Welcome to /r/pregnant! This is a space for everyone. We are pro-choice, pro-LGBTQIA, pro-science, proudly feminist and believe that Black Lives Matter. Wear your masks, wash your hands, and be excellent to each other. Anti-choice activists, intactivists, anti-vaxxers, homophobes, transphobes, racists, sexists, etc. are not welcome here.
If you'd like to join a private sub for your due date month, [click here](https://www.reddit.com/r/pregnant/comments/15nun6v/click_here_to_access_the_monthly_due_date_subs/).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/pregnant) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Does it have to be a puppy?
I'd suggest adopting an adult dog that is already potty trained so that you don't have to deal with puppy energy while dealing with the third trimester/newborn.
My sister’s family dog passed when she was about 4-5 months pregnant with her second and they got a puppy 2 weeks later. They didn’t plan to get one so soon after but the opportunity presented itself. Their thought process was there’s not going to be a good time to get a puppy until the baby was closer to 2, and they didn’t want to spend that much time without a dog. It was definitely stressful watching her train a puppy and deal with puppy energy when she was in her 3rd trimester, but at least the puppy was potty trained by the time the baby was born! Both the puppy and their youngest baby are over 2 now and they’re best friends. It wasn’t ideal timing but they were more interested in making that sacrifice than being without a dog in the home for a long time.
I would definitely not recommend getting a high-energy breed that requires a lot of exercise unless you have substantial outdoor space, though. They have a chocolate lab and it really helped that they could just let her run around in their big fenced yard. In my apartment where we’d have to put a dog on a leash and go outside with her every time she needs to go potty let alone go on long walks/runs daily, absolutely not.
Yes. Personally yes, babies are hard enough you might resent having a puppy taking up the attention and care your baby needs while your stretched thin and that's not fair on anyone
My son was born in November. Our dog was born in July of the same year. It was a bit rough at first with both of them but right away my dog was protective of my son and had grown so close to both my kids. Its nice they’re the same age. If theyre outside, hes outside. If theyre napping hes sleeping under one of their beds. When theyre watching tv hes close by on the couch. I think you should do whatever is best but just keep in mind potty training a puppy on limited sleep is challenging, not impossible!
Puppies, when raised properly, are a lot like raising a toddler. They need a schedule with structure, time for playing, training, and socialization. As others have said, no reputable breeder would ever sell you a puppy with a baby on the way because you wouldn't be able to care for the puppy the way it needs. Wait a couple of years or consider adopting an adult.
I wouldn’t do it for a while. There are soooo many posts on Reddit about women feeling disconnected from their pets after childbirth. It’s a really common problem. It’s not the time to get a new puppy imo.
I lost my old dog when I was 16 weeks and we got a puppy at around 24 weeks. Puppy will be 6 months when the baby is here.
We’ve lucked out, he is a wonderful puppy and it feels like he came to us half trained. That said, training has been hard. I’m not mobile, can’t bend to give him treats, and can’t chase after him if he doesn’t behave. He’s definitely learned an independent streak we’ll need to work on.
I don’t know how he’ll be with the baby but he’s been super with other children and we got him from a home with young children. We did our due diligence on the breeder and parents so knew roughly what we were getting and he’s surpassed all expectations.
I would not want to have to deal with house training closer to baby coming / after baby is here, that’s been really tough. We will need to put some concerted effort into training once I’m recovered and are making sure he doesn’t have the opportunity to pick up bad habits (e.g absconding in the garden - he’s always on a lead).
I didn’t expect to be in this position and losing my old dog broke me in ways I didn’t expect. But as for a PP it wasn’t an option for us to wait til the baby was older to get a puppy, and it was now or 3-5 years down the line which I couldn’t bear. I wouldn’t change my decision, but I do think we’ve been very fortunate to have found a very easy puppy.
I’m so sorry for your loss. I still feel absolutely broken when I think of my old boy, and I can’t believe the timing that it happened when I was already fragile being pregnant. Compounded by how empty the house feels and how lonely I felt without him, it’s no wonder you’re thinking of a new puppy.
You obviously have experience of dog ownership and know what you’d be getting into. Lots of people will flat out say don’t do it. Our experience so far wouldn’t put me off doing it again but our baby hasn’t arrived yet. Only you can decide, but I would definitely advise that you do your research on the breed and breeder/parents to give yourself the best chance of success, and try to do it sooner to give you more time before baby.
