Am i right or wrong in this ? DOG QUESTION
 

my wife wants to buy a dog but
We have a 3 year old. So I suggested we wait tell she is older so i know that our 3 year old wont be mean to the dog


What would you do ? would you wait to buy a dog tell the child is older or buy a dog and just teach our child not to be mean? If so do we buy a PUPPY or an older dog

buy the dog and get rid of the kid, you'll thank me later.

surely makes you happier + you save some money too :1orglaugh

It's hard to say. First, a child WILL be mean to a dog, count on it. The main reason dog bites with children occurs is because children do things that scare dogs, like raise their arms up high and wave them around and scream loud noises and so on. So, IF you get a dog, always supervise when the dog is around your child.

If you do get a dog, a puppy can be nice because it grows up around your child and learns how to properly behave with a child. However, puppies nip a LOT and have to be trained not to.

If you got an older dog that has already learned to be around children, this could be very good for your child. However, finding a dog that you are very certain is good with kids can be hard.

LOL :1orglaugh

if we buy we plan on doing a ton of research into the seller and no gonna go to a puppy mill or anything


plus i am wanting something if we get anything that the baby cant pick up LOL

Dogs bite instinctively, it's their nature. Ours JUST stopped and he is 7 months old. They teeth for a good 6 months so count on them eating half of your kids flesh.

Wait. Trust me.

get a 6 week old puppy (freshly weaned) and make sure your kid doesnt hurt it for the first few weeks

i would never get a grown dog to be around kids (even a small breed)

I have a friend that trains dogs and has had them around all of their kids even when they were infants and toddlers. He has told me that if you really want the dog you need to first research what type of dog you are going to get and get one that will have a good temperament and is a good "kid friendly" breed. If you are getting a mixed breed then you might want to ask the people that have the puppies (assuming you aren't adopting from a shelter) what the parents are like and make sure they were kind of mellow and good around people and kids.

Second you need to be willing to teach your kid to be nice to the dog. I have seen this go two ways. First a friend taught his daughter to be nice to the dog and punished her when she was mean to it. Soon the girl and the dog got along great and had no problems. My brother's daughter would be mean to their dog, the dog would claw or snap at her and they would then punish the dog. The dog now lives in a kennel in the garage or sometimes in their utility room and is scared of everyone and everything.

Just use some common sense and teach both your kid and dog to be nice to each other and they will be best friends for many years to come.

Sorry for the long post :)

My 2 year old niece has been great with our puppies. I guess it all depends on the kids. Each one being different from the next.

that's smart.
it would be sad if you got the dog and then gave it up after a week or so because it wasn't working out.

my advice....look into the boxer breed. they are awesome with kids. i have 3 of them plus a 4 yr old boy who's a terror. someone earlier stated that biting is instinctive for a dog. not true. raise the dog properly and it will be tolerant of all people....kids included.

As hyper as most Boxers are that would be the last breed I would recommend for a small child.

Train the dog to care for your child while you go out to the bar

Just wait until the kid is older, like 10 or 15. the dog will thank you later.

NosMo

It would take pretty constant supervision, but could work out great for all involved. I would recommend a good kid safe breed like retriever or lab. Kids can *usually* climb all over these dogs without the dog lifting its lip at all.

I would say to introduce your child to a dog first: a dog that is already in a family with a bunch of children of all ages and that has gotten used to child like behaviour - basically would be a dog that would mainly ignore child-like behaviour and not get alarmed at screaming or raising arms quickly, etc..

Buy dog now. It helps kid to have more social feelings, might learn how to take care and it significantly helps kids immunity.

Children that young shouldn't be left alone with dogs period. So as long as their interaction is supervised, and you pick a nice gentle breed like a lab for instance, you should be okay.

Wow there must be tons of maimed kids where you guys live. Buy the fucking dog and teach the kid what to do. If the kid still put peanut butter in the DVD and thinks it is funny then you should wait.

Kids that young are never left ALONE period so not really an issue. No one runs to the store on their 3 year old with or without a dog.

Get a basset hound. Rescues are brimming with them.

My son could pound my dog in the face and he'd say, Thank you. May I have another? Obviously that would never happen, but my point is, he doesn't have a mean bone in his body. When was the last time you heard about a basset hound attacking a kid on the news? :winkwink:

Damn what happens if you already have dogs then end up having a kid?

