poodle for my son

Silveralice

I have two poodles too; estelle is right, they HAVE to be clipped every 6-8 weeks. I learnt how to do it myself, in which case you need proper professional clippers and scissors etc - cost around £100 for the kit - but otherwise you have to factor in the cost of a groomer. Not doing it is not an option! If you go down the puppy route, bear in mind there are lots of bad breeders and a few very good ones. A rough rule of thumb is that if the breeder isn't giving YOU the third degree about how suitable a home you'll be for their precious puppy, and is only interested in the colour of your money, then run, don't walk away. A reputable breeder will always show you the puppy's mother at their home, will want to question you closely before selling you a puppy, and will want you to sign a contract which will usually say that if you can't keep the puppy you will return it to them rather than sell it on elsewhere. Reputable breeders of miniature poodles will also only be breeding from dogs that have been gene tested for the eye disease PRA. If they say their lines don't carry that disease or it's not necessary for some reason, don't believe them! As someone else said, a breed club can give you very good advice if you speak to the right person.

PerfectPeaches

There is a lot of good advice on here. Id definitely recommend ringing the Kennel Club and obtaining a breeders list. Dont both with Champdogs or similar websites as there not always as great as they seem.

As for costs in terms of medical, it is best to speak to a local vet to obtain up to date prices on vaccinations and when they will be required as well as worming and fleaing. You can always check on various websites for prices for flea treatments such as Frontline and worming such as Drontal and Milbemax. We all know vets can charge a small fortune but asking they are required and asking for a friendly chat as a first time dog owner won't hurt.

As for bedding, toys etc pop into your local pet shop as this will give you a good idea.

Puppy classes are a great way of socialising your dog and you may even make friends yourself. Both my dogs went to classes and I think they really benefited and it was nice to chat to other puppy/ dog owners as if you have a doggy related problem the chances are they will know what your going through especially with a pup!

As for insurance, again both of mine are insured and I think this is essential. God forbid your dog should injure itself badly vet treatment can be incredibly expensive and having a decent insurer who will pay out is a weight off your shoulders. My friends dog recently had a vets bill of £6,000 and the insurer cleared 95% of it. But do search around and look at the policies as they can vary.

As for food this all depends on how much you are willing to spend. There is a wide choice to choose from! Both of mine are on James Wellbeloved (and so are my cats) because they thrive on it and because my one dog has a slight skin allergy!

Just a question....how old is your son? and what made you choose a poodle?

My aunt has had miniature and standard poodles for over 20 years and they are lovely dogs but like any breed do need proper grooming quite reguarly.

Peaches x

welshmoneylover

Things to consider with poodles:

PRA testing is a must for both parents
The cost of grooming
Daily coat brushing
Daily ear inspections, and plucking if necessary (actually a must as poodles can be prone to ear infections)
Err, walking the dog

Besides all this, they are a delightful breed and if you do consider going ahead, please find a reputable breeder who will ask YOU lots of questions and avoid any breeders who advertise on K9 regularly with oodles of litters, they are puppy farmers so avoid like plague.

PM me if you need any further poodley advice :T

Tracey04

Thanks for your replies. My son will be 10 so I feel he his old enough for a puppy and it has to be a poodle because my Mum has bad exema and 'normal' dogs coat breaks out all her skin. We used to have a poodle when I was small.
I have found someone selling poodles very close to where I live, but getting worried now with what I have read incase it is not the right place to buy from.(£300)
Which insurance is a good buy ( as cheap as poss please)
Do you get annual injections etc.
when we had a dog 25 years ago things seemed so much different, unless I was just unaware of vets, injection, fleas, worming etc
I still thought poodles tails were docked but was told today that it is now illegal. Do they have long tails then ??
thanks for your help

Beckyy

I just feel the need to reply to this and explain to you why I stated those prices.

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.

"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.
Yes you could probably find decent bowls etc. in charity shops, the main reason for that price was to do with dog beds. You'll probably find that a puppy is more than likely to go through various beds (chewing/playing/growing, although maybe not so much with a smaller dog) and it's advisable to get a good quality strong one. Etc. also included leads/collars/start up items. And I can't see why anyone would give a puppy a sock to play with, it's an awful choking hazard if it was swallowed!

Flea treatment? Nope.......dont pay for chemicals in my house. Comb them every day and shampoo once a month, they all do fine here.
I regularly bathe and groom my own dog too, but that's not to say I don't take the precaution of flea treatment. I don't think it's an unecessary expense at all.

Worming.....doesnt cost much.

Pet Insurance.....Not a chance will we feed the insurance companies pockets and prefer to pay when things come up.
Again that's up to you, but if your dog was seriously injured tomorrow and required a vets bill in the £0000's would you be able to afford it? Many wouldn't, hence why pet insurance is advisable. Optional, but advisable.

Micro-chipping we dont pay for.
Which is excellent, but I was just stating the cost which my own vets surgery charged as a rough guide for what a person can expect to pay from a surgery.

Train the dog yourself......no need for classes unless you want to go, that is.
Of course you could, but sometimes it's best to socialise and train your dog in a controlled environment - especially if you live somewhere where they are unlikely to bump into other dogs regularly and also if the OP isn't an experienced owner it can sometimes be a great help to have good advice from the start, especially with children around the dog.

Vaccinations are your choice and would be wise. Not that much really.
That depends on the surgery, initial injections can be relatively expensive. £55/65 at some of my local surgeries, although they may obviously be cheaper at yours.

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.
Obviously dogs don't need 'designer food' but it is best to feed the best food you can afford (which might not necessarily be the most expensive). I'm not saying that it should be anything fancy, just to try and make sure you have a good quality food.

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!

I don't mean to sound argumentative, so apologise if it comes across like that, but I do feel that my post gave a realistic idea of how much things CAN cost, not necessarily how much they WILL cost. I'm by no means saying that you have to be loaded to own a dog (I'm not and do), I'm just outlining the potential and advisable costs/purchases.


OP, with regards to insurance I think it's best to shop around and see what each company says as it can vary depending on breed/sex etc. I am with Direct Line, and was choosing between them and Tesco which both seem to have reasonable prices. My vets advised me to go with Pet Plan, but they were extortionate prices compared to other companies, so it really pays to shop around. I'm sure that if you post about which companies you're looking at on here people will be able to tell you their experiences with them.

There are various levels of cover, so cover you for an 'allowance per year' others cover you with a 'lifetime allowance per condition', an example of the later would be a dog with a longterm illness which needed monthly treatment that would be covered, with the first type of cover it would only be covered for the one year up to the allowance. If that makes sense. I'm not a huge fan of pet insurance, but I only have it as I have a giant breed dog who's breed is prone to various illnesses. If you can't afford pet insurance it might be worth opening a savings account and paying in £X per month as a 'just incase' fund. But, saying that you can get some reasonable cover for good prices if you shop around.

Good luck if you get a pup, they're a wonderful addition! :T

Proc

Poodle for your son?

Three questions; who will be responsible for the day-to-day walking, caring, training, cleaning, grooming of the dog etc?

What's going to happen when the cute Poodle puppy is no longer a cute puppy, and your son is bored of it? (How old is he?)

A poodle for a boy? Is that so he can take it to work at the salon in his pink man-bag?

walwin

Proc wrote: »

A poodle for a boy? Is that so he can take it to work at the salon in his pink man-bag?

Necessary? I think not


If you'd read OP's last post you'd have seen why a poodle is the dog of choice and it's only small minded and uninformed people who would think there is something wrong in a boy having a poodle for a much loved pet

hethmar

Cheapest insurance is not the best usually- you dont want to end up with a life long condition that isnt covered - one of mine currently has meds that cost £50 a month and will be necessary for his life (he has used these since he was 4 years old). No doubt the cost of the meds will increase as time goes on Fortunately I do have a for life policy. AXA for life, petplan, NFU are some of the best ones. You need to think of £20 plus a month for a pedigree dog.

Yes it is illegal to dock dogs' tails now except in special circumstances. Have you had much contact with dogs since your childhood one? Would it be a good idea to get to know some dogs at say a rescue by walking them so you have a more up to date understanding of what is involved?

And yes you will need yearly innoculations which arent covered by insurance and you will have to neuter or spay the dog which would also not be covered. Remember also, the cost of kennelling if you go on holiday.

PerfectPeaches

I think both you and your son need to spend some time around poodles before actually getting one as it is such a huge responsibility and shouldn't be considered lightly. Also why isn't it a family dog? Surely its not just for your son as no doubt you will end up with caring for it for the majority of the time.

Both my dogs are insured with More Than and have been for about 2 years but the cheapest are not necessary the best.

As for vaccinations as I said in my previous post please take advice from a vet who will be able to advise when you need then injections and how much they cost. My vet currently does a puppy or kitten package which includes worming, fleaing, injections and microchipping for a set cost.

Trying to get everything as cheap as possible for a dog is not always the best route as dogs are not a cheap animal as they always need constant care and upkeep. This is why so many dogs are in rescue homes because people have them and don't realise how much they do actually cost.

Personally, I dont think animals such as dogs should be bought for children, they should be for the whole family.

Peaches

kte

Please make sure you take out pet insurance. Buy through a cashback site (that will most likely cover a few months payments).

My two cats were recently poisoned and it cost me £1800 for 12 hours care at the vets (well, it was medivet!)