Melissa in St Louis Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 *Deep breath* :glare: We (dh and I) had a dog ever since the before the kids were born. This dog was a longhaired chihuahua with some health problems who just kind of laid around and slept. She went to doggie heaven a few months ago and the kids were sad, but instantly wanted to get another dog....SOOOOO, one of their birthday gifts was the promise of going to go get a dog that week. We went to shelters and looked and looked on craigslist until we found just what we wanted. She is such a sweet girl, 9 weeks old, golden lab, cute as all get out. She sleeps quite a few hours of each day, but also likes to play. We have folded her in to the family routine, and tried to make that routine VERY consistent. Bottom line: kids like to help with her (they offer, even), and like to take her to the park, etc, but I don't really think they like her. They don't like that she wants to sit by them and follow them around, etc. She isn't rambunctious or anything, she is happy to sit and watch them play legos or whatever. I just thought they'd be happier???:confused: I have typed all this out and I'm thinking maybe we are all a bit cranky (myself included) because we have all been hit with sickness the past few days. :confused: Today marks a week that we've had her and I can't imagine not having her around now (even though *I* was the one with the panic attacks/eye twitch the day we brought her home), but I think they were happier without a dog.... Do you guys have any thoughts? Should I just lay on the couch and eat popsicles with the kids then make a hot toddy after they're in bed??? Or do you think they are just not dog people??? :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet in WA Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Do you guys have any thoughts? Yes. I think you're expecting too much of a 6yo and a 3yo and a puppy. It sounds, though, as if you really lucked out with the puppy as far as puppy behavior. And it sounds as if you've all done a great job with the routine. Should I just lay on the couch and eat popsicles with the kids then make a hot toddy after they're in bed??? Yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in St Louis Posted September 17, 2009 Author Share Posted September 17, 2009 Yes. I think you're expecting too much of a 6yo and a 3yo and a puppy. It sounds, though, as if you really lucked out with the puppy as far as puppy behavior. And it sounds as if you've all done a great job with the routine. Yes. Yes, we really DID luck out and get a great dog. Just curious, in what way do you feel that I am expecting too much? I'm not really requiring "help" per se, unless they ask to feed her or take her out. Then I let them. I guess I just thought they would be head over heels about her??? I dunno. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calm37 Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Yes, you are so blessed to have it all going so well. Most people I know go crazy for a few months adjusting to a puppy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Your kids are very young & often at this age, puppies are kind of like new babies - fun for a bit, but the novelty can wear off fast. Just like a baby though, the relationship will grow. If you & your dh make the dog part of your family, it will be, & your children will each develop their own relationships with her. They will also be occasionally annoyed at her - esp if she starts breaking their building creations or running away with their socks etc etc etc - just like when toddlers annoy their older sibs. It's not going to be all sweetness and fun - I'm sure you know it :001_smile: But they will also hopefully have lots of fun memories of outings or story time (one of my dogs LOVES it when we read out loud - she comes & plonks herself right beside the reader & lies there until we're done) or cuddling in the evening etc..... I prescribe a tincture of time :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet in WA Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Yes, we really DID luck out and get a great dog. Just curious, in what way do you feel that I am expecting too much? I'm not really requiring "help" per se, unless they ask to feed her or take her out. Then I let them. I guess I just thought they would be head over heels about her??? Your last sentence is what I mean about expecting too much -- that they'd be head over heels. Their reaction to the dog is pretty typical for kids that age. They take things for granted, including a well behaved puppy. They're lucky (though they don't know it) that the puppy isn't chewing their toys and otherwise making a pest of itself. They'll grow to love the puppy in their own time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 We got a puppy at the beginning of this year. DD5 years old was begging for one. We found one that met our criteria and got him. The novelty wore off extremely quickly. Like in a week or two. Long story short, we ended up giving him to my sister who adores dogs....we were having training issues with him because I just did not have the time to devote to a puppy right now. He's much happier with her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Eventually it becomes (ime) a nice content relationship. The kids go gaga for a moment and then they get irritated (it's always the dog this, the dog that), and then they just treat them like any other member of the family. Some days are good, some days are bad. The pp who compared them to a new baby is exactly right. At first, they're cute and the kids adore them. Then, the kids get irritated with having to share their home/stuff. Finally, the dog's a member of the family and the kids won't know what to do without them :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in St Louis Posted September 17, 2009 Author Share Posted September 17, 2009 Thanks so much, everyone. :) All of your comments make perfect sense and are great reminders to what I already know but don't think about at the end of a long, exhausting day. Thanks for the free therapy! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynnG in Arizona Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Melissa, I had to write because we are experiencing a very similar situation. We lost our dog in January. She was the perfect dog . . . a magnificent disposition and literally a beauty queen. (People would constantly stop us to tell us that she was the prettiest dog they had ever seen.) That girl was a one-in-a-million experience. Frankly, she will probably be the doggie "love of our life", period. Kind of like my dad who still sometimes grieves his perfect dog from 40 years ago. We grieved our loss for 6 months and went through a difficult process of getting another collie. We even brought this one in from Australia, which entailed an enormous amount of work and effort on my part - a logistical challenge to say the least. We prepared for his arrival for six weeks. And when he arrived I had a panic attack. Truthfully, I always have a panic attack when we bring a new dog home. I think it's because I take the responsibility of a dog soooooo seriously that it overwhelms and frightens me. We all found ourselves looking at this 4 month old puppy and thinking, "You are not our other dog. At all." Well, of course this was terribly unfair of us. How could a male puppy possibly compare to a mature, calm female of 10 years who knew us all intimately? Yes, the novelty has worn off for all of us. About six or eight weeks have passed since we brought him home. And you know what? We're all starting to love him for his sake, and have slowly stopped our involuntary comparisons to the previous collie. He is becoming strongly bonded to us and is learning the rhythms of the household. Slowly, gradually, we are all learning to love him. As for the kids, well, my youngest two are very young and pretty clueless. We're still working on basics such as not hyping the puppy up too much and not being rough with him. But I do see a day in the not-too-distant future when the kids are a bit older and more mature, and the puppy is a bit older and more mature, and life is pretty darn good. ;) So this was an extremely long post to say that I understand where you're coming from. These things take time, they really do. It's just like any relationship. And it sounds like both you and I have a great puppy who will someday (after accidents and frustrations and some hard work) be a great dog who is well-loved. Best wishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 How long have you had her? I found it took time for the boys to fall in love with Blondie. The first few weeks they liked the idea of her. As she settled in and showed her personality more, they started to love her for herself. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.