Pregnant and wanting a puppy?

[mymessagetou]

@lochie i adopted a GSD puppy in august and it has been the hardest thing i've ever gone through in my life lol. GSD's are notoriously difficult puppies. i do NOT recommend doing it while pregnant and knowing you'll have an infant in a few months. my puppy is 6 months now and is still about 60% demon. she requires all of my attention all of the time. i am also considering getting pregnant soon but i am making sure she is at least 1.5 years old by the time i have a baby.

a non-GSD puppy could maybe be a different story. my first dog that i adopted as a puppy is an aussie/chow/mutt and he was a complete angel baby, super easy. but if you're set on a GSD then i would definitely wait.

 

[lochie]

@mymessagetou I completely remember how hard it was to raise a GSD pup. He came home with coccidia from his mother and immediately was in and out the emergency vet for a few weeks. I was certain he was a goner then when he was so sick.
After his recovery, he was very fast to learn but required a lot of consistency and play time. And don't get me started on the separation anxiety! I remember telling myself I never wanted to raise a puppy alone again. Which I guess is why I thought with 2 adults a baby and a puppy was do-able.

 

[chexmix19]

@lochie I am currently pregnant with a puppy and a senior dog and sometimes I do wish I waited. But I still love her so much and am excited that baby will grow up with the puppy.

She’s a pug and I got her when she was 12 weeks old and I was 13 weeks pregnant. In the early days it wasn’t too bad, aside from my nausea. I was able to walk her, bring her to puppy training, and day care. Bending over to clean up potty messes wasn’t too difficult.

Now she’s almost 8 months and I am due in January. It’s getting a lot harder to bend over put her leash on or pick up the occasional accident. I am very fatigued, so it can be a struggle to motivate myself to walk her.

I consider myself lucky with this puppy because she has been relatively goood - no major behavioral issues, crate trained easily, takes naps in her pen throughout the day so I can also nap. But she’s also a puppy so she does have accidents, is still nipping, and has a ton of energy. She jumps up a lot and I am a bit concerned about how that will go when baby is here.

Considering you’re 6 months already, I’d wait. I don’t regret getting my puppy but there have been days where I just wish I could relax more even though I did I got her a lot earlier in my pregnancy. I am starting to get a little nervous about having the responsibility of two dogs and a newborn.

 

[lochie]

@chexmix19 I don't even know why I hadn't thought about the bump getting in the way of doing things with the potential puppy. That's pregnancy brain for you, I guess.
I had a very difficult time raising my GSD. He was a big challenge, and didn't taper off much until 1.5 years old or so. Lots of energy to burn and balls to chase. Some evenings it felt like fetch would never end or it wasn't enough!
However, my other 2 are just living angels and are content to go with the flow. Bringing the baby home to them won't cause us any anxiety at all. And maybe I should just be thankful for being that lucky with the 2 adult dogs I have during this time in life...ugh.

 

[heloise23]

@lochie I would wait personally.

I got my pup this year knowing we are planning to have kids in 2-3 years. So that he would be all trained and a calm adult by then. Otherwise I think I would have waited until kids are school aged until I would have a puppy again. Babies and toddlers are a lot of work and honestly adding a puppy to the mix would probably drive me insane lol. It's not just having to raise the puppy while you're already exhausted, but also managing separating the two and keeping everyone safe. You'll have your hands full already, I know it sucks but give it a few years.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@lochie Bad idea. How are you going to have time to take care of a baby and a baby puppy? It will be extremely difficult to be trying to potty train a puppy while
Trying to feed a crying baby. Your attention will go to baby over puppy and your puppy will take ALOT longer to train - if at all. Which isn’t fair to the puppy. Plus puppies cry and will wake baby which when you’re tired could be very over stimulating.

I vote don’t do it.

Until the baby is older at least and ina routine and your sleeping thru the night and out of post partum.

Then try- but I wouldn’t do it before baby comes or when baby comes because your sanity will be shaken to the core. Puppies and babies are both very hard work and fully dependant on you.

 

[neveah37]

@lochie I am so sorry for your loss
My husband just got me a GS puppy. She was 8 wks when he brought her to me, and she’s almost 13 weeks now and I can’t imagine if I had a newborn to care for along with her. She’s completely bonded to me so she has separation anxiety if I even leave the room, I’m able to leave her with my husband or older kids for about 20 to 30 minutes before she starts getting upset. Luckily, she’s picked up on potty training like a pro but getting up all night with her still was a test she’s amazing and I love her but I wouldn’t do it if I had a baby.

 

[lochie]

@neveah37 Thank you They are such a great breed but not the easiest to raise at all. Once they pick a person, they pick them hard and for the rest of forever! I'm a first-time mom, so I'm not sure what to expect. My only baby experience is puppies, lol.

