Greyhounds And Babies/children

[Guest LineDancerDana]

Hello!!! I was curious on everyone's thought about children and greyhounds. Has anyone had babies while they also had greyhounds and have any advice. My husband and I are trying for a family and we are hoping to have children by the end of the year, but being the Type A person that I am I am preparing NOW!! I was reading in a greyhound book that stated greyhounds aren't very good with children unless those children are quiet or well behaved, so i got nervous. And I know I should not buy into the hype, but I was wondering if anyone else had children with greyhounds, and if you have any advice. Thanks!!!

[Guest kar]

Two of my greys are very good with children (2 year old and baby). Its not that the other is not good - she is just younger nad has a little more pep and wants to play more.

[Guest FrostyBottoms]

I can only speak for mine...

 

[Guest PiagetsMom]

Depends on the pup, and you're going to get conflicting opinions, but I can say that neither one of mine would be what I would consider good pups to have with children, or allow what you see in the photos above.

 

 

[Guest IrskasMom]

You dont state in your OP, if you have any Greyhounds yet or maybe I missed it. But if you don't have any Greys yet , I seriously would wait.

[Guest LineDancerDana]

Yes. We have one very shy girl named Amelia.

 

You dont state in your OP, if you have any Greyhounds yet or maybe I missed it. But if you don't have any Greys yet , I seriously would wait.

[Guest SpicyMom]

Some dogs, like some cats, aren't crazy about kids. That said, you don't NOT have kids because you have a dog. Both my dogs have been raised from pups so granted they've grown up around babies/kids. The biggest challenge when the kids were little was the difference in size and the ease of them getting knocked over by the dogs. Also, since they are littler, the dogs will assume they (the kids) are lower in pack order. You will need to reinforce who comes first (the baby, of course...) Some dogs are territorial about their beds/crates and some dogs react instinctively if woken up from a sleep. Even my very tolerant older gal will snap from a deep sleep - she's nipped one of the boys. Once the kids are old enough to start slipping the dogs treats, the dog will learn to appreciate them! But seriously, like all animals, little dogs and cats included, you need to set boundaries and monitor them. If you have concerns about nipping or licking, you muzzle. Otherwise, you just make sure the dog is rewarded and praised when you are with the baby and he'll soon associate him with good things.

 

[Guest Swifthounds]

If you want to start prepping now, I would suggest reading Brian Kilcommons' book Childproofing Your Dog.

 

Personalities amongst greyhounds vary, and not all dogs will react the same in a situation. I like to tell people: First, you childproof the dog, then you dogproof the child (once the child is old enough).

[BootsyCollins]

Don't overthink it. Use common sense and it will work itself out. Teach your kid good doggie manners and teach your dog good kid manners.

 

We had a grey for 3 years before our son was born. He was a very calm, quiet dog; always fine around our friends' kids. He died when our son was a month old. Then we adopted Bootsy the lunatic, and he, too is exceedingly patient with our son, who is a toddler. We are very clear with Lucas what is and what is not acceptable, regarding the dog and the cat and the books and the remote and the furniture and the ... :lol

 

When Lucas was a newborn I asked a pediatrician friend of mine what books he recommends, i.e., What To Expect The First Year, etc. He said "throw away the books and make your own mistakes." Best advice ever. I make a lot of mistakes.

[Guest FrostyBottoms]

We had a grey for 3 years before our son was born. He was a very calm, quiet dog; always fine around our friends' kids. He died when our son was a month old.

I remember when that happened.

[Guest 3greysinPA]

We have 2 boys... one is 3 and the other will be 7 soon..

OUr boys have been taught all the greyhound respect rules and 4 of my 5 houndies are super wonderful with the boys... and the other is good with the kids... None of my hounds are bad with the boys... It's just that Figgy does not have as much patience with the boys.

The other thing is... i also never leave the hounds and the kids unattended.

I also let the kids feed the hounds and give treats to the hounds; this also helps to let the hounds know that the kids come before them in pack order.

[BootsyCollins]

OK, here ya go...the big guns...this is how greys are with kids...

