A pet for my toddler

mooning

Child development experts have long believed that children should have exposure to household pet companions.
What do you thing about that?
I read something interesting about pets here: http://www.mammy.ie/your-child/toddler/194-is-your-toddler-ready-for-a-pet

star-pants

Are you thinking about getting a pet for your child?
What age is your child and have they any allergies?

mooning

My girl is 4 years old and she doesn't have any problems with allergies. I am thinking to get a dog (eg: Beagle) or a bird.

andreac

I def wouldnt recommend a beagle for a child, they need a HUGE amount of exercise and are hunters too so once they get a scent they would be off and are great escape artists too.

getz

mooning wrote: »

Child development experts have long believed that children should have exposure to household pet companions.
What do you thing about that?
I read something interesting about pets here: http://www.mammy.ie/your-child/toddler/194-is-your-toddler-ready-for-a-pet

i have often been asked this question by many people,my answer has always been the same,a staffy is the one i tell them,the reason it can take all the knocking about that young children will do, as soon as my son could walk that was the dog i got for him,my son is now 35 years old and has two children,as soon as the first one could walk he got him a staffy pup

mooning

I thought at a beagle because I read about them that are full of energy (like my daughter) and very friendly.
Beagles tend to love social interaction with people, and children especially. Well bred and socialized beagles are very gentle with youngsters, and they can be wonderful companions for older children as they typically enjoy attention, rough housing, and interactive activities such as playing ball.

andreac

But they need a huge amount of exercise, big long walks as they can get very bored if they dont get it and can get destructive. Playing ball around the garden wouldnt really be enough for them.

I just wouldnt recommend them for a young child, it might be ok as a young pup, but as it matures it will need a lot of exercise and stimulation as they are a working breed.

mooning

I am having second thoughts about a parrot, but most people agree that a child should be at least 6 or 7 years old before you bring a pet bird into the home. Children younger than this tend to be more impulsive, and they can injure a bird in an accident, such as falling, stepping on the bird, or handling it too roughly without understanding how delicate it is.

hunterwelly

If it were me, I'd go with a dog rather than a bird. Birds don't appreciate wrestling games as much.

Beagles are very friendly and good with kids, but they're little maniacs. How about a Labrador or Golden Retriever? Lovely temperaments and very patient with children. They do get pretty big in about a year though.

Springer Spaniels are great dogs with kids too, but they require a lot of exercise. Might be too much work for you.

How about a toy breed? a Cavalier King Charles, or Bichon Frisé? They're good house dogs, friendly with kids, and a more manageable size. Playing games around the house / garden will also give them all the exercise they need.

Paul91

are you getting a pet because you want one and it would be good for your child, or just to help in your childs develpment, reason i ask is cos pets are a lot of work, which you get rewarded for with big licks, but do you have experience of pets?

I heard a lot of good things about Staff's with kids, wasn't it the case that they used to be brought up for dog fighting by the "poorer" members of society, and as such had to live in the family's home (room) with the kids and therefore no tolerence of human aggression was tolerated and in a way bread out of them?

OP how much time can you devote to walking and training as this would also dictate the type of dog/pet

mooning

The main reason for getting a pet is the development of my daughter. But my wife and I are happy too with the idea of having a pet.
We know that it takes a lot of time and care.

We don't have any experience with a pet (as a couple). But we both had pets during our adolescence.

paulkellypix

mooning wrote: »

A pet for my toddler

Not a good swap. You'd get more than that.

mooning

I found that for a child under 6, these animals are good to begin with: guinea pig, hamster, gerbil.

Sigma Force

paulkellypix wrote: »

Not a good swap. You'd get more than that.

lol

Op a guinea pig (must be housed in pairs) is not a suitable pet for a toddler any small animal like a guinea or gerbil etc. are delicate and although some kids can be gentle they can accidently hurt the animal and constant supervision is a must.
Hamsters aren't suitable for small kids as they are nocturnal.

Totally understand wanting to get a pet though so the child can grow up with animals, to be honest the child may become bored quickly with a hamster or bird anyway. Birds can be fun but need a lot of attention and little toddler fingers can get nipped by big beaks.

If you want a pet that the child can be hands on with a pair of kittens or a pup might be an option. It's just a matter of choosing the right pooch, there is no such thing as the perfect breed though because it basically comes down to training and excercise. Just a matter of matching a pooch to suit your lifestyle.

Perhaps get some puppy books and read up on training, teething problems and toilet training etc. then move onto a book on various dog breeds and their traits, take your time with it no rush.

Then once you have narrowed down the field a bit find that breed you like and that would suit the most or even a cross breed of that breed.
Some rescues can even help you match up a pooch that would suit.

