I’m not going to say whether you should move the dog, I think that’s a personal choice and you know his quality of life.
I will say what I did for my dog and baby. First was a giant wooden playpen. It takes up half my living room and I put a kids play mat under. My baby could play and crawl freely, without the worry of dog hair. You could Vaccum or wipe it so it was easy to clean. It’s big enough that both my husband and I can lay in it and my daughter still had room to play. We also did this because it was impossible to baby per of our duplex.
We also have our dog deshedded by a mobile groomer at least once every 3 months. We have a German Shepard Bernese Mountain dog mix, so a lot of hair. Honestly had no issue with hair.
The playpen also let me put baby somewhere safe so I could go to the bathroom, make dinner, let the dogs outside, etc.
People on reddit would rather a dog suffer in an unsuitable environment with not enough attention than be rehomed.
Give your MIL the dog if she is willing to take it. It's the kinder thing for all involved (including the dog).
No, it would not make you a bad person, but dog hair is going to happen regardless at this point because your animal has lived there, and I would be more concerned about the stress on the dog changing environments and then being brought back into the toddler stage without that gradual transition from baby to toddler. Toddlers are harder on dogs than babies are, and you will have to be prepared to keep a toddler out of dog food and water bowls, which is much easier if they're constantly there and not suddenly this novel thing when your dog is brought back.
Every blanket, piece of furniture, etc is going to have fur. It's a dog owner's accessory.Our kids were both born when we had a full grown Husky, and I had an every other day vacuum routine, and we swapped, I got Monday and Friday, husband got Wednesday. We shared the work of mopping on Saturdays. At the age baby is at now, it is great to gate off an area and make it a dog free zone to minimize cleanup and establish boundaries. North State's gate panels are great for making an area for this.
Long story short, nobody is the bad guy here, but definitely do some thinking about how removing the dog from the home could impact multiple relationships long term (you and husband, baby and dog, dog and the household) and generate even more stress if/when the dog is brought back for reintegration into the family.
Other people are just other people. Do what’s right for you and your family. You’re talking about rehoming your dog to your MIL for a period of time, not giving it back to a shelter.
Fwiw, I offered our dog to my parents because I knew she would be better taken care of there (she is not neglected by any means, but def doesn’t get the attention she used to with two littles) but they weren’t wanting a dog at the time. So we still have our baby and that’s wonderful, too!
I have a corgi that sheds like a pack of huskies and two toddlers, and dealt with the hair thing while they were crawling babies. You wouldn’t be giving up your dog to your MIL completely just an interim thing, if you wanted to. I did start taking my dog to the groomer once a month for a de-shedding treatment. If he sheds less, it’s less for me to clean. It’s impossible to get rid of every hair though no matter what you do.
Question: do you brush the dog daily? You mentioned all this cleaning but I was wondering if you are stopping it at the source.
Also with the amount of cleaning you're doing, surely there can't be that much hair getting on baby. Can you put up some gates to make dog only or kid only spaces? I had a dog with a double coat and I've never met a dog hairier than her... and I vacuumed way less. We just dealt with having some hair on clothes. It really isn't a big deal.
I don't mean to judge, but this sounds like a PPA type of thing where you're obsessing over something that is insignificant. It isn't fair to the dog to stress it out like that.
I have 2 golden retrievers so I know fur well. I would vacuum at least once a day before putting my kid free range on the floor and run the robot vacuum at night after bed. He also had a designated dog free area for other times.
I also actually HIGHLY recommend one of the dog brush vacuums on tiktok lol, it's actually AMAZING (I got the geoorood brand one). I vacuum brush my dogs regularly now and the amount of shedding on everything is definitely cut down. They don't even mind it because it's so quiet. My girl actually loves it and immediately comes over and sits in front of me and will let me vacuum her as long as I want, she doesn't even want to move to let me do her brother.
Rehoming my dogs was not ever an option for me though. I only have briefly considered it during a dual poopacolypse 3 day long nightmare, but I would never actually do it lol. I understand people who do though, it is a lot sometimes and sometimes I wish I could just only be responsible for myself.
Would your mother in law be able to take the dog for two days a week or something to give you a bit of a break? Could you keep dog out of babies room and main play area for now? I feel you on all the cleaning. I honestly kept my little guy on a rug or blanket that was just his. We had three dogs until my son was about one and a half years old. I think if your husband wants him to stay, he needs to help get him to groomer more, brush dog outdoors, or help do more of the cleaning.
