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The doghouse

Getting a puppy while 24 weeks pregnant

64 replies

Bumble84 · 27/07/2020 18:28

Looking for advice. Would it be daft to get a puppy while 24 weeks pregnant? It would be a Labrador pup. We have a large house and garden but I’m wondering if it’s too much to take on. DH is very keen.

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willowsmumsy · 27/07/2020 18:30

I said no to the same question as I knew otherwise I would be constantly cleaning up puppy excrement as well as baby excrement. Even though I'm medical, it was too much for me!!
It was fine for my husband as he'd be out at work all day!!

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Hoppinggreen · 27/07/2020 18:31

Nope, it would be a very very bad idea

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willowsmumsy · 27/07/2020 18:31

We now have 2 lovely labs- a pup and an adult. It was fine crate training them with their toileting, but I don't think I could have done it with a baby/ toddler

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TinySleepThief · 27/07/2020 18:31

In my opinion you would be utterly mad!

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Aquamarine1029 · 27/07/2020 18:32

Don't do this. You will have a very young dog who needs loads of training and attention along with a newborn. This is a really stupid idea.

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HasaDigaEebowai · 27/07/2020 18:32

It would be a really bad idea

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GreyishDays · 27/07/2020 18:32

Yes. They are bonkers for about a year and a half. That and a newborn would be hideous. Classic time to get a puppy would be when your youngest is six or seven, looking at what happens around here Grin

Maybe get a cat?

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Cetra638 · 27/07/2020 18:33

No!!!!!! Don’t do it!! We’ve got a 10 month old pup and DS is 11 and it’s been a struggle, no way could I have managed it with a new born in tow. Wait until your DC is older.

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Bodie83Nahla · 27/07/2020 18:34

Don't do it. Babies and puppies are very demanding. The work load would be huge. Plus you would miss out on one to one time with either the pup or baby. Enjoy your baby and get a dog in a few years x x

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GreyishDays · 27/07/2020 18:34

My ‘yes’ was answering ‘would it be daft?’.

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MakeLemonade · 27/07/2020 18:37

It’s too much. Fine whilst you are pregnant but having a newborn/baby and a puppy is not a good combo. We share a lab puppy with my Mum and the logistics of taking him out on my own with my DD - ten months - is just a faff. He’s big and clumsy and whilst he has a lovely temperament and is very chilled out he is still a puppy. He nibbles, jumps up from time to time, and I have to be really careful to ensure they are both kept in a safe situation. Labradors are very slow to mature too, can be about 18months before they stop puppy behaviours. We aren’t there yet but by all account the teenage years can be really tough!

Labrador pups are delightful but you’ll enjoy both the baby and the puppy a lot more if you wait a few years.

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Bumble84 · 27/07/2020 18:37

I have to say I was kind of expecting these answers. DH is keen and as was I until I started thinking about the implications which makes me feel like I am moving the goalposts which is never nice.

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CatToddlerUprising · 27/07/2020 18:37

Why is your DH so keen? Is it because you’ll be on maternity and will do most of the care for the puppy?

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smilingthroughgrittedteeth · 27/07/2020 18:39

Ive got a 13 wk old cocker spaniel and 3 children (2yrs, 3yrs and 5yrs) and its incredibly hard work, a puppy and a newborn is a really really bad idea. My kids are able to wait 5mins whilst i take pup out for a wee and they all sleep through so im only up at 3.30am with a puppy who needs a wee and not a newborn whos feeding all night long. Please dont get a puppy until your baby is older.

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Aquamarine1029 · 27/07/2020 18:40

I would be very alarmed about my husband's judgement if he believes that getting a puppy is a good idea when his wife is 24 weeks pregnant. How can anyone be that daft?

Do NOT do this.

