@sharkdive1 I’m a nanny and brought my pup with me from 8wks old to 21 wks old. Then he started daycare. The kids at the time were 18mo and 4. It was so hard but a strict routine with the puppy helped a ton, the kids always came first tbh and it worked well.
Here are my tips that worked well with managing young kids and a puppy:
-train food impulse control. Puppy doesn’t eat anything without a release word, I use “okay”. They don’t eat their meals or high value treats without waiting and being released. This helps prevent them from snatching food from a young child and taking food off the floor (what happens when a child drops grapes or chocolate?).
-train a strong down command. I’m cooking? Puppy is laying down at my feet. Changing a diaper? Puppy is laying down at my feet. Feeding baby? Puppy is laying down at my feet. Always have a training pouch with treats do you can toss puppy treats for listening and staying in the down command.
-involve the kids if they are old enough. Have the kids feed the dog with the wait and release. It’s a confidence booster for the children, helps dog and kid bond, and enforced that puppy has to listen to the children too. The children provide resource too.
-make sure puppy is mentally and physically tired. You will have to take time to do this but you can involve the kids. Strap baby to your chest and show the toddler how to play fetch out back. Or train puppy to walk nicely next to a stroller and make it a group walk.
-crate train and enforce naps. This saved my life. I’m sure you can find a lot of info on this. Younger puppies will need more naps but my guy was down to a good 3 hr afternoon nap. He always went in his crate for his naps and it gave me some free hours to just be with the kids.
-to put it bluntly, your husband needs to do so much more. You know why puppy is stuck to your hip? Because you’ve provided all the resource and care. Husband needs to step it up and actively work on his relationship with the puppy.
-can puppy go to daycare 1-2x a week? If puppy has all vaccines finding a safe daycare nearby may be a good option for 2x a week. It’ll tire out your pup, let her play with some friends, and give you a break. You could also inquire about her sisters parents taking her one day a week for a few hours? We use a small at home daycare run by a trainer for our puppy on the days we work. He loves it and we do too.
I’m not even a parent and it was so difficult! But if you want to stick with it I feel like my tips could be super beneficial. It’ll be a full 18mo-2yrs before you have a well rounded matured dog. But it can be so fun seeing your puppy and kids get along and grow a relationship. Remember you come first. It’s okay to prioritize your well being over this puppy. I’m sure she’ll be with a good family whether you keep her or not.
