[GSD Momma]

Looking for some help. Found the perfect puppy that will be available in 2weeks. (puppy will be 10 weeks). However I'm 9 weeks away from delivering a baby. Is it a good idea to get this puppy now or should we wait? I just don't have any idea. I think the husband and I can make it work, but I just don't know if it's a good idea or not. Will a 4 month old puppy be OK around a newborn? Naturally I will keep a close eye on both. It's very important to me to raise this baby with a GSD in his or her life. Suggestions?

 

[JonnyRico]

I'm not an expert, but I can only imagine the HUGE responsibilty it's going to take to raise a baby AND a puppy. You will definitely have your hands full. I would suggest to wait, but that's just my opinion.

Congrats on the baby!!!

 

[sagelfn]

If you do not have experience raising a puppy, especially a GSD puppy I would wait. They require a lot of work. One thing GSD puppies are known for is being little land sharks. Those teeth hurt and are sharp. It can last until they are done teething at 5-6 months of age. Keep in touch with the breeder and follow this pup as it grows. If the breeder repeats that breeding you'll have a good idea of the type of puppy you'll have.

Plus if you wait you can enjoy your newborn and then when ready for a puppy you will have time to enjoy the puppy and its antics

 

[GSD Momma]

We've raised a GSD puppy before... 10 years ago though. I just can't remember what it's like (I just remember it really sucking... lol)

 

[jakeandrenee]

I'd wait......GSD puppies are a wonderful disaster.....

 

[paulag1955]

I admire your ambition but...you have to sleep sometime! With a puppy and a newborn, I'm not sure when that would be.

 

[MR.G]

When our son was born our gsd was 1 and it worked out ok.But I would not want a pup and a newborn at the same time.Wait awile then they can grow up together.Just my 2cents.

 

[Kris10]

I'd wait......GSD puppies are a wonderful disaster.....

Haha- perfect description--

 

[Stevenzachsmom]

I adopted a 2 year old GSD, when my son was 2. Dog was housebroken, loved kids, gentle and not destructive. I didn't have to potty train and house break at the same time. They still grew up together. Both will be 13 soon.

 

[Randi0904]

WAIT!!!!! Our gsd is 4 months and I couldn't imagine having a newborn as well. She takes up sooo much of our time and she is teething so she chews on everything. Plus at 4 months they are still learning so it is a constant struggle to teach her what she can and can't do. I have actually decided to wait on children until she is fully trained! Good luck though in whatever you decide

 

[gsdraven]

Another vote for wait.

When my brother was 3 months old, my aunt thought a 3 month old puppy (irish setter) would be a great present for the family. My poor mother had to take the baby into the bathroom with her just to get a break. I helped out as much as I could but I was 14 and was in school. I slept with the puppy (sometimes IN the crate with him) and took him out every night but he only lasted 5 days before my Aunt had to take him back.

A newborn baby is enough work without a landshark running around at your feet.

 

[Myamom]

WAIT

Aside from the sleep deprivation and work (on both accounts...lol) ....you want to savor every moment of that baby time...with each of them.

 

[Stevenzachsmom]

I totally agree with all the "WAITS". When I walked through the shelter to find a dog, I remember passing a very cute puppy. His surrender papers said, "Don't have time for a puppy." Well, I didn't have time for a puppy either, which is why I chose the adult dog. My youngest was 2 at the time, but he was special needs.

There is absolutely no way I could have handled a puppy and a newborn. And....As other have said, "It wouldn't be fair to either."

 

[Rerun]

Our son was 6 wks old when we got our Mal puppy who was 10 wks at the time.

The puppy and baby do NOT interact. Ever. The puppy isn't a pet for our son, he is a puppy and as such has no ability to be reliable or safe around a child. He sniffs, sees, and is in the same room as our son but that is it.

I would have gone INSANE having a puppy in the house when my son was actually born. Absolutely insane. I ended up having an emergency c-section - totally unexpected and a totally normal pregnancy until right up at the end. I did not so much as touch the dogs for the first two weeks my son was home. My SO took total 100% care of them.

Now, after the first few weeks home, my son was sleeping darn near 24/7 it seemed like so by the time he was 6 wks old and snoozing all day, and decent chunks at night, I was going nuts all day with my SO gone and son asleep. I was used to working A LOT previously so a sleeping baby wasn't at all what I had expected. I spent the first month Dante was home training him constantly. He was housetrained in a matter of weeks, had major obedience training on him very quickly and was already enrolled in classes at 12 wks old.

Now it's a bit more juggling because my son is awake a lot more at 5 mo old now (almost), but my SO works nights and is home with me all day, so it works for us fine.

I would 100% completely and totally discourage you from havinga puppy when you first get home. Those first few weeks home....we were like the walking dead. It was the most exhausting thing we've ever done, and we both worked exhausting schedules prior to our son. Wait a few weeks and reaccess but don't wait too long because once they are out of those first few months they spend a lot more time awake. I got the potty training and basic ob done easily when my son slept so much from about 4 wks old through 3 mo.. JMHO

Forgot to add....we've also raised a ton of puppies between the two of us, and we do a ton of fostering, so training a pup is like second nature. The older dogs set a good example for them too. Not having had a puppy in 10 years, you're going to be in for a shock when you remember how much work they are.

 

[PupperLove]

WAIT....for sure...

Is this your first child and/or first puppy? This is the exact reason we decided to get our GSD when we did. We wanted to have more kids soon, but there is no way that we would have been able to cope with training and socializing a new puppy with a new baby. We also wanted to time it so I could still be at home with the kids and dogs during the younger years of their lives. Jackson will be over 1 year old when our baby is born, and that should work out just fine!