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Itsjustabitofbanter · 27/07/2020 18:41

I absolutely 100% guarantee that you will regret getting this dog. I was searching for a dog when I found out I was pregnant with my first. I was an experienced dog owner and convinced myself it would be ok as I’d be home on maternity with plenty of time to train it. Thank god I let people talk me out of it!! There were more than a few times I’d be sat there utterly exhausted panicking about having to get through the day ahead, and I’d think I don’t even know what I’d do now if I had a puppy to cope with aswell. It ended up being another 3 years before I finally felt able to take responsibility for a dog on top of a child. There’s nothing stopping you getting a dog in a few months when the baby’s here, at least you’ll have more of an idea whether you can handle both. If you get a dog now and it becomes completely unmanageable then you’re stuck

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MikeEhrmantraut · 27/07/2020 18:41

We brought our retriever pup home when I was 27 weeks pregnant. We knew it would be hard hard work, we set alarms through the night for toilet training, attended puppy classes, socialised with different people and vehicles and all that jazz. it was exhausting, but no worse than expected. I regretted it for about 48 hours, I think that was my hormones as I did so much research and soul searching first.

It was the best decision ever (for us). We have both had dogs before so knew what we were getting into. My parents are also dog lovers so he's never needed kennels or to be left alone, he just goes round there if we need to be out for more than 3 hours or so. I wouldn't have done it if we didn't have back up dog sitters on hand though.

You do need to watch a puppy as much as you'd watch a baby, and no matter how puppy proof your house is you'll find something glaringly obvious that you didn't consider once you're home. For us it was the gravel in part of the garden! He was fine with the baby, there's lots of advice online about preparing your dog and how to include them. I used a carrycot on a second hand pram in the lounge so baby was out of dog's reach and easily moveable between rooms. They're both 4 now and best mates.

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SunshineOverThere · 27/07/2020 18:45

I have an almost 2 year old dog and sometimes his training too much between DH and I and full time work! No way I could I have done his first 2 years with a new born! When both the puppy and the baby are crying, who will you go to first? Will you then both be getting up and dealing with one each?

What about evenings? When you are tired from sleep deprivation, how/who will handle, walking, training, playing! Puppies bite, they are land sharks, that requires a ton (A TON) of patience, how will you deal with that with a new born? If DH is working are you meant to be in charge of both? They are both babies, but the human one will come first but that will create issues for the puppy, so who will deal with the inevitable behavioural issues which will come out that?

Realistically, it's a crappy idea to get a puppy until your kid understands to leave it alone (4-5years old), then the puppy and the kid can run circles around each other and tire themselves out.

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Bumble84 · 27/07/2020 18:49

DH isn’t any more keen than I was. We were both wanting a dog and when I fell and pregnant we still thought it was a good idea. It’s just now I’m having second thoughts. He most definitely does not have bad judgement, just thinks dog and child growing up together would be great, as do I. Ideal world though, we both agree the dog would have been here way before the baby but life doesn’t always work in perfect timings.

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Chuly · 27/07/2020 18:51

Terrible idea.
Really bad.

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tabulahrasa · 27/07/2020 18:57

A newborn and a teenage lab isn’t a great idea, no...

Also, where are you planning to get one from? The dog market just now is crazy because apparently everyone bought lockdown puppies.

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Kdubs1981 · 27/07/2020 19:00

No. No. No. I'm presuming this is your first baby?

Again, no.

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Bumble84 · 27/07/2020 19:02

We had previously been in touch with a breeder and on a wait list, pups now available (well soon) Hence my comment of timings in life don’t work out. Really weren’t sure we would be able to get pregnant but did, to our delight! Seems two good things have come along at once and we were thinking initially we’d be able to ‘have it all’

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nunnun · 27/07/2020 19:02

You'd be crazy to get a puppy. I couldn't care less about you, it's another unwanted young dog getting sent for rescue or worse, getting put to sleep because you can't cope.

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JamesArthursEyelashes · 27/07/2020 19:02

I’ve had 2 children, a few dogs, one from a puppy. It would have been ridiculously hard to cope with a puppy along with a new baby or toddler. A puppy is like having a toddler, they require constant attention. They’re noisy, they make a mess, they can be unpredictable. I can’t even describe the amount of work involved. I was shocked but as our kids we older when we got her and I work at home, it was fine and we all loved it.
Getting a puppy with a new baby will take away from your experience and enjoyment of both. Have your children, let them grow up a bit and then have a dog. At the right time, it is lovely. At the wrong time it would be extremely stressful and not enjoyable at all.

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