 

[grahamvanhellsing]

@lochie I’m sorry for the loss of your dog.
But. Don’t do it.

I had 3 smaller, super sweet and well trained dogs when I had my baby this past March. (Cavalier King Charles spaniels). It was… so much to handle. The dogs will take second fiddle to the baby, no matter how hard you try.

I’ve tragically lost 2 of my dogs over the course of the last 3 months and I only have 1 left. As much as I would love to give him another buddy, i absolutely cannot even consider it until my son is quite a bit older.

 

[lochie]

@grahamvanhellsing The dynamics of the house have changed completely to me with the loss of my GSD. But I know in 3 short months, it'll happen again when the baby comes. I'm just grief stricken and another GSD puppy sounded like a productive distraction. But a large undertaking considering the baby. Thankfully my other 2 are very low maintenance and just happy to be older, lazy dogs.

 

[concernedboardmember]

@lochie Maybe you could foster to adopt a dog instead? That way you already have connections if the dog doesn't adjust to baby.

 

[lochie]

@concernedboardmember I don't know if I'm built to foster, but it's not out of the question. Thanks!

 

[ronniev]

@lochie I won’t say it’s a bad idea, puppies are awesome, but it wouldn’t be a good idea. Having a newborn is tough, and I couldn’t imagine having both a puppy and a little baby, along with two other dogs. I say wait til the baby’s a bit older and you have a real routine down. Not saying you should do the same, but my husband and I waited until we were well out of the toddler years with our two kids before we got a puppy. We wanted to wait til the kids were a bit more independent. Waiting until then is one of the best decisions we made regarding our boy. They are able to help out with him, and we were able to dedicate more time to training and give him the proper attention. And we all dote on him, he’s become the baby of the family.

 

[lochie]

@ronniev Well, it sounds overwhelming when you put it that way But all the parents here are right, and I get it now. It would be nice for the ages of the baby and potential puppy to align better so that they can learn to care for the pup and ware each other out, too.

 

[eli1]

@lochie It would probably be best to contact some ethical breeders and get on a list.

Most ethical GSD breeders have waiting lists that are well over a year, so unless you want to buy from a BYB you aren't likely to actually get the puppy any time soon, and i wouldn't go the rescue rout with a GSD and an infant/toddler.

If you could get the puppy by the time the baby was born (and the breeder would place a puppy in a home with a newborn), you are almost guaranteed to be buying fr.an unethical BYB, and GSD are one of the worst breedsfor BYBs, and aside from the medical issues, temperament issues are rampant in them.

 

[lochie]

@eli1 Totally understood. The "getting a puppy today" comment was just a hypothetical in the sense of gaging how old the baby would compare to a puppy if I brought one home today versus how far along I am. I appreciate the insight.

 

[moni079]

@lochie Gently, don’t do it. Now is not the time. Your world is about to be shaken up in a way that you simply cannot grasp now. I say this as a new parent to an 11 month old. We have a 3 year old ACD/bully mix.

It’s not the moment to add more things to care for to your life. Start with having the baby, adjusting to new parenthood, and if you still have a puppy sized hole to fill inside you, then go for it. Keep in mind that babies starting to crawl, then walk, etc is a whole new level when there are dogs around. I would give it a year or many lol.

It’s a lot and simultaneously I love my baby and I love my dog. It’s a nice life. But there is no me time and the last year has flown by in a blink Idk how to describe it. You will YEARN for a moment to yourself. Don’t add a puppy to it. But also don’t let this scare you, it’s just going to be NEW and DIFFERENT. You can’t foresee it yet. Congratulations and best of luck!!! Also sorry for your loss but know you are blessed to have loved and had the love of your dog

 

[lochie]

@moni079 Yes ! That's what I've been saying on this thread. I just don't know what I don't know, and I'm very thankful for the parents trying to help me out. I thought the time between now and though maternity leave would be a fine time to raise a puppy and baby but I clearly don't know what I'm in for yet.

Thank you for both your congratulations and your sweet comment about the loss of our boy. They're more comforting now than you know.

 

[diogenestousinope]

@lochie I think you've got enough great advice about how not-a-good-idea it is to parent a baby and a puppy at the same time.

But I just wanted to add a bit about getting a puppy soon after losing a dog.

I desperately wanted another choc Labrador after my old girl died. She was my best friend and constant companion and her absence was devastating.

But then I realised I didn't really want a puppy – I wanted my girl back in puppy form so I could get another 14 years with her.

I decided to wait a year, and then I waited another six months. I'm picking up my brand new border collie puppy on Saturday.

You need time to grieve. It's not always a good idea just to fill the space with a replacement. I spoke to a friend who said she'd got another dog too early, and it amplified he grief because the new dog just wasn't the old dog. You're grieving a specific bond, not just a generic dog-human connection.

Meanwhile, enjoy your new human!

 

[woom96]

@lochie Id wait