My baby deserves a better home

ziggy23

Hey guys thought I'd post this in here 1st as you guys are the experts! Devastated to say this but I've decided to get a new home for Chewie (my miniature schnauzer pup :( Love the dog to bits but he is just getting overly rough with my toddler and vice versa. He is a fabulous dog and is great with kids just ones a bit older. He also needs a huge amount of attention which I feel he is not getting enough of at the moment as I'm going through a bit of depression. I will give him free only to somebody who can treat him literally like a baby. He is a wonderful dog my heart is broken I really jumped the gun on this one. If anybody knows anybody who fits the bill please let me know. I would like to the meet the person and get regular updates on him if possible. He is 18 weeks fully up to date with vaccinations/ fleas etc and was only groomed last Saturday. He is extremely affectionate and loves being kissed and cuddled. Feel free to PM me.

cocker5

ziggy23 wrote: »

Hey guys thought I'd post this in here 1st as you guys are the experts! Devastated to say this but I've decided to get a new home for Chewie (my miniature schnauzer pup :( Love the dog to bits but he is just getting overly rough with my toddler and vice versa. He is a fabulous dog and is great with kids just ones a bit older. He also needs a huge amount of attention which I feel he is not getting enough of at the moment as I'm going through a bit of depression. I will give him free only to somebody who can treat him literally like a baby. He is a wonderful dog my heart is broken I really jumped the gun on this one. If anybody knows anybody who fits the bill please let me know. I would like to the meet the person and get regular updates on him if possible. He is 18 weeks fully up to date with vaccinations/ fleas etc and was only groomed last Saturday. He is extremely affectionate and loves being kissed and cuddled. Feel free to PM me.

I'm sorry but don't you think your decision to rehome is a bit quick???

The dog is 18 weeks for gods sake give the dog a chance?? 18 weeks he's still very much a baby that's needs training!
Of course he's playing rough at 18 weeks that's what puppies do, it's up to you to train him to be gentle same applies to your child.

With training for your dog and your toddler they can both grow up together etc and have a wonderful friendship etc!!

What's the rush?? I'm shocked to say the least!!! If everyone had this attitude with 18 week old puppies there would be 100's up for rehoming each day.

He's 18 weeks you need to train him and show him acceptable behaviour not rehone him!

At 18 weeks all puppies are the same they all play rough, play bite and in general a maniac!

I'm honestly upset and shocked that you are giving away an 18 week puppy when all he is doing is what all 18 week old puppies do!

Please don't get another dog if this is ur attitude, I'm shocked!

Ps I'm sorry to hear your going through depression - very sorry,

But it doesn't justify your behaviour towards ur dog.

andreac

Please contact the breeder of your pup before doing anything. Most reputable breeders have in their contract that you cannot sell the dog on as it must be returned to them if you cannot keep them anymore.

ziggy23

cocker5 wrote: »

I'm sorry but don't you think your decision to rehome is a bit quick???

The dog is 18 weeks for gods sake give the dog a chance?? 18 weeks he's still very much a baby that's needs training!
Of course he's playing rough at 18 weeks that's what puppies do, it's up to you to train him to be gentle same applies to your child.

With training for your dog and your toddler they can both grow up together etc and have a wonderful friendship etc!!

What's the rush?? I'm shocked to say the least!!! If everyone had this attitude with 18 week old puppies there would be 100's up for rehoming each day.

He's 18 weeks you need to train him and show him acceptable behaviour not rehone him!

At 18 weeks all puppies are the same they all play rough, play bite and in general a maniac!

I'm honestly upset and shocked that you are giving away an 18 week puppy when all he is doing is what all 18 week old puppies do!

Please don't get another dog if this is ur attitude, I'm shocked!

Ps I'm sorry to hear your going through depression - very sorry,

But it doesn't justify your behaviour towards ur dog.

I was very upset reading this but actually you are dead right he loves me I cant do it to him he just needs to be trained. I'm just feeling sorry for myself that was the kick up the arse I needed

teacherspet

Ziggy beautiful dog. I can see it's well looked after. I notice you have a crate. Could you not put the dog in the crate while your toddler is out and about. When your child is asleep or in his high chair, let the dog out. Get some training classes for him or if you cannot afford it look up training on the internet. They are a very smart dog and should be quite easy to train.
You will probably get a lot of stick on here, but try to take on board only the positive reply s and ignore the people giving out to you.

star-pants

Just a note to all potential posters - don't be so quick to judge others and please try and post as helpfully as possible. You can still express your opinion in a nice manner.

ISDW

Where do you live? There are some very good doggy day care centres now around the country, not suggesting that you just dump him there during the day and forget about him, but you say he should live with older children, your child will be the right age before you know it If you could afford 1 or 2 days a week at a good centre, that also does some training with the dogs, it could make all the difference.

cocker5

ziggy23 wrote: »

cocker5 wrote: »

I'm sorry but don't you think your decision to rehome is a bit quick???

