Routine with dogs and baby

[SpringTime2023]

Hi everyone, I would love to hear how everyone manages their routine if they have multiple (+2 dogs) in the household with their baby. How many times do you walk the dogs, and has anything changed since little one arrived? We walk ours three times a day (but morning and evening is only 15 mins) but I'm not sure how it'll all work when baby arrives 😬. I can walk two at same time but they're quite big so it's not that easy. Thank you.

Ideally the dogs get a long walk before the person who is going out to work leaves, a short walk with pram through the day then another long walk in evening. Maybe a dog walker in the day if affordable.

We've only got one dog, but my partner gives him a long walk in the morning. And one of us will give him another decent walk in the afternoon/ evening.

We had been putting baby in a carrier if we needed to bring him with us (dog walks get much easier when baby is ready for a back carry!). My partner tried walking our dog with the pram yesterday and he did pretty well with it (our dog is quite young, under 2 years old, and still gets very excited about things).

We try and give him a little play and training in the garden at lunchtime as well!

I got a dog as soon as I had my pregnancy confirmed, a beautiful Gordon Setter. When the baby arrived, I’d bf then take the dog for a longish walk before DH left for work. It made for a great start to the day.

Then a walk to the park in the afternoon with baby and a long walk about 6.30pm. Gives a wonderful feeling of freedom and well-being and great exercise of course.

We have two dogs. They are still walked twice per day. One long one, one short one. Short 20/25 mins, long 50-60 mins weekdays, 60 mins+ weekends. We've kept their routine the same from day 1 of the baby arriving. I quite quickly managed walking both of them with baby in a sling (within first week or so). We mix up who does what walk depending on our individual work schedules and child care pick ups drop offs etc. It was pretty easy when our baby was little and could be carried. Now she is a toddler it is harder. She will tolerate a short walk with them in the buggy but the long one has to be done without her. You'll find what works for you but I'd drop to 2 walks a day in preparation. Dogs don't need more than that and you're just creating more work for yourself, especially when the weather is bad!

Person not up with the baby in the night does the first walk as long as they can manage

Have frozen kongs or activity puzzle toys ready for just before lunchtime, walk for as long as possible and then night time sniffy walk.

Did it like this for all of the kids growing up and the weekend was different as we'd often go to places for a big long walk with a pub or cafe afterwards

DP gets up and feeds dogs at around 6am on a work day and takes them round the block for wees and poos. They then get in bed with me and the baby until we all decide to get up. Tbh I don't tend to walk them on my own as one is strong and reactive and I'm worried she'll pull me off my feet with the baby in the sling. I do my horses in the afternoon and the dogs run about there and burn off some steam. And then if partner can be bothered he'll take the bigger younger dog round the block before tea. And then both dogs get taken out to go to the toilet before bed around 10pm and then get shut in the kitchen for the night. They don't get masses of walking but they're not breeds that require loads of exercise/brain stimulation like a collie etc. Dp will go walking most weekends with a friend and take the younger dog and they cover a fair few miles.