Deciding whether to get a dog or no is difficult. Deciding whether to get a dog or no in a family with children is such a struggle. I have decided to make it easier for you. This article will walk you through some important details you need to consider before deciding whether to get a dog or no, and if so, what kind of dog.
1- Age of your children (babies & toddlers)
If you have babies and toddlers you have to think carefully what kind of dog to get. In this case tiny, little dogs are a “threat” to your child. These tiny dogs are fragile, and super protective of themselves. The fact that they feel little in front of your babies makes this dog-baby relationship very complicated. It is difficult for them to perceive your child’s attitude in most cases, and they will attack, or bite.In general for a family with toddlers, and babies bigger dogs, are a wiser choice. Large dogs feel comfortable with babies, are playful, and do dot get hurt when accidentally stepped on or tripped over.
2- Age of your children (older children & teens)
If you are a family with older children and teens you can select a dog that is little, big, or medium sized. The choice is not as much critical as in the previous case. While making your decision, you might want to consider how much can your children play with the dog. Little dogs are easier to take care of, while big dogs need more physical activity and time.
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3- Supervision
No matter how old is your child, and no matter what dog breed you decide to get remember: never leave your child alone with your dog. It doesn’t matter how loyal this animal is to its owner, it is still an animal. On the other hand; children are children. From time to time children do silly things that could frighten, or scare dogs to death. As soon as they get scared dogs try to protect themselves, and sometimes they could hurt whoever scared them (your child.)
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4- Take care of the dog
It is sad to hear that some families decide to get a dog, and then forget about the dog. Remember that if you decide to get a dog, you should have the time for it. Having a dog is like having a new baby in your family. You should be dedicated in taking good care of it. A dog has daily needs, should be feed properly, should be trained every day, and should have someone to play with in order to be healthy mentally. “The best dogs for kids are those who receive proper socialization, humane family-friendly training, proper amounts of exercise, and attention.”
5- Schedule changes
There will be a lot of changes in your house once you get a dog.
- New Noises- You will hear noises all the time in your house 24/7. Sometimes from your dog other times from your baby.
- New smells- There will be dirty diapers, baby powder, body lotions, and dog smells all over the house.
- New objects- You will have to buy baby gates, dog gates, indoor swings carriages and so on.
- New rules- The house will have new rules for everybody; adults, children and dog.
- New schedule- Waking up time will change, relaxing time should be removed, long baths should be cut, and movie time will be once everybody (children, and dog) are asleep.
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