The dog is 18 weeks for gods sake give the dog a chance?? 18 weeks he's still very much a baby that's needs training!
Of course he's playing rough at 18 weeks that's what puppies do, it's up to you to train him to be gentle same applies to your child.

With training for your dog and your toddler they can both grow up together etc and have a wonderful friendship etc!!

What's the rush?? I'm shocked to say the least!!! If everyone had this attitude with 18 week old puppies there would be 100's up for rehoming each day.

He's 18 weeks you need to train him and show him acceptable behaviour not rehone him!

At 18 weeks all puppies are the same they all play rough, play bite and in general a maniac!

I'm honestly upset and shocked that you are giving away an 18 week puppy when all he is doing is what all 18 week old puppies do!

Please don't get another dog if this is ur attitude, I'm shocked!

Ps I'm sorry to hear your going through depression - very sorry,

But it doesn't justify your behaviour towards ur dog.

I was very upset reading this but actually you are dead right he loves me I cant do it to him he just needs to be trained. I'm just feeling sorry for myself that was the kick up the arse I needed

I'm sorry for upsetting you, especially if ur going through a hard time at the moment, but honesty 18 weeks is very young to give up on him.

With consistent training over a few months you will see a different dog, honestly you will! You will see your child grow up with a furry best friend and honestly you'll wonder how u could ever get rid of him!

I cannot stress this enough a dog is for life, that's the promise you made to him when u got him.

Do you have any experience with training? As lots of poster here I'm sure you get you helpful advice? Ir maybe buy a basic training book? There are lots of ways to stop him from play biting abc rough play... You just have to train him, and also try and should your child how to interact with the dog etc... Some toys ie a puppy king and done exercise will help tire him out (but only a small amount of exercise as he's soo young)

With regard to needing lots of attention dogs just like being around you do I'm sure even if he's not centre of attention he will be happy to be hanging out with the family!

Believe me every dog owner goes through times of stress and hardship over their dog... I had the puppy from hell... After training etc he's the best ever... Even thinking of him going brings tears to my eyes! He's 7 nearly now and very much a member of the family.

Yes there were times where I honestly it's me or the dog.... Literally but after some training we have never looked back, he's the business ! You only get out of a dog the time and effort you put in....

If you need advice on training etc please ask lots posters here will help!

Best of luck!

cocker5

star-pants wrote: »

Just a note to all potential posters - don't be so quick to judge others and please try and post as helpfully as possible. You can still express your opinion in a nice manner.

I am being helpful and expressing my post in a helpful manner!

It's hard to be very nice etc.... When yet another dog is looking at being rehomed due to no fault of its own!

Sometimes people need a reality check to see what they are doing !

meoklmrk91

I went through this with my dog, albeit I had no kiddies but I was on my own and had a really tough time house training him as I was in school. But we got past it, do we still have some issues of course but they are being worked on. People don't realise how overwhelming it can be getting a new puppy, it's like having a baby in the house you constantly have to be watching them, it's a full time job. He will grow quickly though and with the right amount of training and attention then things will work themselves out. Last week I taught my lad to give a High Five:D in about 15 minutes, that would have been impossible when he was a pup because he had the attention span of a gnat but now that he is over a year things are working out great. Just give it time and don't be too hard on yourself, you can only do your best. Good luck with everything.

star-pants

cocker5 wrote: »

I am being helpful and expressing my post in a helpful manner!

I did not address you in my post, I said to 'all potential posters' for the reason that people are very quick to jump into a thread like this and berate the OP which is not going to help the situation or the animal. Posters are more likely to stick around and listen to advice if it's put in a better way.
As always - please do not respond on thread, PM if you/anyone has further issues. I do not like to drag threads off-topic.

number10a

Ziggy, He is an absolutely beautiful dog!!! I can imagine it would break your heart to part with him. Like the others have said, give training a go. Times are tough so maybe a training school is out of the question, but there are plenty videos on YouTube that will give you great instructions on how to go about it yourself. Hope things work out for you.

Vel

Hi Ziggy,

I am sorry you are going through a hard time. One way to control the interaction between your pup and your toddler is baby gates. We have two children under 3 and 4 dogs and we would be lost without our baby gates!! If money is an issued I have sometimes seen them being given away on Freecycle sites. That should solve that immediate problem and lessen the stress you are feeling, and then give you time to work out what you need to do to make things better, such as bringing him to training classes etc.

RosieJoe

The fact that you recognise that there is an issue with the play between Chewie and your child is a great starting point. With a bit of encouragement you will be able to train both of them on how to play with one another. This will then allow them to safely interact and Chewie will get a load of attention.

