Dogs a problem?

[Jodie1989]

Does anyone find that having a dog is a problem? Even with great risk assessments in place?

[sarahjane]

In what way? Do you mean when they are around the children or whether some parents prefer to go where there are no dogs?

I have an 11 year old spaniel and a 3 year old labrador. I usually let potential parents know on initial contact that I have dogs as then they have the option of not coming to visit me. I have never had anyone say that they won't.
I keep the labrador in the kitchen during the day when the lo's are here as she is quite big and bouncy. They all love her though and talk to her through the stair gate. The spaniel has the run of the house but often just takes herself upstairs. Obviously she is not left alone with the children,
The garden area is divided into 2 so the children and dogs have their own areas.

So no, I don't have a problem with the dogs being here :)

[Jodie1989]

I mean just in general as in are parents/families put off? I generally feel it is good for children to learn about pets and not be scared, however teaching them to be a little hesitant like not touching without asking, not pulling tale ect. I definately agree however much a dog is trusted they SHOULD NEVER be left with children and have their own area to be away from children, you never know how the dog may turn if gets stung or child pulls take etc or if the dogs just tired. It's not fair on the child or dog to be put in a situation they don't understand. Oo and correct risk assessments in place obviously. :)

[uf353432]

I gained 2 contracts because I had a dog - the children were classed by their parents as being scared to death of dogs - they aren't now :laughing:

[Jodie1989]

Great news.. I'm so glad to hear that, it's amazing how children change when they just get familiar with animals and have some controlled supervised contact.

[kats]

Ive never had anyone not send their child to me because we have a dog. I think you find that most people have dogs so its nothing out of the ordinary. :)

[Pipsqueak]

I have 3 dogs and they have never been a problem and if there were then that family weren't for me!:)

My dogs are part and parcel of my home and the service I offer - clients know this before they sign up and its up to them whether they choose me or not.

I have had several families come through my door whose children were frightened of dogs.... its helped them overcome that fear. I have helped a young child NOT to pounce on dogs and squeeze and love them till the life is expelled out them lol

[ziggy]

Well i'm sure i am gonna upset alot of people but i personally dont trust dogs and children together.

I have a small dog, sort of fox terrier/corgi who is sweetest thing ever. Children and parents just love her and they buy her wee treats constantly, However because she is so small and now getting older she is getting bit grumpy!!!! (bit like myself lol)

We do walk her to school in the after noons but while at home she is either outside or in the living room ( children not allowed in there)

If i was looking for a minder i wouldnt choose one that has a dog that is allowed to be in same rooms as children. It is impossible to know what a dog will do or what a child will do to the dog, sorry but just my opinion

[Jodie1989]

I have 3 dogs and they have never been a problem and if there were then that family weren't for me!:)

My dogs are part and parcel of my home and the service I offer - clients know this before they sign up and its up to them whether they choose me or not.

I have had several families come through my door whose children were frightened of dogs.... its helped them overcome that fear. I have helped a young child NOT to pounce on dogs and squeeze and love them till the life is expelled out them lol

This is how I feel my dog is part of my family and I know it's business but if they aren't happy wih the dog their is plenty of other childminders around, I think it is so good children learn about dogs.

[AliceK]

In what way? Do you mean when they are around the children or whether some parents prefer to go where there are no dogs?

I have an 11 year old spaniel and a 3 year old labrador. I usually let potential parents know on initial contact that I have dogs as then they have the option of not coming to visit me. I have never had anyone say that they won't.
I keep the labrador in the kitchen during the day when the lo's are here as she is quite big and bouncy. They all love her though and talk to her through the stair gate. The spaniel has the run of the house but often just takes herself upstairs. Obviously she is not left alone with the children,
The garden area is divided into 2 so the children and dogs have their own areas.

