Any dog owner childminders out there?

[miss mopple]

If so can you share your experience of juggling dogs with childminding please. Has it affected business etc, how you physically manage it to ensure kids safety etc etc

DH and I have always said we wouldn't get a dog, much as we love them, but something in both of us is beginning to hanker after one a little (as if we dont have enough of a menagerie with guineas, a rabbit, a hamster and fish- not to mention the kids :laughing: ). No idea if we will go for it yet, but if we are going to think about it seriously I obviously need to balance it with the practical things like my job :)

Any advice/ info would be great :thumbsup:

[HomefromHome]

always had dogs and never had a problem with mindees. days in/winter dogs are usually in my bedroom with a gate across purely because THEY wouldnt get left alone!!!! they love children/the children love them and would just lie in the middle of everything!!! in the summer i have a kennel i use for them to saty out in the garden. if we're out there i just leave them as i'm always out with the kids anyway - the biggy is NEVER leave dogs and kids together on their own (risk asses.) tbh, we're out most mornings so i leave them in the kitchen then just move them when we return - it's become that much of a habit that they tend to take themselves off upsdtairs as soon as i come through the front door!!!! lol

[Pipsqueak]

always had dogs as i have minded and no its not affected business - if people don't want me because of it thats their perogative.

I have a pet policy that explains to parents how I get the children AND dogs safe, how I ensure hygiene etc.

The dogs have their own separate area for most of the day when I am working but children are always supervised if the dogs are about. I explain the benefits to parents about how it helps children learn to care and respect other living creatures etc and how much fun it is walking them etc.

There is a huge thread ongoing about dogs at the moment - think it started out about Staffies but covers all dogs.

It really is each to their own on this topic. So long as you are keeping the children safe.

[AliceK]

I have a dog, he's an old man now but has been bought up with children. When I had him he was 11 weeks old and I had my niece living with me who was 18mths old so he grew up being pushed and prodded etc. My own 2 children are 5 and 2. I thought it might put some people off especially as he is very big and barks a lot when someone comes to the door but once he's said hello he just lays down in the middle of all the chaos and goes to sleep. The children are taught to be gentle with him but most of the time they just ihnore him. I've not yet had anyone be put off by it. I go out early in the morning and clean up any poo.
If I'm honest I'm not sure I could cope with a puppy as well as doing CM though.

xxxxx

[dlissaman]

I have a dog and NEVER let the children and dog mix.

In the mornings when we are at our groups he lives in the kitchen, when we return he has 1/2 hour in garden, then he takes himself into the annex (a converted double garage) and is not allowed back into the main house until all the children have gone home. When my grandchildren sleep over, at night he is put into the utility room that has a fireguard fastened across the doorway.

One of my mindees had half of her face ripped off by one of their friends dog, a dog that had 'grown-up' with children and the injured child was no stranger, the dogs owner trusted her dog 100% with children.

[mrs robbie williams]

Hiya im waiting for my pre reg visit on friday and then hopefully i will be ready to go :clapping: :clapping: we have a dog, black lab called mya that we rescued. She loves children and hasnt got a bad bone in her body. I have put that we have a dog in my portfolio so non-doggy parents need not apply :laughing: i intend to take the children out with me dog walking every day :D so hopefully Mrs O will be ok with it xx

[Mrs M]

I have two large dogs. We made a dog pound in the garden for them with a kennel. They have a large area and are very happy. The children can see the dogs and can put their hands through the fence to stroke them. I don't want the added pressure of constantly having to watch the dogs and children. As much as I love my dogs, I would never trust them 100%. They don't have unsupervised time with my children.

[Pipsqueak]

I am going to say something perhaps rather contraversial;

whilst I would not leave my dogs and minded children alone together - (I do take all reasonable and necessary precautions) and its awful when the news and reports full of children getting maimed and killed through dog attacks - I have every sympathy and it breaks my heart.