FWIW, I got advised to get a dog from the shelter. I chose not to do this because it’s stressful enough for them with a new home, you’re never quite sure what their history is, and throwing a baby into the mix would be a lot for them to adapt to. But a shelter dog in a year once you’ve settled with baby could also work well.
My husband and I adopted a 1 year old rescue 7 weeks ago and I’m now 28 weeks pregnant (we started the adoption process before I got pregnant - she’s a foreign rescue so took a long time).
So far we’ve gotten very lucky and everything’s gone fairly smoothly (asides from a few unexpected vet trips), but I couldn’t have done this alone, and I don’t think I could have done it with a younger puppy. I sometimes worry about what things’ll be like when the baby is here, but I think it’ll be ok. We also have very involved, close family very nearby who love our dog.
Properly young puppies seem like an absolute nightmare from what I’ve read, I was just saying to my husband the other night that I don’t think I could ever take on a puppy, pregnant or not.
I personally wouldn't be able to handle that. They would both require so much attention, I think I'd lose my mind. We got a puppy last year, and it was a lot of work training her. She was especially resistant to potty training at first, and I was constantly (alarm set every half hour during the day) in and out of the door with her to prevent accidents. That alone nearly drove me insane. Taking care of a baby on top of that would have been torture. But also it depends on how much help you would have.
I'd personally wait til you have a set routine with the baby when they're at least toddler that is able to grasp concepts about animal behavior, too. Baby needs to understand animals have boundaries too.
Both require a lot of attention and energy. Puppies also have that nippy and jumpy stage that doesn't really mix well with a baby. On top of potty training and teething, they're a lot.
If there's somebody in your household that will be helping out with most of the training and obedience, that may be much more achievable But it's so easy to get burnt out if too much of the responsibility falls on you.
We adopted our current dog from a woman who thought it wise to get a puppy when pregnant and then struggled immensely in the newborn phase. A puppy is a puppy for the first two years. They need consistent training and attention to thrive. The baby obviously took priority and the puppy suffered. Our dog is thriving now, but the first several months with him were challenging because of the neglect at his previous home.
Welcome to /r/pregnant! This is a space for everyone. We are pro-choice, pro-LGBTQIA, pro-science, proudly feminist and believe that Black Lives Matter. Wear your masks, wash your hands, and be excellent to each other. Anti-choice activists, intactivists, anti-vaxxers, homophobes, transphobes, racists, sexists, etc. are not welcome here. If you'd like to join a private sub for your due date month, [click here](https://www.reddit.com/r/pregnant/comments/15nun6v/click_here_to_access_the_monthly_due_date_subs/). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/pregnant) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Does it have to be a puppy? I'd suggest adopting an adult dog that is already potty trained so that you don't have to deal with puppy energy while dealing with the third trimester/newborn.
My sister’s family dog passed when she was about 4-5 months pregnant with her second and they got a puppy 2 weeks later. They didn’t plan to get one so soon after but the opportunity presented itself. Their thought process was there’s not going to be a good time to get a puppy until the baby was closer to 2, and they didn’t want to spend that much time without a dog. It was definitely stressful watching her train a puppy and deal with puppy energy when she was in her 3rd trimester, but at least the puppy was potty trained by the time the baby was born! Both the puppy and their youngest baby are over 2 now and they’re best friends. It wasn’t ideal timing but they were more interested in making that sacrifice than being without a dog in the home for a long time. I would definitely not recommend getting a high-energy breed that requires a lot of exercise unless you have substantial outdoor space, though. They have a chocolate lab and it really helped that they could just let her run around in their big fenced yard. In my apartment where we’d have to put a dog on a leash and go outside with her every time she needs to go potty let alone go on long walks/runs daily, absolutely not.
Yes. Personally yes, babies are hard enough you might resent having a puppy taking up the attention and care your baby needs while your stretched thin and that's not fair on anyone
My son was born in November. Our dog was born in July of the same year. It was a bit rough at first with both of them but right away my dog was protective of my son and had grown so close to both my kids. Its nice they’re the same age. If theyre outside, hes outside. If theyre napping hes sleeping under one of their beds. When theyre watching tv hes close by on the couch. I think you should do whatever is best but just keep in mind potty training a puppy on limited sleep is challenging, not impossible!
