Practice Baby?

[PoppyDog]

Just curious as to how many people out there got puppies with their boyfriends, partners, fiances, husbands as their "practice baby"?

DF and I had wanted a puppy for 12 months before we got ours but I was teaching out west and he was working in the city and we were driving back and forth and back and forth every chance we got so it wasn't really the best time. But we did use that time to research breeds and find out information about buying puppies. I learn't that pet shops and BYB's were a BIG no, no but I didn't learn that some "breeders" are less reputable than others.

All our family and friends joke that Poppy (our 8 month old CKCS X) is our practice baby. And...well....she sort of is.

She has taught us SO much. We never thought that we would love our pet the way we love her. We sit on the couch some nights with her snoozing in between us and coo over her. How cute she is, how clever she is, how we cannot imagine our lives without her!

She has woken us up at un-godly hours, made us clean up wee and poo AND sloppy runny poo AND vomit! She has taught us patience and the value in repition and rewad and consistence. We have taken her on trips to the beach and packed picnic lunches for her and us. She has had countless playdates.

So many things about puppy ownership make me think that she has better prepared us for when we do have babies. My fiance has cleaned up the worst poo from her so I don't think he will ever complain about changing a nappy! That's got to be a plus!

[freundhund]

This is a topic my gynacologist, a couple of other doctors and I have talked about for hours. Normally we talk about this when my friend the gynacologist rings me and says "I had another woman come in today and ask about the dog/cat and when she has the new baby, I gave her your phone number. Can you give her the TALK".

I have a talk that I then give to pregnant women about how to bring up the dog/cat with the new baby.

Now to answer your question, I don't know how common it is but I see a lot of it. I think it would/could be a good anthropological<sp> study. I also feel that in years gone by that men could see a woman's nuturing ability with how see was in a tribe or a village and that nuturing an animal in today society has taken place of nuturing other children in a tribe/village. I don't see this as guys realising that this is what is happening or women either, I think that it is part of our makeup/chemistry/brain/hormone but it appears to be something a lot of couples almost need to do.

Hope that makes sense.

[OSoSwift]

Mine weren't practice babies as I had dogs well before the thought of even having a baby, never mind wanting one happened.

I had 2 children and had lost my girl just before my second son was born. I really missed her and ended up getting another puppy with a 5 mo and a 2 and ahlaf year old. So I guess the kids weren't very good dog substitutes either

[macka]

No not practice babies here, but I do think discipline-wise, dog training can help with child raising in certain respects!

[Greytmate]

Is it a cav thing do you think?

[aussielover]

Mindy is not my practice baby she IS my baby

[CBL]

I have had a few people make that comment to us. My mum told me she ran into an old school friend of mine who asked if I had kids. My mum replied 'well, they have the dogs, honestly I don't know if they will ever have children' Both my parents and inlaws know how much we love our 3 - and they adore their granddogs in return.

[PoppyDog]

This is a topic my gynacologist, a couple of other doctors and I have talked about for hours. Normally we talk about this when my friend the gynacologist rings me and says "I had another woman come in today and ask about the dog/cat and when she has the new baby, I gave her your phone number. Can you give her the TALK".

I have a talk that I then give to pregnant women about how to bring up the dog/cat with the new baby.

Now to answer your question, I don't know how common it is but I see a lot of it. I think it would/could be a good anthropological<sp> study. I also feel that in years gone by that men could see a woman's nuturing ability with how see was in a tribe or a village and that nuturing an animal in today society has taken place of nuturing other children in a tribe/village. I don't see this as guys realising that this is what is happening or women either, I think that it is part of our makeup/chemistry/brain/hormone but it appears to be something a lot of couples almost need to do.

Hope that makes sense.

I often wonder how we will deal with that when the time comes. I don't want to be one of those people who suddenly makes the dog sleep outside and has no time for them just because a human baby comes along. I'd still like Poppy to sleep on our bed or at least in our room even when the baby comes home and is sleeping in there.

What tips do you give people?

Mine weren't practice babies as I had dogs well before the thought of even having a baby, never mind wanting one happened.

I had 2 children and had lost my girl just before my second son was born. I really missed her and ended up getting another puppy with a 5 mo and a 2 and ahlaf year old. So I guess the kids weren't very good dog substitutes either

I guess I've always wanted a baby, since before I could remember but getting a puppy with my fiance was like us bringing home something to love and nurture and teach (train).

No not practice babies here, but I do think discipline-wise, dog training can help with child raising in certain respects!

I read on a Pregnancy and Parenting Forum that someone had witnessed a "friend" squirt their two year old to stop them climbing things! They weren't too impressed with this type of child training!

Is it a cav thing do you think?

What do you mean? I guess her breed or cross breed (small) and her temprement/personality makes her a good practice baby. She loves to be with us and is oh so adorable but I think lots of breeds are like that???

Mindy is not my practice baby she IS my baby

I'm glad someone else came out and said it! We still hold Poppy like a baby sometimes. She will just lie there in our arms staring up at us. Its so cute!

