Practice Baby?

[Kavik]

Totally agree dobesrock!

I think my dogs cried for a little bit for a few nights when I brought them home - nothing compared to the MONTHS of sleep deprivation and hours of crying a day with my son!

[Remarkabull]

Isn't it a joy! :p I used to joke that I didn't sleep for years after my kids were born (not that funny back then) and now they are getting close to being teenagers it is even harder! Give me a dog anyday. (I REALLY do love my kids)

[OSoSwift]

I have discovered having dogs inside is much tidier than having kids inside. Yes I love my kids - dearly, but they can be messy little buggers when they want to be. I have found the rubbish bag method the most effective.

Dogs are much easier - they don't wear nappies for one.

[Archerlove]

I`ve recently come to the conclusion that one way to make teens think about what hard work hiuman babies are is to get them involved in puppy care for a couple of wweeks.We had a Lab before our children were born and later got a recue Lab so they have never been involved inthe puppy stage. Until now.Lab Emma has arrived she is ultimately cute and we adore her BUT she is hard work. The children had to sleep with her first few nights as she cried. She requires 3 meals a day.At first we were softening her kibble.We cannot leave her alone unattended. Often our children(now 16,13,9) are on PC or busy and I remind them they have to watch Emma in the garden. The first few weeks I couldnot relax as she was so small and I had nightmares of her getting into(secured) pool or getting under fence or being pecked by the massive crow that sat on roof eyeing her all one afternoon.Tho they never complain when i ask them to watch her i can see them thinking `Hmmmm!Didn`t know shed be this much work!`One of us stays up late to put her out before bed.Then one of us comes down early to clear up the nights poo etc and give her breakfast and put her out. We cannot be out away from house for too long as she needs to go out and we donot want her left alone in house. She is not yet vaxxed so cannot come out anywhere exciting yet. Really she is a huge tie and a major commitment.Obviouslys he gets older she will be a little less work but for now she is and the children are suprised. I had wanted to choose a rescue but they insisted on a puppy. I`mdelighted with her, we all are as she is truly a little bundle of joy.She loves to picked up and cuddled lke a babay tho at the rate shes growing that wont be possible much longer! Ceratinly anyone thinking about the commitment of a baby would get a little idea from puppy care..

[HeavyPaws]

You can't crate a baby

What?

Says who?

All a crate is, it's a child's playpen with a lid.

Fill up a guinea pig water bottle with lemonade, fill up a crate bowl with sweet biscuits and grapes, throw in a few frozen kongs filled with peanut butter and chocolate, chuck in a couple of dollies or toy cars, lay down some newspaper and stick it in front of the tv, then stick the brats in there.

That way there's room on the couch for the dogs.

I'm joking, I'm joking

[poodlefan]

Anyone who can toilet train a baby in two weeks gets my

I don't think dogs are good "practice" for children at all. Dogs aren't "babies" for long. Most children don't live outside, unattended for 8+ hours a day, get fed out of a packet from the supermarket and get dumped when they get sick, old, troublesome, knocked up or run away too often.

That's the life thousands of dogs live.

[pixie_meg]

we did it the opposite way by having kids first. kids are hard and when we got our dog and read about all ofl the stress of owning a pup i just couldn't understand. owning a dog was easy peasy in comparison to kids. Mind you i do call Oberon my third child substitute and i somewhat chose a boy to even out the balance in our household.

[pixie_meg]

I have discovered having dogs inside is much tidier than having kids inside. Yes I love my kids - dearly, but they can be messy little buggers when they want to be. I have found the rubbish bag method the most effective.

Dogs are much easier - they don't wear nappies for one.

ahh yes the mess. theres a few footprints occassionally and the hair but my kids are atrociously messy i cant stand it.

[Maddy]

It's probably already been said but.. dogs =/= babies (unless you happen to have a kid who toilets on the lawn, eats from a bowl on the floor and vomits up grass in your hallway) and the care requirements are so vastly different, there's really not much you apply from one to the other that you couldn't learn from having a pet rock (ie, basic care of a living/pretend living thing).

Puppies are probably hard work but you just can't compare raising a dog with raising another human, that's kind of.. well, wrong, in my opinion.

[Remarkabull]

It's probably already been said but.. dogs =/= babies (unless you happen to have a kid who toilets on the lawn, eats from a bowl on the floor and vomits up grass in your hallway) and the care requirements are so vastly different, there's really not much you apply from one to the other that you couldn't learn from having a pet rock (ie, basic care of a living/pretend living thing).

Puppies are probably hard work but you just can't compare raising a dog with raising another human, that's kind of.. well, wrong, in my opinion.

I agree with you there. A dog is something we take responsibilty for it's entire life (most of us anyway). If it dosn't fit in with society then that's nothing to torture yourself over, it can still have a happy fulfilling life. Children are being prepared to go out on their own someday. We need to raise them in a way that prepares them for life and all it's surprises, so that they can be happy, healthy, sane, contributing members of society that are able to function on their own as individuals. I think that it is a much greater responsibility than having a puppy could ever prepare anyone for.

[jazawayaya]

Since having my dogs I have 100% decided I will never ever have human babies.

Stuff that for a cruel joke.

So yeah I guess they were a practice run- dogs have really shown me what sort of person I am and taught me alot about myself.

[Narcissa]

Interesting theory about Neoteny. I always wondered why I am such a coddling "Mummy" to my Chihuahua, when I've always treated my previous dogs, well, like dogs - best friends. I was more of a big dog kinda girl, having had about 17 dogs in my life till I get this tiny Chihuahua and I'm baby-talking and buying him all sorts of crap I never imagined myself to get (clothes, bling collars, necklaces, spend hundreds on imported toys, etc). He even has designer bags so I can conceal him nicely when we go out to the mall.

He's also a puppy my fiance got me, so there's a lot of Mummy and Daddy reference, and my parents refer to themselves as Maxey's grandparents. Strangely, I feel more maternal to the dogs, than to other people's kids. Like, I would ask to pet someone's dog but would never coo to a stranger's baby.

[minxy]

Interesting theory about Neoteny. I always wondered why I am such a coddling "Mummy" to my Chihuahua, when I've always treated my previous dogs, well, like dogs - best friends. I was more of a big dog kinda girl, having had about 17 dogs in my life till I get this tiny Chihuahua and I'm baby-talking and buying him all sorts of crap I never imagined myself to get (clothes, bling collars, necklaces, spend hundreds on imported toys, etc). He even has designer bags so I can conceal him nicely when we go out to the mall.

He's also a puppy my fiance got me, so there's a lot of Mummy and Daddy reference, and my parents refer to themselves as Maxey's grandparents. Strangely, I feel more maternal to the dogs, than to other people's kids. Like, I would ask to pet someone's dog but would never coo to a stranger's baby.

Don't get me wrong, I have always wanted children for myself. But I'm quite awkward with other peoples babies. I cuddle my cats in my arms like a baby, which is the most natural thing in the world to me. But pass me a human baby, and it's like uhh so how do I hold this thing?! (I would also be way more likely to want to pat someones dog, then say anything about someones baby)

Edited August 17, 2010 by minxy

[whiskedaway]

Akira is a "practice baby" I suppose. Dogs are definitely different to kids, but you need the same responsibility with both. You can't go out partying with a dog without the dog acting out (not that we were ever partying people anyway) and you can't with a baby. You deal with the baby stage of dogs for a much shorter length of time, but you still learn slightly what it's like when a human baby comes along.

I hate dogs being banished outside when a baby comes along too. It makes me sad.