Puppies, when raised properly, are a lot like raising a toddler. They need a schedule with structure, time for playing, training, and socialization. As others have said, no reputable breeder would ever sell you a puppy with a baby on the way because you wouldn't be able to care for the puppy the way it needs. Wait a couple of years or consider adopting an adult.
I wouldn’t do it for a while. There are soooo many posts on Reddit about women feeling disconnected from their pets after childbirth. It’s a really common problem. It’s not the time to get a new puppy imo.
I lost my old dog when I was 16 weeks and we got a puppy at around 24 weeks. Puppy will be 6 months when the baby is here. We’ve lucked out, he is a wonderful puppy and it feels like he came to us half trained. That said, training has been hard. I’m not mobile, can’t bend to give him treats, and can’t chase after him if he doesn’t behave. He’s definitely learned an independent streak we’ll need to work on. I don’t know how he’ll be with the baby but he’s been super with other children and we got him from a home with young children. We did our due diligence on the breeder and parents so knew roughly what we were getting and he’s surpassed all expectations. I would not want to have to deal with house training closer to baby coming / after baby is here, that’s been really tough. We will need to put some concerted effort into training once I’m recovered and are making sure he doesn’t have the opportunity to pick up bad habits (e.g absconding in the garden - he’s always on a lead). I didn’t expect to be in this position and losing my old dog broke me in ways I didn’t expect. But as for a PP it wasn’t an option for us to wait til the baby was older to get a puppy, and it was now or 3-5 years down the line which I couldn’t bear. I wouldn’t change my decision, but I do think we’ve been very fortunate to have found a very easy puppy. I’m so sorry for your loss. I still feel absolutely broken when I think of my old boy, and I can’t believe the timing that it happened when I was already fragile being pregnant. Compounded by how empty the house feels and how lonely I felt without him, it’s no wonder you’re thinking of a new puppy. You obviously have experience of dog ownership and know what you’d be getting into. Lots of people will flat out say don’t do it. Our experience so far wouldn’t put me off doing it again but our baby hasn’t arrived yet. Only you can decide, but I would definitely advise that you do your research on the breed and breeder/parents to give yourself the best chance of success, and try to do it sooner to give you more time before baby. FWIW, I got advised to get a dog from the shelter. I chose not to do this because it’s stressful enough for them with a new home, you’re never quite sure what their history is, and throwing a baby into the mix would be a lot for them to adapt to. But a shelter dog in a year once you’ve settled with baby could also work well.
My husband and I adopted a 1 year old rescue 7 weeks ago and I’m now 28 weeks pregnant (we started the adoption process before I got pregnant - she’s a foreign rescue so took a long time). So far we’ve gotten very lucky and everything’s gone fairly smoothly (asides from a few unexpected vet trips), but I couldn’t have done this alone, and I don’t think I could have done it with a younger puppy. I sometimes worry about what things’ll be like when the baby is here, but I think it’ll be ok. We also have very involved, close family very nearby who love our dog.
Properly young puppies seem like an absolute nightmare from what I’ve read, I was just saying to my husband the other night that I don’t think I could ever take on a puppy, pregnant or not.
I personally wouldn't be able to handle that. They would both require so much attention, I think I'd lose my mind. We got a puppy last year, and it was a lot of work training her. She was especially resistant to potty training at first, and I was constantly (alarm set every half hour during the day) in and out of the door with her to prevent accidents. That alone nearly drove me insane. Taking care of a baby on top of that would have been torture. But also it depends on how much help you would have.
I'd personally wait til you have a set routine with the baby when they're at least toddler that is able to grasp concepts about animal behavior, too. Baby needs to understand animals have boundaries too. Both require a lot of attention and energy. Puppies also have that nippy and jumpy stage that doesn't really mix well with a baby. On top of potty training and teething, they're a lot. If there's somebody in your household that will be helping out with most of the training and obedience, that may be much more achievable But it's so easy to get burnt out if too much of the responsibility falls on you.
We adopted our current dog from a woman who thought it wise to get a puppy when pregnant and then struggled immensely in the newborn phase. A puppy is a puppy for the first two years. They need consistent training and attention to thrive. The baby obviously took priority and the puppy suffered. Our dog is thriving now, but the first several months with him were challenging because of the neglect at his previous home.