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View Full Version : Childminding and Dogs...(small house/garden)



Doofuz
17-09-2011, 10:55 AM
Good morning to you all :O)

Just a question as it has been playing on my mind, you will have to bear with me as it might get a bit confusing... I have only just started minding and previously, my idea for the dogs when I first went through it sounded ok to me. Now I am thinking it won't work as I don't want the dogs going to the toilet in my garden as the children play out there so was thinking they could go in my secure front garden instead. I don't allow my dogs to mix with the children all day, although they have all signed permission forms to say it is ok, I think it is more fair on the dogs to have their own space as kids can get a bit annoying as far as the dogs are concerned.

My front room where the children play is where the dogs would go through to get to the garden at the front - do you think it would be ok to walk the dogs through the lounge on leads, take them to the garden whilst the children are in front room (I can still see them and converse with them through front door) and pick up any mess, getting rid of it safely before taking dogs back through lounge to get back to the kitchen in the back? I am thinking about the first inspection and how things would flow - previously befroe minding, the dogs went straight out into back garden, did their business and I cleaned it up. Although the pre reg officer said it was fine as long as I cleaned it up, I would rather that they both had seperate areas, children's toys are out there all the time and being male dogs, I can sense there would be hygiene issues if I allowed them out the back.

How do you get on with your dogs and mindees? I have a small house and garden so would love to hear from anyone else with the same problem :O)

PixiePetal
17-09-2011, 11:21 AM
when I had a small house and garden - only way into back garden was through patio doors from lounge diner (also only playroom). I used to walk dog in morning to do her business and keep her in the kitchen - which had a gate across an archway to diner part of room and she could see us - most of the time otherwise - letting her out in garden for a wee when mindees having lunch and just before school run in afternoon when they were not playing outside.We also took her for walks together. We had no front garden.

If she did poop in the garden it was picked up straight away and being a female dog I didn't have the issue of marking toys! My main reason for always having females :)

If we were playing inside, I sometimes put her in garden with patio door closed and she settled out there.

It worked like this for me, you will find a way which suits you, your mindees and your dogs - whatever you decide, you may re-jig your thinking as time goes on depending on ages of mindees etc.

Doofuz
17-09-2011, 11:42 AM
Thank you PixiePetal, that has helped a lot. Will walk them anyway before starting work, and let out in front when they need to go and at lunchtimes, picking up mess whilst kids are having lunch etc. Thanks again :O)

miss mopple
17-09-2011, 11:44 AM
Could you put a run in the garden for the dogs? Thats what I have done (also have a small garden) and it works well and wasn't that expensive :thumbsup:

Doofuz
17-09-2011, 11:56 AM
Thank you miss mopple - a good sized run would take up over half the garden and I would be left with 4 patio stones to play with. I had thought about it though, definately for the next house :P

mushpea
17-09-2011, 12:25 PM
my dog has the run of the house and garden all the time,, if he's outside I can see where he's weed and I keep a watering can of detol and water to hand to rinse it and the nearby toys down with and if he poops obviously its picked up straight away,, the rule is that if he's in his bed or his kennel in the garden he is to be left alone,, mainly during the day he stays either in his kennel or in his bed in the kitchen out of the way,,, in the evenings he sticks his head round the living room door has a look and if there are no kids he comes in, its quite funny to watch and quite clever how he knows bless him,, why do you need to put your dogs on leads to walk them past the children?

Doofuz
17-09-2011, 02:15 PM
I have had mixed reviews from people I have spoken to about what I can do with the dogs whilst I am working - a lot of my friends have said I will have trouble with the dogs and kids at the same time. A lot of my friends are scared of dogs, and so have made their kids scared - that's the problem, they have given me things to think about..They are both amazing with children and have had no trouble at all with them in the past, so with parents permission, see no reason why I can't have them roaming around the house. The dogs being on lead to go past the children was just in case parents haven't signed permission forms, worried about dogs going near their children etc. I don't want the dogs to lose out on this as it is their home too.

Mainly I am worried because my house is a small size, and I don't plan on using the kitchen for the children as this is the only inside area I have for the dogs where they can go to be on their own. I then worry about how things are going to go with the Ofsted inspection, letting the dogs out when needed and whether I am going to get flustered or not, resulting in insatisfactory marks. Worrying about silly things at the moment, it's just dawned on me that I have left work and I think too much as am by myself more...thanks for advice so far :O)

Sweetpea5580
17-09-2011, 02:58 PM
Hello all do any of u find it hard to get new children if u hav a dog as I'm just starting to think of dooin childminding and I also want a dog but I'm afraid it might put people off if I hav a dog

TheBTeam
17-09-2011, 04:46 PM
I have a two dogs and childmind, and only a small garden, we have artificial grass and just water down where the dogs wee, and poo and then disinfect after the children have gone. The only change we have made is we used to let children out with bare feet or socks and now they have to wear shoes just in case of wet patches!

