When is your child old enough to get a puppy?

five sounds good, but any other babies planned?

I don't think five is a good age at all if he is going to be the one taking care of it wait until he is 14 but if he is going to be the family pet and you will be caring for him it is up to you.

When the kid is able to help take care of the dog and be responsible then he is old enough to have a dog/puppy. At 5 they can help feed the puppy and help walk and clean up. It is good to have the puppy grow up with your son. There will be a bond between them as well.

children enjoy puppies at any age and it's fun to watch them play together. I got our first puppy when our son started walking. They were best buds. Now after two years, our dog protects the children. No one can get around our children without our dog letting us know

the idea of them growing old together is good but if your goal is to make your child responsible in taking care of a dog i think 5 yrs old is still young. and remember that 1 yr is equivalent to 7 dog yrs. when the time comes that the dog is to old your kid is still young and might be so sad in losing the dog.

My parents ran a kennel when I was young. I have been around puppies ALL my life. My mom was overdue with me, and went in to get induced, came home, and the dog had puppies, so I have been around puppies since I was born. I think that being around dogs or animals of any kind teaches children kindness and respect and responsibility. The most important question you have to ask yourself is do you have the time for the puppy? He will need to be potty-trained, taught obedience, tricks, want love and attention. This all takes time. I have 2 dogs myself and no children, and they take a lot of time. Your son may try hitting the dog, but that is a good opportunity to teach him that hitting is wrong. Puppies may go through a chewing/teething phase, just like children, so it is important to always watch your dog and kid together. But I say go for it! Life is so much better with dogs. Studies have proven that people who have dogs are healthier overall than people who don't. Good Luck!

well, my husband and I think that when our youngest is 6 years old then I can see us getting a puppy... but I told him that i wanted to get two puppies instead of just one so that they can keep eachother company when we were gone from time to time, and I want them to be chihuahua's and I want to name them Cheechan & Chonga HA

I think 5-6 is fine. When I was very little my parents had a cat, but had to give her away when she went close to scratching me in the face because I was bothering her.

we got our two children aged 4 and 7 a pet dog last year, we got a 4 year old labrador for them because the breed is so placid, gentle but also fun. He has settled in very well and sees his duty as guarding the kids, we have had no trouble but a labrador is the only dog i would recomend for young children

i think it is best to give a child a pet when he already knows to take care of the pet. having a pet is a big responsibility and this is one thing that your child should understand fully, otherwise you end up to foster the pet or if you are also not ready for it the pet ends up to have a miserable life

Oh no I believe it would be great for your son to have a puppy at one they could grow up together and they would be wonderful companions, as my dog passed away this week and my children adored him, yes a small dog would be very suitable for your son.

I think it would be better to wait until 5 like you are thinking. At that age your son will be able to understand not to pull the dogs ears or do other things that might hurt the dog or make him snap at your son (small dogs can bite pretty hard, too). And you son will be less likely to get knocked over by the dog as well. Also, having a toddler and a puppy at the same time seems to be pretty stressful for those of my friends who have done it.

My parents had a dog when i was born. They got me my own puppy when i was 3...

when i was a lill` child i desired a puppy but my parents said all the times that i wasn`t old enough to take care of it..now i have one..and i don`t know i think this is the right time for me to take care of a dog...by getting a puppy to a child you will encourage him to be more sociable,and to extend his comunication skills but,on the other side,a puppy needs a lot more than playing ...a child who had a puppy from a litlle age will become more responsable but if i were u i`ll buy a dog when the child will be 4 or 5 years old..at least..good luck