Pups are a handful, but if you put in some effort now it will be worth 100 fold in the future.

Give it a try first, and then if you still feel the same way; then that bridge can be crossed!

santasbird

I feel very sad reading this. You obviously care very much for your dog as in the title you say "my baby". Please think twice about rehoming him. Things will get better. Take the advise from the posters regarding training. Like what someone said, your child and dog are both very young, they both have to have time to learn.

Hope everything works out for you.

ziggy23

Thanks guys for your replies
I feel like such a horrible person now tbh I doubt I would have been able to go through with it. I'm just terribly stressed out at the moment I dont know whether I'm coming or going I got Chewie for company as I live just with my son and get very lonely. I was getting it in the ear from people saying I care about the dog more than my son!! Don't worry he is not going anywhere he is part of the family. I have him too spoilt that's probably the problem. I will have to start putting more effort in with the training. I'm a big animal lover and have taken in abandoned dogs myself so I don't know why I even considered it!!

santasbird

ziggy23, you are not a horrible person, you are just having a tough time at the moment. Delighted to hear you have reconsidered.

cocker5

ziggy23 wrote: »

Thanks guys for your replies
I feel like such a horrible person now tbh I doubt I would have been able to go through with it. I'm just terribly stressed out at the moment I dont know whether I'm coming or going I got Chewie for company as I live just with my son and get very lonely. I was getting it in the ear from people saying I care about the dog more than my son!! Don't worry he is not going anywhere he is part of the family. I have him too spoilt that's probably the problem. I will have to start putting more effort in with the training. I'm a big animal lover and have taken in abandoned dogs myself so I don't know why I even considered it!!

Ziggy,... Please don't beat urself up about it.,. We have all been there! When my guy was a puppy at times I thought if kill him honestly babies are stressful and so are puppies... Give him time and training and he will make a lovely dog for company for you and for your child! You just need patience and a small bit if time to train him..., ur dog should fit into your family, not take over it!

Take it one day at a time... Ask for training advice etc we are all here to help!

Please don't stress... Some simple training will have him sorted in no time!

I'm glad ur giving him another chance!

RosieJoe

Sometimes we all need to vent so don't worry about it. Everyone here will always give you as much advice and encouragement as possible so never hesitate to ask questions.

boxerly

I just want to say that unless you have suffered from depression you have no idea what a sufferer has going on in their head.OP I hope things work out for you and your doggie xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Cherry Blossom

OP in a few months time your pup will have become better adjusted, get him neutered at 6 months - this should help. Provide him with plenty of things to chew on while he still teething, wet dog food frozen in kongs is great for this. As someone else has suggested use a baby gate to limit the pups interaction with the child until he learns that he can't be so rough. If he gets over-excited put him on the other side of the gate and he will soon put 2 and 2 together. You won't see a big difference from day to day but if you compare how he was a week earlier you see that he gradually improves as time goes on. If you get overwhelmed just ask someone for help, if you can get a family member to take either the dog or the child off your hands for an hour it will ease your frustrations when it all gets too much for you.

My dog was a complete nut case as a puppy, a year on its hard to even imagine how hyper she was now when I see her panned out on the couch just chillin'. Try to remember that this phase isn't going to last forever and it will get much better as he matures over time.

Waterfordlass

Ziggy, far from being a 'horrible person', you sound like a pretty good person to me, and it's obvious you love Chewie so much.
I don't have human kids, but when our six month old puppy boy moved in a few months ago, there were times when I thought I couldn't cope.
He is kinda' insane, just like all puppies! But day by day when I see how much he and our seven year old fur baby are finally starting to get along, it warms my heart.
As other posters have suggested, a crate or baby gate seem like a good solution, giving you, your little boy and Chewie some alone time.
Chewie is a lucky boy, and could never find a better home than the one he is in now.

I hope you feel better soon, and if you ever need a cyber chat and a cuppa', feel free to pm me. Please don't feel lonely, I promise you are not alone.
Lots of hugs to you and your kids.

TooManyDogs

As well as crates and babygates how about attaching a light lead to his collar when he's in the same room as your toddler, that way you can pick up the lead and take him out of the room without having to play chase the puppy which turns it into a game.

Don't be hard on yourself, toddlers would stress out a saint and essentially you've got 2 toddlers now!! I swear i sometimes eye up the toilet and wonder how many animals I could stuff down it after I put the child in it

Sittingpretty

OP, it's ok, you are just panicking. Don't worry.

You have gotten some great advice here and your pup will be easy to train, if he is food motivated use frankfurters or little chunks of cheese, they will do anything for those.

Also don't pay heed to what people say, people will always talk and most Irish people dont understand mixing dogs and children!