[Red Fox]

Definitely not! I got a dog because I wanted a DOG. If there was a hole to fill it certainly wasn't a maternal one. Actually I can't think of anything worse than having a baby, can't stand them! ....another dog though? For sure

[PoppyDog]

I have had a few people make that comment to us. My mum told me she ran into an old school friend of mine who asked if I had kids. My mum replied 'well, they have the dogs, honestly I don't know if they will ever have children' Both my parents and inlaws know how much we love our 3 - and they adore their granddogs in return.

Thats funny you say that. My inlaws to be are NOT doggy people but when they came to visit they coo'ed and aww'ed over Poppy so much that they had her up on the couch with them giving them cuddles. My fiance was shocked! He thought they would be very much against that. They still ask how Poppy is everytime the call!

[Remarkabull]

Children are SO much harder! Like apples and oranges. Having a puppy does NOT prepare you in any way for having a baby. I've had dogs all my life and I have 2 children and I can tell you now that I will have more dogs in the future but will not be having more kids! I will add that I LOVE my kids ( I just read what I've written and it dosn't sound like it!), but raising them is the hardest thing I will ever do.

[_PL_]

The idea of a practice baby as a trial run gives me the shivers. Dogs aren't babies.

[leopuppy04]

I often wonder for those not as obsessed about their animals as we are, the detriments to the dog whent he bub comes .

Yup - I see a lot of this happening and have no issues with it. I think it's a normal, natural progression

I have issues, when the dog drops about 100 rungs on the ladder and has gone from being a devoted family member to an 'outside only' pet that 'might scare the baby'!!

Not that any of us on here are like that, I just worry about the poor doggies that have that happen to them

[Red Fox]

The idea of a practice baby as a trial run gives me the shivers. Dogs aren't babies.

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks so.

Kids and dogs are worlds apart. Anyone who thinks otherwise is living in la-la-land.

[aussielover]

I am more patient with dogs than I am with babies/kids.

You can't crate a baby

But you can put kids on leads, or so I've seen

I am sure that while having a dog is not the same thing as having a baby, you do learn to be more patient, forgiving, and less selfish when you have a dog.

These qualities would be an asset as a parent I would imagine.

[kmaci]

We got our dogs before we had kids. They were our babies before our babies.

We had to put one girl to sleep early last year and the other early this year. My kids were devistated as they had only known life with them. My daughter said it was like she lost a sister

[huga]

I call our dogs 'practice babies' and since we didn't kill them, we were allowed to have real babies.

I'm only joking though, dogs aren't much like real babies at all

[PoppyDog]

The idea of a practice baby as a trial run gives me the shivers. Dogs aren't babies.

I didn't mean it literally. We didn't get a dog to prepare us for a baby or to replace the want for having a baby. It is just an observation a lot of people in our lives have made and the comment "practice baby" has come from various different people. So I wondered if others had experienced this.

The idea of a practice baby as a trial run gives me the shivers. Dogs aren't babies.

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks so.

Kids and dogs are worlds apart. Anyone who thinks otherwise is living in la-la-land.

See above.

I am more patient with dogs than I am with babies/kids.

You can't crate a baby

But you can put kids on leads, or so I've seen

I am sure that while having a dog is not the same thing as having a baby, you do learn to be more patient, forgiving, and less selfish when you have a dog.

These qualities would be an asset as a parent I would imagine.

EXACTLY!!! That is what I think. I also work with children and so those experiences will help me the be a better parent than I imagine I would be if I didn't have them. It's not about having a dog to REPLACE the want for a baby. It's just an observation I have made.

Edited August 6, 2010 by PoppyDog

[W Sibs]

Everyone always tells me that I'm a natural mother because how I look after Charlie and Emmy. But, I don't know. I watch my friends who are parents, they have it so much harder then i do with my two... I don't think I have the patience for being a parent yet!

Not denying that Charlie and Emmy does bring out the nurturing side of me... I love looking after them, training them, make sure they are happy and give them a lot of attention, but I just thought it was because they make me so happy. They can destroy my favorite handbag because I stupidly left it on the floor, but I can't get mad at them because they are so cute and I can always forgive Emmy when she comes and gives me a cuddle... or when Charlie comes and snuggles right beside me and put his head on my shoulder... I feel everything is right in the world.

[CBL]

I have had a few people make that comment to us. My mum told me she ran into an old school friend of mine who asked if I had kids. My mum replied 'well, they have the dogs, honestly I don't know if they will ever have children' Both my parents and inlaws know how much we love our 3 - and they adore their granddogs in return.

Thats funny you say that. My inlaws to be are NOT doggy people but when they came to visit they coo'ed and aww'ed over Poppy so much that they had her up on the couch with them giving them cuddles. My fiance was shocked! He thought they would be very much against that. They still ask how Poppy is everytime the call!

My parents aren't either - we had a dog growing up but he was an 'outside' dog. So to have 3 in the house was a shock for my folks - however they love them and love giving them pats and cuddles when they come over. My inlaws last dog was allowed in the house, slept in the bed etc so they took to our three easily - however they don't quite understand pack dynamics etc as they have never had more than one dog at a time. They actually humanise the dogs more than we do. My MIL is still going on about the fact that she has to buy 2 more dryzabone coats because Oscar and Lilly will get jealous that Patch is the only one with one

It has given me a bit of insight as to how they will be as grandparents - and I see overbearing inlaws in my future We are always told we don't feed the dogs enough etc.