Will an adult Samoyed bond with a baby even though it didn't grow up with it or any children? My wife and I want to get a Samoyed in the next few months and will likely get our first child in 3 years or so. I've read that, ideally, a puppy is socialized with children, but we don't want to wait that long. Is there a risk that they won't bond? Anybody have a similar experience?
Of course there's a risk. There's a risk that the dog won't like children at all. Then there's danger, not mere risk. An adult dog would have to be taken around small children and it's behavior around them would need to be assessed carefully. Even if this goes smoothly, you may find that an intruder in the house (a new child) is NOT welcomed like children say... at a local park, would be. A crying baby is different from a 4-5 year old, as well. I wouldn't risk it and I HAVE heard some bad things. I'd raise the puppy and child together or I'd have the child, then once the child is older, I'd get the puppy. Socializing the adult dog with children can work, but IMO isn't ideal. Raising the adult dog without any contact with children and then just having a baby and hoping all works out in the wash - really bad idea IMO.
There is absolutely not reason your dog should not bond with a new baby when the time comes, I am sure you are responsible adults and will take all this into consideration, unless you are going to keep your dog isolated from the world till you have children, then that could be a problem as with anything you don`t socialize a dog with , please do not be put off by the negative post above, there are thousands of folk who have dogs then kids , you just have to be sensible. I would, firstly research your breeder, make sure you buy from a reputable breeder who produces dogs with good temperaments. If you don`t have children in your social /family group them make sure you socialize your pup with as many children outside the home as possible, this can be done on walks , allowing children to stroke your pup, ( a cute puppy always attracts attention) , set boundaries in your home, best to start as you mean to go on, baby gates , restriction from rooms furniture and so on, get your pup to be able to settle well a away from you , (crate and so on) so when the time comes he/she will not feel they are suddenly excluded from the family. Samoyed are very sociable animals and like to be part of a family life , so I would not be put off buying now , infact I think its a god idea to have pup, it will be settled into a biddable adult by the time a baby comes along, obviously it goes without saying when a new baby comes in the home, you would never leave a dog alone with it, but setting boundaries now and having a well socialized dog around should pose no problems. For the record, both my Boxers and my present dog now never had small children/babies around , but they grew into well adjusted dogs that ALL loved kids........... and that`s because we made sure they met and experienced ALL aspects of life and people, my present dog now goes into an old peoples home to visit my father in law, he takes it all on the chin due to his being socialized well. Good luck with your search.
I had two Golden Retrievers and a Cavalier when my daughter was born. The GR's were perfect, they laid by her side, and would walk at her side. The Cavalier would sit by her, and never snapped, but she did become wary when Emma started to toddle, and would keep out of her way. The later Cavaliers just included her as family, which I think this is fairly typical behaviour for these two breeds. I do not know enough about Sammie's to advise you, but would suggest that you get in touch with some reliable breeders, (not people who have puppies advertised), and ask their advice. The breed club website is always a good place to start, or you could visit a show and speak to several owners after the judging has finished.
My two Gsd’s were adults when our son was born, they were not used to young children as such and I never had any problems and they were my son’s best friends. No one can predict how a dog will act in any given situation; it’s down to the dog and how one handles the way you introduce the new baby, It goes without saying that no matter how good the dog is they should not be left alone with baby. A baby on its own is hard work, having a new puppy and a baby at same time would be double the work.
Hello and welcome, From someone who learned how to walk hanging on to the family dog .....and has shared many years since with dogs always at her side. Get your puppy, socialize him well, train him well, and enjoy him. Puppy classes are great, to be followed up with obedience classes. Introductions to family members and friends who have babies and young children are important, supervising that the puppy is gentle with the kids, and the kids gentle with the pup. When your baby comes along, introduce them to each other, making sure that your dog understands that Baby is a very important member of the Family pack to always love and protect. Supervise interactions between the two always. Don't exclude your dog from raising baby, allow him to participate, but set bounderies, as you would if you were introducing Baby to an older sibling. Teach your child to respect your dog, and to be kind and gentle with it, as with all living creatures. Samoyeds, are loving sweet dogs, making wonderful family dogs. Find a good breeder and work closely with them. Good luck and enjoy your pup. ~Elana~
My Nigredo loves children (I don't) but I still am leery of him around very small ones because he can use his feet and "swap" at kids when he's excited and roll over on them or headbutt them etc by accident. He's fat and clumsy. I guess my stance is just kinda different as I don't want children around my dogs regardless. Good luck with whatever you choose!
I love seeing dogs with children as long as the children are not climbing all over the dog or pulling the dogs tail/ears. A dog is for life not until a baby arrives, I hate it when the dog is given to a rescue home after being with their owners for years, because their owners have had a baby.
Georgina despite having little or no contact with babies or children of any age is always very gentle with them, especially toddlers. It's almost as though she instinctively knows they're "fragile" and she has to be well behaved and act quietly when she's with a small child. Until he was 9 months old Gwylim grew up with his breeders 6 year old daughter Lila and was used to playing with her and her friends. We still meet her and her parents fairly often when she'll take Gwylim for a walk. I can't believe how well behaved he is with her .. he walks like a little lamb which is often more than he does for me !
When we got Rosie, I knew that she would have to cope with the grandkids coming to stay every year so we made sure that she was really well socialised to kids of all ages. All kids want to pet small, cute pups and as long as this is supervised, it's a great way to socialise. Make sure that the kids don't overwhelm the pup, but, other than that, let them pet and play. Suffice to say that Rosie has never had the slightest problem with the grandkids when they come
Thank you everybody for the suggestions. Follow up question: do you guys have ideas on where to go with puppy to have them meet children? So far nobody in my social circle has any, so I'd likely have to go to a public place.
I wasn’t bothered about meet and greet, I like my puppy’s to watch from enough distance that they were comfortable with whilst giving them tit-bits and learning to keep their attention on me. I found standing/sitting near school playgrounds at lunchtimes were ideal in getting them used to seeing kids running/screaming ect:. Parks, outside supermarkets are also good to expose them gently. When older kids (age 8+ want to approach, with parent permission, I give the kid the treat and they come up with the treat. I tell them to say gentle so they would take the treats very gently and had no problems
We got a dog about 4 years before we had a child. We knew we wanted children and made sure we socialized the dog around all sorts of people, especially friends who had kids. Copper loves our daughter and he has never shown any signs of aggression toward her (or anyone for that matter.) We made sure to pet him and be near him while he ate as food aggression cannot be tolerated around children. We also made sure to pick out a pup who was more on the submissive and docile side of things. When we picked him out, we put him on his back to see what he would do and he yawned and fell asleep in my arms. I know it is possible to get a dog before you have children as my husband and I were successful at it. It just takes a little planning and common sense.