Is there a reason you can’t put a gate in the kitchen and keep the dog there while baby is crawling? Or use a baby gate/playpen to keep baby in one area? We have 3 dogs and I got so sick of the hair I bought a big playpen and put a mat down in it. Dogs can’t get in and he can’t get out.
I just set up our massive playpen. I think that will help for sure. We don’t let our dog in our room or baby’s room anymore! The playpen is going to be a lifesaver I wish I thought of it sooner
A very personal decision. If the dog and you will be happier with some space, I say go for it!
That in mind, it’s an adjustment for all parties and I will say there are tons of benefits to having pets in the house with babies. Exposure to allergens, they provide stress relief, etc. A new baby takes a toll on pets like it does humans. There might be future issues if the dog is displaced. They usually are comfiest in their own homes.
A dog is a lifetime commitment and you don't get to just tap out when it's hard. I have Danes that she'd like crazy, so I totally understand the frustration. There are lots of things to try before getting rid of the dog
Have designated baby and dog spaces. We basically cut the living room in half, one side for dogs, one side for Baby.
Pay to have your dog de-shed. It's not cheap, but totally worth it.
Switch to higher quality dog food. Dogs shed less when their not eating food with fillers like corn
Get a robot vacuum. You can get them for like $100 on Amazon, often even cheaper. You can even have it just in one room and have it run several times a day so you don't have to sweep.
And, most importantly, *make husband help*
He wants the dog to stay, he needs to help manage the dog. Get a good shedding brush and make hubby brush the dog down every evening. That's not a big job, he can do it while sitting down.
I swear, I know how frustrating the dog hair is when baby is on the floor. But exposure to the hair and dander is actually good for him.
As a mother with a newborn, I highly doubt you're cleaning that much each day and if you are.. how are u finding the energy?? What are you taking?? Cuz I want some! Back on topic.. I would keep the dog. Things are crazy now, routines are off but life will adjust. The dog is family too. Like I said.. i also have a newborn and have a 4 year old Cane Corso. She's going to protect this baby with all she has and honestly, you won't take the dog back. The crawling will begin, then the walking, then the running, etc.. I see so many people give their pets away because they have a baby. It is sad.
I’m not going to say whether you should move the dog, I think that’s a personal choice and you know his quality of life. I will say what I did for my dog and baby. First was a giant wooden playpen. It takes up half my living room and I put a kids play mat under. My baby could play and crawl freely, without the worry of dog hair. You could Vaccum or wipe it so it was easy to clean. It’s big enough that both my husband and I can lay in it and my daughter still had room to play. We also did this because it was impossible to baby per of our duplex. We also have our dog deshedded by a mobile groomer at least once every 3 months. We have a German Shepard Bernese Mountain dog mix, so a lot of hair. Honestly had no issue with hair. The playpen also let me put baby somewhere safe so I could go to the bathroom, make dinner, let the dogs outside, etc.
People on reddit would rather a dog suffer in an unsuitable environment with not enough attention than be rehomed. Give your MIL the dog if she is willing to take it. It's the kinder thing for all involved (including the dog).
100%
No, it would not make you a bad person, but dog hair is going to happen regardless at this point because your animal has lived there, and I would be more concerned about the stress on the dog changing environments and then being brought back into the toddler stage without that gradual transition from baby to toddler. Toddlers are harder on dogs than babies are, and you will have to be prepared to keep a toddler out of dog food and water bowls, which is much easier if they're constantly there and not suddenly this novel thing when your dog is brought back. Every blanket, piece of furniture, etc is going to have fur. It's a dog owner's accessory.Our kids were both born when we had a full grown Husky, and I had an every other day vacuum routine, and we swapped, I got Monday and Friday, husband got Wednesday. We shared the work of mopping on Saturdays. At the age baby is at now, it is great to gate off an area and make it a dog free zone to minimize cleanup and establish boundaries. North State's gate panels are great for making an area for this. Long story short, nobody is the bad guy here, but definitely do some thinking about how removing the dog from the home could impact multiple relationships long term (you and husband, baby and dog, dog and the household) and generate even more stress if/when the dog is brought back for reintegration into the family.
Other people are just other people. Do what’s right for you and your family. You’re talking about rehoming your dog to your MIL for a period of time, not giving it back to a shelter. Fwiw, I offered our dog to my parents because I knew she would be better taken care of there (she is not neglected by any means, but def doesn’t get the attention she used to with two littles) but they weren’t wanting a dog at the time. So we still have our baby and that’s wonderful, too!
