DH wants to get rid of our puppy!!

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Long story so please bear with me...

Puppy is actually one year old GSD, who is absolutely lovely. She has so many positives including being a genuine sweetheart and cuddling up to me when I'm feeling low, I love her, pretty much do everything including feeding, grooming etc. DH takes her on long walks which he seems to enjoy!

Problem being she has started to blow her coat and it is irritating DH no end, he's constantly moaning about all the hair even though I'm trying to brush her and keep the house clean. She is also at times quite naughty, nipping and chewing on all manner of items! She can jump the baby gates to stop her getting up the stairs and just generally trashes the place!

He's said a few times over the last week that we've made a mistake and wants to get rid of her!

Im also 8 weeks pregnant and he is using the new baby as an excuse that there will be hair everywhere when baby arrives. I hate people who get rid of dogs because their pregnant and would never be that person!

I think he's being very unreasonable to expect me to get rid of her and I won't even discuss it with him, I just tell him she is not going end of!! He tells me I'm BU! What does everyone think?

Oh and another idea - get a decent robotic vacuum cleaner, it'll just get rid of the hair for you.

We're looking at getting one, we have friends that have got one and they have pets and it's worked wonders

I do agree with TheSockGoblin - you call it "spirited", OP, some might call it pushing boundaries. A relaxed dog is one who knows his/her place in the pack. Just like children, dogs go through phases of pushing their boundaries and playing up. I know you've had dogs all your life but training classes are for dogs, not necessarily for their humans.

When I was pregnant we borrowed a baby doll and a changing mat and trained our Collie to "down, stay" every time the "baby" was on the floor. We also kept our stair gate. He was a "puppy" until he was about 8 or 9 😂 but even so, he was incredibly obedient.

You need to nip the "spirited" behaviour in the bud - kindly but firmly - otherwise when baby comes along it could get worse.

Thankfully I am instead in a relationship with my DH who actually values my feelings.

But does he value hers? If you think that expecting a person to get rid of their beloved pet is ok, then you do not understand how people are attached, and feel responsibility, to their animals. It's not simply a case of 'human's come first - OP loves this dog. There are not a glut of loving homes willing to take on a year old GSD - the reality is she'll probably be in kennels for a long while, if not pts.

He's trying to Hoover her as we speak! It's quite comical to watch!

Oh Tattycat what a beauty 😍😍

human trumps dog

Bingo!

I agree with getting a furminator and keep on the training.
She's young, and she will settle.

You say she's quite well behaved.
BUT
She nips and chews and jumps the stair gates and trashes the place.
That isn't a well trained dog.

Elphaba99 Thank you. I still can't believe someone let her go...

You'll get roughly a full dogs amount of fur the first time you use it

Too right! When we used one on our westie, we harvested enough fur to knit another three dogs!

When I was pregnant we borrowed a baby doll and a changing mat and trained our Collie to "down, stay" every time the "baby" was on the floor

What a good idea Elpha

We had two bonkers staffies when we had our babies. We never had a moment's worry with them. They were very aware of how fragile a baby is and although very interested, didn't try to jump up or even charge past the children when they were toddlers (and these were dogs which lived life at top speed all of the time). They did have a horrible tendency to eat dirty nappies if they got half a chance, though

GSD's are a wonderful breed whole to protect the family - I'm sure that OP has nothing to worry about - she is used to dogs so won't do anything stupid, like leaving a newborn on the floor next to the dog's dinner bowl etc, or letting a toddler pull herself up to standing using the dog's ears for purchase. Like most things in life, it's just a matter of being sensible.

She is very beautiful OP. I'm quite envious of you.

I don't think I could be married to a man that thinks animals are disposable.

Regular grooming will help the cost, extra height baby gates and leaving only dog chews (and not shoes for example) around will help with the puppy phase.

Tattycat I know! She's absolutely gorgeous. ❤️❤️❤️

OP, your girl is absolutely beautiful. ❤️❤️❤️

Both girls are lovely - many apologies Tattycat - I hadn't noticed your stunning girl when I complimented the OP's.

She's lovely.

^ that face just screams "GIVE ME BACON!!!!!".

@TattyCat she's fab!! Just in the middle of "discussions"! He's being such a knob about this! Im getting ready and taking her out for a long walk! Time to ourselves!

I have a long coated GSD x Husky cross. A mix of two breeds that both blow their coats and shed a shit ton!

We use a Furblaster to brush ours, which is a much cheaper copy of the Furminator but does exactly the same job. For the floors, we only have carpet on the stairs and landing thankfully but we use a rubber broom and then Dyson afterwards.

PS your husband is B totally U!

