Whether you're bringing a baby into the world when you already have a dog, or you're planning on introducing a pup into your family, there are many things to consider.
Your main priority is keeping your baby safe, but there's also no doubt that a dog can be an incredible addition to the family. Taking care of a dog can teach your child to express empathy, get exercise and also have a lot of fun.
If you're looking for a dog, you might be searching for specific breeds that claim to be "good with children". If you do, a whole host of suggestions will come up on the internet, like Labradors, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and Staffordshire Bull Terriers.
However, a dog training specialist wants to dispel the myth once and for all that there is such a thing as a dog breed that is 'good with children'.
Wendy Kruger, dog behaviour and training specialist at Woodgreen Pets Charity, where Channel 4's The Dog House is filmed, says there is no one particular breed that are 'good with children'.
Speaking to The Mirror, Wendy explained: "The myth I would like to dispel is that there are any dogs that are 'good with children'. A breed is not good with children."
Wendy, who has worked with the charity for more than 30 years, admits that there are dog breeds that are certainly "more challenging" with children.
She added: "I can't go through the list of those because there are 220 of them in the The Kennel Club and many many more worldwide."
"But there is this myth that 'this breed will be good with children' and that's not entirely true. Any dog of any type can be very challenging with children and there are breeds that have a reputation for not being great with children that are amazing."
It's important to remember that even within a breed of dog that are supposedly 'good with children,' there can be individual dogs that aren't – and the opposite is true also.
Wendy explained: "Individuals within those breeds are amazing so that myth is definitely a myth. There are no breeds that you can hand-on-heart say are going to be good with children and I don't think people should be assuming that because it's that breed it's going to be good with children.
"We often see that people say 'oh it's a Labrador, it's going to be lovely, it's going to be great with kids'. Well maybe that particular Labrador isn't."
The Kennel Club has many good tips on how to introduce a dog to a baby, but one of the first tips is to make sure your dog is well trained.
Wendy works mostly with internal dogs on-site at Woodgreen, developing training plans and resolving problems, but she also works with educating the public through webinars.
One of them focus on all aspects of dog ownership, and is called 'How to live with dogs successfully'.
Wendy explained: "The wider population doesn't really understand what's involved in dog ownership. So that webinar goes through the good, the bad and the ugly. So, how much exercise a dog needs, what their breed characteristics are, how to understand body language, managing dogs and children and how dogs communicate with us, and how to keep dogs happy, how to keep them happy."
If you want to learn more about what Woodgreen Pets Charity do, or are thinking about adopting a dog or other small pet, you can head to the charity's website.
