Which prepares you for the other better? Dogs for kids? Or kids for dogs?

[Adina P]

A fun article and a labradoodle is involved. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-belkin/parenting-and-dogs_b_1652...

I tend to agree with the author because I find dogs exponentially easier than kids -- I thought having had dogs before kids was gonna prepare me a ton!  Ummm...not so much.  The joys and trials of kids is so very different to me.  Similarities are there but far more differences.  Much less sleep, much more worrying, much more creativity required in discipline, cant leave them at home, more laughter even because their antics and verbal abilities change so much in two years, and more!  With dogs, I could follow a training protocol and get consistent results for all pretty easily with help from  my trainer.  They happily lay at my feet or nearby, they don't ask for more then food and head massages.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Honestly, I'll take a dog any day. Yes, I love my kids but even years later, my heart sinks every time the pone rings.  Oh, and dogs don't call my phone either.

[Adina P]

I can't imagine trading my kiddos for any dog in the world.  I remember saying to Clark about Rosco many years ago: "I don't think I could love Rosco more if I gave birth to him."   

But as much as I love my dogs, now having birthed two kids, I have to say that the love for my children is deeper.  Far deeper.  Dogs are less demanding, easier to please, less conditional, and always happy to see you and all that good stuff.  But something about my own kids, I dunno--there's something deeper there.  Maybe it's because when they are little their need for us, parents, is greater.  And at this point both of mine think Clark and I are superstars for the most part.  Nothing makes my 10 month old happier than to be in my arms.  They also make you lose more hair than my doodles shed! 

Though I'm sure when they get to be teens (and there are days I think my toddler is a teenager in a toddler's body) I will feel like you say above...;-)  I could raise 5+ dogs in the time my two kids take up every day...haha! 

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Of course, I wouldn't trade my kids for a dog but... the worry is 100 times greater.  Dogs bring and easy going aspect to the household but children make the day intense.  Not always a bad intense but intense all around.

As for teens, I loved them. I loved the teenage years the most. So, don't fret that inevitable time. It is good.  It is easier than babies.  Just don't forget (  many do ) positive reinforcement of teens.  They hear so much bad, when a good word ( even though there are times it is hard to find ) is what is needed most.  Enjoy

[Adina P]

Intense-YES!  I strive to remember positive reinforcement now.  Amazing how many 'bads' a 2.5 y.o. can commit when she isn't getting constant attention :-O  She is so sweet, so funny, so entertaining and cute and smart...and so loves to torture her dear little brother: pushes, pulls, squeezes, bonks...oh my!  

[Lynda Kamrath]

Isn't that what little brothers are for??  Hahaha

[GBK]

LOL that's what my little brother was for!  Until he got bigger than me, then all bets were off :)

 

[F, Calla & Luca]

In part I think dogs are easier  because dogs mature so much faster than kids. By a year they can be trusted so much more. They are just about done chewing odd things, they can be left in a room by themselves without pulling things apart. They eat by themselves, just need to be let out, no clothes etc. They never tell you their friends have it better than they do. Dogs' needs are so much simpler. They snooze so much of the time when they are home. And yes, TG, they can be left at home alone. No back talk or questions. You almost always know where they are.

But then all conversations are one sided, they can't keep you current with the trends or give you their opinion when you want it. They never grow up and become fabulously wealthy and support you in your old age : ) They may lick but no real hugs. They don't remind you of trips or family stories.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Hey, F. I am still waiting for the fabulously wealthy and supporting me....

[F, Calla & Luca]

Oh me too of course : )

[Lynda Kamrath]

Oh yeah, great topic and something most of us can relate to.  Dogs are, of course, much easier and they don't last as long.  The average life span of a dog is 12 years and yes, of course, the life spans of your children should be six times that at least.  If you are lucky, kids are out the door and on their own by the time they are 25, but even that is not so true these days.  Anyway, it is a long-term commitment and something I wouldn't trade for anything.

I am going to do another topic of discussion kind of related to this on YOU and YOUR DOG(S).  Share info about all the dogs you have had in your adult life.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree that having dogs is much easier than having kids. I had dogs before kids, and I can't say that it helped prepare me for having children. But judging by the difficulties so many DK members who already have children seem to have when they get a puppy, I doubt very much that having kids prepares you for having dogs, either.

(I also have to say that I was very turned off by this article, perhaps unfairly so, because of the admission that she got the dog because her 6 year old pleaded for one. That's the number reason doodles are relinquished to rescue, because someone who didn't necessarily want a dog got one "for the kids".)

I cannot say that I love my kids more than I love (and have loved) my dogs. I love them differently. Love for a dog cannot be the same as love for a child, any more than love for a husband can be the same as love for a parent. Different kinds of love. I do feel that love for a dog can often be much more rewarding than love for a kid, lol. Especially a teenager.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Dogs ARE way easier, but little kids are just the best in the world.  Teenagers however...... not so much