So no, I don't have a problem with the dogs being here :)

Same here. When I started out minding I had an old dog who basically had the run of the house but tended to just sleep in amongst the chaos for most of the day. I now have a Springer pup. At the moment he spends his time when I'm working in the kitchen / snug area as he is too bouncy around the chidren but they stroke him through the stairgate on the kitchen and have closely supervised access to him at certain times. He has his own fenced area of the garden and the children have the rest of the garden. One parent told me the other week she was so glad I have a dog as they think it's important their child grows up around one. My animals are part of my family so if parents don't like that then I'm not the right minder for them.


xxxx

[Jodie1989]

Same here. When I started out minding I had an old dog who basically had the run of the house but tended to just sleep in amongst the chaos for most of the day. I now have a Springer pup. At the moment he spends his time when I'm working in the kitchen / snug area as he is too bouncy around the chidren but they stroke him through the stairgate on the kitchen and have closely supervised access to him at certain times. He has his own fenced area of the garden and the children have the rest of the garden. One parent told me the other week she was so glad I have a dog as they think it's important their child grows up around one. My animals are part of my family so if parents don't like that then I'm not the right minder for them.


xxxx

I agree totally with this :)

[mushpea]

we have a labrador and its only ever put one parent off coming to see me,, over the years I have had several parents send their child to me because I have the dog as they were scared of dogs themselves but didnt want their children to be,, he is ususaly either in the kitchen or garden but does have the run of the house if I am in the living room,, if I go to the door or toilet then i shut the stairgate to the living room so he is seperate,, charlie is a lovley soppy dog and great with the kids but you never know how they are feeling of if they are prehaps in pain.

[BuggsieMoo]

I have an alsation/dobercam cross who is lovely. He is a big softie. We did have a staffie/jack russell cross but I rehomed him a few weeks back when he took a disliking to the other dog (who is by far a much calmer friendlier dog). I've always been honest when a parent calls that we have pets (2 x rabbits, 2 x guinea pigs, 1 x dog and a kitten) so that if they do not want pets then we do not need to waste each others time.

However, my dog is kept in a secure location throughout all minding hours and does not share the garden at the same time (he is loose at all other times and has free roam) and I risk assess this. He has a huge room downstairs and he can see us all the time. The kids do interact with him and he loves the fuss they give him.

One mindee was scared of dogs prior to coming to my setting but now he loves dogs and is asking after Max at the weekends.

The kitten is the only animal that has free roam at all times and I make sure I have plenty of cleaner available so that tables and surfaces are frequently wiped and we practise good hand washing procedures.

My personal opinion is that it enriches a child's life being around the animals. They can learn so much from the experience such as self care (hand washing), being kind (treatment of animals) and how our bodies work (why we need food).

x

[uf353432]

My labrador is crated if I cannot supervise and is never left unsupervised with the kids. When they mix its with supervised play only - they hold the lead when taking for a walk, they throw toys for her to retrieve. But I work with the children to understand how to handle her and use her to encourage confidence around dogs. Its not that I don't trust my big ol soppy mutt, when I am not minding she is free to roam, my children understand the boundaries - I cannot be sure that one of my mindee's wouldn't pull her tail, pull her ears etc - and therefore canot be sure how she would react to that. So I work with caution - because its safe for the children and safe for my dog.

[caz3007]

My labrador is crated if I cannot supervise and is never left unsupervised with the kids. When they mix its with supervised play only - they hold the lead when taking for a walk, they throw toys for her to retrieve. But I work with the children to understand how to handle her and use her to encourage confidence around dogs. Its not that I don't trust my big ol soppy mutt, when I am not minding she is free to roam, my children understand the boundaries - I cannot be sure that one of my mindee's wouldn't pull her tail, pull her ears etc - and therefore canot be sure how she would react to that. So I work with caution - because its safe for the children and safe for my dog.

I am the same, my lab is rather elderly and spends her day behind the stair gate in the kitchen, she is usually found in her bed with her legs in the air fast asleep. She is great with the children, but I just find its easier and less of a worry to leave her safely in there. We do take her out and then the LO's hold the lead and I hold the end and sometimes she comes in the garden, but neither she nor the LO's pay any attention to each other. I did have one much older mindie who loved to brush her...he loved dogs but his mum was terrified.

[nipper]

Oh I'm so pleased that you have started this thread. We have a beautiful chocolate labradoodle called Beardsley who is 3 years old. Thankfully all my parents are fine to have their children here. When I started minding properly we decided to put him at the side of the house where he has some space to run and he can sleep in his basket in the shed (all fenced off and not accessible to mindees). Now it's getting colder though I hate sending him out there and I'm afraid some days he creeps back into the utility room (behind the stairgate of course). What would Ofsted say if he was in his usual place but inside the house?

