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haribo
17-07-2009, 07:28 AM
hi all , ive wanted a dog for years but not gone ahead cos so busy with minding etc . now ive decided im having one and have been looking round rescue centres but as soon as i say im a c. minder they say i must get a puppy which can be socialised with the kids from the start . anyway i have found a papillon puppy which is available straight away and im soo tempted but a bit scared of the prospect of trying to train a pup at the same time as potty training 2 toddlers lol .. does anyone have a papillon , theyre supposed to be fab all round dogs but a bit noisy when the door goes which it does all day long lol . and has anyone got a pup whilest minding 2 little ones .. or would i be mad to do it!? (obviously i would supervise around the kids and write a pet policy ) any advice would be really helpful xx

amirose
17-07-2009, 07:55 AM
Puppies are incredible hard work! Its like having a baby!

Obviously you know what you can cope with and once you have done the hard work it can be very rewarding.

The main issues I had with my pup (whippet) were;
Puppy biting, she had pin like teeth and would not leave mine or anyone else's feet alone
Peeing and Pooping, I had to watch her every second of the day that alone was very stressful. She also couldn't go all night so had to get up in the middle of the night and try and get her to go toilet which was not easy!
Lead training, she used to roll around on the floor biting the lead :rolleyes:
and Destroying my stuff, to this day (at 4) she steals things and wrecks them - particularly the kids toys!

There is also the restrictions to my minding, I can't go out for day trips with the kids without sorting out someone to come and let them (I have 2 dogs and my second dog I got at a year!) out for a wee. With a puppy you couldn't leave it alone for longer than a couple of hours because that's how often they need letting out.

Personally I would NEVER EVER get a puppy again!!! I am not against a dog but puppies are hard work! I adopted my second dog at a year, life was so much easier and I have no problems with her and the kids.

P.S Hopefully someone with a more postive story will post now :blush:

polobear1970
17-07-2009, 07:56 AM
I'm screaming dont do it :panic: :panic: :panic:

not really, yes it is hard work, I have a 9 month old now springer, i would not swap now, great for the kids and for the puppy to be around all different children, also great for exercise for the kids and you, i've lost over 2 stone since i have had her.

i would say go for it

FizzysFriends
17-07-2009, 08:02 AM
We had our dog from a puppy, as my parents rescue dog went for my DD (luckily my mom was close enough to get inbetween) I decided a puppy was the only way forward.

It was hard work (much harder than a baby IMO) but very rewarding, like LO's mine (a springer) tends to do something really cute after something naughty.

We crate trained our puppy right from the start which meant she went through the night straight away and could be left for upto 4 hours in the day (although I did get someone to let her out if it was going to be that long).

haribo
17-07-2009, 08:09 AM
oh dear !! think ive changed my mind :laughing: i know its hard work i got a puppy at 17 and did all the training etc , and that was without toddlers around ,,, its ironic that in this job im home lots in the day which is good for a dog yet the fact that im minding makes it much harder lol .. ive been weighing up the pros and cons for ages and still cant decide what to do .. im only working 3 days a week now so thought would be easier but think id need to take 6 months out from minding which obviously cant do!!! :panic: thanks guys its good to get the true picture , will let you know what happens :clapping:

cs01
17-07-2009, 08:14 AM
I got a puppy (Bichon Frise) just 2 weeks before I started minding. Agree with all the comments said in previous posts. They mess everywhere and you do have to watch them all the time and keep sending them outside to do their business. Dogs can also make your house smell! I sometimes find it tricky making sure she gets enough exercise. If I am minding all day and it's raining, sometimes I can't get her out until the end of the day and then that means dragging my kids out when they don't want to go out (if hubbie is away otherwise I send him out!).

Puppies do tend to jump up and I know my dog will always have a tendancy to do so because she is a small breed dog.

Now I've had her 7 months, she doesn't mess in the house, she is learning not to jump up at people and in fact she generally ignores my mindees once she has said hello. I keep her in the kitchen away from the rest of the house, when I am minding and this works well for us.

Despite the ties of having a dog and the problems associated with pet owenership whilst minding, the advantages are, you are home alot and most children love having a dog around. I would not be able to have a dog unless I was working from home.

Good luck with your decision!

polobear1970
17-07-2009, 09:28 AM
We had our dog from a puppy, as my parents rescue dog went for my DD (luckily my mom was close enough to get inbetween) I decided a puppy was the only way forward.

It was hard work (much harder than a baby IMO) but very rewarding, like LO's mine (a springer) tends to do something really cute after something naughty.

We crate trained our puppy right from the start which meant she went through the night straight away and could be left for upto 4 hours in the day (although I did get someone to let her out if it was going to be that long).

Mine is create trained as well and would say this is a great thing to do for everyone, you the children and the puppy.

although biased I think they bring more then you lose


good luck with what ever you do


Lisa

Trouble
17-07-2009, 01:03 PM
our boxer pup is now 1

i love him to bit and hes sooooo cute

but hes cost us a small fortune and would i do it again poss not:panic:

he wakes us up at 6.30 am and will not give up:mad: :angry:

he has more toys than the kids but he likes the doors, skirting boards, fence better and thats while i thought he was sunbathing:laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

even the mindees say alfie moon is noisey:laughing:

fionamal
17-07-2009, 01:27 PM
I was told by a breeder that she would sell me a puppy of any king whilst I was minding as there was no way you would be able to train it with all the kids about and the coming and going of everyday. We ended up getting a dog that was 2years old and fully trained and used to children and must admit it has been the best thing ever.

