Ok so my wife brought home a new heeler Australian puppy while we currently have a six month old baby, and a 7 year old son.. I just don’t know how I feel about it. We’ve had him for almost a week and he seems like a good dog and trainable, the research I’ve done on this breed is they are loyal, family oriented but require training and a lot of activity…
My cons:
He’s biting a lot, not hard but it’s enough to where he made our baby cry and ripped up some of our couch and my wife’s night gown. (This is my biggest con as baby comes as #1)
Along with having what is practically a new born, I’ll now have to spend my time training this puppy for months/years.
Long trips are now difficult as we will need to secure either a dog sitter or spend hundreds on a dog hotel.
My wife despite bringing the dog home now has had a change of heart and wants the dog gone.
My Pro’s
My kids get a dog and that’s always awesome for kids and teaches responsibility.
If I could choose a dog years from now it would be this one as he’s already showing signs of being trainable and has already started going outside for restroom breaks. All around seems like a good dog but im not sure if that’s just the breed?
I’ve become attached as has my son.
We’ve found a friend that will take the dog, big yard nice people, I’m just a pet guy and have become attached and just want to know what some of you guys would do in this situation or you older guys what you did do. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Buehler445:
I have 2 healers now. They’re smart as hell and once they figure out the baby is important they’ll protect the hell out of him.
There are a lot of training guidelines for healers online.
Read up. Keep the dog.
They’re great dogs
What do you do regarding trips? Even long day trips seem impossible. Maybe because he’s a puppy?? [Reply]
Healers are gonna nip and herd. They're cattle dogs after all.
I'd have no issue having one in the home with my kids and they're about the same age as yours. I'd expect you'll have a very good dog you and your kids will love in short order.
The wife created this problem, she can live with it.
Signed - a guy with a wife that created the exact same problem for me. I've got 3 dogs, 2 cats and 2 kids. I live in a fucking zoo at the moment [Reply]
Originally Posted by Buehler445:
Most of the time we take the doggo. They’re great in the car. If you kennel train them they’re good in a hotel room.
It’s More money for pet fees but they’re fun to take along.
Do you ever leave them in the kennel at the hotel and go out and about? For example some restaurants won’t allow a dog so say we go somewhere and what to dine out, a few hours in the kennel isn’t an issue right? [Reply]
I could never give up a pet I’ve become attached to, and me becoming attached to them happens immediately. They become part of the family and I feel responsible for their happiness and wellbeing. Making an innocent pet feel abandoned or unloved would eat at me too much.
Now if it was truly a danger to my child it would obviously be a different story, but I feel like I’d either recognize that before I brought it home or be able to train them out of that quickly. [Reply]