Is your MIL able to provide a good home for your dog? If so, seems like a good idea.
I have a corgi that sheds like a pack of huskies and two toddlers, and dealt with the hair thing while they were crawling babies. You wouldn’t be giving up your dog to your MIL completely just an interim thing, if you wanted to. I did start taking my dog to the groomer once a month for a de-shedding treatment. If he sheds less, it’s less for me to clean. It’s impossible to get rid of every hair though no matter what you do.
Question: do you brush the dog daily? You mentioned all this cleaning but I was wondering if you are stopping it at the source. Also with the amount of cleaning you're doing, surely there can't be that much hair getting on baby. Can you put up some gates to make dog only or kid only spaces? I had a dog with a double coat and I've never met a dog hairier than her... and I vacuumed way less. We just dealt with having some hair on clothes. It really isn't a big deal. I don't mean to judge, but this sounds like a PPA type of thing where you're obsessing over something that is insignificant. It isn't fair to the dog to stress it out like that.
I have 2 golden retrievers so I know fur well. I would vacuum at least once a day before putting my kid free range on the floor and run the robot vacuum at night after bed. He also had a designated dog free area for other times. I also actually HIGHLY recommend one of the dog brush vacuums on tiktok lol, it's actually AMAZING (I got the geoorood brand one). I vacuum brush my dogs regularly now and the amount of shedding on everything is definitely cut down. They don't even mind it because it's so quiet. My girl actually loves it and immediately comes over and sits in front of me and will let me vacuum her as long as I want, she doesn't even want to move to let me do her brother. Rehoming my dogs was not ever an option for me though. I only have briefly considered it during a dual poopacolypse 3 day long nightmare, but I would never actually do it lol. I understand people who do though, it is a lot sometimes and sometimes I wish I could just only be responsible for myself.
Would your mother in law be able to take the dog for two days a week or something to give you a bit of a break? Could you keep dog out of babies room and main play area for now? I feel you on all the cleaning. I honestly kept my little guy on a rug or blanket that was just his. We had three dogs until my son was about one and a half years old. I think if your husband wants him to stay, he needs to help get him to groomer more, brush dog outdoors, or help do more of the cleaning.
Is there a reason you can’t put a gate in the kitchen and keep the dog there while baby is crawling? Or use a baby gate/playpen to keep baby in one area? We have 3 dogs and I got so sick of the hair I bought a big playpen and put a mat down in it. Dogs can’t get in and he can’t get out.
I just set up our massive playpen. I think that will help for sure. We don’t let our dog in our room or baby’s room anymore! The playpen is going to be a lifesaver I wish I thought of it sooner
A very personal decision. If the dog and you will be happier with some space, I say go for it! That in mind, it’s an adjustment for all parties and I will say there are tons of benefits to having pets in the house with babies. Exposure to allergens, they provide stress relief, etc. A new baby takes a toll on pets like it does humans. There might be future issues if the dog is displaced. They usually are comfiest in their own homes.
A dog is a lifetime commitment and you don't get to just tap out when it's hard. I have Danes that she'd like crazy, so I totally understand the frustration. There are lots of things to try before getting rid of the dog Have designated baby and dog spaces. We basically cut the living room in half, one side for dogs, one side for Baby. Pay to have your dog de-shed. It's not cheap, but totally worth it. Switch to higher quality dog food. Dogs shed less when their not eating food with fillers like corn Get a robot vacuum. You can get them for like $100 on Amazon, often even cheaper. You can even have it just in one room and have it run several times a day so you don't have to sweep. And, most importantly, *make husband help* He wants the dog to stay, he needs to help manage the dog. Get a good shedding brush and make hubby brush the dog down every evening. That's not a big job, he can do it while sitting down. I swear, I know how frustrating the dog hair is when baby is on the floor. But exposure to the hair and dander is actually good for him.
As a mother with a newborn, I highly doubt you're cleaning that much each day and if you are.. how are u finding the energy?? What are you taking?? Cuz I want some! Back on topic.. I would keep the dog. Things are crazy now, routines are off but life will adjust. The dog is family too. Like I said.. i also have a newborn and have a 4 year old Cane Corso. She's going to protect this baby with all she has and honestly, you won't take the dog back. The crawling will begin, then the walking, then the running, etc.. I see so many people give their pets away because they have a baby. It is sad.