Never mind, I would get the dog and also pick maybe a black lab or a golden retriever. They have always been great to my siblings when we had those dogs and a new child appeared. Plus for awhile the kid can use the dog as a small pony.

Well obviously. People do run in to the other room for a minute to grab something and leave a kid on the floor. You can't take that chance with a new dog and a young kid.

it depends on the breed of dog. you wouldnt get some pit bull kind of dog to be around a child, NEVER.
I have always grown up with dogs, since i was a baby. you have to teach the child to respect the dog and the dog will respect CHILD! just like the relationship with your wife. its a partnership.... dogs go bad when you treat them badly!

is common sense! come on dude!!

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh

I would avoid the yappy type dogs. My parents got a cocker spaniel puppy when I was 9 and it was the terror of the house. Bit everybody, barked all the time, and was generally a royal pain to be around. She lasted a good 14 years out of spite, I'm sure.

The best dogs are the ones that don't blink when people jump around or get loud. Basic obedience is also a must.

This guy knows more about dog behaviour than anyone IMO: http://www.cesarmillaninc.com/tips/

I'm sure it will be in your best interest to check that site out.

Well if you are a good parent... which I will make the assumption that you are then adding a dog shouldn't be a problem.

As a parent you will teach your child how to treat the dog. If you are mean and kick the dog then so will your child.

If you treat your dog like part of the family then so will your child.

Many children grow up with family pets so it should not be a problem unless you happen to be the parent of satan spawn ... I think the bigger question is what kind of dog should you get and that the breeds temperment should play a role in your decision for sure.

If you are willing to teach the child to treat the dog as a family member not a possession.Then its a great thing. Read a story about a great dane a family gave up because it bit one of the kids. It turned out the kids were stuffing rocks and sticks in the dogs ears and it was so infected. The dog was so scared by the abuse it had to be put down.

I'd recommend waiting as it's easier to introduce an older child to a pet that requires some modicum of maturity to get along with.

dogs and kids are fine together ..... uh did you ever have a dog .. ?? chances are your parents or 80% of the people you know had dogs when we were all kids .. we have dogs .. puppies .. and kids .. and some how we manage to tough it out .. lol

btw, which is your child's reaction when she meets a dog? if it's ok, so buy it! and it depends on what knd of dog you wanna buy!

i never would buy a child at that age a dog, onyl a cat

When you buy one, please NEVER NEVER let your dog ALONE with a mall kid, no matter what breed, no matter what size, and no matter how 'cute'the dog always is...

that clearly shows your ignorance to the breed.

You can have a dog with a little child here the same rule is going to apply whether you have an adult or a puppy, CONSTANT SUPERVISION. Little children should NOT BE LEFT ALONE WITH DOGS PERIOD!! No matter how sweet an animal is, they will retaliate on INSTINCT if they are hurt, and little children tend to think of dogs as stuffed toys. If you are willing to constantly supervise the situation, it's ok.. but it ALSO means educating your CHILD on proper treatment of animals... It will be a lot of work.

I brought home TWO pups with my youngest as a 3 year old... I NEVER leave her alone with them even now, however the dogs behave well with children, and she has learned how to behave around dogs. I'd still never trust a little child not to be curious/hurtful without meaning to tho. ;)

Oh, and my BIGGEST recommendation with dogs/children mixed in a house.. TEACH YOUR DOGS NOT TO BE FOOD-AGGRESSIVE! Little children will grab toys or food from dogs without thinking... if you teach your dog NOT to be food-aggressive it will NEVER be an issue. Even my cats can walk up to the food dishes and eat my dog's food in front of them and they won't budge him. Make the dogs WAIT for food, until you give them permission.. it teaches them their place in the pack and prevents food-aggression in all it's forms.

100% true.. make sure you do your breed research AND get your animal from a reputable breeder where it's been socialized properly.

Depends on your child's personality, and maturity level. If you have a calm child who wants a puppy and understands that it's something to be gentle with I think it would be OK. If you have a more hyper kid who runs around and is rough with their things I might wait till the child is older. I'm not saying one type of kid is better than the other but that kids handle things differently. Whatever the case definitely get a puppy of a breed that is known for tolerating kids.