Has anyone had the pleasure of being pregnant with a new puppy?? :)

[Gina]

So yes, most things in our lives, Matt (my husband) and I, decide are usually dramatic...if they weren't it just wouldn't be us.  We have had to move many times for his education, I have switched jobs, etc etc....but now this may be the crowning moment.  Two weeks before I just found out I was pregnant (I am now 13 weeks), we bought our second addition to our furry part of the family.  We have a 3.5 month old mini-doodle.  She is a sweet heart...but of course, typically, a puppy.  She runs, jumps, has bad habits right now as they all do.  The bad thing is, its starting to wear on my stress level.  Does anyone have, or has anyone had, this experience, and does anyone have hope for me that this will get better, and that it is worth sticking out, for the best interest of the health of me, the puppy and most importantly, our baby?

[Adina P]

Can't say that I have, but I do remember that in my first trimester last year...my dogs barking drove me bonkers. I have never liked barking, but I had a heightened sensitivity to it at that time (hormones made me grumpy and tired and super sound sensitive) it was incredibly frustrating. I felt irritated with my dogs frequently and often felt at my wit's end--simply due to the barking. After that 1st trimester, it wasn't so bad and things got back to normal. But THEN...baby came and the amount of patience I had to muster to survive sleepless nights and screaming baby at the end of the day led, once again, to extreme frustration with my dogs. NOT because of barking or that they did anything wrong...but I had a very difficult time (and was really embarrassed and frustrated that I DID have a difficult time) with just the fact that they had needs and I felt like my entire self was spent simply caring for my newborn. It was indeed overwhelming for me at first...and I LOVE dogs!

That doesn't mean that every other pregnant or new mother is going to experience what I did. It was my reality, but I certainly don't know if this is the norm.

One way to look at it is that at 13 weeks you've got about 6 months of training you can invest into this puppy before your baby is born. If you put in a decent effort and worked with an excellent trainer...by the time your baby is born, your pup can be one stellar young dog! Heck even 4 months of concerted, daily, effort led by an excellent trainer can turn your pup into more than just manageable but an excellent pet, excellent citizen of your community and a joy to have around. You might still get frustrated early on, but it won't last forever.

I guess the thing to decide is if you have the ability and will to really put in the time. Just "sticking it out" won't make him a great dog...but training will.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Not entirely to the point but all new moms have a lot of stress, sleeplessness and feelings of , dare I say, inadequacy. My take is: "Hormones rule the world." I think if people know this in advance then it's much easier because if you understand something it's easier to deal with. Talking to others helps too. Unfortunately, years ago nobody really talked about these issues. A really new puppy could only make this worse. As Adina noted though, your puppy can be well on it's way to responsible citizenship by the time the baby comes. And you have a DK community to turn to : )

[Adina P]

To address the bad habits:

Puppies will only develop as many bad habits as they are allowed to develop. For example, if they are never left unsupervised and given free roam of the kitchen...they will never learn to counter surf. Sure, we can't prevent EVERY little thing...but the more you can teach her appropriate behaviors NOW...and the more used to the crate and various types of confinement (tethered to you, tethered to couch, crated, behind baby gate) the easier your life will be. Don't give her tons of freedom out of pity or guilt. Give her limited freedom and then use the freedom to teach her things and engage her and start training.

[Andrea Payne]

Hi Gina... I'm 39 weeks pregnant right now and we had lost our 3 year old Goldendoodle Lexi in November last year to Cancer...it was devastating and we decided we couldn't have this big empty house without adding another Goldendoodle to our family. Just a week after we contacted the breeder and had our new puppy on order we found out we were pregnant with our first child...Chancy at 8 weeks arrived in January this year and we thought we'd be pros at this...having done the puppy thing just 3 years prior..but she was a totally different doodle...and she had double the energy and was much larger than our previous little furry girl.

Get that puppy in training now... We started with Puppy Kindergarten and then waited until my patience just about gave out and now we have a personal dog trainer coming to our home as I was scared to death she would bite/jump/ or want to play with the baby. Our 9 month old puppy is now 60 pounds and very active...we are hoping the training will have worked. Our trainer has been working with us on prepping for the baby's arrival as late as last week. She just seems to be great and then without warning, the puppy will go Cujo on me. Our plan is to take her to a cage free boarding facility in our area to "tire her out" for a few days once the baby arrives. We are hoping that will help for a calm introduction to our baby.

