Help please - questions to ask when getting a new dog - updated!

Doozergirl

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for being so helpful - and to let you know that I found our dog today! :j :j I went up to the local rescue centre as I had a bit of time to kill before the school run and I met Max And I did know that H would love him when he saw him but I just did as suggested (sort of), had a big chat with the staff about it and reserved him. We've spent about an hour and half talking about him today with them and they have had him for a month already (only came out for adoption today)

I've been back up with H and DD and she played with him for a good hour - he's a lovely dog and lived with two cats and four children before he met us. We will have a home visit next week and hopefully he will come home with us next Sunday after we've been to visit him lots.

So excited - petrified also! Waiting for my puppy book to arrive and will be researching insurance and dog things now!

Wanna see him??
http://www.photobox.co.uk/my/photo?photo_id=271003279&album_id=106874231

foreign_correspondent

have a look at www.littledogrescue.co.uk - you need to register, but are more likely to get matched with a really suitable dog for you, or post a 'Homes offered' ad on here: http://www.dogpages.org.uk/forums/index.php?showforum=3

Dogpages is read by loads of rescues, and people will often suggest specific dogs which would suit your family and circumstances...

where abouts in the midlands are you?

Doozergirl

Thanks for the links. I'm in Worcestershire.

chris_n_tj

Doozergirl wrote: »

Thanks for the links. I'm in Worcestershire.

I have a contact in Coventry that could be of help to you, please Pm me if you would like her details.
Chris n TJ x

orlao

Obviously a suitable rescue would be ideal but I know how difficult it can be especially with children and a cat to consider - those dogs are in high demand.

One option is to register and have homechecks with a rescue, maybe more than one before a suitable dog is available, then you will be high on the list when a dog comes in.

I know that you said a small/medium dog but would you think about a greyhound? Low maintenance and many are cat friendly.

If you go the puppy route, you have to decide what breeds you would like and then contact breeders. Expect to be grilled about your lifestyle and what you can offer a pup. Read up about health defects in the breeds you've chosen and what tests breeding dogs should have had and ask to see copies of the certificates if you view a litter. Avoid puppy farms and back yard breeders like the plague (not always easy to spot btw) they'll probably be the places that don't question you, small ads in the local papers etc. Consider the breed traits and whether (honestly!) they'd fit into your lifestyle ie. labs are often considered family pets but as young dogs they are VERY efficient chewing machines. How old are your kids and are they confident around dogs? Will the whole family work as a team training a pup (not slipping food under the table at meal times for instance) If you work away from home more than 4 hours a day can you afford pet sitters? Even then, they won't house train a young pup for you!
Also a puppy isn't MSE when you consider purchase price, jabs, neutering, microchipping and training classes, all not covered by insurance and that isn't even including the damage to your home and possesions:eek:

I'm not a person that is anti breeding but it can be a minefield and with kids and a cat IMHO you are probably better off waiting for a rescue even if it takes a while.

libbyc3

my advice would be wait wait and wait for the right rescue to come along.
I didn't - like you had kids and cats and another dog and there was always an incompatability with one or other. We got a cocker pup - gorgeous, and firmly part of the family now but seriously hard work.
2 weeks after her arrival one of the rescue centres i had registered with emailed me with an 8 month old german shep - exactly the dog we would have liked - was house trained and ticked every box on our list.
much as we love our pup i wish i had not been so impatient.
the right dog for you will turn up and believe me it is so much easier than puppyhood!

Doozergirl

libbyc3 wrote: »

my advice would be wait wait and wait for the right rescue to come along.
I didn't - like you had kids and cats and another dog and there was always an incompatability with one or other. We got a cocker pup - gorgeous, and firmly part of the family now but seriously hard work.
2 weeks after her arrival one of the rescue centres i had registered with emailed me with an 8 month old german shep - exactly the dog we would have liked - was house trained and ticked every box on our list.
much as we love our pup i wish i had not been so impatient.
the right dog for you will turn up and believe me it is so much easier than puppyhood!

Intersting that we have our eye on a cocker! I guess I am in a quandry over having a dog who has a temperament and habits that we can control somewhat, versus having a dog that may not eat everything in sight as well as poop everywhere! I'm prepared more for poop and it eating my carpets than I am for a dog that might snap at the kids - though they are superb with the cat and do understand that we all need our space.

I tend to go to the rescue centre quite a bit, H because of work commitments less so; what tends to happen is that I might see a dog but by the time I've gotten back after talking to him, it's gone - which is good for the dog of course!

foreign_correspondent

Doozergirl wrote: »

Intersting that we have our eye on a cocker! I guess I am in a quandry over having a dog who has a temperament and habits that we can control somewhat, versus having a dog that may not eat everything in sight as well as poop everywhere! I'm prepared more for poop and it eating my carpets than I am for a dog that might snap at the kids - though they are superb with the cat and do understand that we all need our space.

