poodle for my son

Tracey04

could any give me some advice on buying a toy or minature poodle for my sons birthday in mid October. where do I start looking I like in Preston Lancashire.
What other things do they cost approx prices please. Trying to work out costs before I put the idea out to my children.
Thanks for any help.
Ta T

Beckyy

Hello.

That depends a lot of what you want. Would you like a puppy? If so make sure you look for a reputable breeder. The Champdog website will have a list, they will also list current litters. The price for a puppy on there averages out between £500-700. Ontop of this you will need:

first vacinations (my dogs was £63)

microchipping (my dogs was around £30).

It's also advisable to take a puppy to training classes which could cost anything from £2 a class upwards depending on where you go and how often.

You will need basket/toys/bowls etc, which you can spend anything from £40 to hundreds on.

It will need fleas treatment regularly (I use frontline which depends on breed but I use it every 2 months and it costs about £20 for 3 months worth ish.)

Worming every 3-6 months (about £2 per tablet if you shop around 1 tablet per 10kg with drontal.)

Pet insurance - depending on the cover and company you use could cost £15/20 a month. Mine is £30 a month for a Great Dane.

Food - You should buy the best food you can afford and can spend varying amounts depending on brand.

If you buy a £500 puppy you can look at spending about £700/800 to start out, plus the ongoing costs of insurance/worming/fleaing/annual boosters/training/food/treats.

I would also think alot about buying a dog for a child, as you WILL be left ot do most of the training/toilet training etc. and teh dog can live for many many years. Research the breed THOROUGHLY and talk to/email breeders (even ones which aren't local) to get an idea of the breed. Bare in mind puppies will need almost constant supervision and a dog shouldn't really be left alone for longer than 4 horus regularly when it is older.

Good luck!

Tracey04

thank youfor your advice

se999

Just wondering how old is your son and other children? Advice on dog breeds and sizes within breeds does tend to vary with the age of the children.

LittleTinker

Gosh....if all dogs were as expensive as the one in post 2, then noone would ever have a dog.........especially not if they were living on a low income or on benefits.

"Baskets, bowls and toys......anything from £40 - £100's"???? Are they kidding??? A bowl from a charity shop is fine.....as is an old blanket in a box too. Toys can be made from old socks etc.....be inventive. They are lots of sites that help with this sort of thing.

Flea treatment? Nope.......dont pay for chemicals in my house. Comb them every day and shampoo once a month, they all do fine here.

Worming.....doesnt cost much.

Pet Insurance.....Not a chance will we feed the insurance companies pockets and prefer to pay when things come up.

Micro-chipping we dont pay for.

Train the dog yourself......no need for classes unless you want to go, that is.

Vaccinations are your choice and would be wise. Not that much really.

Food....What ever you can afford. They do not need fancy designer foods that tell you that your dog will live to be 100 if he eats this. Chappie and Wagg are perfectly ok and well within anyones budget.

As for treats....pennies.

A dog is wonderful addition to a family and can bring so much joy and yet there are so many people these days who try to guilt trip others into spending money they dont have and then telling them they cant afford a dog if they dont have the money.

Nonsense.

It does not have to cost a lot and can have the best of a life on a budget with you and your family.

You need a lead though!

shegirl

I'm getting a pup at the beginning of November (not poodle though!) and have been making a list and looking around to cost everything up.

Personally I would say definately go to puppy classes,definately get it microchipped,definately have it flead and wormed and buy the best food you can (some are full of additives and junk)

A box with a blanket is ok but remember boxes are easily eaten and won't last forever,so at some point you'll have to 'upgrade'

I'd suggest looking around a few sites that have info on puppies,what to expect,training and what you'll need and go from there

You may well want to get a crate for it too.

Localweb

A jackapoo? Poodle jack russell x

I have two and have had/fostered many breeds of dog and have to say that they are:
adorable
full of fun
seem to have best traits of both breeds
hardy
great with kids

See if there are any around and go see one yourself, you may be surprised at how great they are. (at a fraction of the cost) I have to say that these days with many bad breeders about, that the x's are often less neurotic than pedigrees too, IMHO. Just a thought...

Griizelda

LittleTinker wrote: »

Gosh....if all dogs were as expensive as the one in post 2, then noone would ever have a dog.........especially not if they were living on a low income or on benefits.


Food....What ever you can afford. They do not need fancy designer foods that tell you that your dog will live to be 100 if he eats this. Chappie and Wagg are perfectly ok and well within anyones budget.

I agree. Much better (in my opinion) for any animal to have a good home where it's loved and well cared for rather than worry about all these expensive foods (which are after all a relatively new thing and animals survived quite happily before they came along!).

When we bought our dog we got one of the plastic baskets (easy to clean if they have an accident and pretty indestructible) - six years later he still uses it.

estelle123

I am a long term poodle owner,miniatures and standards.As well as the cost other people have mentioned you also have to have it groomed every 6-8 weeks costs vary from £30-£60.They have to be brushed everyday to prevent matting.Poodles can have trouble with their ears and can be expensive to treat.If you are still thinking of getting one ring the Poodle rescue society in your area they are the best place to get one.I got my mini from one the best thing i ever did,hes the most wonderful dog i have ever had.My standard was bought as a pup from a reg breeder he is now 5,cost us £550.

hethmar

Why have you chosen a poodle? How old are the children?

Poodle rescue or Little Dog rescue may have a suitable mature dog? Rochdale dog rescue have an apricot poodle looking for a home at the moment. She is called Tara and aged 5 and is still with the family who can no longer care for her.
Tara (pictures to follow), a Minature Poodle who is apricot in colour and coming up to six years old.
http://www.rochdale-dog-rescue.com/homes-needed.html

Tara needs a new home as her current owners are unable to give her the excercise she needs and we are helping them to find a loving new home for her.
She is a friendly girl with a nice nature who loves her routine - she always knows when its tea time! She is good with other dogs but will chase cats. She is also good with children but we would like a home with teenage children as she can get a little possessive over her bed area.
Tara is fully housetrained and is fine to be left home alone. She is fully vaccinated including KC and spayed.
If you are interested in finding out more about Tara please complete our rehoming form above.



You can read up on the breed and talk to owners on the poodle forum:

http://www.champoodlesscruffoodles.co.uk/


http://www.littledogrescue.co.uk/

Definitely get insurance. Its all very well saying wait til something happens but when it does, can you afford say, a £2k ear operation?

Frugalista

Here is the link for the Kennel Club list of Toy Poodle Breed Clubs & Rescues

http://www.the-kennel-club.org.uk/services/public/club/breed-list.aspx?id=4099

I wouldn't advise looking on Champdogs as although there are some good, reputable breeders advertising on there, there are also an awful lot of unscrupulous ones running ads.

Speak to a breed club first - they will be able to answer all your questions - and do plenty of research.

HTH .