Reply #29: Be very careful! [View All]

Beforehand: discuss as a family who is the chief caretaker. Someone always hays to be that. Young children cannot be expected to do much, and an adult has to be concerned about medical care and to supervise, even if the children are old enough to take some responsiblity. Also, decide from the beginning what behavior you will insist on: no jumping, on or off the furniture, begging at the table, etc.

A dog is approsimalely like having a toddler in the house, a toddler who can't speak, but is very capable of doing things you may not want him to do. It is much more time and responsiblity than most people realize. DON"T get a puppy, especially not from a pet store or from the paper.. Pet store pups are like physically and mentally abused children. Newspaper pups are often raised by people who don't know what they are doing.

The kind of dog you get makes a HUGE different in the experience you have with it. I would only get an older dog, preferably through one of the better rescue groups. The dog should have been fostered long enough that they can give you a very good assessment of its temperament, trainability, activity level, care requirements, and suitability for the age of your children, and for novice dog owners. For example, retired greyhounds can be very easy first dogs, but they can never be allowed outside without a leash or in a fenced yard, which is impossible if you have kids. Some terriers are bad choices for kids,. It's worthwhile to do some reading on the differences between breeds, so you will get an idas of what you want.

I would pay the money to have a good dog trainer come to the house when all 4 of you are there, and work with you on training. Training a dog takes firm, but gentle, consistency.. Once a week at first, then as needed if problems develop. Think of it as family therapy.

Finally, if you get a good dog, you will certainly love it soon: it's almost impossible not to love a creature who loves you so unconditionally.