I tend to go to the rescue centre quite a bit, H because of work commitments less so; what tends to happen is that I might see a dog but by the time I've gotten back after talking to him, it's gone - which is good for the dog of course!

a puppy will nip the kids - I would put money on it! There have been a couple of threads on here quite recently where people who have pups are struggling with this issue...here is one, just as an example of how hard it can be to deal with...

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1921487

Sometimes this can become a problem with small kids, as generally the advice is to ignore the dog and turn away.. this is very hard for children to do, as it does hurt, so they tend to squeal and run, or flap around, which makes the dog think it is great fun, so it will have another go as soon as it can!

an older, steady dog who has lived with kids, and preferably been assessed in a foster home, or come straight from another family is probably the safest bet all round... you also to avoid the less tolerant breeds, such as westies, as they often tend to find kids a bit much!

How old are the kids by the way? As pooing on the carpet is less easy to handle if you still have children who are at the crawling and playing on the floor stage, for obvious reasons...

You may also want to look at dogsblog, www.dogsblog.com

If you scroll down the page, looking at the right hand side, you will see a blue bar, (just above the cartoon dog in a circle) which lets you click on 'search by criteria' - you can the select criteria such as 'good with cats' and view the dogs which match...

moomin5

I agree with getting the application/homecheck started with a rescue so that your ready to go when that cat/kid friendly dog comes in and the rescue will hopefully keep a look out for the dog that matches that criteria as they already have a home lined up.

Some rescues also home in next county or nationwide so it might be worth looking further afield. You could try posting a home offer on dogspages and see what people can find for you.

suki1964

Doozergirl wrote: »

Intersting that we have our eye on a cocker! I guess I am in a quandry over having a dog who has a temperament and habits that we can control somewhat, versus having a dog that may not eat everything in sight as well as poop everywhere! I'm prepared more for poop and it eating my carpets than I am for a dog that might snap at the kids - though they are superb with the cat and do understand that we all need our space.

I tend to go to the rescue centre quite a bit, H because of work commitments less so; what tends to happen is that I might see a dog but by the time I've gotten back after talking to him, it's gone - which is good for the dog of course!

Cockers have a great temperament and are so willing to please that training, if taken seriously from the word go, is pretty much a doddle

And yes like labs they are ruled by their tums but then at the same time, feed a suitable food and teach them that cabbage and carrots are the yummiest treat about and you will be fine

All pups nip - its part of growing up and cockers are no worse then any other pup. As they are trained out of nipping they develop the softest of mouths and indeed some of the best workers will be able to carry a raw egg without cracking it.

While I never ever leave my grandson (3) or my cocker together unsupervised, I really do see how gentle the dog is with the child. They play together really well. My dog loves his balls as done the GS yet the dog never snatches the balls off the child, he fallows him about till he puts the ball down then siezes the moment and runs off with it - tail wagging as proud as punch

None of my cockers have ever eaten the house and of all the pups Ive had Ive only lost one pair of shoes to a pup

Cockers by the way if you dont know, come in two strains - working and show. The show being the one with the very long ears. Dont let the terms put you off or mislead you, cockers are gun dogs and need to be exercised - both mind and body. They may be one of the most loving breeds, but they are not lap dogs

If you are seriously thinking of a cocker one of the best rescources I can reccomend is https://www.cockersonline.co.uk Members are a mix of dedicated owners, breeders, rescue workers and those that show


One of the lasses on the forums there has a great sig - cockers are just hooligans in fur coats - sums them up really

suki1964

Doozergirl wrote: »

Hi,

We've been considering getting a dog for some time now and I really want to get it right.

We want a small/medium sized dog to fit into our family. We have been going to our local rescue every week for ages now but there always seems to be some kind of incompatibilty as we have children and a cat. Any 'family' dog is scooped up in seconds. I just can't go to the stray dog's home as I simply don't know what kind of temperament the dog would have - We are starting now to consider a puppy and I know there are a hundred questions to ask of breeders and that I need to see mum etc but is there a website or books that I can read to help me with the selection process.

Please, I am aware of the responsibilty, don't need to be told that, but there are obviously some experienced owners on this board and I would really appreciate some help with where to find the right dog and how to spot him when we see them.

I'm in the Midlands if anybody actually has any recs.

If you have decided on a breed then go to the breed club and contact the secretaries in the areas you are willing to travel to, to get information of any breeders who may be having litters in the future then start the rounds of finding the breeder that ticks your boxes.

Dont be looking for a pup in the small ads. Even be wary of the KC lists (they do no checks on "breeders") Word of mouth is the only way as a good breeder has no reason to advertise and a good breeder has his/her reputation to uphold so will never let their pups go to homes they arent happy with

And expect it to take some time, esp this late in the year. Good reputable breeders will not have pups available in the run up to Christmas, most plan for litters to be re homed for the early summer