Lindsaloo Posted September 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 You read that right. I'm due in 2 and a half weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted September 22, 2011 Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 You're planning to manage a newborn and a puppy at the same time? You must be superwoman! J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puppytoes Posted September 22, 2011 Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 Good luck with that. I could barely manage a newborn and a very well trained and patient 2 year old border collie. As in i was lucky to shower every couple of days because well, everyone elses needs had to come before my own. I do not mean to be a downer but a border collie puppy is not just any puppy. They need quite a bit of attention in order to turn into the dogs we want them to be. And babies... well, here's hoping you get an angel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindsaloo Posted September 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 With my first baby I had a male border collie that at that time was 4, but sadly we had to put him down this June because of an auto-immune disorder. While I know this isn't ideal timing for a pup, around here trying to get a border collie without having to have one shipped to us is like getting the president to come for tea. We feel that we really have to jump on this litter or wait a few years, with jumping on it winning out. Thankfully I will have my husband here a lot the first month or so (thank God for vacation time!) so he will help take a lot of the load off my shoulders. My plan is to take the puppy out everytime I get up to feed the baby (every 2 hours appx.) then spend nap times training. I like to think of it as like having twins... except one has a lot of excess body hair. LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted September 22, 2011 Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 With my first baby I had a male border collie that at that time was 4, but sadly we had to put him down this June because of an auto-immune disorder. While I know this isn't ideal timing for a pup, around here trying to get a border collie without having to have one shipped to us is like getting the president to come for tea. We feel that we really have to jump on this litter or wait a few years, with jumping on it winning out. Thankfully I will have my husband here a lot the first month or so (thank God for vacation time!) so he will help take a lot of the load off my shoulders. My plan is to take the puppy out everytime I get up to feed the baby (every 2 hours appx.) then spend nap times training. I like to think of it as like having twins... except one has a lot of excess body hair. LOL! I'd forgotten what it's like to have a puppy when I got Tommy. When she was out I had to watch her every minute - she was into everything. But it was fun and it didn't last all that long. I'm really glad I did it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alchemist Posted September 22, 2011 Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 I'm with Puppytoes. With both of my kids I was lucky to shower by noon. Hard to believe how something that small could consume so much of my time and attention. Memories of pacing for half an hour or more with a newborn wailing at my shoulder, trying to get him to settle. Don't think I'd want to be trying to housebreak a puppy at the same time. But training a young puppy is also a full-time job at first. You just can't take your eyes off them. And they won't necessarily want to potty (outdoors, anyway) at moments that fit into your schedule. I don't mean to be a downer either, but I think there's a reason why in some cultures twins are viewed as a curse. I hope you are a superwoman and can pull it off. I know for sure I couldn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted September 22, 2011 Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 FWIW, my 7-week-old puppy can go about 5 hours at night when she's sleeping without needing a potty break. But when she gets up or says she needs to go out, she means NOW. When she's up and about and playing in the house, she needs to go out about once every 15 minutes or there will be an accident (pee) in the house. Unless the pup is living in its crate most of the time, I don't see how a potty-every-two-hours schedule is going to work very well. I wish you luck! J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey Posted September 22, 2011 Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 While I know this isn't ideal timing for a pup, around here trying to get a border collie without having to have one shipped to us is like getting the president to come for tea. We feel that we really have to jump on this litter or wait a few years, with jumping on it winning out. Ok, others have expressed their concern but mine is "what type of breeder are you buying this pup from"? I'd really question their integrity every which way for selling a pup into this situation. I'm not saying *you* are a bad home just that there's no way *I* would place a pup into this and it makes me pause to wonder *who* would.