I have had multiple "break downs" during this pregnancy when the puppy and I are alone and she's biting at my feet while I'm walking or pulling on my clothes or robe and just having bad puppy behavior. I understand where you are coming from..but you'll get through it. At least the mini won't be as "large" of a doodle to handle... feel free to reach out to me at [e-mail] if you want to talk offline. Our dog trainer belongs to an association that can help find you a dog trainer in your area that will come to your house and work one on one with you and the puppy... Best of Luck!
Andrea

[HeatherA]

Yes, I AM in your position...kind of. I am 7 months pregnant so I am hugely pregnant, taking care of three kids and two young dogs . We have a mini F1b that's 14 months old, and a 10 week old F1... in addition to my three kids -- 6 years old, 3.5 years old, and 18 months! My parents and friends thought I was nuts. I am probably the only woman that nests and wants a dog. I got Veruca (our 1 year old Goldendoodle) when my 3rd child was 6 months old.

That said.. I wouldn't have it any other way. I love our Doodles. Yes, they are both still puppies... they both have puppy energy, jump up, they both make mistakes, but it is considerably outshined by the joy they give us. When I am having a rough day, I love sitting down with my girls after the kids are in bed and just loving on them.. I can feel the days stress just wash away.

I would actually suggest that you have an advantage. Kids undermine dog training. They run, scream, encourage the dog to jump up, tackle the dogs... it makes it MUCH harder to show the dog jumping up is not allowed. You have a chance now to focus on obedience and get your puppy trained before your baby is at an age to make training more difficult.

So, what are you asking? Can you do it? Absolutely. You have a TON of time. Get into a dog obedience class and train yourself to be a good owner. I don't mean that in a bad way, but you'll find any good class teaches you how to be a good owner -- consistent with your commands, realistic with your expectations, showing your Doodle what you expect from them, it teaches you how NOT to reward negative behaviors and how to get the dog you've always wanted out of your dog. I've owned dogs my entire life, grew up with them around.. I didn't know how to raise a dog until Veruca. There is a wealth of information here on books people recommend, training techniques, etc.. but I can't stress enough the difference taking a few classes will make for you and your dog. If there are some other DK'ers in your area you could get some trainer recommendations. You definitely can do it. Being pregnant doesn't make you unable to care for your new family member. You had to know when you got your dog that stressful things will happen over the next 10-17 years? I would hope when you made the choice to get your dog you were committed to being a good owner then - and doing whatever it takes to help your dog become a well behaved member of your family... pregnancy should not change that.

Basic puppy obedience should cover come, sit, stay, and basic leash etiquette, as well as special topics like jumping up. If you're not already... as soon as she is leash trained walk your puppy. That excess energy can be contributed to needing a daily walk .. and walking can help your mood and stress level as well.

If you're not already, I highly recommend crate training. When you can't watch the puppy, when you need to take a nap, when you're going out -- put her in her kennel or crate. Make it a positive experience. Give her praise, treats, a toy to gnaw on. This is also excellent for potty training. I've never found it easy to potty train - but it is SO much easier when you crate at night. What I do is buy a crate large enough for when they are full grown but then I partition it off while they are young. Some cages come with a divider, we've made our own from cardboard. What this does is prevent messes in the cage overnight. A dog doesn't like to go where they sleep... if they have too much room they can go at one end. So you reduce the size so the cage is comfortable for them to lay down, but not so large that they would have room to go at one end. Every morning - first thing - go outside immediately. I always carry my puppies so they don't go on the carpet on the walk from the crate to outside. We also use a Bell to train the puppy to ask to go out. (You can find info on how to potty train a dog to hit a bell hanging on your door here on the forums).

So, yes it can be done. I am doing it 7 months pregnant plus a second dog and 3 kids :) There are good days, there are bad days... they are all worth it. Will you do it? That is up to you and how committed you and your husband are.

Good luck!