You won't get any sleep first of all! Then you will need to be taking care of baby, and paying close attention to puppy's housebreaking, training, and socialization. Then there are the SHARP puppy teeth and claws. I would not want the baby on the floor playing when the puppy is out, (or even adult dogs out, baby could get stepped on!). You would have to keep them seporated most likely, yet still be giving enough attention and care to both at the same time! Plus, after giving birth, your body will need time to recover, and you will need to get pleanty of sleep. I always thought having twins would be hard, but having a baby and a puppy would be even harder since they are both very similar, but have very different needs...then that makes stress for you that the baby and puppy don't need.

Congratulations though!! That's very exciting! Have the baby first and then decide when you think the time is right to add a puppy. My friend got a puppy when her son turned 6 months and it worked out well. It worked well for me when my son was 2.5 years old. It really depends on you and your situation, but for sure wait until you got a good handle on the new baby. Good luck!

 

[Veronica1]

My sister just had a baby a week ago. She has an adult dog and it's hard enough keeping the adult dog away from the baby. I agree with the waits.

 

[GSD Momma]

Despite the caution, I think we are still going to do it. We are both in our 30's and very active, while this is the first baby it's definitely not my first puppy. 4th puppy, 2nd GSD. 10 years out of practice, but I think it'll come back. We will pick up the puppy next week and crate train. The baby is not due for another 9 weeks, my father in law and nephew will watch the puppy at my house while I'm in the hospital and then I'll have 8 weeks home with both baby and puppy and husband will have 2 weeks home. We will make this work. I'm DEFINITELY not one to give up on a challenge, and despite the difficulties there is no way I would ever release a dog into a shelter because I'm incapable of anything. I will change, not the dog.
Plus I work from home 3 days a week. I've never crated a dog but it sounds like with a GSD that's the way to go. So when I'm unable to watch the puppy because I'm feeding or dealing with the baby, I will keep the pup in the crate and when baby is sleeping I will work with and train the pup (or husband will so I can nap!) The puppy will NEVER go unsupervised and will be taught boundaries. Our last wasn't crate trained (just gated) and she chewed up everything within her reach. That will be different this time. Honestly, that was my largest stress issue with puppy training!

Wish me luck, I know I will need it! Thanks for all of the replies and advice, but this just feels like it will be the right thing to do. I want my baby to be raised with a dog and this breeder has bred several lines with mild tempermants which is what I need.

 

[GSDBESTK9]

You are insane!!! But good luck. And congratulations on your baby. Oh! and puppy.

 

[vomlittlehaus]

I was reading through all the replies to this, when I got to yours. I was going to suggest you get the puppy now. Well in two weeks. The puppy grows fast, the baby does not. It is harder to potty train a puppy with a toddler running around. Your puppy will most likely be sleeping through the night by the time the baby is born. Most important, with baby and puppy 'GET ON A SCHEDULE'. The sooner you do this, the easier on everyone. Do you have the book 'The baby Whisperer'. I highly recommend it for first timers.

Congratulations on your baby and puppy.

 

[UofIowaGSD]

Despite the caution, I think we are still going to do it. We are both in our 30's and very active, while this is the first baby it's definitely not my first puppy. 4th puppy, 2nd GSD. 10 years out of practice, but I think it'll come back. We will pick up the puppy next week and crate train. The baby is not due for another 9 weeks, my father in law and nephew will watch the puppy at my house while I'm in the hospital and then I'll have 8 weeks home with both baby and puppy and husband will have 2 weeks home. We will make this work. I'm DEFINITELY not one to give up on a challenge, and despite the difficulties there is no way I would ever release a dog into a shelter because I'm incapable of anything. I will change, not the dog.
Plus I work from home 3 days a week. I've never crated a dog but it sounds like with a GSD that's the way to go. So when I'm unable to watch the puppy because I'm feeding or dealing with the baby, I will keep the pup in the crate and when baby is sleeping I will work with and train the pup (or husband will so I can nap!) The puppy will NEVER go unsupervised and will be taught boundaries. Our last wasn't crate trained (just gated) and she chewed up everything within her reach. That will be different this time. Honestly, that was my largest stress issue with puppy training!

Wish me luck, I know I will need it! Thanks for all of the replies and advice, but this just feels like it will be the right thing to do. I want my baby to be raised with a dog and this breeder has bred several lines with mild tempermants which is what I need.

I'm a mom of four, I also have twins, my fourth baby was my worst. My twins were a piece of cake next to him. He had colic and acid reflux. He constantly wanted to nurse. I never had a free moment. I didn't have post partum depression but there were times when I just sat down and cried because I was exhausted. I'm a active strong willed mom myself and can't stand to sit still for a moment however I was not prepared for my fourth child and I thought I knew it all! He is now 15 months and I'm getting our first GSD next week. He is a happier kid and a great toddler. As a baby he required so much of my attention. I felt bad because I didn't spend time with any of my older children. There was no way I could have raised a pup and baby at the same time.

I would wait because you don't know how your baby is going to be or how much attention he/she will require, especially your first. Sleep deprivation isn't good for anyone. You might be lucky with your first and have the easiest, calmest baby or you could have a crying morning till night colicky baby. I'm really glad I waited. My 15 month old son will still grow up with this dog even though he's only a year older.

I wish you luck whatever decision you make but I would take a step back and really reconsider. Congrats on the baby, they are wonderful despite being colicky!