As a dog lover (well animal lover in general) I would like to say that dogs only have one means of defence and if you have a child/someone teasing, poking, prodding, pulling or hurting it they will possibly use their only defence. Children NEED to be taught to be respectful and kind to animals and I have come across children who aren't for a variety of reasons - either a lack of understanding and knowledge and sometimes they are just plain malicious and have no respect. I have taught my own and minded children to be respectful and kind to the dogs, to 'read' them - like when they go and lay down they want to be left alone, if a dog growls/grumbles they are 'telling' us, when we have been out walking and we came across a dog (with its owner) and its hackles raised for some reason I pointed this out to the children - dogs need to be 'read' etc etc.

Whilst I would never allow/condone or tolerate my dogs behaving in that manner and would not allow a situation like that to arise but I will certainly not condemn all dogs. I would not trust my dogs 100% around mindees but then again I would not trust my mindees 100% around my girls (dogs) - Pip is an old lady now and Daisy is just plain bonkers and full of life.


Its each to their own isn't it and so long as you take all reasonable steps to ensuring the safety of the children and the welfare of the dog then I have no problems with minding/keeping dogs.

[mushpea]

I have a black lab and he is allowed to mix with the children we go on walks sometimes with him too, the children know that when he's in his bed he is to be left alone as this is his chill out place, during the day he is allowed outside or in the kitchen but not the front room .
I have had people say no thanks when they know i have a dog and have had parents say they want their child to come here because of him and they dont want their kids to be scared of dogs. so miexed response really.
I dont encourage the chldren to feed, give him treats or play with him as then he dosent seem them as exciting so therefore dosent pester them, he spends most of the day in his bed and they ignore him and he ignores them.
i had a parent visit today whose mum was impressed as although he said hello to the adults he ignored the child completly.

[~Chelle~]

My kids would love a dog and I tried to suss out what the mindees parents would say by asking them about dogs in general and would they use me if I had a dog.

1st family, even though granny has a dog and child goes there once a week, were not keen on us getting a dog!

2nd family, have cats bigger than any dog we would get, have said that they would never choose a minder with a dog as dogs cannot be trusted :(

So have had to make the decision that we cannot have a dog until I give up minding or when I stop looking after these children. They dont start school for another 2 years :(

[haribo]

i have a cavalier puppy and even though she has a wonderful temperament i would never leave her with mindees (though tbh its to protect her more than them lol) she is crate trained and i pop her in when i need to and its her space. as pip said kids need to be shown how to behave around and treat animals and if they havent got that chance at home its even more important that they have the opportunity with responsible pet owners . i have had children completely change their attitude towards animals after being with my family and pets and im always thankful that in the future they may think twice before harming /disregarding something just because "its only an animal" :thumbsup:

[westbrom44]

I have a very friendly dog and I always tell anyone who enquires about my setting that I have him. I am always full and if it puts the parents off then I am not the right childminder for them.

He is in the lounge when we go out most mornings but when we arrive back at lunchtime he goes into his basket in the utility and stays there or in the garden until the children are gone. He then comes back into the lounge in the evenings and weekends. We take him for walks which the children enjoy.

I was perfectly happy to send my own son to a childminder who had a dog and it didnt put me off at all.

[amirose]

I have two dogs, both whippets, and during minding hours I have the dogs kept in my bedroom behind a baby gate (I am in a flat).

My current routine with the dogs is
7am Get up let them out for a wee, feed them, get thier water and then get dressed myself.
7.45am Mindee arrives
8.30am Leave for school run (always let the dogs loose when I leave the house so they get a free run break)
8.45am Get back home take them for a walk
9.10am Get back home again have a break
10.00am Mindees arrive
12.30pm Leave for nursery run let dogs loose in flat
12.50pm Get back home let dogs out for wee. Come back in put baby mindee down for sleep in my bedroom let dogs loose in rest of flat and "lock" baby mindee behind baby gate in my bedroom (so dogs can't get in)
2pm Wake mindee up hold onto him whilst juggling switching it back round so dogs in bedroom and mindee in rest of flat
2.30pm Mindee goes home, leave for school runs let dogs loose in flat
3.20pm Get back home shut dogs back in bedroom
6pm Last mindee goes home, feed dogs let them out for a wee the CHILL :laughing:

Ideally, I will be honest, I'd rather not have to do it. Its rather stressfull.
I imagine it would be a lot easier if I had a garden and I didn't have to put thier collars and leads on to let them out for a wee but I still have to somehow fit walking them into the mix which for me is a right pain considering the amount of walking I already do each day - keeps me fit though :laughing:

[cabby]

I am going to say something perhaps rather contraversial;

whilst I would not leave my dogs and minded children alone together - (I do take all reasonable and necessary precautions) and its awful when the news and reports full of children getting maimed and killed through dog attacks - I have every sympathy and it breaks my heart.

As a dog lover (well animal lover in general) I would like to say that dogs only have one means of defence and if you have a child/someone teasing, poking, prodding, pulling or hurting it they will possibly use their only defence. Children NEED to be taught to be respectful and kind to animals and I have come across children who aren't for a variety of reasons - either a lack of understanding and knowledge and sometimes they are just plain malicious and have no respect. I have taught my own and minded children to be respectful and kind to the dogs, to 'read' them - like when they go and lay down they want to be left alone, if a dog growls/grumbles they are 'telling' us, when we have been out walking and we came across a dog (with its owner) and its hackles raised for some reason I pointed this out to the children - dogs need to be 'read' etc etc.

Whilst I would never allow/condone or tolerate my dogs behaving in that manner and would not allow a situation like that to arise but I will certainly not condemn all dogs. I would not trust my dogs 100% around mindees but then again I would not trust my mindees 100% around my girls (dogs) - Pip is an old lady now and Daisy is just plain bonkers and full of life.


Its each to their own isn't it and so long as you take all reasonable steps to ensuring the safety of the children and the welfare of the dog then I have no problems with minding/keeping dogs.

couldnt have put it better myself!!! this is the same attitude i have!,
when ever i advertise i state that i have a dog, when anyone rings i tell them i have a dog, at the end of the day if a parent has a problem with that then they dont have to use me, my daisy has the run of the house if she cant be near me during the day she will sit and bark (its the only time she does bark), which scares the lo's more than her being near them, if she needs the loo she uses the front garden, then the lo's can use the whole of the back with out me worring, in the 8 years ive been minding ive only once had a mum not use be because of the dog.x

[cabby]

forgot to metion that even though daisy has the run of the house when lo's are here she is NEVER left alone with them,x :)

[AliceK]

couldnt have put it better myself!!! this is the same attitude i have!,
when ever i advertise i state that i have a dog, when anyone rings i tell them i have a dog, at the end of the day if a parent has a problem with that then they dont have to use me, my daisy has the run of the house if she cant be near me during the day she will sit and bark (its the only time she does bark), which scares the lo's more than her being near them, if she needs the loo she uses the front garden, then the lo's can use the whole of the back with out me worring, in the 8 years ive been minding ive only once had a mum not use be because of the dog.x

Same here. He's nearly 13 and I've only been minding a short time so he's usedto having the run of the house and has always hated being shut away anywhere. At the moment he is in his usual place, laying in the middle of the lounge surrounded by toys. All the mindees are respectful of him and virtually ignore him anyway.

xxxxx

[Paws]

We have 3 dogs, two Border Collies and a Whippet.

The borders are guard dogs and live outside. They don't mix with the mindees except when out on walks (they are perfectly fine, one is even training to become a PAT dog!), but they have a job to do and that job is outside. The Whippet is a house/family dog. She is amazing with the children, however, when it all gets a bit noisy and crazy I shut her in her 'room' which is the utility. Simply because she is so good with the children that I don't ever want to threaten that and give her reason to change. When we are having a quiet day, she has the run of the house and follows the children from room to room watching and joining in their games.

[Mollymop]

I own a Lhasa Apso, he is 7 and lovely!! I love him to bits and pieces

Me owning a dog has put off one parent - but that is it! Every one else loves him to bits. I have found it to be very rare for a parent to not want a childminder because they own a dog, though I suppose what breed should be taken into account, etc.

