Puppy Advice (merged)

sammy_kaye18

To the OP I totally agree with what marlot has said.

A good rescue will help find the right dog with you and should possibly offer you a few visits to the dog first before taking it home so you can get familiar with teh dog and spend quality time and make sure the dog is perfect rather than rush it and find out they arent (trust me been there done that with one hell of a lump of a dog that ended up being agressive towards myself, my boyfriend and my baby son! :eek: ) why we chose the 8 stone 18 month old male bassett hound i shall never know!!!

Im an adoptive mummy to a jack russell now but i wouldnt recommend them more for their bouncy factor which can be trained out of but like previously said if they are bouncy by nature it can take a hell of a long time! and although they can make very good pets they are constantly and i mean CONSTANTLY on the go no matter how much they are walked, played with etc. I wouldnt have said he was a yappy dog though just trying at times! although yappy at 3am when hes dreaming of chasing Rabbits is not best for mummy!!!

I do believe that Staffys make good pets for houses with children - they arent called 'the nanny dog' for no reason although i do think they have had a bad rep lately with dog attacks but it is all down to training and treatment of them i think. No dog is born a bad dog its the owners so dont let that put you off.

ive also heard that Corgis are ment to be good pets too?? They love the exercise but are quite happy to wrestle in teh garden too and they are a small controllable dog that the kids can walk too.

Again Heinz 57's are also lovely and you'll never get two alike and shouldnt overlook them either. Good luck with your search.

orlao

rev229 wrote: »

. Our only problem is DD she is nearly 10 but has autism, epilepsy and severe learning disabilities we need a dog who is very child friendly.

Hi

Would you consider an assistance dog, maybe one that has failed it's training on something minor because I'm a little concerned that a rescue centre might (and only might) have issues about rehoming to you because of your daughters disabilities. A friend of mine has a son with autism and none of the well known dog rescues/ rehomers would allow them to have a dog because they were worried about her childs safety.As far as I know, it was the same reasons that they won't rehome to families with small children as they classed him as "vunerable" They advised them to contact the assistance charities because their dogs are trained to deal with situations that most dogs, particularly rescues may not be able to cope with.The assistance charities said that they do have dogs that need rehoming at 18 months to 2 years because they aren't suitable for work for various reasons which may be ideal for you!!!!

I'm not trying to put you off having a dog:D but I imagine their waiting lists are long so you might want to look into rescuers policies so you at least know what your options are.....

Best of luck and please keep us updated

cam8

I would recommend a golden retriever. I have owned 2 over the years and can say that with young children, pulling and poking them, neither of my two have ever flinched.

On the down side, both mine were males and had a tendency to wander off if they got the chance, so if you could enclose an area off, all the better.

I can't say that I have any experience of having or indeed knowing a child with autism, but if you have ever seen a film entitled 'After Thomas', you will know that that family got a golden retriever for the benefit of their child.

I have also had a black labrador cross (not sure what with) and she was the most loyal and friendly dog I have owned, even with 3 children being born and raised around her.

Wish you the best of luck, whichever breed you choose.

POSSETTE

i can rec any spaniel..very easy to train and very loving.We have 3 cavalier king charles at the mo...very loving very gentle but will gladly run through the woods for ever!

Ruffles_2

What about a Greyhound? They're calm and docile and mine adores my little girl. He's a lot more gentle with her than my lab and my retriever. They're both quite excitable and have knocked her flat on her bum more than once. There's no malice there, but they're both quite clumsy:rotfl:

If I was in your position, I wouldn't go with a breed in mind. I've found that most of my dogs have found me and turned out to be the complete oposite of what I had in mind when I started searching. Be guided by the rescue as a reputable one will know their dogs and should be able to match you up with your new best friend.

rev229

I am quite concerned that we will be turned away from rescue centres because of my daughters special needs. Our son will be devistated as will I as I really feel that having a dog would be so good for him.

sammy_kaye18

cam8 wrote: »

I can't say that I have any experience of having or indeed knowing a child with autism, but if you have ever seen a film entitled 'After Thomas', you will know that that family got a golden retriever for the benefit of their child.

.

Oh I love that film!!!!!! And so cute the way they interact through Thomas with Thomas' special voice.

Love it

RooBee

To be honest, with a child with special needs, I would be looking for a reputable breeder who I could visit and spend time with their adult dogs before puppies are born to get a feel for their temperament and see how the children interact with them. I would then be looking to the breeder for guidanc as to which puppy in a litter might best suit me and my family. I don't know that I would take a chance with a rescue dog in your circumstances. I am not anti-rescue at all - I have a rescue dog myself - but they are very much an unknown quantity as you will rarely have the luxury of knowing what lies behind them in terms of health and temperament. Also, a reputable breeder will be on hand to help with any problems that may arise for the lifetime of the puppy.

As it happens, I know of a couple of very good breeders who have homed puppies to families with children with special needs very successfully because they have taken time to build up a relationship with the whole family in the months before the arrival of puppies.

As for breeds, I'd probably lean towards the Golden Retriever or Cavalier King Charles Spaniel as both, if ethically and responsibly bred, should have the ideal temperament for family life. The breed clubs are the best place to start your search if theis is the route you want to go down as they will point you in the direction of breeders who have to abide by a code of ethics and who breed for health and temperament.

MrsTinks

Thought about a slightly older dog which will come pre-trained and just needs a good loving home? Try www.oldies.org.uk - not all the dogs are old btw! And if you write them the co-ordinators will have a lot of information about the dogs and be able to advise you. The dogs in Oldies care are fostered not kenneled so they will have been livingin a home and the fosters will be able to give you a detailed run down on the dogs temper.
I think you might need to be careful with puppies personally... training a puppy is a VERY hard job and not one I would be brave enough to take on with an autistic child too - puppy teeth are very sharp!
Personally I think the perfect dog is likely to be a cross Also bear in mind how much time you will have to walk the dog and train it each day when you pick a breed... I have a collie cross... I wouldn't recommend one for people with small or vulnerable children purely because they can be SO bouncy! An hour flat out in the field and 10 minutes later she's ready to go again!

Maybe something like a lab or retriever cross...
OR a staffy... seriously! They make great family pets!

mizmir

Rescue dog from one of the smaller rescues (see Dog Pages for one near you) where dogs are fostered in homes and carefully assessed. They will match you with a dog suitable for you.

If you want a specific breed as a puppy or an older rescue, and like collies, consider the Smooth Collie - brilliant family dog - intelligent,. very trainable and active but not as demanding or bouncy as some borders can be (doesn't have to be working all the time!) - easy care coat, good size for children - not too big not too small - very easy going dogs and great fun. Basically Lassie but without the coat care issues!