Ever since I was young, I knew I wanted to bring my own children up with a dog. We had Labradors growing up, and they were the sweetest, most loving animals I've ever known.
I hadn't even considered getting a puppy until my youngest was at school, when I felt I'd have the time and energy to devote to training a dog. Plus, I'd hoped to be able to rescue a dog, but there aren't many options available if you have young children, given the history rescues may have.
Then one day last November, my husband's cousin sent me a text with a picture of the most beautiful Labrador puppies I'd ever seen, a litter of nine from her very own lovely dog, Honey. To say I was tempted would be an understatement, and three days later, my husband and I were shopping for puppy supplies.
The next day we brought home our boy, Dodge.
Now I'm absolutely no puppy training or dog expert but I thought I'd share some tips from our experiences when it comes to navigating life with a puppy and young children.
For most people who have had dogs in the past, they have a preferred breed. For me, that was the Labrador and for my husband that was the German Shepherd. As you can tell, we're big dog people! And they need a lot of exercise, and a lot of training - something we were both prepared to take on. On top of that, I work from home and I'm rarely out of the house for more than a couple of hours at a time, so the dog would always have company and a good garden to roam, along with lots of local walking routes to join me on.
I can't advise on the best breed for your family so research is key if you're unfamiliar with a breed you like the look of. There are lots of breeds that are suitable for people with allergies for example, and Labradors molt a lot, so they are not one of them!
Different breeds have different needs in terms of their training, exercise, temperament and so on. Follow some dog trainers on social media, get in touch with your local one, and make sure you know as much as you can about how to give a dog the best life possible, while ensuring that dog is the right fit for your family.
That leads nicely on to my next point. I knew from the moment we brought Dodge home that I wanted to get some professional help to support his training. I'd grown up with Labradors but never been responsible for their training.
My local obedience trainer is the wonderful Alicia. Based in Essex, she is a font of knowledge so we invested in a puppy home visit when Dodge was small. During this visit, Alicia came to see us and was able to advise on lots of things from what to feed him, to how to navigate life with a puppy and young children. Plus, she got us started on some training essentials such as recall and lead walking.
We're now in the middle of a six-week dog obedience course which both myself and Dodge love! With Alicia's help, we're well on the way to having an excellent dog citizen and I feel much more confident about training him.
I have to be honest, if you'd asked me a few years back whether I would use a crate with my dog, I'd have said 'no'. I always thought putting a dog in a cage felt a bit mean.
I've since done a lot of research and seen many dogs who benefit from having a safe and comfortable space of their own within the household. This is even more important for us with the children around. Sometimes they overwhelm him and sometimes he overwhelms them, and he takes himself off for a sleep in there. The kids know they aren't allowed to follow him in to the crate or to bother him at all while he's in there.
It's super cosy with his bed and blankets and we cover the crate at night to keep it lovely and snug. Since we brought Dodge home, we've put him in his crate for naps and overnight sleep - much like a baby, he eats, poops, plays and then needs a rest, otherwise he gets grumpy and destructive.
We started out by leaving the door open and giving him free-run of the kitchen, rewarding him for going into the crate. Then once he was happy, we started to close the door and gradually increase the time he was in there with the door closed. We were lucky in that he didn't whine unless he wanted to come out to go in the garden, but there is lots of advice online on how best to crate train your dog if it's something you'd like to do.
We invested in a large crate for Dodge, so it will see him through to adulthood, but you may want to start small and then size up as I've read that too big a crate can lead to puppies using an area as their personal toilet. Dogs generally don't like weeing or pooing where they sleep so we've not had many accidents in there thankfully.
On the toilet-training front, don't bother with puppy pads! We did and it just prolonged the process as it gave him the option of doing his business in the house.
Instead, take them outside at regular intervals and offer a reward - a treat and/or praise - when they go in the desired location. Once we switched to this technique, Dodge cracked it in a few days and now takes himself to the back door or whines at us when he wants to go out.
In terms of getting started, here is my list of recommended supplies if you're about to start your puppy journey:
There are lots of other things you can invest in but hopefully this is enough to get you started on bringing pup home. The other important thing to have sorted as soon as possible is a local vet who will be able to advise on vaccinations and any necessary treatments.
I was asked by lots of people whether I was mad bringing a puppy into a home with a toddler. Dodge is surprisingly calm for a puppy so we may have lucked out but it is a huge commitment.
If you have any doubts at all, wait a while. I can't (and wouldn't) leave Dodge alone with either of my children, just in case he gets a bit chewy while he's teething or in case they aren't gentle with him, so there can be lots of new challenges when it comes to daily life with a puppy. Even going to the toilet, I'm now accompanied by a dog as well as one or two children.
The crate in particular has been incredibly useful for allowing everyone time apart, plus I can pop Dodge safely in there so I can run upstairs with the kids to get ready of a morning or to do the school run without him, knowing full well my skirting boards are safe from land-shark teeth.
Some days are chaotic, but then that's true with just my kids! I wouldn't change things for the world. Dodge is part of our family and I'm loving watching them all grow up together.