Dog and baby walking - Any tips?

[SunflowerOwl]

Apologies if this isnt the best place for this!

My first baby is due in August and I also have a spaniel who needs 2 x walks per day. We currently take him along the riverbank as it's a lovely walk for us and nice and sniffy for him. He needs to have a good run around ideally so an on lead stroll isn't the best.

However when the baby comes I'm wondering what the best way will be for me to get the dog and baby out together?

Can you buy prams that can cope with grassy walks and a bit of mud, or is it better to use a baby carrier? My worry with that is having to bend down to pick up poo/clip lead on and off etc. Or should I find a walk that is on a path and more pram friendly. Or just walk them separately/find a dog Walker. I'm clueless really.

Would love to hear how others got out and about with their dog and baby

When I was taking DGD out in her buggy with the dog I would usually stay on the pavement. You can buy a clip to fit on the handle and you clip the lead on and that means you are hands free. Keep the lead short so they don’t get in front of the wheels. It only took the dog a few hundred yards to get used to it.

Please don't ever clip a lead onto your pram. Especially not down a riverside..

We had an off road pram.
And a sling.
And a big ddog!!

We had a bugaboo fox pram that was quite sturdy for off road walks but I did tend to stick to paved paths when I had the pram and then sling for muddier walks.

As baby got older and another DC came along, I couldn't do a long dog walk everyday so we got a dog walker 2-3x a week. Not forever though - youngest DC starts preschool soon so I'll be able to do my long dog walks on my own again.

Enjoy your new baby OP!

I’d recommend sourcing a dog walker for at least the first couple of weeks, as you don’t know how you’ll feel physically and it might be useful not to have that additional chore.

Otherwise we still take 3mo out in the baby carrier twice a day - it actually works out pretty well if you time it with his nap time. As for poo-picking, you get very good bum and thigh muscles from the squats you need to do 🤣

I do both all the time. If I bend down to pick up poo I just cradle the baby’s head at the same time. He’s a bit older now so he goes on my back. With a spaniel you should easily be able to walk with the pram and hold the lead at the same time (if you can’t, then you need to work on lead discipline with the dog!). Don’t ever, ever clip a lead to the pram though - even thinking about that makes me go cold! We have a double-ended lead which I can clip round my waist but I tend not to as the dog is quite strong and I don’t want her to pull me over if I have the sling on. And yes, there are lots of prams that do off road stuff (look for a three-wheeled one).

With my first child, the dog we had at the time was a lot bigger and prone to lunging at other dogs (rescue who’d been mistreated), so one of us tended to walk her alone after the other got in from work, or we went out all together. You can do other stuff to keep them occupied too - playing games in the garden if you have one, hiding treats round the house, puzzle feeders etc.

Get a decent sling. I found a stretchy wrap really good.

We got a lead that runners get so it wraps round you. Dog is on a shorter lead, away from the Buggy, your body weight helps stop pulling and your hands are free

Thanks all this is really helpful.

The dogs lead discipline isnt too bad but he does tend to lunge a bit if he sees a bird/squirrel which we are working on. He is quite small though so easy to control. We planned to get the pram early and do some practice road walks before the baby is in it to get him used to it, but much prefer off road walks where he can have a good run around. I just plod along behind him!

Fortunately my DH will be having the first 4 weeks after the baby comes off work so if I don't feel up to it at first he can take the dog by himself. Unfortunately him going back to work coincides with the end of summer and probably muddier walks for me!

Looks like I will need to invest in a decent sling and an off road buggy to see what works best. I like the sound of getting good bum muscles!