Puppy & Children

[ElenaSummer]

After lots of consideration we are hopefully getting a puppy within the next month as our circumstances have changed earlier than expected and I will now be in the house every day. I have read almost every thread on here about having puppys and young children, but can anyone share how their days were especially the first few weeks i.e. routine to take dog outside every 15/20 mins to pee, do you feed at same time or after you eat, what does puppy do while children are playing with their toys out ?

We have timed id so its at the start of the school holidays with no school run, although my younger one will still be in nursery and I will send eldest to some holiday club days / grandparents which DH can do drop offs for ( I work from home so wont be out ).

We have a stair gate into the kitchen and to the stairs, still to work out wither crate will be in the kitchen or dinning room .

I have read The happy puppy & puppy life skills , have a large safe garden and lots of family close by to help with the kids and feel as prepared as we can be . The kids are also trained to stand like a tree if the pup jumps , and have spent time practising to to behave around dogs. My only concern is managing the children with the puppy during the day after school / nursery . I will have time each day 121 with the pup to exercise once its old enough , and spend time training etc and may be over thinking things now!

We have decided on a german shorthaired pointer and it will be 8.5 weeks when coming home if all goes to plan.

[imonaplane]

Have you had a dog before? If the answer is no then I would not really recommend a GSP. I have owned GSPs for nearly 20 years and they are not for the faint hearted. On the plus side, they are great family dogs - loyal, affectionate, loving and good tempered. On the other hand, they have boundless energy and need a lot of exercise and mental stimulation. Without this they can be quite destructive and will go looking for things to do. They can be clingy and often suffer from Separation Anxiety. They can easily scale a 6' fence so your garden will have to be very secure. They counter surf, steal and can easily knock an adult over when dashing about. Training is essential, especially recall as they can be quite 'hunty' and will look for rabbits, deer, pheasants etc. Wilful, stubborn and opinionated are words I often use to describe my dogs (I have 3 GSPs!) but I love them to bits.

If you are experienced dog owners then please accept my apologies. I don't wish to scaremonger but quite a lot of GSP's end up being re- homed as the owners find them too much to cope with.

[ElenaSummer]

imonaplane thank you for your honest post - we have had a few rescue collie crosses before but this would be our first puppy and dog since having children. We live in the countryside near lots of forest walks for when the dog is older , and our garden is secure with a 6 foot fence.

I have read alot about the breed, and the two I know locally do seem calmer which gives me hope. They also have young children and manage with less time to walk the dog than we will have so I am cautiously optimistic, also I have been in contact with a trainer who knows the breed well.

Having said that yes I do have moments where I think a golden retriever would be the safest option !

[NettleFarseer]

The best advice from me would be to getting the puppy during term-time iyswim?