 

 

[cailysmom]

My Caily is also very shy but she is AMAZING with kids, she has to get to know adults first but with kids they can run at her and she will just stand there and take it. But outside she likes to nip at they're ankles unless she is on a leash. All the kids in my neighborhood love to come pet her? Could you ask a neighbor with kids to bring them over one day to gauge Amelia's reaction to them and then start from there?

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

I have a nine month old. I do not allow him to climb on the dogs, enter their crates, or bother them while they eat. They are gated mostly apart, and I have one that isn't crazy about him and that one retreats to the bed (mine, up high) or to his kennel when he wants to be left alone. The others adore him and kiss him like crazy. My red male plays with him, bringing him toys and bowing. I think it's common sense, mostly. I trust my instincts. I didn't make a big production of things when I had my baby. I gave birth quickly and naturally, and was home a few hours later (gone a total of maybe 7-8 hours, and walked my dogs right before I left to give birth). I came home, let the dogs out, and hung out on the sofa with them, the new baby, and the proud daddy. (yes I am crazy and didn't even think it really hurt, and I had no drugs, and was totally fine- so yay for a non-horror story birth!) Life resumed to normally pretty quickly. The dogs still slept in my bed. Yes I co-slept with my breast feeding newborn and a couple of dogs. *Note this is discouraged strongly by most experts* The dogs never got excluded or left out. I think that's key. If you have dog experience, trust your gut. I would never leave my son for a nano-second with any of the dogs- even the Shepherd and the red Grey who LOVE LOVE LOVE him could knock him over playfully. BTW he is up and pretty much walking, full fledged toddler! I disagree with groups that have blanket no-kids policies, though I certainly feel some hounds are NOT suitable to live with children, and others only if the adult handler is experienced. Like I said, I have one such hound. I don't believe he should be in a novice pet home with kids under six. But here, he's fine. Any dog that threatens my son is history, and to be honest the only dogs I have had problems with have been Golden Retrievers, generally considered the ultimate child's pet!

 

I think the fact a baby goes from basically a lump that eats, gradually to a toddler, helps too. It may bring your girl out of her shell, too. Be very careful of holding the baby over a Greyhound's face, especially if the baby is screaming or squealing. Have a muzzle on hand. I have five hounds (one non-Grey) and a herding breed, and they can work into a frenzy and are not cat or small dog safe, so I keep this in mind. They've never ever ever gotten "excited" by the sight or sound of my baby, but when you bring the tiny new one home, use caution. Then again, I am paranoid

[Guest Tigonie]

I think one major factor (besides the dog's personality) is how long they have been acclimated to home life. We had Emma for over 4 years before our daughter was born. Emma was 7 and had already had a lot of time to get used to us and to meet lots of people in lots of situations. That being said, she had not spent much time around children.

 

When my daughter was born, we were very careful about Emma and the cats. We even bought one of the zip up Eddie Bauer Bassinets (though we did NOT pay $70!). We wanted to have one more barrier just in case, mostly because of the cats. I tried to read Childproofing Your Dog, but I found it kind of dull (sorry to those who love it). I played some crying baby clips I found on the web. And I worried a little, because all the books say greyhounds are not good with kids.

 

A day or so after DD arrived home, Emma didn't like the crying and growled at DD. I scolded, and Emma never growled at the kids again. DD had started eating table food by the time she became mobile. I allowed Emma to eat what fell on the floor. Since DH and I NEVER fed Emma at the table, that made babies the BEST people ever!

 

Overall, Emma adjusted to kids very well. She's very patient with them, which goes against the books. (The books say males do better with kids.) In general, I'd say that the kids have learned and practice good dog manners, but there are occasional problems. If the kids get out of line, I praise Emma for her non-retaliation and put a stop to the kids. I try to always keep Emma's experience positive and to reward her for putting up with them. Emma is a really good girl. She's very meek and mellow and not at all an aloof, alpha, independent, bitchy female. The latter were the qualities that seem to be cited as reasons greyhounds--particularly females--are "bad" with kids.

[Guest Flysmom]

You will hear/read many different opinions about this topic. Every dog is different but I really believe that having a Greyhound and a Baby works just fine.

