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Do you have children?

  • Yes, x under 5yr old(s)

    Votes: 36 26.1%
  • Yes, x under 10yr old(s)

    Votes: 20 14.5%
  • Yes, x under 15yr old(s)

    Votes: 20 14.5%
  • No, my Golden is my baby!!

    Votes: 62 44.9%

Do you have kids with your Golden??

7K views 49 replies 46 participants last post by  Mayve 
#1 · (Edited)
Open discussion.

I have two daughters,

3yr old
1yr old

My three year old enjoys our new pup and can't get enough of her! My 1yr old gets a little scared of him. Our 4 month old golden at times thinks our 1yr daughter is a 'toy' and plays with her. We started with a firm NO when he gets into a little too close. Nothing to be alarmed with, just a pup playing. We keep a close eye on the baby at all times.
 
#2 ·
Welcome, welcome to another golden owner with kids! I have three kids and two goldens. My daughter, Alexandria, is 7, my son, Brandon, is 5, and my little guy, Owen, just turned 2. My goldens are, Midas, will be 3 in December, and Graham is 15 months old. Its a crazy, fun filled house and I wouldn't have it any other way. My dogs and kids get along wonderfully.
 
#3 ·
I have a 7year old boy and a 5 year old girl-we adopted our adult golden in January, and the kids are big enough that they can play with her pretty well without getting hurt, because she's pretty calm most of the time and plays at their level. I personally would not get a puppy of any large breed if I had an infant or toddler because I would not feel I could supervise closely enough to be safe (which would have to be every second that baby and dog were in the house freely together). That's just me, if others can do it more power to them! But personally I think it's better to wait until the kids are bigger physically, just so they can withstand an "enthusiastic" big dog :). When we have friends over with babies or toddlers I generally put Polly on a leash and hold it or keep her outside.
 
#4 ·
I have a 7year old boy and a 5 year old girl-we adopted our adult golden in January, and the kids are big enough that they can play with her pretty well without getting hurt, because she's pretty calm most of the time and plays at their level. I personally would not get a puppy of any large breed if I had an infant or toddler because I would not feel I could supervise closely enough to be safe (which would have to be every second that baby and dog were in the house freely together). That's just me, if others can do it more power to them! But personally I think it's better to wait until the kids are bigger physically, just so they can withstand an "enthusiastic" big dog :). When we have friends over with babies or toddlers I generally put Polly on a leash and hold it or keep her outside.
I respect your reply.

We are looking at it from another direction. If we can train our pup to be good around children it will be environment overall, with our Max useto crying, screaming, pulling etc as he gets 'older' and who knows may be around for another baby :)

BUt I do see where you are coming from. Max, isn't over active and we're home to keep an eye on the baby 100% of the time.
 
#6 ·
Some goldens are very mouthy, so things might get worse.

When we got Brady, my youngest just turned 4, the older kids were 8 and 9. Brady would turn into a "land shark" with them and their hands looked like hamburg, their clothes were ripped and that was with close supervision and using gates and crates appropriately. None of the tricks that our trainer taught worked 100 percent of the time.

One of the biggest things was when the girls cried, screamed or ran from him to get off, it just enouraged him more. I believe it is the screachy sound that a little girl makes that encourages them. Thank goodness they still loved him.

He finally stopped when we got him another puppy at 2 years old.

Now that he is 4 years old, occasionally he will want to wrestle with the girls, but he now knows how to control his mouth so he doesn't hurt, will stop when told to.

Funny thing is, our second GR never once has been mouthy.
 
#8 ·
No children, Flora is my only living charge.

This poll reminds me of something my brother's now-wife said to me that really irritated me. She said she wouldn't get a puppy until she and my brother had a child, because in her opinion puppies should always be raised around children. I was like... ***? When I later informed her of my opinions regarding working mothers and daycare she reacted with so much vehemence that I had to chuckle. I guess we all have our opinions!
 
#9 ·
Kids and dogs are a heck of a lot of work and you have to go into it with eyes wide open, especially when having kids and puppies together. Whew, it literally is like having another "child". I got Midas when I was five months pregnant with my third, crazy, right? Maybe so, but I made it work. I enrolled Midas in obedience classes the day after I got him and we stayed in classes until I was literally about to pop. He is currently in a class to become a therapy dog. But he is also an absolutely stellar dog, super mellow, happy go lucky, loves his people and everything else that breathes and I also have an awesome husband who is extremely supportive of me going that extra mile to make our dogs great citizens. Are kids and dogs or puppies and kids for everyone? Answer would totally be "no". You have to be able to devote time to everyone and it can be difficult at times, but if you do put in that time, it really is rewarding. I have absolutely no regrets.
 
#10 ·
My son, Noah, will be 2 on October 29th! He loves his Goldens!

So, in all, my babies consist of a 2 year old human baby, a 3 year old golden furbaby, a 5 month old golden furbaby, and a 6 month old crazy kitten! :D Fun house!
 
