family dog in setting?

[notts]

Another thread set me off thinking about this again as I have been thinking about my dog and attracting new clients.

Basically he's a loon upon first contact but my family and I (and any other children/people who come in to contact with him trust him, us 110%). He's an exciteable but adorable chocolate labrador but he's BIG. Walk in to our house and in the first 2 mins, it's like he hasn't seen you for years and that you have only come to see him, 2 mins later, asleep at your feet. It's an all or nothing thing :laughing:

He is WONDERFUL with our kids. I had my reservations expecting our first born, but no loon became best friend and has never left either kids sides since. My hubby and me must have been so boring alone :laughing:

Anyway, I know immediately probably 40% of parents will be put off when I ask the question 'how are you with dogs'. I believe animals are a fantastic thing for children (I am an animal lover) but I understand not everyone believes the same. Take my cousin for example, she is petrified of dogs, if she was a prospect, she wouldn't even entertain us.

So I'm waffling, who has dogs? doesn't? has it effected your offering? percentage guesstimate of propsects for and against?

[Little Pickles]

Your dog sounds lovely !
I have a dog and always mention it before parents come round to first interview incase of allergies.
Only one lady has ever decided not to put her child with me because of the dog.
Having said that you may need to get your dog used to not greeting people at the front door especially as he is big and bouncy , I always have mine in the cage or in another room - as much as its your house it needs to look safe and proffesional.
The dog is never left unsupervised with mindees and is not allowed into the playroom either - if you haven't started minding yet I would start getting dog used to this asap
But all my parents agree that having the dog is great for the kids and the kids adore her ! :)

[Penny1959]

We now have 3 dogs - 2 jack russells and our puppy who is a black lab - now 15 weeks old.

All parents are told about the dogs and have met them. However during minded hours the two jack russells are upstairs in their baskets - they are let out at lunch time (children in kitchen- gate shut and dogs then use rear door to their part of the garden)

However as Max (the lab) is a puppy he has to go outside far more often and needs to socialise - therefore he is downstairs - he has his cage (bed) in the kitchen and if the children are in the kitchen he is either in the garden or the cage door is shut.

My thoughts are that I am running a childcare business and I need to be professional in respect of care of the children and the dogs - and I think even with a dog such as a lab - the children should not be in direct contact with the dog - of course they say hello to the dogs and know their names - and do have opportunity to stoke the dog - fully supervised and just a quick stroke as the dog goes back to his bed.

This works well for me - but I know others will have different equally successful / professional arrangements for their dogs and their childminding.

Penny :)

[notts]

He is so sweet :laughing:

I agree with you both. Business and family life need to be separated at times.

I don't have anyone on my books yet but I have put the provisions in place to separate. we only use downstairs in our setting but downstairs I have 5 rooms (well one a utility) but my plan is to have dog separate from kitchen/ front room/utility by baby gates (my children are young we do this anyway) then I have the option of separating him/children in lounge and playroom/conservatory, then outside both the back garden is gated and the side of the house so both dog and children can be together but separate if you see what I mean.

That all said, he's a bruise of a dog, he will put some off regardless of his sweet nature :)

[scoobydoo1]

I am worried that our dog will put people off as he is a staffie and they do have a bad reputation, but they are the best breed to have with kids and has been pulled around by my 4 year old since he was 8 weeks so veryeasy going. He is only 1 years old so gets really excited. I am having the side of the housed fenced off so he can have his own area just in case parents dont like the thought of a dog and would never leave him alone with any child. I just hope this will help when I start and don't put people off.

[Cammie Doodle]

I don't have a dog at the moment, but did so for many years and only once in all that time did it put someone off from choosing me as their Minder. They never even came to visit me just told me on the phone that as a Childminder I was NOT allowed a dog :rolleyes: I soon put them straight that I WAS allowed a dog and that all my Parents and Mindees loved her and loved her welcoming them into the home . Of course you have to plan things like gates to separate kids and dogs at certain times, but it can work. We have just had our son's dog to stay with us and with a bit of rejigging it worked well and although she has been gone weeks now some of the children are still looking for her. :D She is a mad Boxer who never stays still for long, until the kids left, then she would fall in a heap and sleep for hours lol .

[coffee-time]

ive got a jack russell x cocker spaniel, and he is also a complete loon when someone comes to the door! he just wants to be smoothed and loved for a few minutes then will go off and mind his own business!!! but i can see that the initial few mins would put off potential parents so I keep him out the way to begin with, (although i always let people know i have him and what he is like) strangely he is completely different with the children, must some kind of doggie sense, he lets them pull him about and cuddle him and doesnt bat an eyelid but as soon as parents come to collect he goes mental! (in a nice way;)) so he as soon as the doorbell goes he gets put into the front room and door closed, he automatically goes in there now as he is so used to it!!
ive had one lady not use me because of the dog but she said she had always been afraid of dogs!
sounds like you have it all sorted anyway by keeping yours behind gates ect. which is what i do too!! although he does get to come into my kitchen/diner to clean the floor of food after lunch and tea!!:laughing:

[lynncjt]

I'm interested in the responses as I am prereg with a cocker spaniel. She is used to staying in the breakfast room, which I plan only to use for really messy play, she can then go into her crate or in the garden.

