Should I get the Whippet if I have a Siamese cat already and 1.5 years old child who is great with the cat and dogs?

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I've always dreamed about the Whippets, read a lot about this breed and I think this breed would be the best for our family. My 1.5 years old child is going to be an only child so it would be great to have some company for him, moreover we love to be outside. The only problem might be our Siamese cat...

I know lots of Siamese that live happily with dogs however I’d wait until your child is a bit older before getting a dog .

No - wait until your child is older.

Definitely not until your child is at least school age, and even then I would think twice about having a sight hound around a cat.

Most dogs are safe around cats if brought up with them from pups but you will need to manage and train. I’ve had a terrier whippet and now a working line terrier with cats with no issues other than play (which we manage).

Puppies are seriously hard work though. I’d not have one with a child that needs you as much as the pup!

Leave it until you DC is older, having a dog will limit the things you can do and add an extra layer of complexity to your life.
DD is mid way through Secondary now and I could do with a dog as a companion now she doesn't fancy traipsing around with me on long beach walks etc. So I'd hold advise holding off until DC is at Secondary age and you have more time and aren't going to go on a family day out with dog going in one direction and toddler in another.

Puppies are seriously hard work though. I’d not have one with a child that needs you as much as the pup!

I agree. Having an adult dog and small child is hard work. A puppy and a small child is a recipe for disaster. Both require so much attention and are needy in different ways. There's no harm in waiting until your child is older, at least school aged. Afterall a 1.5 year old isn't going to find a dog good company in the same way an 7 /8 year old will.

Not now. Honestly puppies are hard work the crying, the biting, chewing stage. Wait until your child is old enough to enjoy the dog. You can never leave a young child with any dog unsupervised, I assume at the moment this is happening with the cat? As we always trusted our one who we were convinced thought she was raised the children part cat 😺.

Consciously count how many times you do this a day and then remember you will not be able to do this if you have a puppy. So every time you go from one room to another, the toilet, answer the door etc. you have to bring the dog or child with you.

OMG, you Mums are amazing❣️ Thank you for all these answers.
I have never thought that having a puppy and a little kid it’s such a hard work. Maybe because our cat let my child doing whatever he wants (even if the cat is not happy) and I can leave them without supervision (my toilet). I was naive hoping that my son would be playing with the dog who would be happy to do the same…

the cat might leave home

I was naive hoping that my son would be playing with the dog who would be happy to do the same…

That all sounds lovely... have you ever met a puppy? They're landsharks with bitey teeth and sharp claws. 🤣 Even as an adult you'll be covered in scratches and marks where they've had a nibble.

I recommend having a search of MN for some puppy threads, they're very eye opening.

Granted terriers are on the bitey end of the scale but oh my god it was awful. Picture this. Having breakfast on sofa. Puppy pottering around. Next minute I had a face full of puppy and my coffee and porridge was across me and the furniture as she had launched herself at me full teeth wanting to play. I ate standing up after that. Husband WFH and he often had to catch up several hours when I got back as he got so behind dealing with her. It’s paid off as she’s mostly turned into a lovely little dog who is well trained and calm around the house but I can’t imagine doing it with a small child. Nobody talks about how hard puppies are.

Don't do it. My dogs were lovely grownup dogs by the time DC came along, and still it's a right PITA having small children and dogs. Social media is full of cute videos of dogs and babies being best friends. The reality is that you're constantly refereeing, making sure dog doesn't steal baby's food, that baby doesn't poke dog in the eye, that dog doesn't bark ay postman and disturb baby's nap, that baby doesn't annoy dog when it is sleeping..... 6 or so is an ideal time for getting a dog I reckon.

I obviously did it all wrong. We had a cat and our youngest DC was just turned 1 when we got a puppy (farm ratter style of JRT).

The only downside was limited time to train the puppy. She was never great on the lead, but her recall was decent. I never regretted getting her, even when she was getting her second walk of the day in the dark at 8pm and it was snowing.

My friend has 3 dogs and 3 pre school children including 2 year old twins.
She copes fine.

Yes, it's naive. Your toddler will quickly become scared of the puppy as the fast jerky movements of toddlers are like a red flag to a bull for a puppy - they will launch and grab and bite. The puppy won't be being malicious or aggressive, but will still draw blood with their needle teeth. A puppy and a toddler takes a lot of management, baby gates and room dividers.

Am I the only person who’s had a great experience bringing up kids alongside dogs? Yes guess it’s harder work than not having dogs but I’ve certainly never had to sweep up crumbs, the kids have enjoyed the walks and they’ve loved mucking about with the dogs. I grew up with dogs so felt totally normal to me to have them alongside kids. Is this a new thing thinking you can only have one or the other? I guess there’s a lot of paranoia now, I’m old school so one dog goes to bed with my ten year old, makes for a very easy bed time and I’m not a believer that a placid loving Labrador is about to turn.

I grew up with dogs but we made a conscious choice not to get one until our youngest was 10 because we were always very big on days out and weekends away when they were little and the types of places we went were not dog friendly . It was nothing to do with supervision of dogs / toddlers .

My dogs were old when my baby was born, that was fine. We got a puppy when he was ten months old as we knew we wanted more kids and a puppy and a baby sounded easier than a puppy, baby and toddler. I'm a dog trainer and it was still hard work. I think a puppy and a toddler is the worst possible combo - younger babies or older kids are much easier to manage with a bitey pup.

Is this a new thing thinking you can only have one or the other?

I'm not sure it's particularly new - I was born in the late eighties and while lots of my friends had dogs, they were all older dogs who had been around before we were all born. Any puppies only came along once we were all school age.

I wouldn't consider a sight hound with a cat, I know some whippets are fine but you can never be sure.

I've had whippets in the past that would attempt to kill a leaf blowing in the wind or chased aeroplanes and no amount of training deterred them.

I dog sit a whippet puppy, I really, really wouldn't recommend a puppy with a young child! Absolutely exhausting and very bitey and bouncy. Has to be watched all the time and all things that could be chewed have to be removed, all bins put up high. Nothing is safe! You couldn't just have your young child playing with them that's for sure.

Whippets are great with kids. We had no problems with two whippets and young children but they would kill any cat given half the chance.

It’s not about having one or the other, it’s just thinking about when’s better to add a puppy/new dog in the mix with young children who aren’t used to living with one… especially if it’s a first child or first dog.

Puppies can be real bitey, toddlers aren’t exactly known for respecting personal space and add in stuff like housetraining a puppy with a child who is too young to be left unsupervised and it can be a lot more to handle than people expect.

Whatever breed you decide on, never ever leave your dog and child together unsupervised.

capt.org.uk/dogs-and-children/

No, not at all. Our DC were never scared of either our first puppy or any subsequent ones, and they were all thrilled a few years later when we got a second puppy. They all love dogs as adults.

I'd rather have got a dog before we had DC, but circumstances didn't permit it, and both DH and decided that now was the time. Yes, it is hard work having a toddler or small DC (or, in my case, both) when you get a puppy, but if you're determined to make it work, you can.

That little JRT was 100% worth the effort.