Welcome to Parenting Kids and Dogs 101, a limited series podcast for parents who live with kids and dogs, or plan to. I'm your host, Michelle Stern, the founder of Pooch Parenting. I'm not just a certified professional dog trainer and former teacher, I'm a mom too. In each episode of this series, I hope you'll feel like I'm chatting with you, one parent to another, about life with kids and dogs, answering common questions my clients ask me, and giving you simple solutions to make your life easier and safer.

I hope you'll subscribe and join me for the whole series, and don't forget to grab the accompanying workbook at https://poochparenting.net/podcastworkbook/

In Episode 2, I talk about parenting overwhelm when raising kids and dogs at the same time.

Common concerns parents with dogs have include:

1. I can't get anything done. How am I supposed to do daily tasks like cooking, laundry and playing with my kids, while I keep an eye on my kids and dogs.
2. it's hard enough to just parent kids or dogs alone, let alone together - this is a normal experience that nobody talks about
3. management, such as baby gates, pens and doors are the best strategy to provide safe spaces for both your kids and your dogs and to allow you to take a break.
4. Like we talked about in Episode 1 of the series, being in the same room isn't enough to keep everyone safe - bites can happen right in front of you if you don't know what to look for
5. parents also wonder if they made a mistake by raising kids and dogs together or if they should not have added another dog to the mix
6. social media often makes us doubt our parenting skills or our dog training skills because everyone's lives look so much easier and safer than ours.
7. parents with new babies often feel guilty because their dog is getting the short end of the stick or they wonder if the dog would be better off living elsewhere

If you could use some emotional support in your baby's first year (alongside your dog), don't miss The Pooch Parenting Society, the only program designed to provide ongoing support for families raising kids and dogs together. From one mom to another, it's a game changer. safekidsanddogs.com 

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