Puppy?

C25

I need help from my bumpies because y'all seem to know what you're doing when it comes to pets! 

To get a puppy or not? That is the question. 

We have a 5 year old (who's gone a lot to his other dads) and a 22 month old (the puppy would mostly be for him because he LOVES dogs). 

We have no other pets currently, I am a stay at home mom, we have no vacation plans this whole year, and a fenced yard so we are prepared that way. 

I haven't had a puppy in about 7 years and my husband hasn't had one in maybe 5. But I feel like we know how hard they can be.. I just kind of want to know if there's anyone who's had experience with a puppy and a newborn?? 

I'm thinking it would help keep DS occupied while I'm with baby most of the time. But I'm nervous I'll lose my mind one month into it all. 

No opinion is too harsh for me, bring them on!

(thinking golden doodle or something similar)

kiyamurph

We put our male Rotty down a few months ago and my mom asked me if we were going to get another male dog since we currently have a female. My answer was hell no! I think I would completely lose my shit. I guess the only positive would be that since you'll be up in the night with the baby, you or your husband could take that time to let the dog out at the same time for potty training. Our female dog is 5 and I specifically remember those tough nights where I had to get up multiple times throughout the night to let her out, and then there was the whining when she was left alone in her cage. My personal opinion is that there's just too much going on with a newborn for a puppy. Maybe wait until the baby's a few months old? Or maybe get the puppy now so they can be housebroken by the time the baby comes?

CanadianintheSouth

A pregnant friend of mine got a puppy and regretting doing it. I'm all for dogs and babies together, but may not be the best time to have to worry about potty training and getting up in the middle of the night with it, when sleep is already so precious. Agree with pp that you may want to wait until the baby is a few months old. 

If your heart is set on it - go for it! If you are hesitant then I would hold off

JustAnotherUsername16

My honest opinion is that at this point you don't have enough time to get a puppy acclimated to an environment before baby gets here and throws a wrench into the plan. While the idea of a puppy and a baby is not the worst, I think if you were going to do this it would have been best to get the puppy very early in pregnancy or after you've established a routine with a baby (about 4 months old). Puppies can be very sensitive to changes in their environment, so at this point I think it's honestly too much for a pup to handle - not to mention you. (I used to do fostering and basic puppy training to prepare pups for their forever homes, so that's where my opinion is coming from)

motherofdragons-2

I would and will always advocate to adopt an older dog- they're usually already trained and calmer and more patient with kids. Puppy and newborn at the same time seems rough to me too! But an older dog would help occupy the kids as they can feed wash and let him out without fear of being accidentally nipped or knocked over or having the puppy run away from them. Just a lot of variables-stick with an older dog or wait till LO is older for a puppy is my vote! 

npaulie

I'm definitely a HUGE dog person, but I remember how much it sucked potty training when I didn't have a kid. My personal opinion would be to wait until you're more settled with the baby. It's not just about the potty training though. Taking the time to do behavior training, teaching them to walk on a leash, all while having baby seems like a lot to me. 

anonellis

I'm a FTM so take what I say with a grain of salt, but I would wait.  A friend of mine got a puppy when she was pretty pregnant and they had to rehome the puppy after a ton of trouble getting it acclimated to the baby.  

We got our current dog when she was a puppy and I can't imagine doing it again with a newborn...but that's just me, if you've both had puppies before you know what it's like! 

We are really excited for our babies to grow up with our dog so I totally get why you would want to, but I personally would wait.  I also think puppy + 22 month old requires SO much supervision when you'd be at your most distracted.  But again I'm not a parent yet...

kjd291

DH and I also want a puppy!! - but what we've agreed on is that it's not something we are going to do until we are out of the newborn baby stage - just little things (on top of all the big ones like puppy training / potty on top of new mom exhaustion) like: I love being able to lay baby down on the ground, or in low things like bouncers and swings--a puppy would make even something like that difficult 

Gators&BoSox

I would personally wait. I friend of mine did the puppy/newborn thing and she regretted it. It's just a lot! Honestly, IDK if we will ever do a puppy again. I'd rather adopt a young dog, but again that's my personal preference

UnicornsPlease

I'll second what @silverbulletband said about adopting an older dog. Many of them will come housebroken, crate trained, already good with kids, etc. And, while puppies are adorable, having done it once I will *never* do it again. Puppies are cute for the same reason babies are cute--they need to make us want to care for them even though they're kind of terrible (no offense to anyone's adorable baby and/or puppy). Plus...rescue dogs can be just as cute (cough--maybe I'm biased).

kap1988

I would either adopt an adult dog that is trained and good with kids or wait until the baby is older to get a puppy. My mom tells a lovely story about my little brother eating a "surprise" that the puppy left on the carpet when he was crawling around. Delicious.