We had our Fly for 10 month when I gave birth to my son. He was a laid back sweetheart and we never had any problems with him and the baby. Fly was included in everything I did with Niklas, we all went for walks, I sat next to him on the floor when I fed Niklas, he was allowed in the Nursery. Niklas was on the floor on a blanket very often and Fly was either close by or upstairs. They both were never unsupervised especially when Niklas started to crawl or walk. From early on Nik was taught to leave the dogs alone when they were on THEIR pillows, when they ate and so on. I sounded like a broken record saying 'Eiele' one of the many German words for gentle when he wanted to pet Fly and the other dogs. Both of my children (11 and 4) know to never ever leave the doors open, to double check the gate in the yard.

However, Fly passed away and I now have The Chaos Brothers who I love dearly but they would be challenged with a baby since they are a bit more rowdy than Fly was. That said, we have friend with babies and Toddlers and after the initial exitement of having visitors they settle down and if it gets too loud and crazy in the living room have our bedroom to go to.

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

I am not going to call anyone out here, but there is someone that has posted in this thread that I believe had a problem with a greyhound and their children (returned the hound I think?). That said, you will get a lot of differing opinions, I am an adoption rep for a group and we do adopt to families with children, but the parents are reqired to go to a class sponsered by the group before they adopt.

[Guest Lovey_Hounds]

It really depends on the greyhound some love kids and some dont, i have 3 dogs that are good with kids. of course i have a crazy noisy 7 year old daughter so that was a big thing when looking for a dog.

Our old girl preffers kids over the age of 7 they can be younger if they have manners. Vegas likes kids and is very gentle with them, if they bug him he walks away. Chili is a puppy and she LOVES anyone! but she can get pretty bouncy and knock some kids over. I know my dogs dont mind kids too much but i will not have any more until my old girl passes on as i know really small kids are not for her and she gets pretty freaked out.

I also make sure my dogs get to meet different kids that are mine so they get to know other kids and are used to them.

The big thing is kid proof you dog and make sure your kid knows their boundaries with the dogs too.

[greysmom]

I have four greyhounds but no kids, so you can take or leave what I say, but I think the common thread from the successful parents of both skin and fur babies is vigilant supervision and equal application of the rules and boundaries.

 

Greys are big dogs and can hurt an adult without meaning to. The same injury to a child can be catastophic. But if you supervise all interactions between your child and your grey you can stop any rough play or rude behavior before it can get to a dangerous level. You decide what the rules are, and you must enforce them consistently. Boundaries need to exist for both - the dog can't interact in certain ways with the baby/toddler/child, and the baby/toddler/child needs to learn to respect the dog.

 

You have gotten some good advice from some experienced people. Greys and kids can be absolutely wonderful together. I wouldn't over think things quite yet!

 

BTW - of my four greys, it's my big male Copper who ADORES children. He will pull me across the street if he sees a little girl and will stand for hours while kids crawl all over him. With the other three, my spook freaks around kids, and Dude plays too rough and I wouldn't trust him. I'm not sure about Toni but she has displayed surprising gentleness around my elderly MIL and might be fine.

[robinw]

I don't have kids but I have two greyhounds who absolutely love them. The first time I saw Phoenix (the day I adopted him) he was being walked by a three year old boy in an enclosed area. He was in a foster home with three little kids and four cats and loved them all. This past July I adopted a brood mama from an adoption kennel. I have no idea if she was exposed to kids in her past life, but she;s wonderful with them. Having said that, they are always well supervised. Loca, who passed away in June, also loved kids but I know she was exposed to them on the farm.

 

Having said that, it depends on the dog, the kids, and all kinds of other things. Is there any way to start to expose your dog to kids now?That will give Amelia time to get used to them.

 

 

 

[Guest Tigonie]

I think one major factor (besides the dog's personality) is how long they have been acclimated to home life.

By the way, it's not necessary for your dog to be at your house 4 years before having kids, but simply to have had a variety of experiences. You will have better success in my opinion if your dog can take new experiences in stride and has learned to trust you. The whole experience will be easier with a dog who looks to you for how to react if intimidated.