We have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and she is the most gentle dog I have seen with kids

Trouble
17-07-2009, 01:29 PM
I was told by a breeder that she would sell me a puppy of any king whilst I was minding as there was no way you would be able to train it with all the kids about and the coming and going of everyday. We ended up getting a dog that was 2years old and fully trained and used to children and must admit it has been the best thing ever.

We have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and she is the most gentle dog I have seen with kids

my friend has one and they are lovely she is called izzy:D :laughing:

Daftbat
17-07-2009, 03:28 PM
Last August we got a German Shepherd puppy and made the decision not to have a rescue dog for exactly the reasons you were told. Our Jake was only 6.5 weeks when we got him - although fully weaned. He has been brilliant and is great now around the children as he knows nothing else.

I only considered doing it though because my own children are older and there is no problem exercising him as the children and my husband can all do it as well as me. If i had got very young children myself i think it would have been more of an issue and i wouldn't have gone ahead. With regard to minding very young children i have successfully combined the two with the aid of stair gates to segregate the dog from very young children and those children who don't want him around all the time. I have a small garden and i do poo checks before anyone goes outside and i have developed a system for keeping Jake in whilst they are playing outside (he just wants to ruin ball games all the time otherwise - by joining in!).

House training didn't take too long at all and the children were actually a help as there were lots of pairs of eyes watching for accidents. I think all the potty training has helped me to stay calm to be honest.

Having never really wanted a dog - and being talked in to it by the rest of the family I can honestly say hand on heart that i have loved having him around - he is great company for me when i am at home on my own and the children are learning to care for an animal too I don't regret it for a miniute.

beckyteddy
17-07-2009, 05:44 PM
We got our dog, Toby, from a rescue centre in Birmingham called Ruff Luck Rescue, at the begining of January. They house the dogs with "foster families" whilst they are waiting for them to be adopted, so when I enquired about getting a dog they were able say with confidence which dogs on their books would be suitable for me with all the children coming and going. Toby was a stray (found wandering the mean streets of Birmingham!) and the rescue family who fostered him had 2 small children and 2 other dogs. He stayed with them for about 3 weeks and they were able to get a real sense of how he would behave in a real family home, and could then happily recommend him to us.

He was 7 months when we got him, fully house trained and with a few basic commands under his belt. We have done loads of work with him to get him up to scratch, as it were! He now walks to heel, waits on his bed when the door bell goes until I tell him he's allowed off, plays fetch till he can't stand up and watches TV with me in the evenings when DH is at the gym/pub/wii etc. It is tying owning a dog and we rely on our friends to help us out if we go out on day trips with the kids and family to have him when we go on our hols, but he is so lovely and it's so rewarding seeing the children hug him when they get to my house and ask him for his paw and tell him "gooooooood boooooooy" like they are talking to a baby!

You would manage a puppy around your minding, but you will have to be very dilligent and very dedicated if you want a well behaved dog in a years time. And the moral of my story is don't give up on a finding a rescue dog (they are much cheaper and can be wonderful loving family pets, if you choose carefully and show them consistently who's the boss!)

Here's the link for the rescue place where we found our lovely Toby
http://www.ruffluckrescue.org.uk/rehoming.html

Cammie Doodle
17-07-2009, 08:35 PM
Oh I have just been on the site I want most of them lol I so miss my Dog, the kids adored her (she was a rescue dog)

mumof1
17-07-2009, 08:47 PM
we have a 5 month old chocolate labrador called penny, she is such a good puppy , but it has been very hard work. we have her from she was 7 weeks old. she is so worth it, as she is part of the family in so many ways, she cums everywhere wit us.

Tho i cant advice you on childminding with a new puppy, but if you really want one as part of the family i would go for it. think abt wats best for your family.

But can i just add that it is best to get a dog as a puppy if they are going to be round children, if you get an older dog you dont really know which way it was trained or treated beforehand. My little girl and penny have a good connection now and play gr8 together :)

Twinkles
17-07-2009, 09:16 PM
Our puppy is nine months old now and yes at first she was hard work. You have to put strategies into place before you get one ie ; where will it go during the day , how much access will you allow your mindees to have to it.
Mine was in a puppy cage and the puppy cage was in a playpen with access to the backdoor. At first she had supervised visits to the children only , now she has free run of the kitchen , utility room and garden. I don't allow her in the playroom.

Puppies do chew everything esp feet ! and their teeth are like needles !

My puppy was born in a childminder friends home and so was socialised from day one. But still had to be trained not to nip.

The toilet training was difficult , however , we have wooden floors which made it less of a problem.

I don't find the walking a problem as EYFS likes the children to have access to outdoors every day and we cover that by having lots of walks. I'm not sure who enjoys the muddy puddles more the puppy or the children.:rolleyes:

We have a dog flap in the utility room door so she gets shut in there when we go out for days.

The children love her and are always cuddling her or playing with her.

I personally wouldn't have a rescue dog while childminding as you don't know the parents personality.

I couldn't imagine life without a dog she brings so much to our family and to the mindees - and she is very cute.

Hebs
17-07-2009, 09:34 PM
get a cavalier king charles, great with kids, very loving, rarely snappy :thumbsup:

go for an older one, no way would i do the puppy stage again :panic: