my mom bought a cocker spaniel when I was little and has been in the family since and has been thru all the grandkids playing on him, pulling ears/tail, and just lays there lol. only barks when someone knocked that was a stranger. ate every piece of food that the kids dropped. really good dog and would recommend for a family.

I don't think you're wrong for doing that. Now they can try to find a family that is right for this dog. not every family is right for every animal. don't be hard on yourself.

any breed of dog can be harmful, it depends on its background and if it was once abused. good luck

Nope✋🏽if shes growling and nipping at you i wouldnt trust it around a baby!

@twinmama_navywife I'm going to wait until my baby gets around a year old before I get another dog. so that way he'll still be young enough to grow with it. My dad will keep my great Dane mix because he loves him so much lol

@goodbyelullaby, I wish it went another way because we all had our sites set on a lab. So it's not like we want to take her back its just family life is really hard for her it seems.. and my husband and parents think it's best to wait on a dog or get a better fit. I don't remember if I mentioned it to you in a comment but my husband wants a dog around for the boys to grow up with and to be a companion of mine when he's on deployments and he was concerned about getting one before the boys were born so we could get it associated with family.

@twinmama_navywife yeah the growling is really dangerous. you're doing the right thing though for your safety and your babies. I worked in a pet store for a while and watched our dog trainer. some dogs could be trained and some couldn't. I watched our trainer get bit many times. I almost got bit too a few times by dogs that their owners said were friendly. 😕

@cass_lynne, and this wasn't easy for us to decide either.

@cass_lynne, like I said. Even with me home all day with constant interaction she doesn't seem to calm down or get her training at all.

@goodbyelullaby, she's also five levels of crazy. She never calms down.. No matter how much we work her out or keep her occupied. Like you're suppose to do with labs usually. Keep them busy. But she never calms down.. You try and pet her and she takes her mouth to your hand and nibbles on it. Tried EVERYTHING to break the habit. She's jumped and pushed over kids we know and growled at them. She jumps on me with no let up on improvement. So we have tried for a long time now to get it to change but she doesn't listen. That's the only downfall.

Try giving the dog extra attention or working with her on your own. I don't know. It's hard. I work with my dog every day. The calmer I am the better things go with her. It's hard. She's still psycho. But she's my baby.

@twinmama_navywife aw I had a lab when I was a kid. he was the most calm and obedient dog I've ever had. but we got him as a puppy so he grew up with us. My dog now is a great Dane mix. he's somewhat obedient

@cass_lynne, she was breed in Kentucky and had training before she was sent to the shelter here in Illinois and training with us. I really wish I were simpler. Plus it's me alone all day with her and right now it's getting a lot more difficultz

Maybe try someone else? Sometimes dogs are confusing. Rescue dogs are the hardest to understand. They've been through so much. If it was me. I would keep trying. This dog does exactly what mine does. Mine is 1 year old and I've learned that patience and special training is all I can do for her. I love her and I know she will be a good big sister to my baby. Sometimes dogs are stubborn. My dad has worked hard with all of our dogs. Dogs are very smart though.

@jorguss21, it was a rule when we adopted her. we couldn't rehome her we would ha e to bring her back 'assuring the dogs safety' because the shelter runs checks on applications

@cass_lynne, we took her to a special trainer for specialises in Labradors. :/ it hasn't been working out

What do you mean the shelter doesn't allow you to rehome her? If she's your dog and under you care you should be able to do whatever you want with her. And that way you at least know she isn't stuck on a shelter.

@goodbyelullaby, the thing my husband wanted was to transition a dog into our family (we got her at the beginning of my pregnancy) so I could have a companion while he's on deployments and for the boys to grow up with. Even with training before and while we had her it hasn't been working. And I killed myself to find a black lab like my childhood pet.

I understand that, but a dog requires just as much attention and care as newborn children. Wait till after you have the boys so you know how the schedule with them is going to work before bringing a dog into the mix.

girl you do what you gotta do for your family there is no right or wrong when it comes to your family safety. @twinmama_navywife

@maybabyboy, she's had classes before we got her and we put her through classes. Myself I can't handle her on walks or going out to the bathroom. My dad even has trouble with her tugging him around, and same with my husband. She's just very hyperactive and doesn't listen that's the problem we are having. Plus all the other issues I've been mentioning.

@junesmommy15, she was put in classes for all these reasons and we put the time in to as well. It just hasn't been working.

a girl I went to school with recently had a baby. she has a pitbull and a husky. she said she would never give up her pitbull. now she is giving it away because it couldn't adjust to the new baby. you have to do what's best for your babies.

@ilyric, it was more or less for my husband and a companion for me when he's gone on deployments. (Navy)

@jessicahartze, and she nips at you. At the shelter we thought she was just excited like any dog would to see people while in a shelter.. She goes 0-100 and stays at 100. My dad can't even control her.

@jorguss21, the shelter we adopted her from doesn't allow us to find another home unfortunately.. Otherwise we would.

If you really want to keep the pup the best thing to do is find a trainer who handles dogs who have issues like that. My dog is a spazz and I started worrying about my baby so now I'm having her professionally trained by someone who works with police dogs. I love my dog too much to give up on her. But do what you think is right. Sometimes dogs take awhile to adjust. I know all the dogs I have had, all had their issues.

Ahhh well maybe try to rehome her instead of taking her back too the shelter? That's what I would do personally.

not good, it sucks you have to do that, but she can't be growling at children, especially that you're expecting.

@jorguss21, she's about 2-3 years old and we've put her through classes already and nothing is sticking. She even had training before we got her. @jessicahartze @myfirstbaby97 @theinkedbarbie we are just having a lot of behaviour issues. she's had training before we got her and we even put her in classes with me and she continues to pull myself and my dad while going outside and we can't stop her, she barks and growls at us on occasion and at our neighbourhood kids, adults, dogs, and terrorises our cats. Plus she jumps all over small children and myself.

did the jumping on you just start or has it been going on your whole pregnancy? I ask because if this been happening the whole time it's because you smell different to her... also if the dog is new to your home she may still be adjusting to you guys... but if it's best for your family then I say, you do what you feel is necessary

No, i'd also wait until you have a more stable schedule before bringing a dog into the mix as well. newborn twins and a dog by yourself? that's a disaster waiting to happen.

she* oops lok

No rude comment here. I didn't get a dog for that exact reason. I don't have time to have a dog jumping and biting all on me while I'm on pregnant. Baby comes first.

If he's a new addition.. may take time for him or her to get used to you guys. Try finding him or her a home :)

Maybe it would be best to not get a dog in your situation, if these are the problems that are bringing you to take a dog back to a shelter. dogs take a lot of work and dedication, you have to be consistent and pay a lot of attention to them to train them properly, sometimes for months. if you're pregnant it might just not be a good time to take that on as well. I'm not trying to be mean, I'm kind of in the same place, we are buying a house with a huge yard, perfect for a dog! but we have decided not to get one because it's too much to expect us to dedicate time to a dog and pretty soon a newborn.

I don't think so. we're gonna have the same issue with our bull terrier and they are very hard to control and very hyper so we're gonna build him a nice backyard and a dog house with carpet. we considered the animal shelter but they are fighting dogs and I just couldn't

absolutely not. not all dogs are the same they do need the right fit in a home just like we need the right fit .

How old is the dog? I would maybe try some behavioral classes before you take her back? Any dog can be trained.

No! you need to do what you think is best for your little ones. Not all dogs are meant for being around children

I mean she *

not exactly, I mean idk if I would have taken it back to the shelter or found another home, but you're protecting your family, that's number one, and yes animals are family, BUT if he's a new addition, he has to be able to fit it and behave.