It's hard to recommend one particular breed because different households are looking for different things in their dog.

doctor evil

mooning wrote: »

I found that for a child under 6, these animals are good to begin with: guinea pig, hamster, gerbil.

Please don't!

They are small and delicate.

Any pet you get your child (naturally as a toddler) will grow bored with it. The adults would have to do all the looking after so don't get one just for 'development' sake.

Fish in a tank (never in a round bowl, too small) could be a good idea. If you get a filter as well it can help keep the water clean.

Parrots can live up to thirty years, they are a companion animal who will become bonded to one person and may show jealousy/aggression to others. Definitely not a pet!

convert

I wouldn't recommend getting something like a hamster or guinea pig for your child. While they are great and really enjoyable pets, I think that they are a little too delicate for young children.

A dog would be great. My parents bought me a CKC puppy when I was in a year old and she was fantastic. She put up with me all the time, plus she used to hijack my 'high chair' and buggy all the time She only ever nipped me once and that was because I'd been too rough with her - instead of sympathising with me, my mum gave out to me and told me to apologise to the dog for hurting her. It was one of the best lessons I learned and it taught me to have respect for people and animals.

I wouldn't go down the bird route for a child as they're not really something the child can play with all the time.

dmy1001

Beagles:

Pay close attention to 1.30 on:D, 3.47 too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAf7lcYEXag

beautiful dogs would love one myself but you would need to be fairly active i think

I have a hard time with the whole bird thing. I just cannot think of any reason for keeping a bird in captivity.

star-pants

Aye I would agree Beagles need a lot of exercise/attention, and great hunters so a sniff and they might be gone.

As suggested a lab/retriever/CKC/staffy are all good breeds with children, they would probably also be able for the rough n tumble that comes with a young child. Some dogs aren't good with young children.

I wouldn't really go with a bird or a gerbil because they might want to get 'hands on' and thus might not be good.
(@ paulkellypix - funny quip but helpful advice would also be appreciated)

mooning

dmy1001 wrote: »

Beagles:

Pay close attention to 1.30 on:D, 3.47 too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAf7lcYEXag

beautiful dogs would love one myself but you would need to be fairly active i think

I have a hard time with the whole bird thing. I just cannot think of any reason for keeping a bird in captivity.

Very interesting video.
I agree with you about the birds!

votejohn

My advice would be definately go for the staffie, by far the best dog out there for kids (statement backed up by a lot of research done by various universities out there). They are sturdy dogs so they can take a lot of knocj=king around and generally have good health.

you are likely to be able to get a pup or a young staffie from a rescue centre.

Also, this is a minor point, and a bit random, but a kid with a staffie is far less likely to be abducted or picked on than a kid walking around with a shih tzu etc. (random, I know, but was thinking about it the other day!). Obviously kids should never be left unsupervised with any dog though.

cazmcco

How about a terrier of some sort? We always had pure bread dogs when we were kids, then the breed died out and we got a terrier mungeral (sp?). Getting the terrior was the best for 2 young children who loved animals and wanted to play with the dog.

I dont think there is a "right" breed to get, it all depends on your family and how your household works.

Just one thing, don't get the pet for your daughter for Christmas. Its not that im saying that you and your wife wont want or wont look after the pet once the festive season, but i think that children will appreciate the animal more if its not given at this time of year if you get what i mean.

votejohn

Also at Christmas theres lots of coming and going, and usually peoples routines are all messed up, so its very hard on a new pup to adjust at this time of year!

hunterpetz

hi :D:D

i do NOT recommend a guinea pig for a child under 10 years as they are fragile & due to their small legs at the front/back if they are dropped they cant support their fall & will hit their heads off the floor causing instant death or brain damage. really a child under 8 years should not have a pet as they are to young to full understand responsible/gentle pet care & all the cleaning, feeding, watering, grooming, vet concerns, handling ect ect ect will fall on you in the end. please do really think about it & dont decide to get a pet because some expert says so (this expert may not have pets themselves let alone having kids). :rolleyes:

kylith

cazmcco wrote: »

How about a terrier of some sort? We always had pure bread dogs when we were kids, then the breed died out and we got a terrier mungeral (sp?). Getting the terrior was the best for 2 young children who loved animals and wanted to play with the dog.

As a person who had a terrier growing up I'd kind of disagree. They're fantastic dogs with great personalities, but they can be less patient and forgiving than some other breeds; my brothers and I were nipped on many occassions (our own faults, but still not fun).

I'd be more inclined to go with the Staffie; they're a nice robust dog and everyone I know who has both kids and a Staffie can't praise them highly enough.