We have a 1 1/2 old baby - should we get a puppy?
Dear WOOF,
My husband and I have started thinking about getting a puppy. We have a 19 month old son. You are such a highly praised training academy I figured it wouldn't hurt asking for some advice. We have decided on getting a bullmastiff. A family members has a couple and we fell in love! However since they are not the smallest dogs in the world thats where I was wondering if you would recommend waiting due to the size of the dog versus the size of our growing son. The breeders I've emailed have said its not a problem. We do plan on enrolling in your classes and I've had a large German Shepard and a pitbull before so I am comfortable with bigger dogs. But I obviously don't want to bring a dog into a situation that's its not right for yet either. Thanks for your help!
Kristina
Hello Kristina,
Thanks for writing! Adding a new puppy to the household with a very young child can be a great experience, but it can be very difficult too - much like having 2 kids!
We feel it may be best to wait a while, until your child is older, but of course, that's up to you! Here are some links to articles about adding a new dog to a household with very young children, which may help you to make your decision:
We also wanted to share a resource on how to be sure you're choosing a truly responsible breeder:
And finally, here is the link woofology's entire Tips section on dogs and kids, that we hope you'll also find helpful:
We hope this helps as you make your decision, and thanks again for writing!
Lisa Patrona, Dip. CBST, CPDT-KA, ACDBC, AABP-CDT
Sign up to receive Woofology's
Tip of Week via email: woofologist@yahoo.com