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted September 23, 2011 Report Share Posted September 23, 2011 TBH Karen, I wondered the same thing. It seems like a situation ripe for setting the pup up for failure. I question my sanity with my pup and although I have a lot going on, I certainly don't have the demands placed on me that an newborn infant would entail. J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alchemist Posted September 23, 2011 Report Share Posted September 23, 2011 Thanks, Karen and Julie. I'd had the same thought exactly about the breeder, but hated to be more of a "wet blanket" than I'd been already by voicing this additional concern. Nothing at all personal about the OP. She has, after all, had one child already, so we can assume she knows what she's in for on that front. (Not like me: I felt like a small thermonuclear device had gone off, totally disrupting our lives, with the first child, and the second sure wasn't a heckuva lot easier). What was less clear was whether she'd had recent experience in training/housebreaking a small puppy. CONSTANT vigilance just isn't the sort of thing that I would have been able to provide to a puppy, not with a newborn, not with MY kids as newborns at least. And in my experience, that's what's required with a puppy. For more than just the month that the OP has her husband's support. I agree 100% with Karen's point that reputable breeders would want to make sure that their pups are placed in suitable 'forever' homes. Again, I'm not criticizing the OP here, please don't think that, I haven't met her and she may actually be that rare person who could do it all. But I'd think reputable breeders would have concerns about placing a pup in a home with a 1.5-week-old baby. It's almost a script for a cheap Hollywood movie, in which puppy starts by getting locked outside because it isn't housebroken and exhausted new mom can't handle it. My imagination is running wild here, but it's telling me that happy endings are more likely to be encountered in Hollywood (and wouldn't they mostly involve a neighbor's kid, who had fallen in love with the puppy, stepping in?) than in real life. Oh, and Julie: when do we see pix of YOUR new pup? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSmitty Posted September 23, 2011 Report Share Posted September 23, 2011 FWIW, my 7-week-old puppy can go about 5 hours at night when she's sleeping without needing a potty break. But when she gets up or says she needs to go out, she means NOW. When she's up and about and playing in the house, she needs to go out about once every 15 minutes or there will be an accident (pee) in the house. Unless the pup is living in its crate most of the time, I don't see how a potty-every-two-hours schedule is going to work very well. I wish you luck! J. Off subject, sorry! But, Julie, you have a puppy?? How did I not know this? Congrats. And to the OP, I wish you the very best of luck. I would never attempt such a thing! I had a friend who almost sent her border collie puppy back to the breeder several times, that's just how hard it was for her to work full time, take care of her elderly father, do everyday life things like chores and shopping, plus teach agility classes. And she's an experienced border collie person, too. I think a newborn and a border collie puppy is going to be a huge challenge. I really hope it works out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted September 23, 2011 Report Share Posted September 23, 2011 Lisa and Paula, I have posted pictures on Facebook but haven't managed to post any here. I haven't actually gotten very many pictures, but will try to rectify the lack of any here soon. I'd love to get some of her and Ranger playing, but every time he hears the camera, Ranger gets up and comes over to me, ruining the potential shot, lol! And my timing wasn't great--lots of rain lately, and an extra freelance job, along with a pup that demands attention (and she's a VERY GOOD puppy). J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooky Posted September 23, 2011 Report Share Posted September 23, 2011 Congratulations, Julie! To Lindsaloo, I had a baby a year ago, when my border collie Odin (who is very well trained) was 2. As hard as I tried NOT to let this happen, Odin had to put up with a major reduction in the amount of time I could spend with him. He was very very patient, and very very good, but there were literally some days that he had to wait 10 hours between walks because I just could not take him sooner than that. There is NO way I could have housetrained a puppy during this period. And yes it would be somewhat easier with a yard which I don't have, but still, despite my best intentions some days I was barely able to get anything to eat. The vigilance and responsiveness needed to housetrain a puppy just were not there. Let alone the fact that I was so sleep deprived that I would have HATED having to get up for a puppy on top of everything too. Can I ask if you are planning to breastfeed? Only because I know in the early days I COULDN'T just get up and attend to the dog immediately while the baby was eating, because I was propped under my boppy in the position that gave us a good latch and it takes time to get there and it takes time to get the baby calm enough to eat and OMG the baby will SCREAM if I stand up now....that sort of thing. Actually Odin took better care of me during this time than I took care of him by keeping me company and bringing me receiving blankets But that has already been well described by others. Depending on your situation, use of a crate, maybe vastly superior parenting abilities to me () maybe you can do that part anyway. What I would MAINLY be worried about would be the other stuff. Like, I put so much time into Odin during his first year to ensure he had a good recall, could walk on a leash, had solid obedience skills, etc. In my opinion if you don't take a very hands on approach with a pet border collie you are asking for boredom and behavior issues. I can't imagine that with a newborn these things could be high on your list all or