calling all minders with a dog x

[mammumof4]

Hi, as some of you know i have a 9 month old chunky chocolate lab, well he is more like a bear actually!!!:laughing:
As he is still a baby he is very exitable still and i wouldnt dream of having him around the minded kiddies, he is so heavy! he almost had me over the other day, he is great with my own kids, they jump all over him most of the time :blush: and apart from the odd scratch that wasnt his fault he has been fine.
my questions is HOW DO YOU COPE! :laughing: i mean keeping them seperated, walking them, feding them ect.
i have a seperate area in the garden for him to do his poos n wees and i try to clean it up straight away, not always possible if i have a house full of kids. i put him out in the garden when i have minded kids in the kitchen or im cooking, cant keep him out there for long if its raining :(
ive been looking at dog walkers on the net, they charge more an hour than i do so that would be pointless.

what do OFSTED think about dogs, what do they look for, i know the obvious, no pets in the kitchen when cooking, mak sure house is clean, dog is wormed ect, am i missing anything? im due an inspection! can you tell:( lol

[madredann]

When I first started to childmind I had a baby labrador he was boistrous and knocked one of my own children over. I found in the end that if I put him in the garden he just wrecked everything and felt sad that he was shut away from everyone so in the end I gave him away. I was really sad but got no help from anybody with his care he wasnt neglected just wasnt getting the love he needed. He has a wonderful home now with an older couple no kids and lots of caravan holidays he was very lucky.

[newbie]

Chocolate labs are fab....I have one too though he is an older version bless him (11 years old). He is great with the kids and my Ofsted inspector fell totally in love with him on my inspection. In fact she didn't ask me any questions with regards to the dog but did note that I had a pet policy that I give to my parents. Anyway, I walk dog on my school runs twice a day....Ofsted also loved the fact that I use my 'dog walks' as part of my healthy routine for the children. I put him behind my stairgate when the children are eating but other than that, the children interact with him at all times.

[caz3007]

I also have a geriatric yellow labrador *****. She loves the children and does interact, usually with the older after schoolies. During the day she sleeps all day and is in the kitchen which is gated. She can see us and the children can see her. I am just starting to take her on the school pick up when I dont have any under 5's to worry about.

[daisyboo1980]

i have one to he is 5 yrs old but act likes a 9mth old
plus i have a older black lab cross i have a separate dog kennel and the have the run as well
im up at 5.30 to give them and hour walk them depending if partner is on lates or earliers he takes them out at lunch the im back on the evening shift as song as the kids are gone they are in
i dont let the kids near them not that they would do anything to them as they are great with the ones i used to nanny for and my niece and nephew but social services were very strict on the fact

wats your choc lab called mine is bubba-ray

[mammumof4]

his name is george. i took him walking with after schoolers in the summer a couple of times, but kept him on his lead all the time.
i do feel sorry for him, and myself as it was a joint family decicion to get a dog (i wanst keen at first) but quess who does ALL the hard work!!:(

[sweets]

it sounds like he needs some serious training. labs are lovely dogs but as you know they are boistrous. he is approaching his teens in dog years and you really need to set the disipline NOW as its easier than trying to undo bad behaviour later. it may be cute to have a puupy jump up but they shoudnt be allowed to do it from day 1!

try and take him to some puppy classes.

some friends of mine had a similar prob with their dog being boistrous around kids and they ended up re homing her!

[FizzysFriends]

I have a springer who is still young and boistrous.

Me and DD share the jobs though and she feeds the dog twice a day and I do garden cleaning and we both walk. Mindees love talking her a walk, shes off lead 99% of the time and they love calling her and throwing her treats.

I have made the back of the garage into a room for the dog.