TATTYCAT, I ❤️ your gorgeous shiny girl too ! 🙋🏼

Wolfiefan: the dog is a puppy and those are normal puppy behaviours. The dog needs to be trained, plus given enough stimulation and exercise to burn off energy. Plus, plenty of chew toys... Positive reinforcement etc
OP: your husband is being very ureasonable. It's unbelievably irresponsible of him to even suggest getting rid of the dog because s/he causes him a little inconvenience. Using your unborn baby as an excuse is pretty low! The dog, especially being a pup, will likely be very accepting and protective of a 'sibling'. Poor dog! The time for your husband to research the dog breed and pass an opinion on if getting a dog at all was right for your circumstances/ future plans was BEFORE getting one, not AFTER... People like your husband make me livid. He's part of the reason why there are so many beautiful dogs in rehoming centres (through no fault of their own!) across the country!
He's pretty out of order since you are doing most of the care of the dog. Is there any way you could do most or all of the walking? Not sure how far along you are but it could be a nice way to reduce stress and get fresh air before and after baby is here. I'd be anxious about hour husband walking the dog now tbh in case he accidentally on purpose let it let lost
The GS breed is prone to heavy shedding but there are things you can do to greatly reduce the problem Take a look at this:
www.wikihow.com/Reduce-Excessive-Shedding-in-Dogs
It's not an insurmountable problem. The dog isn't ths issue, your arsehole husband is!

My pup is 8 months.
She doesn't jump stair gates, trash the house or nip. She does sometimes grab my arm in play. She isn't perfect. BUT I am actively training her.
The OP seems to think the behaviour she describes is all part of a well trained dog. It would be a bloody disaster to have a nipping, biting, stair gate jumping dog around a baby.
Puppies will exhibit undesirable behaviour. It's up to the owner to prevent as much of that behaviour as possible, offer positive reinforcement whenever possible and continue training. Too many owners do a few sessions of puppy training and then consider their dog to be trained. That's not the case.

Young children and dogs do not mix so as long as you have the means to keep them separated untill child is 3/4 years old I would also rehome the dog. People who are pregnant and rehome dogs are being sensible , we didn't do it and just rehomed our dog as 2 year old son made her life miserable she had to spend 7am to 7pm locked in utility room away from him as he hounded her, but she was throughly miserable locked up away from family

But had he been allowed near her either him or dog would of ended up seriously hurt

Your husband is being realistic and sensible take that from a life long dog owner who never in a million years would think I'd ever get rid of my beloved dog.

You got rid of your dog?
It's easy to keep dog and child separate. Stair gates and don't allow dog to jump them. Play pen for dog or child?! Longline for safety in the house.
Don't let your child make a dog's life a misery.
Poor fucking dog. Better a new home though than shut up all day away from family.

Tattycat you are so right about rehoming centres. It's heartbreaking. I reg visit one site to see if 'Turnip' has found a home yet... SEVEN long years that dog has been there. If I could have another dog I would gladly take her.
People who downplay how awful life is for many dogs inrehoming centres are either completely naive/ ignorant or trying to salve their won conscience and make themselves feel better cos they have done it or would do it. Many dogs really can't cope with kennel life, fret, develop worrying behaviours or depressive tendencies which makes it even less likely for them - the dogs who need it most - to find a new home. So sad and more often avoidable if people thought twice first!
OP Tell your husband that stress can increase shedding in dogs. I'm not sure if this is your first child? If so, trying to give your husband the benefit of the doubt, maybe he has the collywobbles.
Ps a good brush (in the garden or outside) in warmer weather should help reduce shedding inside the home. As others have said, the Furminator is really good! Grooming from puppyhood makes the dog much more likely to accept, even enjoy it.
This oil added to the dog's food will help (stick to quantity stated as ime it can cause the runs if you don't). I've linked to the £9 odd 250ml bottle here but, if you like it, for not much more, from the same site, you can get double that for a £5 more. Don't buy trhough vet...much dearer! Anyhow, this stuff is great for so many other aspects of your dog's health so it's a wi-win (read the reviews)
www.petdrugsonline.co.uk/dogs/healthcare-and-wellbeing/skin-and-coat/yumega-dog
You know your husband better than us so will know if he's just feeling apprehensive in the light of your pregnancy/ dog being around baby, or whether he is a feckless arse who would rather save himself the hassle of adapting and standing by decisions he's made...

@Wolfiefan Yes, she is well behaved, as I've said a few times now this behaviour is only occasionally and tends to be if she is left alone in the house! She responds well to boundaries and listens when we say no! I think she just struggles to control herself when no-one is here to stop her.

There are legitimate reasons to rehome an animal, but shedding fur (if no one has allergies) is NOT a legitimate reason. Rehoming can be stressful for an animal and should only be done if absolutely necessary.

Yes, having pets and children can be stressful, but you have to face up to it. All too often people get pets without realising that they're really hard work and need a lot of care and attention. He took this responsibility on when he got her. There are ways of resolving these issues so get him on board with possible solutions and go from there.