Childminder with a large dog

I didn't use a particular childminder for precisely this reason. Too much of a risk for me.

Our CM has two dogs, normally one goes to work with her husband. My boy loves the dogs and they love him one of his first words with Oscar (the dogs name) I trust our CM implicitly and think her dogs (and her are amazing) that being said I think you dogs or no dogs you don't sound that sure on this CM. Childcare is such a tough decision that I think anything you aren't 100% on I wouldn't go with personally! Good Luck :)

I personally wouldn't like it, for me it would be an unnecessary risk as there will be other CM without dogs. The fact that it was barking for a long time would ring alarm bells for me, and I would wonder if it actually was shut in the kitchen all the time. Also potentially a hygiene issue. I like dogs but I wouldn't trust any dog around a baby and big dogs can easily clear a stair gate if they want to.

An in law of mine has an awfully trained dog (she doesn't think so but I disagree entirely) and insists on having it around and holds it up to DD so it 'gets used to the baby and then when she is walking they will be best friends' well dd is walking now at 13 months and when DP took her on the last visit the relative just let the dog and baby have free run of the house together. Dog immediately starts snarling and nipping at DD and knocked her over, thankfully DP was with her and scooped her up before anything worse could have happened. I had stayed home as I had things to do which I now regret as IL is clearly far more irresponsible than I thought. No matter how lovely someone claims their dog is they cannot predict or control their behaviour.

No way. My children would be unsettled in house with barking dog.

It would put me off. Go with what you feel comfortable with.

Our childminder has a dog. Dd loves it, didn't really think much about it as we have a cat.

My daughter was a year old when her childminder got seriously ill so I had to find a new one at short notice. Thr new one had a standard poodle which was kept in the kitchen behind a stairgate. One day husband bought toddler ( she started walking soon after first birthday) home with a wound to her face. Babyminder had told him she fell while toddlng, hit her fact on table corner, and not to worry about it. I wasn't happy and took her straight to gp who sent us straight to casualty. The doctor there said it was a dog bite and showed us the marks and how he knew it was dog bite. As it had happened several hours earlier, it got infected. I think my child probably pulled herself up to stand at the stairgate and the dog bit her face then. I was really upset and she still has a scar on the front of her face. So personally I would never choose a child minder with a dog.

I don’t think the size is the issue, many large dogs are much more placid than small ones. I have two dogs myself but I probably wouldn’t be happy with a childminder for my LO having dogs.

DD is grown up now but her CM when she was at primary school had a dog who was kept in the kitchen with a stairgate. DD used to let herself into the kitchen (and into the dog's bed) so often that the CM eventually stopped stopping her!

I'm a cm with a dog. I decided and picked him because the children I had were scared of dogs and he was a good temperament etc. having said that I never leave him alone with children and I watch how he and they are. We use the stair gate to give him space and to keep him away from people when they first come in after a while and if everyone is happy he comes to say hello. I have a clear risk assessment and policy for him. If you like her go cack when she is working and see how the dog is handled and if he is calmer. Go as many times as you need to and listen to you instincts.

What type of dog and did it only bark when you knocked on the door or the whole time ?

I have a dog myself and personally I wouldn't want to use a childminder with a dog. I'm sure the childminders dog is used to children but why take the risk ? My dog is used to my child and I worry with other children despite him being a family friendly breed.