehow didn't comprehend how much time a puppy and a new baby would require.

As long has you realize the responsibility you brought upon yourself, then I don't think you're crazy at all. New puppies are always exciting. Good luck!

RSB1982

*lurking from Dec15*

If you're crazy so am I! We are getting a golden retriever pup next week! I got on this breeder's waiting list before I knew I was pregnant. We briefly talked about delaying adding a pup to the family but decided to just go for it! I'm not working and plan on being at SAHM so I'm going to use the next 6 months to enroll in puppy training classes and work on puppy manners. Your pup is super cute by the way OP! This is a pic of our soon to be Indiana! We'll call him Indy

Vamason89

Holy crap! That is a cute puppy!! @RSB1982

We ended up getting the puppy. Unfortunately she has parvo so she's at the vet for treatment. I'm really glad we got her. Good call made by husband!

kaylab3910

We just adopted a rescue black lab pup two weeks ago when I was only 10 weeks along. he is such a love - always wants to be with people (adults and kids) and submissive to every animal including our cat. If you're crazy, then I'm in the same boat.  

RSB1982

I hope your fur baby gets well soon @Vamason89 ! Puppies are the best! A lot of hard work, but so much fun! I hope she can come home soon.

daisymomof3

We got our Belle 2 months before we found we were pregnant. She has a wonderful personality, but has been extremely difficult to house train. She has kept me moving though!

My hope is she continues to calm down and I can get her into puppy classes within the next month or so.

FYI: puppies grow - FAST! This was barely 3 months difference.

TurtleMeg

We got an 8 month old puppy on my birthday and found out I was pregnant a month later. I FEEL YOU. He's a pain in my butt and I definitely feel him wearing on me but when he licks my belly (because he totally knows) I know I made the right choice.