[babydayz]

I did have a dog until last year, he was a Boxer and he was beautiful i had always wanted one and grew up with them, my dad and uncle have one as well.
The problem was he was so boisterous and jumpy, he also had seperation anxiety and he would poo and tear things up when left on his own. i found that as he was so badly behaved i had to give up working for 6 months last year then we had to make a decision to get him re homed it was the most heartbreaking decision of my life, but i do not regret it as i am now able to work and my life has a lot less stress in it. I do still miss him loads and whenever my dad brings his boxer round it makes me sad. But now he is living with another 2 dogs and we have heard that his anxiety has now gone so i am really happy for him.

[twinkle3005]

Hi. I have a chocolate lab as well who's 3 and he's brilliant with the children. I put him in the kitchen when the mindees first arrive as he barks and is really excited. He doesn't really bother much when the little ones are playing but when I'm in the kitchen I put him in the utility room so he's not left alone with the kids. We walk him once a day which Ofsted thought was great as the children get exercise and it's an activity for them beacuase we collect leaves etc to do projects with. I don't allow him in the garden when mindees are out playing, he had a concreted path at our back door to do his business and it's cleaned every night.

[little chickee]

I have 2 dogs a lab and a spaniel. They spend their day either outside in a separate area from where the kids play, or sleeping in the kitchen. i allow them to be around the mindees only with close supervision - for the dogs sake more than the kids!!

I also put them through to the utility room when people are arriving/ departing as they get a bit barky.

My house backs onto a large wood so once a day (mostly - i occasionally skip a day!) its into wellies or buggies and we go out for a walk with the dogs off the lead.

CC officer (who is allergic to dogs and has to take anti-histimine to visit me!) wasperfectly fine with the arrangements. i used to have 3 dogs and hope to have 3 again by the summer and its never been a problem.

[Daisy1956]

I have a cross border collie he is 8 years old, the children love him , we take him for wlks not every day because the children sometimes want to take their bikes and scooter and I don't want to be distracted by him when we are out. They lovethrowing his toys for him and it is a good way to teach how to take turns. His only bad side is he barks and goes daft when someone comes to the door but I put him into the utility room until he settles( only a minute or so ) .I too worry about Ofsted on one inspection they didn't even mention him although I had all info on him in my file but my next one didn't seem too keen on any animals altough she didn't say anything I am due again and it concerns me. I have a pet policy he is wormed vaccinated etc but have I missed anything I never leave him .in the room with the children

[emmadines]

Hi I have a lab, he mixes with the children and also has his own corner out of the way, all the children know that they do not go in that corner and they havent.... when hubby is on nights Blue spends the day in bed (hes lazy). he loves the attention the kiddies give him, we all go out on walks with blue and they all take turns walking him next to me on his lead which they all seem to love...


as to his poo and weeing, the poo is picked up as and when he does it and the garden is checked again before the kiddies go out... play equipment is hosed down and jay fluid to ensure its all clean. and sooner rather then later the cars, bikes etc will have their own storage.

[Trouble]

i have a lab who is old now at 11

and a boxer whos a nightmare and very bouncy at 1 1/2

the lab is in and out of the kitchen, (very big) front room all day with a stair gate on if i need it, to protect him mostly

the boxer is behind a stable door type door which over looks the kitchen and he has free run out the back in the dogs bit, which is covered so that it doesnt matter if its raining, he loves it and is safe for him and the children.

the area out the back is dogs only or fire emergency only no one apart from my family is aloud out there

at lunch and arty times jack lab goes in his bed and the children can stroke him nicely or not at all apart from 1 mindee who is very gentle i try to encourage the others not to touch him, as he isnt a toy but my dog.

my hubby walks them bothe at 5.45 am and when he comes home from work bless 5.00pm as the boxer is to strong for me

is there any way you can cover an area just for him???? so thats his zone only?

we had our lab snipped also as theres enough puppies in the world without me adding to them, we found it helped him to settle, and he is the most loyal loveable dog in the world, and he smiles but if you get a camera he stops:laughing: :D

also labs are very easy to train yourself:thumbsup:

[mushpea]

