Walking Dogs w/ Baby?

[Raidra]

I'm just wondering how everyone gets their dogs walked with a baby around.. we have two dogs and live on a hill. They have to be walked at the bottom of the hill - we can't just let them out into the backyard. Furthermore, our baby will be coming in October, which means we'll have to deal with ice relatively soon after.

How do you suggest I walk the dogs when I'm home during the day? Would it be safest to pile the dogs and the baby into the car and drive them down? If I did that, would I have to bring the baby out with me to the potty area, or could I leave him in his carseat with the door open just incase?

I know I have a while to plan, but I'm just curious how everyone else does it..

[Momof3Labs]

Well, since you have time, try weaning your dogs down to the minimal number of potty trips a day (maybe 3-4?). I had one dog who went twice a day - that was it - no matter what I tried to do with her! It was very nice, I have to admit.

Does the hill get icy? Sounds like it. If not, try a sling or Baby Bjorn, and put your coat on over you and the baby to keep him/her warm. If it does, then the car idea might work, but leaving the car door open may subject baby to a lot of cold and wind. If you do close the car door, keep a spare key for your car in a safe, handy place - even on a keyring attached to your dog's collar.

You also might want to consider having a neighbor (child or adult) on call who can do doggy potty breaks for you when needed (or stay with baby while you do it) - especially at the beginning, you aren't going to feel like making that trip too many times. And when you finally get baby to sleep and then the dogs need to go out....

[emilyf]

This was a tough one for us too, I live in the city so no real yard-and my dh refuses to walk the dog most of the time (he's my dog, and a source of tension between us). He (dog that is) stayed with my parents for the first 2 weeks which was wonderful since it snowed right after we came home and we didn't have to worry about it. Generally I found the bjorn easier to manage when dog walking, I have a small beagle who sometimes veers off when he sees food, so the first couple of times with the stroller were a challenge. Now I've gotten the hang of walking dog and stroller but honestly still prefer to walk them separately, I try to take the dog out for his main walk after dh gets home-that way he gets some baby time, I get some semi-alone time and the dog gets a decent walk. For quick pee breaks I will let him in our little yard, or pop on the baby bjorn and go around the block.
Emily
mom of Charlie born 11/02

[zen_bliss]

dog walking is a major part of our day. i put the baby in the KK fleece pouch for quickie trips or in the stroller for long ones. i started walking the k9s with an empty stroller in my last 2 months to get them used to walking with it (my little dog always wants to ride in the basket)

awhile ago, i had a custom double leash made for $20 from this site http://www.downeastproducts.com/leash.html you can have it made any length at no extra cost, and it has a sturdy swivel no-tangle bolt. i wanted each dog to have a lot more 'personal length' than is standard. i just knot my long single part of the leash when i need the dogs to stay closer to me. that company sells a lot of nifty custom stuff at a good price, and they were easy to work with.

[mama2be]

Zen,
Girl friend I swear you are a walking rolodex!!!! You need to be re named "search queen" :)..."Zen and the art of searching"...

This leash so appeals to me...how does it differ than those things you buy at PetSmart that is like a "V" with a ring at the point that you attach to your leash to walk two. Mine do get tangled on that I am wondering if this would be the same thing or does it master the tangling.

I actually bought two of those "v"s and on one I connect one arm up so when I attach them to the lease I ahve three extensions to put the pups on. I like walking all three on one leash but Steve like Spinnaker to have her own.

I bet they could custom me a three big dog one...

Regarding the asked question I attempted to walk all three pups with the stroller when Tristan was about 1 week old and got out there and almost had a nervous break down for the whole neighborhood to witness :)...but when DH comes home we all go out as a family walking...We are in adiffernt situation in that they excercise via Invisable Fence all day :)...

Keep us posted!!!

[jd11365]

Like we didn't have enough expenses with the new baby and me taking the year off from work...we paid to have the whole back yard fenced in and bought a custom doggie door that fits into the sliding glass door so DD (darling dog) could get in and out on his own. We needed to purchase these items at this time like we need a hole in the head, but I guess we had to do it...this dog needs to go out like 8 times a day!

If I didn't have a yard to fence, I might make that a DH job, or enlist the help of the neighborhood kids. Especially since some might have nothing better to do with their day if they are out of school...might make a great pre-teen job for a 10-13 year old in the neighborhood that would like to make a few bucks during the week...

[sweetbasil]

Marisa,
What cute pups! What breed are they? They remind me a little of our Boston Terrier, but look a little lower to the ground, kinda like bulldogs.

[redhairedgirl]

I thought that I was the only person freaking out about this. LOL

I still have another few weeks until baby is here, but this was my plan: We have a stroller that can be used as a pram and is easy to push with one hand. I figured that I could plop the baby in there and still "hopefully" take the dog out without too much of a problem. My dog is a senior, and well, we really don't try our luck with making him wait for extended periods of time, so there was some thought with this.
We don't have a hill, but we have to walk the dog, since we have leash laws here.

