I need advice Pet Lovers

So i want to get a small lap dog (yorkie, shitzu etc) in Sept. I am going to be home for like 6 months with baby number 2 and i also have a son. Now i am looking for someone to be realistic with me. Will it be too much for me to train a dog plus take care of my new baby? I need to have the dog trained before i go back to work in Feb. Is that possible?

Re: I need advice Pet Lovers

well, i think it will be tough and you really have to be dedictated to it. The most difficult thing may be the house training. The dogs need to be taken out constantly and that might be difficult with a newborn.

You can always get an adult dog on petfinder.com. You can find out ahead of time how trained the dog is.

I am thinking about getting a second dog when I have my baby and I will be home more. But I am waiting until the baby is a little bit older where I can take the dog out side real quick and just put the baby in the pack n play or high chair, etc. This might be easier said than done!!

Re: I need advice Pet Lovers

Im going to agree with DeniseMarie here.. it definitely is alot of work. I adopted 2 dogs at 8 weeks old without a baby and it was rough. The hardest part truly is the potty training. If your dog has a chewing or barking issue, then its that much more to work on too. My dogs would have separation anxiety which made it difficult with the constant barking after I left. My dog still scratches at the door when I leave and he is 4. Maybe after you get settled in with the baby, maybe you can adopt a dog that is already potty trained that is still young? Petfinder.com is a great website like DeniseMarie mentioned. HTH..goodluck!

Re: I need advice Pet Lovers

I have no baby and I have to say I gave it 100% effort. I took my dog out at least every 4 hours. I got her at almost 6mos old so she could hold it longer than an 8 week old.. The reward is a very well balanced trained dog. Sometimes I think I got lucky but if I look back I really put my heart into it. I was on top of her constantly. I crated her and She never got the run of the house. It will be hard but it really depends how determined you are.... I would not recomend getting a 8 week old try 6mos and up. its definately easier. and PLEASE DONT BUY FROM A PET STORE!!!

Re: I need advice Pet Lovers

I got Katie at 8 weeks old and she was not fully trained until she was 1 year.
I would suggest getting an adult dog, puppies are great but they are a ton of work and you really need to devote yourself to them.