Would you use a CM with a Rottweiler?

[McBear]

I'm thinking of a career change and would love to be a CM.

My issues are that I don't have a 'play room', I'd just be using the front room but that's what my CM does so no worries there really.

My other is that my pooch is a rottie. He's very small for a rott and he's very very lovely. Mostly, I'd probably keep them separated anyway but I know some people hear Rottweiler and run a mile.

Would something this trivial put people off? Most CMs have dogs from what I see...

It would scream. The combination. The way it would come across. I have no idea of the OP's own professionalism. It's the impression I would get. And as I've said, thinking about it, it's more as a new childminder.

Look, I really don't care if the OP goes ahead and registers as a childminder and keeps her dog. But I wouldn't use a childminder with a dog.

No I wouldn't. Not with any dog really.

I completely respect the fact that you wouldn't want to use a childminder with a dog, that's a personal choice, what I didn't like was the way you put your point across, I think it was unkind and and belittling.

To use words such as unprofessional and suggest OP isn't taking it serious, just isn't necessary to say. Yes we all have our own opinions, but doesn't mean we can't censor ourselves and be respectful.

We just need to agree to disagree!

You can't say not having a play room counts as not taking it seriously. It simply means, the house didn't have an extra room. It's a big living room and a big kitchen diner.

Most childminders don't suddenly add a new room to the house before at least seeing how it goes. I'm looking to move soon enough and will be looking for a house with an extra room regardless so then it won't be a problem what I do but I think this is a few years off.

Thank you for your posts cm88.

I am past the need for a childminder, but had needed one when mine were tiny I would have actively looked for a CM with a dog. My children wanted a dog, but I knew at that point I wasn;t able to give any pet the attention it would need......a CM with a dog would have been the ideal compromise.

I Nannied in a family who had a Rottie.......it was the MOST stupidly soft and pathetic dog in the world, and ran a mile from a chihuahua.

I would be interested to know what people would think of a pug owner who decided to use her skills to go into childminding. My problem would be the over-loving nature of my pug, and the fact that he thinks he is a baby too, so any and all toys he assumes are his !

No. Sorry.

It wouldn't bother me that you had a rottie.

In fact i'd prefer that over a smaller breed dog! Terriers grab and shake, larger dogs tend to just snap once and leave off. I believe the statistic show that family-friendly Labs are the biggest biters for A&E admission statistics!

Obviously snapping at all is a big no-no and i'd want to know the dog was separate from the kids and never ever left alone with them, but imo a larger dog is "safer" than a smaller dog iyswim. I've grown up around large breed dogs - rotties, alsations, great danes. I consider dogs to be a real benefit in a child's upbringing - IF its done right!

I would be very unlikely to use a childminder with any dog but definitely wouldn't use one who had a Rottweiler or any of the large ego-dogs.

Ego-dogs?

Yay south lakes! I'm much more nervous of small dogs but I do see the point that large dogs do more damage but small dogs are more likely to bite

No, I wouldn't.

I love dogs and think I am able to judge a dog on its own behaviour rather than the breed (years of having people avoid and look askance at our family staffy help that). But I wouldn't trust any dog to be alone with a young child, and wouldn't trust a CM to keep them strictly apart all day, every day, when it's their own dog in their own home.

For what it's worth, I think the size of a dog is relevant. When the children are small (under 2?) any dog is capable of serious damage. If my child was older (maybe 6?) then a small dog would cause a lot less damage/be more likely to be kicked off by the child/unlikely to knock child over in an attack and so reach the face/neck etc etc. it's very unlikely a dog wood attack a child, but if it did, I'm damn sure if rather it was a pug than a Rottweiler.

As I said, I would judge a dog by its behaviour. But I'd also remember that my judgement might be wrong and consider capability for harm, in the unlikely event the dog did attack.