In your case, I would probably would try the car thing. I'd be concerned about walking with the baby in any type of carrier and falling on the ice as you are going down the hill. Once you get to the bottom of the hill, I'd try to keep the dogs as close to the car as possible and leave the baby there... but if they want to roam, I'd probably take the baby with me.

Good luck!!! I'm sure that this will be one of those things where you go through a lot of trial and error before finding out what really works.

Mandy

[csa12]

Hi there!
I know this sounds really cumbersome but I walk my two dogs one at a time. Sometimes I put DS in the baby bjorn, but now that he is older I have him in the stroller whil holding the leash in the other hand. I have also debated putting our younger dog (88lb 3 yr old lab) in doggie daycare 1-2 times a month. I know that sounds weird but there are a couple of good doggie daycares around me.

I killed me to not be able to take them out as much in the beginning but since I stay home now I make an effort to walk them at least every other day, even if it takes me all day!!! LOL

HTH,
Cheryl :)

[zen_bliss]

neve,

i think those "v"s are way way too short and useless for real sniffing around dog walks, particularly with big dogs. there is also something called the Pet Walker Plus that is more what you need, a modular system -- it is a hand loop connected to a sturdy swivel bolt setup. the leash part has clips at both ends, one for the dog, one for the swivel. you clip as many leashes as you want to the swivel (it comes standard with 2, but if you get the stronger Large size, you could put more on) and the dogs each get their own 4 feet or so to roam and it does not tangle. they have it at petsmart, so you could go look at one IRL. http://www.petsmart.com/dog/shopping/travel_corner/health___safety/products/product_28491.shtml

i got one of these long after i had the downeast one made. i like it better and this is the one i usually use on walks. i don't know how you go about getting add-ons for the Pet Walker Plus... i would ask the downeast people to make you a leash set-up the same way, with the snaps on both ends so all 3 (or more) will match.

i would go insane trying to walk with more than one leash in my hand. this way there is only one loop you have to worry about. there is also a hands-free belt/leash set up, but i have never tried it...

[Marisa6826]

They're French Bulldogs!

I am SO in love with this breed. We affectionately call them "pigdogs" since they kind of oink and snort all the time.

Willy has been mistaken by many of the Saturday night idiots (I live in a city with WAY too many bars) as a pot bellied pig...

-m

[Marisa6826]

Mandy-

Our dogs are older and take a while to "acclimate" themselves to new situations.

I suggest taking the empty stroller for a few walks with your dogs before the baby comes.

My two dogs aren't used to it at all (I didn't practice with them), so they get kind of freaked out...

I also HIGHLY suggest the Bjorn trick. Takes a little getting used to bending down to scoop the poop, though. Just have to remember to step on the leash, hold the baby close to your chest with one hand and grab to poo with the other...takes a bit of coordination! However, I don't recommend doing it on limited sleep :)

-m

[Raidra]

Thanks for your suggestions! From what you've all said, I figure when it's not icy, I'll walk them separately with the baby in the sling, but when it's icy I'll drive down. We have a minivan that has rear heat, so maybe I can leave the front door slightly open and take the extra set of keys out with me, too.

They're a lot easier to walk separately anyways.. they tend to get each other barking when they're together and come off as aggressive, whereas when they're alone, they walk right at my side and happily greet strangers and other dogs. Go figure.

Both of our dogs go to doggie daycare now and I don't know how I'm going to give them that amount of exercise and stimulation when the baby comes. I really feel bad taking them out of daycare, but at least I'll be home with them. I figure I'll do a lot of trick training (which they love) and play a lot of "Find Your Kibble" games. We get a lot of remarks about sending the dogs to daycare, but it really is a godsend. Tired dogs are good dogs. :)

Again, thanks for the great ideas!

[zen_bliss]

if you don't have them already, i strongly recommend the Kong and Goodie Ship dog toys for doggie brain stimulation. I think every dog deserves them! I've lost count of how many of these I've bought for friends. The Kong is a beehive shaped rubber toy that bounces in strange ways, so if your dog knows how to 'toss' a toy, he'll be busy for a long time.

The mother hubbard mini training biscuits fit perfectly in the Goodie Ships, and the Kong website has a bunch of recipes -- basically, stuff them with kibble and/or some leftovers, seal the top with yogurt or peanut butter, freeze (optional) and the dogs are occupied working on them for hours. I give these to our k9 kids just before going out and they will work on them all day. It's good for dogs with separation anxiety, as well.

[Raidra]

We're huge fans of all the Kong products. We also use sterilized bones, Molecuballs, and a few generic treat balls. If you buy a lot of Kongs, try www.petedge.com - they have awesome discounts and awesome customer service.

[Marisa6826]

Well we have a problem walking both dogs at the same time to begin with. One wants to walk really fast and the other is more or less purely ornamental. He does a good rendition of a dog ornament.

Usually I put the Bjorn on and walk the faster dog (Tickie), while my husband tries to walk Willy. I stand in front of them and actually call Willy to make him go forward.

It's really more of a sideshow than anything else!

And it's GREAT fun when all the idiot drunks are out on Friday and Saturday nights!

Here's a photo of them! Willy is the dark one and Tickie is the cream one.

-m