** I don't want to change my answer... but I thought you just got this dog and didn't have another by your question. So that's why my answer is more for a "first time" doodle owner. Looking at your profile I see that you already have one dog in addition to your new puppy? One more small piece of advice -- make sure your second dog is bonding with YOU and not just your other dog... for you and the dog. Do everything you did with your first Doodle... make sure you spend alone time with your new addition. That bond will help with training and it will make her a more enjoyable dog to own. :) Good luck!

[Melissa & Porter]

HeatherA, Good point about already-born kids being a hindrance to dog training some (or a lot) of the time! And as a mom of three with one dog, you have my props for the size of your responsibilities!

Gina, Being pregnant for the first time is indeed stressful. It is hard to know which pains are normal, and waiting for test results is stressful. Being exhausted and nauseous is mostly a first trimester thing though. Having aching hips happened at the end for me.

When I was pregnant with my first, I read every word in every magazine and book. I was totally wrapped up in gestating the baby. I have to say, I wish I had read a lot more about parenting. Holy moly was it a shock to me, this independent professional person, to have a helpless creature depending on me every minute of the day. My first kid didn't sleep longer than 1.5 hrs for six months. Somehow, despite breastfeeding what seemed like 24 hrs a day, I was pregnant with my second child by the time the first was seven months old. Needless to say, that pregnancy was NOT occupied by tons of thoughts about pregnancy. Parenting was a bigger job for my brain and body.

Here's my point (I bet you were wondering if I'd get to one!):
Having a new and first baby is imo a lot more overwhelming and stressful than being pregnant. If you are overwhelmed right now and not in desperate love with your puppy, you are right to consider a new home for her. At 3.5 months of age, she is very re-home-able. Once she's been with your family for months and months, it would be harder and awful for her to re-home her.

I do agree with everyone that proper training will make her a sweet addition to your growing family, but you have to do what you, honestly, want to do. And I think you should do it earlier rather than later for the sake of the puppy.

[April Cliber]

I've been pregnant with babies and I've had puppies, but I've never been pregnant WITH a puppy. :o) Sorry, I just couldn't resist... Although when I was pregnant I dreamt that I gave birth to a litter of puppies. And this was before I was a breeder!

[Melissa & Porter]

April, I read your funny response here to my husband who said, "Tell her that as soon as she got pregnant, she was a breeder." Har har :-)

[Gina]

Thanks everyone...I am so thankful for all the nice responses. I consider myself such a blessed individual that I was able to be pregnant instantaneously, but never imagined that it would happen right away! The new puppy has been a plan all along, and I am sure that had we known we were going to be welcoming a baby into this world, we would have waited, and maybe would have never added another young lovable doodle. The thing about this new little girl is she is super duper great. She already sleeps through the entire night, and takes an early bedtime. She has been going 9 hours without whining at night! Unreal! And during the day, we do crate her...she gets out only at lunch for a quick run and potty break, but then its back to the crate until we get home from work. At night, she has "playtime" with our big doodle. And I guess that is where my frustration is coming in. They do really seem to enjoy each others company...but he weighs 90 lbs, and she is just a mere 7 right now. It has to be totally supervised because of course, we dont want anyone getting hurt. They wrestle, and she pulls, non-stop at Fozzie's (the larger doodle's) ears. He is such a gentleman, and has so many patience. But its really out of control. If we weren't there to supervise, I am sure the whole room would be turned upside down...and then some. I think it will take some getting used to for the both of them to be able to adapt to one another, and get used to being "calm" around each other, and I guess I expect that. They are getting to play in short bursts right now, so they are excited all over again each time. And then....of course, we do keep her penned up in the kitchen with a gate, she does not get free run of the house, because she is chewing, a lot, and I wouldn't trust her for anything. Not right now. I guess part of the issue, and overwhelming feeling I have, is because she seems so much more active than our other doodle. I am somewhat worried that I will deal with this throughout the pregnancy, and like was mentioned in one of your comments...it will be too hard to separate from her....because I know that some pups take a lot longer than others to be good companions. Maybe this puppy does need a trainer...and maybe investing in a few lessons will help! Adina...the number one annoyance is the BARKING...and of course, not having the energy to even take care of myself at night, let alone this poor little puppy with all this energy. I know this fatigue will pass for me, and yes, I look at it as an opportunity to exercise...because otherwise it is easy to jump on the couch next to Fozzie, his favorite thing to do in the evening is lounge with us ;) Overall...its just been a 180 on our lifestyle, all the way around...and I didn't expect each of these things to come at once. Not to say I didn't want, and don't feel blessed to have each one of them...I have created this life that I currently lead....but I just wonder if the puppy came at the wrong time? I think that I could get through it...and actually know that one day, I would be happy to have this new pup! Her name is Zoey by the way :) I just wondered if anyone else had ever "made it" through this unknown trek, and what may be the best way to tackle the situation. You all are so nice...and your recommendations, and thoughts are so appreciated.....