AandDM2014

I would also advocate for adopting an older dog. There are so many dogs in shelters, and if the puppy thing becomes too much with a newborn, there will just be one more dog in a shelter.

dizzymom-2

We are considering adding a dog to our mix too. We have a 6lb Yorkie currently, but with a little boy on the way, we'd really like a larger family dog. We're skipping the puppy phase and going the adult rescue route. I think I would lose my mind trying to train a puppy and take care of a baby at the same time. 

1stontheway

I like the idea of a puppy and child growing up together, but also agree with others about adopting an older dog, one that is good with children.  May I ask what happened to the puppy you had 7 years ago and the one your husband had 5 years ago?

Bok Bagok

I have to agree with most, no puppy! I'm also gonna say no new pets at all. I have an adult dog now, that I've had since a puppy, she's a really good dog too, but even she is a huge PITA now because I have a toddler. When this baby comes...I don't even want to think about it. It's like every second of my day I'm already doing something for someone else. As soon as I sit down for two seconds to myself that's when the dog will go to the door and cry to be let out. Just don't, trust me you don't need another creature to care for. 

sunshine507

I'm in camp wait until the baby's a few months old, then start watching rescues. We adopted a dog who still needed a fair amount of training BUT was already housebroken, and I can't imagine putting the time into training her that we did WITH an infant - let alone dealing with housebreaking and another kiddo or two. 
Also, I wouldn't expect an untrained puppy + a 22mo old to entertain each other while you're busy with an infant. That combination would almost be guaranteed to need supervision when they're together. 

RunBooRun

My sister says that a puppy is more work than a baby. She's done both twice.

I would wait. I want a puppy too, but the timing just isn't right.

anonellis

I just looked over at my extremely lazy dog napping on the couch next to me (she DGAF about anything, ever, and if intruders burst in right now she would yawn, look at me, and go back to sleep) and remembered how sharp puppy teeth are and what a demon she was for several adorable months at the beginning of her life.  Would not want with a newborn and/or 22 month old. 

catem07

@C25 Lurking from April. My mom has a golden doodle puppy. She bites A LOT of things, including flesh. I don't think you want that around a baby. 

C25

THANK YOU! Y'all are the best. I was already feeling this way but needed that reassurance of what an idiotic idea it is/was!! This will help argue my side with DH too haha. 

MyDG620

My husband brought home a puppy back in July and 3 days later I found out I was pregnant. The puppy was 5 weeks old at the time and I was 5 weeks pregnant so it was sooo hard. She's a lot better now but I couldn't imagine training her with a newborn around. 

jrde50eb12

We have 2 pit bulls, 3&1/2 and 1&1/2. And they're a handful. I can't imagine having a puppy-puppy, potty training, house breaking, crate training, and the toy situation! My 2 boys already think all toys are theirs. I'm afraid that baby toys will become dog toys too. If you have your heart set in getting a dog, maybe an older dog.  A lot less training to be done. 

serenity13

Agree with so many others about waiting until a better time & adopting an older (but still young) dog who is good with children. As a volunteer at my local SPCA I'm a huge advocate for adopting a rescue & know there are always SO many wonderful dogs available of all ages. The average age of dogs at my shelter is 1-2 years old which I think is a perfect age for families because they're old enough to be housetrained & over the biting/jumping phase, but young enough to still grow up with the kids and have a nice long life with you all.
If your heart is set on a puppy though I do recommend waiting until the baby's out of the newborn stage just because I see it happen so frequently that puppies get returned to us when there's an infant in the mix, it's a LOT to deal with at once. Good luck with the decision!

Burrberrymum

I don't think I'll ever be ready for a puppy. SO wants one so bad and I feel horrible when I tell him I just don't have it in me to care for 2 kids and take care/clean up after of a puppy. I like the idea of adopting a young dog that's out of the puppy stage if I was set and ready to bring a new living being into my home other than this baby. When DD was born, my cat had a litter of 6 kittens and it was hell. I couldn't rest ever.. Any time I would fall asleep and desperately needed that nap those darn kittens would cause trouble somewhere and cats are pretty self sustainable animals so I can just imagine a puppy demanding attention when there's 0 energy to give other than to baby. 

But on the other hand... PUPPIES!! Lol I convinced my sister to adopt a dog one time just so I can hangout with it and she can take care of it.