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Original poster

Are you using a childminder / or are one ,with dogs? Can we chat

26 replies

Pringlemonster · 09/08/2020 15:12

I’d absolutely love to be a childminder ,I was years ago when my youngest was a baby ,I had a childminded baby at the same time ..
We have somehow ended up wIth 3 dogs ..I keep putting off going for the training .because I can’t see how it would work .
I know this is something that I would be so good at .
Tempting as it is I can’t get rid of the dogs
I’ve thought of sending them to doggie day care ,but I expect I’d be working for nothing then .

OP posts:
Backarackhams · 09/08/2020 15:18

Both my DC's old childminders had dogs. The first got a puppy when DC were there and the second already had 3 staffies when they started. They were all absolutely fine.

What is it you don't think would work?

Original poster
Pringlemonster · 09/08/2020 15:25

I’ve no where to keep the dogs separated from the children

OP posts:
Original poster
Pringlemonster · 09/08/2020 15:27

They are lovely dogs ,when you get to know them ,but the bark at everyone coming to the front door ,I think that would put parents off ..they all love nothing more than a tummy tickle ,but they are free roaming and they bark

OP posts:

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Original poster
Pringlemonster · 09/08/2020 15:29

Plus I’ve a badly designed house which makes life difficult as well..
If I’m going to do it ,I want to do it properly, and that doesn’t include dogs in my head .

OP posts:
Popjam · 09/08/2020 15:32

My cm had a dog. She had the dog's crate at the door so could put him in that at collection time, or else he was out in the garden. Do you have a garden for them?

Original poster
Pringlemonster · 09/08/2020 15:34

Yes there is a small neat garden ..I could put a kennel out there for home time

OP posts:
Original poster
Pringlemonster · 09/08/2020 15:34

Maybe if there was one dog ..but won’t 3 put people off ..they are small dogs

OP posts:
Mallowmarshmallow · 09/08/2020 15:37

I would certainly not send my children to a childminder with a dog that could not be separated. For me, it's too restrictive for either the dog or the children and I wouldn't trust that a CM could give both the dog and a number of children due care and attention at all times.

Popjam · 09/08/2020 15:42

It's making a bit more work for you as I would never leave a dog and child alone together, even, for eg, to pop to the loo. It might put some people off but some would love having dogs there and some wouldn't care. Well trained dogs would be great, and very tolerant of toddlers who may unintentionally hurt them.

tmh88 · 09/08/2020 15:45

I personally wouldn’t leave my DS with a childminder with dogs which can’t be separated from the children, naturally at some point you won’t be always able to constantly have eyes on them and it only takes a baby to grab an ear/tail and it might snap no matter how good they are with children.

intheningnangnong · 09/08/2020 15:48

I removed my children from a CM when she got a staffie. No way would I risk a dog that could be put in a difficult position by children.

Original poster
Pringlemonster · 09/08/2020 15:55

Ok ..I need a way to keep dogs and child separate..there is a door I could put back on a room ..

OP posts:
BertieBotts · 09/08/2020 16:06

It will put some people off. People not liking dogs, being worried about dog hair, or worried about biting.

But that's OK. You can't please everyone and you don't need every single family in the town to want your services, you only need a few families at a time as you can't look after loads of children at once anyway.

For people who are dog/animal lovers it might even be a plus? Many people choose childminders for the reason that it's more "home like" and "less sterile" than a nursery. Having dogs means you're likely to get the kids out and about in all weathers which is great. They will get exposure to animals which can help them learn how to behave around animals and be less likely to develop a fear of dogs. That might be a huge positive for a family who can't own a dog themselves due to current work commitments for example.

I would look at ofsted to see if there is guidance in terms of risk assessment, and I'd see what you can find out about dog bite prevention (there are loads of websites about this now) in terms of especially high risk times - for example dog's feeding time, children's mealtimes/snacktimes, and have a think about how you could handle those times.

I think it would be important for the dogs to have a place that they can retreat safely away from children. Would it not be possible to create a space like this using crates/gates/dividers etc? You have to be prepared for the fact that some children you look after may be more boisterous or less used to dogs than your own.

BertieBotts · 09/08/2020 16:07

Or a baby gate on that door maybe?

Theyweretheworstoftimes · 09/08/2020 16:08

Our childminder has a baby gate on the kitchen. When required dog goes on kitchen. Dog is a labradoodle and the most placid dog ever.

Original poster
Pringlemonster · 09/08/2020 16:21

One of my dogs can easily jump a baby gate..min pin ..
I really appreciate you all helping me with this ,,it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time ..the male dogs are placid, but my female ,if there is going to be a problem it will be her ..the main problem is she does not like being picked up ..the min pin and schnauzer you could do anything to and they would be fine ..but yes an area that is child free for the dogs ,I need

OP posts:
Snailsetssail · 09/08/2020 16:23

I use a childminder who has a dog (she got it once we had already started using her) but it’s only a very small dog and can be kept separate to the children.

I wouldnt send my children to you given the set up you have described.

tiredanddangerous · 09/08/2020 16:24

My dcs childminder had a dog and it was always kept separate from the children. I wouldn't have used her otherwise.

vanillandhoney · 09/08/2020 16:54

To be honest, I think you might struggle, and I say this as a dog owner and dog lover.

Quite rightly, lots of parents will be very hesitant about strange dogs around their children. You'd need to be 100% sure the dog and children could be kept separate - and there's an argument that doing so isn't fair on the dogs. My dog certainly wouldn't be happy to be kept shut away for the vast majority of the day - he's a pet and likes to be with people.

What are your dogs like around children? Would they be happy to share their home and space with strangers everyday? What if one of the children is scared of dogs? Can you guarantee the dogs will always be supervised or kept separate? Will that make things too stressful? All things that are worth thinking about.

Some dogs and breeds would cope better than others, too. Mine likes children but gets overwhelmed quite easily so wouldn't like to be around multiple strange children five days a week. There's also exercise and toileting to consider.

Sorry to sound so negative but it's worth thinking about all those things before you start spending money on getting your license etc.

AshGirl · 09/08/2020 16:58

We used a CM who had 3 dogs. They were all lovely and very well behaved / trained. DS absolutely loved them.

They weren't barky though - not sure what difference that would have made.

AutumnLeavesSeptember · 09/08/2020 16:58

I wouldn't be keen tbh. Especially with multiple dogs as it's harder to keep an eye plus there are additional group dynamics at work.

LunchBoxPolice · 09/08/2020 17:08

I wouldn’t send my dc to a childminder with one dog, let alone three.

RoxytheRexy · 09/08/2020 17:12

I looked at a childminder with a dog and I didn’t use her for this reason. You just can’t guarantee that they will always be kept separate.

A friend also set up as a childminder and I said I wouldn’t use her for that reason

Nandocushion · 09/08/2020 17:13

Free-roaming untrained dogs who you haven't even been bothered to train? A female which you already know could be "a problem"?

Nope. Can't believe you're even considering this.

lyralalala · 09/08/2020 17:16

You certainly need to be able to keep your dogs and children apart; for your dogs sake as much as anything.

We used a childminder with a dog when my twins were younger, but they weren't barky and she only had two.

Do you think your dogs would cope with multiple children in the house? Would you be able to fit in school runs, toddler groups and everything child related alongside walking the dogs?