my doggy?

[benandjerrys]

Anyone have any thoughts on dogs? What will Ofsted think of my dog? What to put in a risk assessment? Will it put parents off? She is only a small poodle and very friendly, she currently has a crate in the kitchen, will this need moving? She has now started barking when someone knocks on the door, how should I handle this with Ofsted?

[Velleity]

What you should do is write a Risk Assessment and as you do so, you will be able to identify all the possible risks of owning a dog may bring to the children.

- Bites.
- Scratches from claws if dog jumps up.
- Poo or Urine in Garden.
- Hygiene issues of dog being in kitchen.
- Children being frightened by the dog.

I'm sure you'll think of many other potential 'issues' ..

And then for each potential problem, write down how you will eliminate or minimise the risk to children.

Plenty of Childminders have dogs, you just have to show how you have identified the risks and what you are doing about them. The crate may ideally be better placed outside of the kitchen from a hygiene perspective, if you have alternative locations. Also I would focus on the positives and also add to my Risk Assessment all the good things that will come from having the dog there ~ i.e. the children learning how to care for an animal, how to respect another living creature, good exercise in taking it for a walk etc

[JCrakers]

Lots of childminder have dogs..I don't, I have two cats :)

I have a chart for worming and fleaing that I fill in whenever I do it...it's just a habit I've got into since I started. I also keep the cat food out of reach with a gate and make sure I mop regularly. I don't allow the cats in the playroom, otherwise they sleep on cushions and get hair everywhere.

Hope someone has some advice soon :) childminding and dogs can work well as long as you have risk assessment and control

[SammySplodger]

I have a Westie-Poo (see pic!) and have a RA like below. Mrs O at my pre-reg was fine and a dog-lover. But I'm sure some others will try to pick things apart, so be ready!

My dog doesn't have a crate, but she does have a 'cubby hole' under the stairs in the kitchen she can retire to and nobody is allowed to disturb her. I separate her from children using stairgates (6 in my house!) and have my garden as two separate areas with a fence and gate in between (dog is trained only to wee and poo in her part). Useful as I can have washing line up there too and put any random 'risky' items that side, eg: currently a pile of bricks for a project. I also have an outdoor cleaning kit at the ready (bucket with poo bags, disinfectant spray, rubber gloves, brush and watering can).

It HAS put a few people off, so expect that, but tbh I don't care. I have a prominent picture of my dog on my website and always mention it straight away during phone enquiries. If my 3 mindees two have dogs at home and the other the parents would love one but work full time so can't.

Hope that helps! :-)