He is a small dog and lazy - he often jsut lazes around all day watching what we are doing.

he comes on walks with us to the park though sometimes and the kids love it - they often argue whos turn it is to walk him around the park.


I have no routine with my dog, as he is so used to children and no longer a puppy he is happy to do whatever.

if he needs to go outside I let him out, the children like to let him in again when he paws at the back door.

All my parents love him. One even asked her dd to ask me if they could look after him over night:eek: - to which I said "umm, no!!":eek:

One parent was the actual breeder of my doggie - we bougth him off her when he was a 8 week old pup all those years ago!!

Even my inspectors like my dog - she had 2 Rotties herself though, so I suppose she would see no harm in my little Bilbo

If he was still a puppy I think I would have issues with looking after him and minding as dogs are very demanding when they are young - weeing everywhere, chewing everything they see, over excited all the time:panic: - can be a nightmare to begin with

[Pipsqueak]

forgot to metion that even though daisy has the run of the house when lo's are here she is NEVER left alone with them,x :)

I have a Daisy-dog too. A whippet x allsorts. Rescue dog.

she is lovely but bonkers

I also have a long haired Jack - little old lady - Pip who is now well into her 14th year and still thinks she is a pup!

[Dare4Distance]

One of my mindees had half of her face ripped off by one of their friends dog, a dog that had 'grown-up' with children and the injured child was no stranger, the dogs owner trusted her dog 100% with children.

That , is where she went wrong. Nobody should ever trust a dog 100% with children.

[Tups]

I am going to say something perhaps rather contraversial;

whilst I would not leave my dogs and minded children alone together - (I do take all reasonable and necessary precautions) and its awful when the news and reports full of children getting maimed and killed through dog attacks - I have every sympathy and it breaks my heart.

As a dog lover (well animal lover in general) I would like to say that dogs only have one means of defence and if you have a child/someone teasing, poking, prodding, pulling or hurting it they will possibly use their only defence. Children NEED to be taught to be respectful and kind to animals and I have come across children who aren't for a variety of reasons - either a lack of understanding and knowledge and sometimes they are just plain malicious and have no respect. I have taught my own and minded children to be respectful and kind to the dogs, to 'read' them - like when they go and lay down they want to be left alone, if a dog growls/grumbles they are 'telling' us, when we have been out walking and we came across a dog (with its owner) and its hackles raised for some reason I pointed this out to the children - dogs need to be 'read' etc etc.

Whilst I would never allow/condone or tolerate my dogs behaving in that manner and would not allow a situation like that to arise but I will certainly not condemn all dogs. I would not trust my dogs 100% around mindees but then again I would not trust my mindees 100% around my girls (dogs) - Pip is an old lady now and Daisy is just plain bonkers and full of life.


Its each to their own isn't it and so long as you take all reasonable steps to ensuring the safety of the children and the welfare of the dog then I have no problems with minding/keeping dogs. Well said Pip, you said everything i wonted to wright id have been here all morning if i had lol :laughing: :laughing: tups x

[Daftbat]

I have a german shepherd who is nearly 2 and we had him from being six and a half weeks old - stright in to summer holidays with loads of kids so he is very well adjusted to having a busy household. He loves all the attention from the children and i make sure i provide time when the children are allowed around him, under direct supervision, and other times when he is kept separate.

I agree totally that you must never take a dogs behaviour for granted and sometimes you need to look at things from the dogs point of view too. E.g. we only feed him when i have finished work and the children have gone in orer that there is no perceived threat to him about his food.

I think children learn loads from having an animal around. From a safety/routine point of view i use stair gates to segregate the children from the dog and keep him outside during mealtimes/snacktimes. I do ensure though that the dog is made to feel welcome and not pushed out at every opportunity - both the animal and the children have to learn how to deal with eachother.

