Is she too young for a puppy?

Sara - posted on 03/19/2010

We just got a Golden Retriever/Chow/Corgi mix from a shelter and it is very good with us but not so good with our son. She will tolerate him giving her hugs but not too much of anything or you can tell she is getting defensive when she looks up at me and freezes. It's been tough.. I don't recommend it. Cats are A LOT easier (also have a cat), especially a declawed one.. less problems, no fleas or anything else and very easy to train because you don't have to! Just go with the cat!

Alycia - posted on 03/19/2010

We had a mini daschund before my son was born and then when he was around 11 months we got a puppy, I found when you get them from a puppy they just learn how to interact with the child through your training of them and same with your child it's a double duty on training but I find with appropriate training from a puppy stage you are the one who creates the relationship your dog and child will have. The little dog is really good with him too she was only one when he came along but I find the new dog to be even better, he's a bigger dog too so Gabriel can hug him and stuff and he just sits there to take it all in. I love watching them play together and see how good they all interact. I really think it's all in the training, puppy's especially are easier to mold (especially if you look for dogs who train well)! So get a dog you'll like to have around and not just one you've heard is good with kids because puppies are impressionable for sure!
But I'm not saying disregard the idea of a dog who known to be naturally good with kids either, I certainly think it can help but I don't think it should be a limiting factor that's all! Good Luck, having pets is fun with kids :)

Rebecca - posted on 03/18/2010

We have two Boston Terriers that have been part of our family since before my son was born. They are about 5 now (my son is 20months). They are wonderful with my son, and have been since he was born. However, my son is sometimes rough with them (not intentionally). My recommendation is that you make sure your child isn't too rough with pets first, go for a young dog, but one that's already house trained would be ideal. And make sure your pet has somewhere to go that it can get away from the children in case they feel threatened. My dogs are small so they go on top of my bed or under the bed.

ERIN - posted on 03/18/2010

We have a shih tzu/daschund mix and my 20 month old and her are like best friends. He is very rough with her and she will sometimes growl at him if he gets too close to her while she's eating. Our vet told us that having a puppy and a baby together is great for both of them but you have to make sure that your puppy sees the baby as a master and not an equal. That was our problem with our dog...she thought of our son as an equal. We started having him give her her treats and food and making her sit while he did it and it's gotten 10 times better. I think if you can handle both a toddler and a puppy then you should go for it!!

Nicole - posted on 03/18/2010

Somewhere, quite a while ago, I read that you should wait until your child is 2 to bring a new pet into the family. But I think that all depends on the child. If your daughter does well with animals...dogs and cats, then it's probably fine. My son likes to pull cats by their tails (the neighbor's cats) and he's pretty rough with them. That may be just boys... Either way, introduce her to other people's pets if you haven't already and see how she reacts. Good luck!

Alisha - posted on 03/17/2010

Hi, a puppy is a good idea especially at this age. My daughter is so intent on helping with all my day to day duties, vacuming, cleaning, taking out the rubbish, and feeding our dog. I have a 6 yr old staffy who everyone said wouldn't be good around my bub. But thats not the case My bub helps me put her food out, takes the ball out of her mouth to throw it, helps fill the water bowl and bath her... my dog is very playful and can be rough but they have learnt to interact with each other... So yes its a great time to introduce a puppy to build on thier responsibility and independence skills. I also agree with Shelly in regards to a pup that has already shown they interact well with children... Good luck... :-)

Shelly - posted on 03/13/2010

Hello! Not sure about a Havanese, as we have never had one! However, we have had a dog, and now a puppy since our daughter was born. We had a nine year old beagle when Brynn was born, and they always interacted very well together. When he recently passed away, we looked for an older puppy that had already proven to be good with children. We adopted a one year old beagle from another family. He and my daughter get along very well. My advice would be to find a puppy that already has some home training, and that you already know has evidence of being around children successfully. We have never had any problems this way. Good luck to you!