 

The other thing I wanted to mention is, before the baby is born, having your dog around kids is one thing, but you might have a hard time finding an infant. I think it's useful if you can manage both, but just be aware that your baby may be the first infant that your dog sees.

 

Having positive experiences with your baby is as important as with some generic baby/kid of your friend's. I used to hold my infant's hand and use her hand to pet the dog and tell Emma she was a good dog. I did the same when my son was born. Obviously, I was the one providing the gentleness, since I was moving the baby's hand, but it taught the dog that babies pet nicely and laid some groundwork for my kids about treating the pets gently. Nothing is guaranteed, but remember that your baby is learning how to interact with the world long before he or she can talk.

[Guest FrostyBottoms]

I know I posted a couple pictures of my kids with Vinny...but I also want to say that even if your hound loves kids (like Vinny does) they can hurt your child without trying to. Vinny actually went to knit Bailey's face and he punctured her skin with his tooth. We had to go to the hospital to get her cleaned & glued up.

You have to be very careful with any animal & children. My other greyhound would never want to kids to lay on her like that, but Vinny comes looking for the affection.

[Guest Flysmom]

I am not going to call anyone out here, but there is someone that has posted in this thread that I believe had a problem with a greyhound and their children (returned the hound I think?). That said, you will get a lot of differing opinions, I am an adoption rep for a group and we do adopt to families with children, but the parents are reqired to go to a class sponsered by the group before they adopt.

 

 

 

First off let me say I think it is good that your group requires adults/parents to take a class. I am sure the class has great info about the interaction with a Greyhound - useful not only for children...

 

Yes, one person had to return the Greyhound and was heartbroken over it!! They tried to work with the Greyhound but it seems that this dog was one of the ones that would not be a good match with children. I am sure by now he found a great home without children and is happy there. I give this person credit for returning the Hound BEFORE something happened and before the dog was labeled a biter!

[Guest redreed]

When I had my daughter I had Tiger Shark and he wasn't thrilled with her but he was okay!! That said he was 11 when she was born and had tremendous arthritis where he'd broken his hock and had gone a bit deaf. There was a space of time when he was muzzled when she was a toddler because he would snap if anybody walked to close to his bed when he was sleeping. He passed away at 13, when Jacey was 3. But in his younger days, he'd been awesome with my cousins and neighbors kids, lots of playing and cuddling.

 

Spyder (oh my baby, I still miss you every day!!) was a greyhound puppy that we raised. He had some very serious issues with DD, which we truly tried to work through. However rather than let him have a "black mark" as a biter and before there was an injury to my DD, he was re-homed at 9 months. It nearly killed us, but DH and I decided that he would be happier and safer in a home with other greyhounds and no kids. Spyder is a wonderful and happy boy, just not big on kids.

 

Jocko is FANTASTIC with Jacey. He adores her, snuggles, follows her, plays, lays on her (she is so not allowed to lay on him though). He is the most mellow and bombproof guy I've ever met though, greyhound or any other breed.

 

So 3 greyhounds, one NO, one Yes, and one resounding YES!!!

 

I agree with most of the PP's - it really depends on the dog first, but so much depends on your attitude. She will certainly pick up on whether you are nervous everytime she's near the baby.

 

Good luck!!!!

Edited January 9, 2010 by redreed

[RobinM]

OK, here ya go...the big guns...this is how greys are with kids...

 

 

no no no! this is how YOUR grey is with your baby!!

 

I can assure you, that would have never happened here in my house with any of my 5!

 

Well, maybe Ollie.

 

Of my 5, as soon as my granddaughter who is now 2 comes into the house, Chloe just removes herself from the situation and goes as far away as she can. The other 4 are accepting of her. I always have her give them cookies which is like being at the petting zoo! I of course never leave her unattended with any of them even for 30 seconds.

 

 

You've gotten some greyt advice. Do you have any friends with babies, small kids? Kids test him

 

Just kidding.

 

When you do have your baby, make sure you bring something of the babies home from the hospital on day one so that their scent is there before the actual arrival of the baby in the house. It's common sense and just due diligence, but many people have greys first and then a baby.