dogs and babies - do they mix?

[woodstock3]

my dh has always desperately wanted a dog but i thought while we both worked fulltime it was unfair cos of leaving it alone. however now we have ds (three months), while i'll be going back to work eventually we are plannning to have a nanny so there would be someone in the house. what i want to know is - would getting a puppy with a new baby around be seven kinds of lunacy? have heard you should wait til toddler stage so that dog is more likely to recognise the baby as higher up the pecking order.
and does anyone know if it's harder to find a nanny who'll work in a house with a dog? also was keen on a nanny share and worried other mums may be wary of sharing with dogowners.....anyone had this situation??

[nell12]

It all depends on which type of dog you want. But be warned that no reputable breeder or rescue centre will sell a dog to someone who is planning on going out to work and nannys generally are there to look after children so you may have trouble finding one who will walk the dog as well as look after ds.

On saying that... we recued our beloved dalmatian when ds was 6 weeks old. The dog is 12 1/2 now and it has been WONDERFUL for ds to grow up with a dog. IT WAS EXHAUSTING to begin with, I remember taking the dog for a walk with ds in a sling and ds falling asleep mid-walk. Of course as soon as we got home from hour-long trudge through muddy fields (and I was about ready for a nap myself) ds would wake! AAARRGH!

It was the little things that I found the hardest, the dog barking when the doorbell went and waking the baby, trying to get the dog out of the car whilst carrying a squirming 1 year old, wrapping ds up in waterproofs to take the dog out in the rain etc etc etc.

TBH we never had a problem with pecking order, wetreated the dog as a dog from the start so he never had any delusions of grandeur Having a baby made it somewhat easier as ds always had to come first. If he was having the worlds longest breastfeeding session over the dog's supper time, then the dog just had to wait!! I would say that a toddler and a puppy could be harder as they will both be getting into everything at once.

I would think very carefully, and choose the breed of dog with even greater care!

[woodstock3]

i wouldnt expect a nanny to walk the dog, dh can do that before and after work - just would mean the house wasnt empty and would be company for it! we were thinking about a labrador (the world's most cliched family dog i know but temperament seems ideal) - i had spaniels as a kid but while they are lovely they are also often mad....