Why do I resent my dog after having a baby?
The competing demands of caring for young children and pets create an overwhelming and limiting dynamic that leaves parents at their wits' end. This sudden burden, compounded by terrifying behavioral changes in animals around newborns, makes even basic daily routines and trips feel impossible to manage.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Walking the dog multiple times a day
- 2Relying on family to watch the dog for trips
- 3Adjusting walking routines to reduce inconvenience
- 4Waiting until children are older or in their teens
- 5Hiring a regular dog walker
- 6Hiring a professional dog trainer
- 7Rehoming the pet
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Two children (2yo and 4mo old) later, and I'm ashamed to say I regret that decision.”source ↗
“I also hate how limiting a dog is in terms of trips.”source ↗
“My husband and I are at our wits end with dog care.”source ↗
“Even my full grown dog felt really overwhelming in those beginning months.”source ↗
“My dogs became incredibly aggressive over my baby when I had her, it was terrifying even leaving for a minute because they’d fight over her”source ↗
“For me, finding the balance was difficult and has only recently returned to a stable state 2 years later.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 4Why does my dog turn into a terror the second someone gets home?
- 3What is it really like to foster rescue animals?
- 12How do I know if my new puppy is getting enough exercise?
- 4How to stop family from forcing me to rehome my cat
- 81Why is my new high-energy puppy so overwhelming?
- 8Feeling guilty about getting a new pet too soon