I have never had any problems with parents or children but i believe its because i never take anyone for granted - the children can be as bad as the dog in terms of teasing etc so you have to keep a close eye at all times.

I was never a dog person before we had ours and now i love him to bits and wouldn't change anything. He fits in to our lives really well and the kids love him.

[68nic]

Hi everyone, that is what I am worried about, Im a pre-reg waiting for my application pack to arrive. I have a Maltese x Bichon Frise who is very much a part of the family.She is a typical lapdog and follows me all around the house,I go in the bathroom and when I open the door she's lying outside waiting for me.But one thing is that when anyone knocks at the door, she gets excited and barks like mad for a couple of minutes. Im worried that she will put the parents off when they first come round to meet me.:(

[mushpea]

That , is where she went wrong. Nobody should ever trust a dog 100% with children.

yes i have to agree with this statment, our lab is the laziest soppiest dog ever and is marvoulus with the children, I do let them mix as said previous but am always there although i have to say that even if you are in the same room as the dog and children it stil wouldnt stop a dog from turning on a child and biting it before you could get there but obvoulsy if you are there then you can prevent sittuations that may insite this behavouir better. anyway my dog has had his nose poked, ears pulled (whilst child is learning rules about dog) and he just looks at me as much to say (here we go again), he is lovley and very tolerant but i am very much aware that if pulled about too much he could snap.
I have to also say that is nice to hear i am not the only one that takes dog and mindees on walks, I once had somone moan (not a parent) because they didnt think i should be walking the dog with the children but as i pointed out its good excersise, fresh air , teaches them that dogs are not just things to be shut away all day and come out when you feel like it and of course the EYFS states chldren should be outside every day.

[HomefromHome]

i'll add to this - NO breed is CHILD FRIENDLY!!! I used to have a lab who are supposedly child friendly but i had to rehome her the day i went in for a section to have my dd!! i knew she hated children and had nipped a ex-nephew (who was tormenting her).
as stated - never ever trust dogs 100% - i never let mine mix without me being there (and my collie x is the soppiest twit when it comes to kids!) - it isnt fair on dogs, kids or you and you would never be able to live with yourself if anything happens.

[Wendy Woo]

I have a Sproka, springer/cocker cross and he is wonderful. Bailey is his name and he has settled so well into my childminding routine.#

In the morning if we r home he comes out around the house, i always take him with me in each room. If im in front room he just sleeps on the sofa or on his bed, if i go into the kitchen he comes with me and i shut the gate so he cant go back to the kids wothout me, if the children r eatin or drinkin at the table he goes onto his bed in his little bedroom (utility room with an arch into the kitchen and a stairgate across it) he goes there too if i neeed a wee!!!!

He will play in the garden wen he wants to and we often take him on walks, the kids love throwin the ball for him.

If i go out he stays in his bedroom.

In the afternoon we always go for a walk about 2pm and he now knows that afta that he stays on his bed till all the kids go home. this si beacause the after school ones cant leave him alone and i get fed up repeatin myself, as we have just had a walk or a good run he is happy to sleep for a couple of hrs!!!!

He is never alone with my son let alone the minded ones, even tho he is a wondeful pooch u just neva no!!!!!!

[AliceK]

Hi everyone, that is what I am worried about, Im a pre-reg waiting for my application pack to arrive. I have a Maltese x Bichon Frise who is very much a part of the family.She is a typical lapdog and follows me all around the house,I go in the bathroom and when I open the door she's lying outside waiting for me.But one thing is that when anyone knocks at the door, she gets excited and barks like mad for a couple of minutes. Im worried that she will put the parents off when they first come round to meet me.:(

Hi
Same with my dog. He goes mad barking when someone comes to the door but as I have always told people before they come to see me that I have a dog they won't be suprised to hear him although as he's a big dog I must admit he must sound a bit frightening but once I open the door he shuts up and once people see how laid back and unthreatening he is they are fine. As I've said before as yet I have not had anyone been put off by me having him. As long as you always tell people when they first enquire then I'm sure you will be fine.
Good Luck

xxxxxxx