#11 · (Edited)
I have two daughters that are 6 and 11, and Charlie is the love of our life, he is 2 years old and we have had since he was a pup. I also run a private dayhome with 5 fulltime kids aging from 2-5, and the kids just love Charlie to death.. Charlie greets everyone first thing in the morning with his big tail a waggin', and a quick lick if he can get one in, which he usually does. All the kids and parents just love Charlie as much as we do. :)
 
#15 ·
We have had many goldens thoughout the years and I couldn't have kids my husband had two children and my goldens have always been my babies. 5 years ago we took in my husbands granddaughter who is nine now but my boys are still my babies but she is my little girl and she gets jealous sometimes when I love on my boys. But she knows I love them all she just wishes she got all the attention. She's so cute
 
#17 ·
My first golden, Sally was 1 1/2 years when my first son was born. My second golden, Laney came when my older son was 2 years nine months and the other one was 9 months! Not so much fun... Cookie came 5 years later. Then her 2 pups who are now 9+, Tiki who is 7, Mick and Emily who are 4 years and Basil who is 2. My boys are now 19 and 17 years!!! Interestingly enough, all of my dogs love children. They just gravitate to them.(They get a lot of exposure at dog shows and soccer and lacrosse games.... can't bring them to the ice arena anymore)
 
#19 ·
I had 2 dogs when my son was born and by the time he was 5, I added two more. He's now grown and lives on his own, but I think it's great to have kids and dogs together. I think it's important for kids to learn how to love, respect, treat, and care for a dog as well as how much joy and love they can receive from having them.
 
#20 ·
I didn't answer the poll, because none really fit me right now. We like to say that we have a kid every two years. Lucy, our golden, will be 4 in October. Dory, our lab/golden mix, just turned two. If February, we'll be bringing home a human brother or sister. I'm pretty sure that after a little confusion at first, the girls will be second and third mothers / best friends / protectors of the baby.
 
#21 ·
I had to answer "No" as I'm an open nester with 3 (7, 3 & 2 1/2) grandchildren and my husband, BIGDAWG, has 2 grandsons (3 1/2 & 2 1/2) children.

My three golden boys LOVE the kids and it can sometimes be a bit overwhelming when they come in the house so we just pick up the little ones. After a few minutes, all settles down and you never need to wonder where the kids are because the golden boys are right there.

When the grandkids stay overnight, the golden boys move out of our room & move into the kids room.

My 3 year old grandson is always saying "Razz is my favourite", then "Nygel is my favourite" and then it will be "Thai is my favourite". In other words, he loves them all. But then he should love goldens because his Mommy and my daughter was raised with goldens and has a golden girl, Riley.

My 7 year old granddaughter is very actively involved with the goldens and assists me with grooming & show ring training. One of these days VERY SOON, we'll be seeing her in the ring as a Jr. Handler. My 2 1/2 year old granddaughter & 3 year old grandson will be close behind her and I CANNOT WAIT for that day :wavey::wavey:
 
#22 ·
We always had dogs at home when I was growing up and I really loved it. They each have their own personality so I do think it kind of depends on the dog whether they would be good with little folks. We have a new pup who is 15 weeks now. He's a field golden with a lot of drive and very mouthy. Although he is loving and doing well with his training we can't just let him loose to play with our 3 yr old granddaughter because he's just too energetic. We really have to supervise very closely.
 
#23 ·
I childmind my 3 grandchildren (2, 2 and 5) so they are around almost every day. Generally they get on well with my 6 month old golden, but they are supervised when together. The 2 year old boy thinks she is wonderful and there is definitely a mutual attraction between the two of them and they seek each other out. We just have to make sure their play doesn't get too rough (and that goes for both of them).
 
#24 · (Edited)
I had my golden before my sister was born. she's now 16 months old. they're best friends. I'm pregnant now, so soon to be around another newborn.
and no, my dog is so good with kids, all he do is just lay there and that's it. or do his own stuff, chew on a ball, chew on a bone, sleep. chew on his toys. watch tv with my sister. I don't need to watch them. he's very mature when it comes to kids. he never jumps on her, only adults. he doesn't bite or do anything to her either.
 
#25 ·
Whew. Yes - we have a ten month old golden and three children - ages 2 (girl) 6 and 8 (both boys). Tucker is WONDERFUL with the children. But we do not allow them to play rough with him. Ever. I do get involved with the training and serious games of long, hard, fetch outside, and he does get extremely mouthy with me. We're working on it. Amazing to me that he is so gentle with the kids, yet a monster with me! But I think I ask for it, as I'm the one so involved with his training and exercise. Inside the house, he's just as lovey with me as he is with the kids. He's growing into a very nice family pet. I can't wait until he settles down outside, too!
 
#27 ·
I have a 4.5yo son, and an almost 2.5yo daughter. Our Sadie is 8.5mo, and we went a different route. We got her at 6months old, and she was already crate trained, and house broken, and all of her baby teeth were out. The breeder had also trained her to walk on a loose leash and some other basic commands.
I have to say the experience has been better than I expected. Our girl is incredibly calm, and if things get a little too rowdy with the kids she either goes in her crate or on a leash. But it is tiring trying to constantly keep their toys out of her mouth, and to constantly supervise them together. But I also wouldn't trade it for the world.
We did try a rescue dog from a shelter first who was not a good fit with 2 young children. We think she had some Aussie in her, and constantly herded the kids. She was incredibly smart and easy to train, but darn it, if my kids ran past her, she either cut them off, knocking them over or she nipped. :doh: Luckily we found her an awesome home with a couple without children, and she has found a soulmate in their dog Scooby. After a few months we got Sadie, and everything worked out perfectly for everyone.
So I guess to make a long story longer, I think it really depends on the dog, if the situation is a good fit or not.
 
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