I have had an ofsted inspector around twice with my dogs with no problem, i wouldnt personally want children if the parents insisted that the dogs had to be walked past them on a lead, part of our day is walking the dogs and getting out and about and we use the dogs as a positive experience.

Doofuz
17-09-2011, 05:12 PM
Thank you The BTeam, it definately makes me feel better. I disenfect where they go anyway but as they are male and cocking their legs on everything in sight I have to put toys up high to make sure they don't pee on the legs of sandpits and easels. I agree, if people have a problem with my dogs, they wouldn't be welcome anyway :)

NicoleW
17-09-2011, 06:47 PM
I also have two dogs, a German Shepherd cross and a Boxer. We have two gardens so I let my dogs use the back as it's smaller and the kids use the front.

You can buy puppy pens, so if you wanted the pup outside with you and the kids you could put him in a puppy pen so he stays safe from the kids lol.

During the day I do three small sessions of training with both dogs, I'm a firm believer in a busy dog is a happy dog and puppies require more mental stimulation than physical (5 minutes per month of lead walk a day to avoid damaging their soft bones). I also take them to training class once a week.
I involve children who are old enough in the training and they love it, we've just taught my german shepherd how to put washing in the washing machine!

During rush times in the morning my dogs are in the kitchen until after the school run, my boxer pup who is 4 months old generally spends majority of the day asleep on the sofa. To be honest I'm more worried about my cat doing damage than the dogs.

My house isn't very big, but for example if the dogs are sleeping they have a crate and I'll usher them in there and lock it, and the rule in my house is that only me or my partner are to go near the crate when they are sleeping ("let sleeping dogs lie".

www.petforums.co.uk is a good website to join up to and ask questions regarding getting a new puppy with young children in the house. Parents are often happier with smaller breeds of dogs, as they have a conception of them doing less damage if they were to bite when infact the smaller the dog, the more prone to biting they are due to fear. All bites stem from fear (unless the dog is protection trained, or bred to ''fight :angry: ").

We're getting a Great Dane next year :) I've fond,the bigger the dog, the better natured they are (this is just MY opinion). I love dogs and I could never not have one

Tinglesnark
18-09-2011, 07:57 AM
i have a loopy lab, im not currently minding but I have been and my girl gets the run of the house and garden. I have taught the children how to be with HER and of course she is 11 months so has grown up with children.

The only time she is "locked away" is during meal/snack times and she goes in the kitchen behind a dog gate (cheaper and taller than a child stair gate:cool: ) because she is a dreadful thief and only has to breathe deeply as she sidles past you to whip your sandwich from your hand :rolleyes:

Delilah is part of our family and anyone coming in to my home either accepts that or goes elsewhere.

I dont trust a human that doesnt like an animal ;)

edited to say that my home is teeny! it is a 2 bed starter home and we all basically live and breathe in the sitting room. we had our garden patioed so that i could keep it disinfected, this i do each morning and night x

mushpea
18-09-2011, 06:54 PM
if parents dont sign the policy stating they are happy with their children being near a dog then my setting is not for them,, the dog is mainly in his bed in the kitchen or in a kennel in the garden but I cannot and will not segregrate him from the children,, he is part of our family and our setting,, children are supervised around the dog and both the children understand that if he is in his bed he is to be left alone and he seems to understand this too as he will take himself off to his bed, ofsted have been 3 times now and non of the inspectors have taken a dislike to the dog or the way i do things,, I will say though that he is a very laid back dog and has been to training classes although not trained to a high standard as i want a dog not a robot,, he does sit, lay ,leave, come and 'get in bed' when hes told and even though he is a laid back soppy dog that sleeps all day i still wouldnt fully trust him with the children purley because he's an animal at the end of the day and cant say 'i've had enough' or 'i'm in pain'.

Doofuz
18-09-2011, 06:58 PM
Thanks again for all of your replies - you have all confirmed what I wanted to hear and I shall spend my early days of minding of working out how the children and the dogs like things to be done :) (your dogs all sound lovely - I am now puppy broody ;))