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The doghouse

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Original poster

Best age for children when getting a puppy

80 replies

snazzychair · 18/02/2023 11:35

I have two children, 2 and 5, will be 3 and 6 when we get a puppy.

Those of you with children, did you find it better to get a dog while the children were smaller and with less extra curricular activities on the weekend and evening? Or a bit older?

We will get one in the summer - I know how difficult the first year will be but at the moment the kids don't do any extra curricular activities, nothing in the evening and so I was thinking while we have no commitments we can get a puppy, train it and get used to family life with a dog and then when the kids are a bit older and might want to do sports then we might have a calmer dog to take with us to eg. Football, leave for a couple of hours in the evening etc.

What works for you?

OP posts:
ilovegarlicolives · 19/02/2023 13:48

Hi, our youngest had just turned 4 when we did something insane and got a puppy on way back from holiday (I'd grown up with this breed and knew the breeder already). By 4 months puppy had largely stopped the nipping. We made good use of the crate. She is now just turned 1 and is a really calm good girl even though our household is quite chaotic. We adore having her and she's completed our family. Saying that there were points when I did find having 4 year old, 6 and 8 year children really hard work alongside a puppy - say school holidays. This is no longer an issue and she loves to curl up on the sofa with them. The now 9 year old loves walking her (supervised). She's just been away with us on holiday and was great in the hotel. One thing I've found more tricky is have to plan day trips more so that we can get cover for her or make sure trip suitable.

Milkand2sugarsplease · 19/02/2023 15:04

We got our pup at 15w when ds2 was 16w and DS1 was 9. They both have the most magical of relationships with the pooch. When pups was teething, ds2 was too little to be bothered by the dog so that worked great. Toilet training went well, thankfully and ds2 was, again, too young to be cruising around if there were any accidents - getting a slightly older pup made toilet training easier I believe as he could already hold it for a bit when we started.

Now, dog and baby are nearly 2 - no baby toys have been destroyed by pup, no fingers have been lost by anyone, ds2 comes for walks each day with me and dog, ds1 takes him for a walk by himself now (fully versed in picking poo up before anyone moans about it). He's a family pet but he's well trained. He runs off to the kitchen to bring his own toys out of his own toy box - lets ds2 throw them for him and never touches ds2's toys. In fact, the only thing he's ever stolen is a sneaky corner of the blanket when he thinks we're not looking - and boy does he love a bit of blanket to snuggle!

Dogs are/can be hard work. They take more time and efforts than children at times and they're not quite as portable all the time. However, like with anything else - there will always be something making the timing not perfect and as long as you have the time to commit to the dog, all the adults are on board, and you choose a breed that is suitable for your family, you, and dog, should be fine.

Original poster
snazzychair · 19/02/2023 19:57

Milkand2sugarsplease · 19/02/2023 15:04

We got our pup at 15w when ds2 was 16w and DS1 was 9. They both have the most magical of relationships with the pooch. When pups was teething, ds2 was too little to be bothered by the dog so that worked great. Toilet training went well, thankfully and ds2 was, again, too young to be cruising around if there were any accidents - getting a slightly older pup made toilet training easier I believe as he could already hold it for a bit when we started.

Now, dog and baby are nearly 2 - no baby toys have been destroyed by pup, no fingers have been lost by anyone, ds2 comes for walks each day with me and dog, ds1 takes him for a walk by himself now (fully versed in picking poo up before anyone moans about it). He's a family pet but he's well trained. He runs off to the kitchen to bring his own toys out of his own toy box - lets ds2 throw them for him and never touches ds2's toys. In fact, the only thing he's ever stolen is a sneaky corner of the blanket when he thinks we're not looking - and boy does he love a bit of blanket to snuggle!

Dogs are/can be hard work. They take more time and efforts than children at times and they're not quite as portable all the time. However, like with anything else - there will always be something making the timing not perfect and as long as you have the time to commit to the dog, all the adults are on board, and you choose a breed that is suitable for your family, you, and dog, should be fine.

What breed dog do you have? Sounds like a brilliant companion for the two year old!
I agree - there won't always be the most perfect time but we do have the time for it and willing to put in the effort to ensure a wonderful happy family dog.

OP posts:
Milkand2sugarsplease · 19/02/2023 20:05

@snazzychair he's a basset x spaniel and my goodness he's a mix of the 2. He has a switch he flicks between the two - spaniel fun one minute then basset stubbornness the next but he's absolutely amazing and a perfect pet.

IvysMum12 · 19/02/2023 21:26

My boys were eight and six.
Gorgeous Goldie puppy.
They adored him, but it was a very busy time.

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