I have a 4yrold black lab who must be the dopest lab going, he gets at least 1.5hrs walk per day and spends the rest of it sleeping, he is great with the kids, very gentle and puts up with ears being pulled and nose being poked when i am not quick enough!!
the children are not allowed to play with him and his toys as i feel this encourages him to be excitable around them and when they arrive as he would see them as play friends and this has helped keep him calm around the children, during the day he sleeps in the dinning room as with him in the living room there wouldnt be much room for toys!
He is not kept seperate from the children and has full run of the house at all times and the garden he can go on the concrete but we have fenced of the grass area as this makes it easier to clean up the poops.
We do take him for walks with mindees and I used to think they would get fed up with it but , due to a change of job, my parnter has been taking him out more in the afternoons without me and the mindees and they have acutaly been asking when they can take him out again! so they must enjoy it.
I do have a pet policy and also a rule that if he's in his bed he is to be left alone so this is his lttle place to retreat to when hes had enough.

[mammumof4]

i dont think he needs training, his behaviour is normal for his age, he just looks too big now to be a puppy so he wont get away with it for long! :laughing: im thinking about putting a roof type thing at the side of the house for him, does that make sense, ive been re asured by your messages that it is OK to have a dog and still be a childminder.
thanks x

[mammumof4]

if this works it should be a pic of the man in question!




OMG i did it! thanks trouble xx

[Trouble]

oooohhhh those eyes:D

well done you :clapping: :clapping: :clapping: hes soooo cute and no he looks just right:D

3684

this is jack ages 11

[mammumof4]

and this one was taken about 2 months ago, im going to stop now or i might get carried away! lol

[mammumof4]

Awww, he is lovely.

[Trouble]

and this one was taken about 2 months ago, im going to stop now or i might get carried away! lol

hes so tiny there but oh cuteeeeeeeeeeeee:D :laughing:

[mammumof4]

i think he looks smaller than he is in the snow pic! he has more flab than that! poor george, good job he cant read what im saying about him. thanks again for showing me how to load pics, been trying for a while. have loads of craft projects to show off!!! haha!!

[Trouble]

i think he looks smaller than he is in the snow pic! he has more flab than that! poor george, good job he cant read what im saying about him. thanks again for showing me how to load pics, been trying for a while. have loads of craft projects to show off!!! haha!!

i struggle sometimes myself still 2 years on:D

[daisyboo1980]

heres my 1 of my boys

[tinkerbelle]

iv got a choc lab puppy called Marley he's 14 weeks old n is brilliant with the kids iv also got a shi-it-zu called dexter hes 18 months old iv never had any problems with either dog with mindees or on my inspection

[LOOPYLISA]

I did have a dog until last year, he was a Boxer and he was beautiful i had always wanted one and grew up with them, my dad and uncle have one as well.
The problem was he was so boisterous and jumpy, he also had seperation anxiety and he would poo and tear things up when left on his own. i found that as he was so badly behaved i had to give up working for 6 months last year then we had to make a decision to get him re homed it was the most heartbreaking decision of my life, but i do not regret it as i am now able to work and my life has a lot less stress in it. I do still miss him loads and whenever my dad brings his boxer round it makes me sad. But now he is living with another 2 dogs and we have heard that his anxiety has now gone so i am really happy for him.

Aawww bless him

I love boxers, one day :thumbsup:

[haribo]

i got a spaniel (cavalier ) before xmas she is small so not too rough for the kids she plays with them all day and they think shes one of them , when they get a sticker ruby has to have one too :laughing: trying to keep them apart proved impossible i just make sure the dog can escape to her bed when shes had enough !

[louised]

I have a 9 year old shih-tzu and have never attempted to keep him separate from the mindees as he's part of the family and it would be like locking one of my children in another room. Ofsted never asked about him but I do have a pet policy which they were happy with. All of my mindees have been taught how to respect animals and I've never had a problem with either dog or children

[Mollymop]

Lovely pics - I love dogs ( well certain dogs - not big scarey ones though! )

I can't really help as I have a little Lhasa Apso and he is around the kids all day. x