[Tups]

Oh I'm so pleased that you have started this thread. We have a beautiful chocolate labradoodle called Beardsley who is 3 years old. Thankfully all my parents are fine to have their children here. When I started minding properly we decided to put him at the side of the house where he has some space to run and he can sleep in his basket in the shed (all fenced off and not accessible to mindees). Now it's getting colder though I hate sending him out there and I'm afraid some days he creeps back into the utility room (behind the stairgate of course). What would Ofsted say if he was in his usual place but inside the house?

Realy dont blame the the dog for creeping back in its like he has been pushed out of his home, sorry I dont agree with dogs having to stay out side, there part of the family

[nipper]

Yeah but what I was asking for was a reply. Would Ofsted take a dim view if he was in his usual place in the utility room next to the kitchen? We took the door off to put on a stair gate. He is not allowed anywhere in the house during the day as he so bouncy and obviously not in the kitchen when food is being prepared. He's so good at walking alongside the pushchair too and I think it's quite nice to see him doing that whenever we are out and about.

[nipper]

hope this works!

[Jiorjiina]

Oh he's gorgeous!

I don't think Ofsted would have a problem with your dog being indoors as long as he has space to get away from the children if he needs it, so he won't get stressed and defensive with the children.

As long as you're sensible, I don't think there would be a problem with Ofsted, but I'm sure someone else will be along shortly with more info!

[Tups]

my dog has always been in the house when ofsted come, he has the run of the house apart from the play room where i have a baby gate up, its never been a problem with ofsted, if they told me to keep him outside i would hand her my registration back with pleasure :)

[miss mopple]

I have 2 dogs, both young and very bouncy!

I haven't had an inspection since I got them so am waiting to see what ofsted make of them, but now we have moved they have their own space in the utility room so I dont think it will be a problem. It suits me to have them out there during the day if I'm honest as they like to sleep the day away and can do it without being pulled and poked by the kids and I'm not on my guard all day stressing about them winding each other up as although I know they are softies and I hope they would never turn on a child, they are dogs and as such can be unpredictable if provoked. I'm not prepared to take the risk for the kids or the dogs. They still come out on walks with us of course, but don't have free roam of the house. Works for us and parents love the fact I have dogs and appreciate the fact I take the safety aspect seriously :thumbsup:

[AliceK]

my dog has always been in the house when ofsted come, he has the run of the house apart from the play room where i have a baby gate up, its never been a problem with ofsted, if they told me to keep him outside i would hand her my registration back with pleasure :)

Same here.
On both occasions when Ofsted came I had my old dog and he always had free run of the house. It was never mentioned. I have full RA in place so I guess that was sufficient.

xxx

[Pipsqueak]

my dog has always been in the house when ofsted come, he has the run of the house apart from the play room where i have a baby gate up, its never been a problem with ofsted, if they told me to keep him outside i would hand her my registration back with pleasure :)

ditto. I take every precaution and so on however my dogs are part of the family ergo the house ergo the business.

[migimoo]

I have a 2yr old collie cross and ofsted were quite happy with the fact that she was allowed to mix with the children,she comes to the park with us and plays in the garden with the older kids.She is never left alone with any LO as even tho i trust her 100%(she's the softest dog ever)I did catch one of them kicking her the other day and as we never hit her i'm not sure how she'd react if it happened again(she just flinched and curled into a ball bless her)

I DO put her behind the stairgate in the kitchen if i have babies as she tries to clean them and cries when they cry-very sweet but not very hygenic!
Oh, and she's great for cleaning up the floor after lunch!

As long as you have a detailed risk assessment and follow parents wishes-for example i live in an area with a large African community,one of my mindees is from Nigeria and his parents are terrified of dogs as in their native country dogs are wild and seen as vermin....they don't want him to be scared of dogs so are happy for him to come to me which i think is a brilliant thing for them to do, but are nervous about my dog walking around him when he's crawling so when he's here she's in the kitchen no problem!Whereas another parent will offer to swap his kids for my dog every day and spend 10 mins fussing her at pick up time.

It can make your job harder,such as loading/unloading the car for a trip to the park but all of my children light up when they see my dog each morning!:laughing:

[buzzy bee]

I think like with anything it's just completely personal as every parent is different, and that's why it's so important that all us childminders are different.