even most days during the early newborn time. Housetraining maybe, because if the pup doesn't get housetrained YOU will be constantly corrected by having to clean up the floor. But all these other things that don't have such an immediate downside when you ignore them will be just so much easier to ignore. SO I guess from the perspective of someone who has raised both a BC puppy and a newborn in the past 3 years, my advice would be to be VERY aware that any corners you cut at that young age will affect the quality of relationship you have later and will affect what type of pet this pup eventually turns out to be. If your heart is set on doing this and you are confident this is the life you will want, I would invest in a good babywearing sling or carrier, strap that baby in, and really try to commit to a daily training schedule with the pup! I am telling you, the LAST thing you need is a bored and/or poorly trained BC pup on your hands. Finally, remember that the adolescent period, which will hit for your pup right around the time your baby starts being easier and even maybe mobile, is often hard for even those people who have spent a lot of time training during early puppyhood. They just get very excitable around this time, test limits, "forget" their training, etc. This is when most people decide with a dog of any breed that the dog is "wild", or "we just don't have time/space for him to exercise enough", or "he is SUCH a sweet dog but really would do better on a farm with lots of room." Behaviors show up that are incompatible with having a young baby around (or get serious now that the dog is bigger) such as trying to rush out the door when it is opened, counter surfing, chewing (our WORST chewing phase was about 7-10 months of age), jumping on people, etc. I'm sure there are dogs and even BCs that just sail through adolescence and don't require attention to training increased impulse control, retraining recalls etc., but I wouldn't ever count that you get that lucky. In short, I am not saying this can't be done. But I'll be totally honest and say I don't envy you in the least and kind of hope for YOUR sake as well as the pup's you'll really, really consider whether this is a time that you can feasibly raise a puppy AND be fair to the puppy. Without completely driving yourself up a wall because now you have even less time to relax, shower, sleep, go to the bathroom, or eat. Especially given you have another kid who will need attention and care from you too! And I don't see it getting all calm and automatic and not terribly hard for you for at least a 9 months to a year due to puppy adolesence. And again, the less work you put in during this first year, the more likely you are to have a bored or destructive or "wild" border collie on your hands. Very best wishes and keep us posted either way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puppytoes Posted September 23, 2011 Report Share Posted September 23, 2011 Well said Ooky. One other thing that came to my mind is that theoretically you would have committed to this pup before your baby is born. So you are assuming that you will have a little time with baby before the puppy arrives. Now i had my baby at home and had pretty much a perfect birth but i was sore for a few days. Imagine that God forbid there are some complications and you go through many hours of labour and then have a c-section. For my friends that have been through this scenario, they did not leave the house for many weeks except for baby's health visits. Also, if your baby is anything like mine was, you will need your husband to be attending to you and the baby almost constantly. I am sure that you will do what you need to do and i wish you luck. But even today, with a 3 1/2 year old border collie and a lovely 20 month old boy, life is a gong show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindsaloo Posted September 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2011 Thank you all for your concerns. I know it looks like it's an impossible task that I am about to take on, but I couldn't be more excited. I'm a stay at home mom, and most of the time have more time on my hands than I know what to do with (I really need a hobby). When I got my last border collie my life was way more hectic than it is now and he turned out to be the greatest dog I've ever been owned by. I do baby wear and breast feed so taking the baby with me when training or for potty breaks is gonna happen. Like I believe I said before, this pup will get tons of training and one on one time during nap times and before the kids wake up and after they go to bed which is when I go on my runs anyways. I know newborns don't sleep on schedules so that's where the baby wearing and jogging stroller come into play. The pup will also be with us in the living room (which is completely blocked off by baby gates) all the time that he is not sleeping or just had enough, in which case yes he will be in a crate which is located in our bedroom, just off of the living room. The breeder of this pup is not a "perfect" breeder in many ways, but she breeds great dogs from working stock and has talked to us extensively to make sure we can provide a good home for Ziggy. In the event that we for some reason could no longer keep him, he will go back to her. I genuinely do appreciate all of your concerns as this shows what a true love for the breed you have, but rest assured... We've got this. And yes, I will keep everyone updated. Lol! It'll be hard not to seeing as I'm so excited I want the whole world to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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