[F, Calla & Luca]

Having a puppy and being pregnant share the fact that there is never a right time : )

[HeatherA]

That is SO true F. And after either happens... you realize the best thing you did was just DO it. You adapt, and all your worries seem so minor compared to how wonderful the change is.

[HeatherA]

Well, you are definitely not alone! :)

The first pregnancy, I would guess most women feel that pressure of how much their life is about to change. It can be scary and add stress that is hard to identify. Between the influx of hormones, and the very real emotions of realizing this is happening - it is easy to be overwhelmed. I can remember wondering if I was ready, feeling insecure about whether this was the right choice. Being happy - but also being scared. Typically (though every pregnancy is different) you'll feel a lot better your second trimester, some women even feel a boost in their energy levels.

As to the fighting - I am dealing with that as well. I am firmly and consistently not allowing it in the house. Some play, yes.. but not rough housing. Some days that means the dogs aren't out together at all. My kids go to bed around 8pm, my husband and I stay up until midnight... we split time with the dogs. A couple hours for each, sometimes having some time together.. but splitting them if they won't relax and play nice. It's not that I think they will hurt each other, but when they are playing rough they barrel into the kids, they also get so worked up they will nip at anything or anyone nearby. I want them to know that is unacceptable indoors.

For barking... I am certainly not the most experienced in dog training, but what has worked for us is to refuse to reward the barking with attention. If the dog is barking to get out of her cage - we don't even LOOK at her until she quiets down. We wait until shes been quiet for at least 30 seconds as a puppy. I know gut reaction is to yell "quiet!" or "SHH!" .. or let her out to go to the bathroom... etc. What I've learned is that ANY attention - even yelling, screaming, kicking the cage (kidding.. kidding) - gives the dog what she is after. That counts as attention. They don't care that you were red in the face, they don't walk away having learned a deep valuable lesson... they said "Hey I barked and she looked at me!" "Hey I barked and she talked to me! "Hey I barked and she let me out!" That is another reason I really like the bell for training to ask to go outside. It's one more way that doesn't encourage barking to ask for something. I'm not sure how you did it with your first Doodle, but my Bichon before Veruca NEVER shut up. Using this technique on Vee, she's practically a mute in comparison. She lets out a warning growl if someone is in the back yard (like the meter reader), she does a whimper in the morning if I've gotten busy with the kids and she hasn't gone out yet. She is FAR from yappy and we love it. We're doing the same with Violet - teaching her that barking will not get her attention. We've only had her a week but she already is quiet from midnight until 7:30 when she needs to go. So far so good!

With the second dog, I speak from experience. I had a pair of Bichons, and later in life I joked that one of the Bichon's was the other dog's dog. I had no bond with the second dog. I loved my first Bichon, and had let the second be her accessory. (I was very young when I got them, it was one of many mistakes I made) My beloved Bichon was gone, the second was still around... and I resented I had a dog that I didn't feel bonded with. I had no one to blame but myself. Much later, when I took a training class with Veruca there was a woman with an Australian Shepard. Most of the dogs in the class watched their owners with hungry eyes, knowing treats were in hand and wanting to please their owners to earn praise.. her dog didn't even seem to know she was there. It turned out this dog was her 3rd or 4th, and the trainer explained her dog was bonded with the other dogs but not her. It was really very interesting.. but it explained a lot for me about what was missing from my first pair of dogs. When I got Violet the first thing I did was email my trainer and ask her how to AVOID that problem. To which she replied to treat the second dog in every way like we did our first. Walks alone. Playtime alone. Training class alone. This is the advice we're following this time around - as well as reading here and asking questions (hehe!) Other multiple dog owners further in their path may have more ideas to help the transition. :)

Good luck, whatever you decide.