Lastly you say you live just with your son and the pup? That little guy will become a best friend for you both I live with my son and my German shep alone during the wk whenhimself is away and my dog is a friend, and protector.

With regards to depression, maybe see your gp and talk to them and see what they advise for you.


Very best of luck

dogpile

How could anyone get rid of a dog that looks like Ronny Drew

paultf

Ziggy, you have got some sound advice from previous posters.

All I say is that at the moment it may seem difficult but in 1/2 year's time Chewie will have matured and you'll find yourself with a great companion.

With regards depression, dogs are great. They lift your spirit when you are low, they are beside you every step of the day & they love you regardless. They really are your best friend.

Imagine a few years down the line & your son is at school, Chewie will be there in the kitchen as you relax - you maybe chatting to a friend over a cup of coffee or reading the paper or listening to the radio. Chewie will be lying beside you. Always. Never forget that.

Or you have hit that terrible wall called depression, there is nothing better than going for a nice walk in the park - Chewie would love it but better still they say if you are feeling the blues, a good walk can help.

From your photos, Chewie is a lovely looking pet! Great name too! I'd say he is some character!

All the best,
Paul.

magentas

Just read through this thread, ziggy far from being a horrible person, you just sound over-whelmed with a lot going on at the moment. You're obviously a very caring and responsible dog owner...if you weren't, you wouldn't have bothered coming on here to ask about a home...I'm pretty sure I recognise your name from posting here before and I'd say in your heart you had no intention of giving him up but just needed help and reassurance.

Look after your kid and your pup but don't forget about yourself! They need you so you need to take care of yourself as well. My pup was cracked when she was younger, always up to mischief and totally hyper! We already had two dogs and hadn't planned on a 3rd and there were times I thought I was mad to keep her but she's going to be a year old in Jan and she's like a different dog now (and she's still very young!) just throws herself on the couch, crosses the paws and chills out! She's just growing up and in a few months Chewie will have matured and calmed down too. You''ll be fine, you're doing a great job. Don't let things get you down and ALWAYS talk to someone when you start feeling overwhelmed...whether it's family or a friend or even just on boards!!

Always talk about it...ignore the negatives (people saying you care more for the dog than you're son:rolleyes:) and only surround yourself with positive influences:)

ziggy23

dogpile wrote: »

How could anyone get rid of a dog that looks like Ronny Drew

Haha thats who he looks like it was wrecking my head who he was reminded me of! Chewie actually loves a bit of a sing song too. I must try post a video up here:D
Once again thank you guys I have baby gates but the thing that I find worse is the continual whinging if I leave the room. It's not even whinging but screeching I've been told schnauzers do this. Would anyone have any tips on cracking this? I got too books on dog training in the library boday but dont seem to cover much on this. I've just been ignoring him so far doesnt seem to be working.
I feel a bit better now got Chewie a jumbone to chew on and then we had a snooze:D I think he knows I'm sucking up to him but he's loving it!
Was just wondering if any of you guys live near the Cabra area and are looking to socialise your dogs? Chewie could do with a little pal the cats arent really feeling him!

SillyMangoX

I thought from the thread title you might want to rehome your toddler rather than the puppy glad you changed your mind though, as other posters said, he is only a baby. It wont be long till he is a fully grown adult who should be a lot easier to handle (one advantage to dogs, they get out of the toddler stage quicker than humans!) best of luck with everything

Inexile

OP you sound like most of us with our dogs. We love them but they have the potential to drive us nuts some days.

One of my mutts was really hard to settle and some days still is. I dont call her by her name, Molly, Most of the time its Molly No, jesus Molly or on "special" days Molly what the F***. I have often considered rehoming her but know I never will as I would miss her to much.

As others have said dogs are great for helping with depression. I have a relation that has very serious mental health issues and the dog is her best friend and guardian.

You will feel so proud when you see your dog's behaviour change over the coming days and know that its down to your training and input. Dogs are also great for helping you meet people.

Also remember your dog is young so take time to enjoy him too.

if possible have a dog trainer coming out to your house to give you some tips. Even one hour with a professional would be beneficial. Or if you can go to Dog Training Ireland near Blanchardstown for some of their classes. I know a course of classes can be expensive but perhaps you could put them on your Christmas pressie list - sometimes Santa is a very good man

Good luck

TooManyDogs

As regards the whinging and shrieking when you put him in a different room, start the training really slowly. You put him out and close the door and literally open it seconds later. Don't make a big deal of him coming back in, repeat it as often as you can, gradually lenghtening the time he's outside the door, it'll build up the time he's happy being seperated from you. It'll take many repetitions and patience, believe me I know patience is in short supply with toddlers around but if you can practice it when you're calm and when there hasn't been a row it'll become more normal for him.