Personally, I wouldn't send my child to a childminder who had a dog, but I know plenty of people who do.

Other parents might think it was good for their kids to be around dogs if they didn't have / want one themselves.

I know a childminder who leaves the dog in the room where children sleep and that would worry me a lot as a parent.

[Kirsty90]

One of my lo's was terrified of dogs when she first came to me (around 3 weeks ago) but she is now beginning to warm to her and always asks about her.

I've done an initial risk assessment on having the dog but has anyone got any tips on exactly what should be included?

Thanks

Kirsty

[ellae]

I have a labrador pup, who is only 5 monthsold. So he is obviously very bouncy but he is seperated from my mindees, I dont leave him in the garden all day though, he is either in the dining room behind a stair gate, or garden or in the living room if we are in the dining room.

I also have cats, one mindee cried everytime he saw a cat when he first came to me, but now strokes the cat if its around. I think its good for children to be around pets especially if they have none at home.

[migimoo]

One of my lo's was terrified of dogs when she first came to me (around 3 weeks ago) but she is now beginning to warm to her and always asks about her.

I've done an initial risk assessment on having the dog but has anyone got any tips on exactly what should be included?

Thanks

Kirsty

I have a pet policy in my parents info folder which explains that my dog is part of the family and why i believe animals are good for children/involved in our day,etc,
in my risk assessment-food,water bowls are lifted and faeces are removed each day before the children arrive,leads and harnesses inaccessable to LO's,dates of worming/immunisations and defleaing,childrens hands washed after petting animals,if possible a gated area(i use utility room)where she can go for some peace or if we are doing something like a cooking activity where she might get in the way and cause an accident, I also have in my daily risk assessment that i move all dog toys out of reach and hoover up dog hair(my dog is long haired and moults like mad)
Ofsted were out 2 days ago and she was very happy with what i had in place.
Hope this helps!:thumbsup:

[NicoleW]

I've had a problem..

My new mindee apparently has "gone on and on and on" about our pooches, they now have a little puppy of their own!

[Liverbird]

Ofsted don't seem to mind us having dogs. I know loads of childminders with dogs and some have complete run of the house. My dog doesn't come into the house at all as he is very big and bouncy and kept jumping the stairgate. I keep him in our workshop (the old coal cellar) so he can get nice and warm and out of the weather.

I always tell parents on initial contact that I have a big dog. I have had parents refuse to let me care for their children because I have a dog. The children don't mind but one parent was so terrified that she left almost immediately.

[Stapleton83]

I have a very gentle natured Yorkshire Terrier who is 14 at the end of this month and he does have the run of the house but rarely uses it preferring to escape to his basket out of the way. We've never had any problems and Ofsted didn't query it so long as I had appropriate risk assessments and controls in place.

In fact he provided a brilliant example for my inspection of how I have helped develop the children in my care as one little boy was terrified of dogs when he first came to the extent he wouldn't want to be in the same room as him. We gently introduced him to the dog and now he strokes him and feeds him his tea, but he understands how to deal with animals and that you should always ask before touching them. Mrs O v impressed :)

[Tazmin68]

Hi
All you can do is ra and monitor contact with children. I had an incident when I used to allow dog in same room as children. She was 1 year old and I was caring for 8 and 11 year old I did keep telling them not to encourage her to jump up as they thaught it was funny getting her to walk on back legs. She did jump up the 8 year old caught his ear with a claw. Trip to hospital. Mum complained to ofsted. Ofsted asked that I report to riddor. Ofsted then reported to social services in relation to safety of my own two children. Had third degree by a social worker. She is now kept in kitchen and hallway or garden which is a Problem as a neighbour complained to council about her barking. The problem is kitchen and hallway is at front of house so she sometimes has an accident which does make me feel guilty. I already had a pet handling policy and children are given the blue dog computer disc to complete which teaches them to respect dogs. if I am still minding when I lose her I don't think I would get another dog as I feel guilty about the extent she is excluded. Ofsted ask that I take reasonable steps to minimise children's contact with dog do I probably go over the top but with what happened I play safe. The annoying thing was that the ages of the children involved knew better.

[kel1983]

We have a staff who is really good with children but not so good with adults. He is kept away from the children though during the day either in the garden, kitchen or bedroom. We know that he's a gentle dog but you never know wht could happen if the children got in his face etc