I think the only thing that might put people off is I can't stop her barking when the doorbell goes, and she sounds very scary! I need to work on that! L

[mummyof3]

I have a loopy boxer who is a big daft clumsy oaf and thinks he is one of the children!

I have only ever had one parent say no because of the dog because she has a phobia of them. One of my new parents have placed her girls with me because they are scared of dogs as she wanted to get rid of their phobia and after 6 weeks one of the girls even sits with the dog stroking him :clapping:

I am full to the brim and have an assistant as well so i'd say no people are not put off by my big dog.

I don't let him out when people arrive because he is a loon as well and will knock them off their feet to say hello! I keep him in the kitchen behind a baby gate and yes he will bark for a few mins to get attention. Its all about finding which way things work for you and your dog.

[Tazmin68]

I have a 2 year old boxer and is noisy and loopy when people come to the door. She is mentioned on my website and I always mention that I have a dog. Because she is lively she is put in my garage or garden when children arrive or leave. At other times she has run of hallway and kitchen and behind a stair gate. I have a pet handling policy and parents sign a pet handling permission form which covers me should the children stroke her through the gate. I give older children the blue dog cd rom to go through as it teaches them how to respect dogs. I do sometimes feel guilty shutting her away and probably would not have another dog should anything happen to her.

[ziggy]

i have a small dog who is becoming very nervous of the younger children. So to protect the dog and keep the children safe, they are never in house together. Dog is either outside or in living room if children are indoors. If children are outside she stays in. If i only have older children i sometimes take her with us for a walk

I'm sorry i know many wont agree but i think it is too big of a risk to have young children and dogs together. A child at local school just had 9 stitches in her face where family pet (small dog) bit her. If my dog ever hurt a child i would never forgive myself.

[notts]

although he does get to come into my kitchen/diner to clean the floor of food after lunch and tea!!

:laughing::laughing::laughing:


I'm sorry i know many wont agree but i think it is too big of a risk to have young children and dogs together. A child at local school just had 9 stitches in her face where family pet (small dog) bit her. If my dog ever hurt a child i would never forgive myself.

I know a horror story too, simply awful and so sad. The child was so innocent and now scarred for life, probably not just physically :( So I agree to a certain extent, and like I say I'm an animal lover, have horses too. There are many dogs I couldn't say I trusted 100% but I do mine and I don't think its a bias thing but regardless that's why I have a gated structure in place :) but if parents are happy to mix, I'm happy too :)

[miss mopple]

I have 2 dogs, both adorably affectionate but bouncy lunatics :laughing: They don't come in the house at all in the day when I am working- they live in the utility room at the side of the house so the kids have very little to do with them. I'd love to have them in all the time but I would be so stressed I think as I wouldn't relax with them around the littlies and I wouldn't trust the kids not to wind them up.

[mushpea]

we have a lab and people have visited before and only noticed him on the way out as his so lazy indoors you just dont know he's there!
I have only had one person not want to come and see us because of him and I have had several parents want their child to come to me so they arent frightend of dogs so it works both ways.
I dont tell people on the phone about him or the other animals we have as they are all in my profile on childcare.co.uk and on my website too so they should know I have a dog before they even contact me,, having said that I recently had a parent arrive and when they stepped in I said the dogs in the kitchen is the child nervous of them, she look a bit put out and said he is scared of any animal,, they walk in to my front room where my cat , gerbils and gunieapigs are and she looked rather shocked :laughing:,

[lfishwick]

I have 3 dogs- a schipperke and 2 pug puppies. The children see them and enjoy the supervised contact with them, but my dogs are kept in the front of the house and we are based at the back.

All parents like that I have animals ( also have cats, rabbits and chickens)

[Lol]

Our border terrier is nearly 7 and since we got him as a pup, Ive never had a negative response to him from prospective parents. On the contrary, they have loved the idea. I have a dog gate from the kitchen. :-)

[adele1985]

hi hun
i have 2 dogs, a 2.5 year old lab x golden retriver who stays here with me all day and a nearly 2 year old german shepard who goes to work with my partner, they are both very friendly and very calm with my mindees.

max my lab is so lazy all he does is sleep all day so we dont know hes there really unless there is food on the go then he sits at the kitchen door waiting for the los to finnish so he can clean up :rolleyes:

hes not allowed in the playroom or the play garden but he has the run of the rest of the house

hes never left alone with the los if i go the lo he comes to and sits by the door waiting for me lol

ive never lost any business with because of the dogs quite the oppisite ive had 2 los start with me because they were scared of dogs - they arnt now lol

i have consents from all my parents to say they are okay with their child to have supervised access to max and beau

http://i1118.photobucket.com/albums/k610/adelecorbett/18312021.jpg
http://i1118.photobucket.com/albums/k610/adelecorbett/004-1.jpg

[sarahjane]

I have 2 dogs and have never had anyone refuse me because of them. On first contact I always ask if they are ok that I have dogs, I also explain that the spaniel is nearly 12 and is everyones' best friend (she will plonk herself on anyones lap!) and that the lab is 3 and stays in the kitchen for the majority of the day. She can be woofy when new people come in and out of the house, but again I explain that and as soon as people are in she stops.
When someone comes for a first visit I give her a kong filled with something lovely to amuse her.
I have 2 19 months olds at the moment and the way their mums get them in is to say we're off to see Meg and Mole :) not Sarah!! They love them :laughing:

[notts]

ahh feel much more positive about this now, thanks guys :)