what dog?

Kimberley82

Tropez wrote: »

I'd visit a rescue centre and see what the staff there have to say as everybody will have their own idea about the perfect family dog and rescue centers will be able to offer advice about the temperament of the dogs they have available.

Given the ages of your children, I would also recommend not getting a puppy.

why would you not recommend a puppy?

Griizelda

Kimberley82 wrote: »

why would you not recommend a puppy?

I wondered that. We got our dog when dd was 13 months old, now that was hard work! Now dd is 7 and ds3 9, a puppy would be easy to intergrate into the family. Certainly the ages of the children wouldn't be a problem at all (although mine do know how to treat animals properly, as most children, given the correct guidance, do).

far2812

Without a doubt a patterdale terrier! They are so so loving x

Patterdale rescue

Kimberley82

Griizelda wrote: »

I wondered that. We got our dog when dd was 13 months old, now that was hard work! Now dd is 7 and ds3 9, a puppy would be easy to intergrate into the family. Certainly the ages of the children wouldn't be a problem at all (although mine do know how to treat animals properly, as most children, given the correct guidance, do).

both their grandparents have dogs and have always been around them so know about how to treat them.

bouncydog1

Before you think about the breed, you need to do your research on costs as much as anything and whether or not certain breeds have more health issues than others. This will impact on insurance costs and could also be a factor for vets fees if the dog develops say a joint problem.

You should also be considering the amount of exercise it will need, cost of food, kennel costs when you go on holiday, grooming costs if long coated etc. etc.

Once you have done all of your homework and reached a decision on the dog you think will be right for you, see if you can meet other owners and find out their views.

We had spaniels for many years - springer was fantastic temperament but needed huge amounts of exercise otherwise they get bored and chewed - they also often don't calm down until around 9 years of age and have mad moments! Cockers are smaller but also need lots of exercise and you also have coats to look after - some people clip them but if you are going to do that you would be better off with a different breed.

Many choices to make but the best one is an informed choice!

Tropez

Kimberley82 wrote: »

why would you not recommend a puppy?

Various reasons but primarily related to the difficulty the majority of puppies present to new dog owning families, particularly those with young children who may well know how to treat animals but not expect that the puppy to begin with will not know how to treat its knew family. Introducing a puppy to a family is as much about training the family as it is training the puppy.

We are, after all, presented with a rather idyllic view of puppies to the point where we overlook their more difficult personality traits. They bite, they chew, they run under your feet and they do all of this without realising their potential for causing damage both to their new family and to themselves. Then there's the fact that the average puppy will want to spend 18-20 hours of the day asleep, which presents an issue when the majority of young children will want to play with the puppy, leading to either a cranky, or over-excited puppy and neither is particularly helpful.

We have the fact that a new puppy will also try and put anything and everything into its mouth - it is after all the way a puppy learns about the world around it but isn't without its flaws. Perhaps it may be viable to teach the children about every single thing that the puppy could choke on, could be poisoned by etc. but for a lot of very young children this simply isn't possible - they'll forget, or not understand the seriousness of the situation - even letting a puppy lick up some water left by the rain outside can lead to a parasitic infection. The necessity to keep the floor clear of almost everything, including shoes and the like, unless of course the puppy is to be primarily kept in a pen or run, is also something that young children may appreciate but not completely grasp and honestly, until you actually get the puppy you don't know how long it is going to take to train not to bite, not to chew everything in sight, not to do its business on the floor, to stay away from the shoes, to not howl and cry when its crated for the night, not to jump up, not to get over excited etc. etc. Some puppies might learn relatively quickly, others might take months.

Puppies are a lot of work and even the most docile of breeds have more than enough of a penchant for hell raising in their youth. Puppies on the older scale may be more suited but your average 8 week old puppy is not, in my opinion, a family pet. I, of course, do not know of your prior experience with dogs but I feel it is safe to presume that as a family unit they have no experience and therefore I personally would not recommend a puppy due to the age of the children, even if they have some experience of dogs. Being around someone elses dogs and having your own is a different matter entirely - one of mine would act like a little saint whenever new people came around to visit her whilst she was a puppy, the moment they were gone though she'd be back to the little puppy terrorist.

An older dog (1 year onwards) is usually trained and will not present the problems of a very young puppy, particularly not the biting issue, and also, let's be honest, will be free of some of the expensive, early costs of dog ownership (vaccinations, microchipping, spaying/neutering, worming etc), allowing the owners to invest a little more into keeping the dog entertained, happy and settled.

But as I say, it is just a recommendation and perhaps you might find the perfect little puppy who is clever enough to learn quickly (although you will have to tolerate at least some mayhem). I wish you all the best and hope that whichever breed and age you go for it brings you and your family a lot of joy.

Griizelda wrote: »

I wondered that. We got our dog when dd was 13 months old, now that was hard work! Now dd is 7 and ds3 9, a puppy would be easy to intergrate into the family. Certainly the ages of the children wouldn't be a problem at all (although mine do know how to treat animals properly, as most children, given the correct guidance, do).

Compared to an 8 week old puppy, a 13 month old adult is a cakewalk in my opinion.

rachy86

Dunners wrote: »

We've got three border terriers - they're great with children (our crazy nieces!) and are brilliant with our three cats (this is down to socialisation through, and you'll need to be careful introducing any dog to your cat!) - they're quite cheeky but good fun to be around!

far2812 wrote: »

Without a doubt a patterdale terrier! They are so so loving x

Patterdale rescue

I second both these breeds! I've got a border terrier/patterdale terrier cross and he is such a little character! So loving, always wagging his tail yet so cheeky at the same time! life is definately not boring, but he loves nothing more than to curl up on my lap or infront of the fire after a nice walk in the cold!

Kimberley82

Tropez wrote: »

Various reasons but primarily related to the difficulty the majority of puppies present to new dog owning families, particularly those with young children who may well know how to treat animals but not expect that the puppy to begin with will not know how to treat its knew family. Introducing a puppy to a family is as much about training the family as it is training the puppy.

We are, after all, presented with a rather idyllic view of puppies to the point where we overlook their more difficult personality traits. They bite, they chew, they run under your feet and they do all of this without realising their potential for causing damage both to their new family and to themselves. Then there's the fact that the average puppy will want to spend 18-20 hours of the day asleep, which presents an issue when the majority of young children will want to play with the puppy, leading to either a cranky, or over-excited puppy and neither is particularly helpful.

We have the fact that a new puppy will also try and put anything and everything into its mouth - it is after all the way a puppy learns about the world around it but isn't without its flaws. Perhaps it may be viable to teach the children about every single thing that the puppy could choke on, could be poisoned by etc. but for a lot of very young children this simply isn't possible - they'll forget, or not understand the seriousness of the situation - even letting a puppy lick up some water left by the rain outside can lead to a parasitic infection. The necessity to keep the floor clear of almost everything, including shoes and the like, unless of course the puppy is to be primarily kept in a pen or run, is also something that young children may appreciate but not completely grasp and honestly, until you actually get the puppy you don't know how long it is going to take to train not to bite, not to chew everything in sight, not to do its business on the floor, to stay away from the shoes, to not howl and cry when its crated for the night, not to jump up, not to get over excited etc. etc. Some puppies might learn relatively quickly, others might take months.

Puppies are a lot of work and even the most docile of breeds have more than enough of a penchant for hell raising in their youth. Puppies on the older scale may be more suited but your average 8 week old puppy is not, in my opinion, a family pet. I, of course, do not know of your prior experience with dogs but I feel it is safe to presume that as a family unit they have no experience and therefore I personally would not recommend a puppy due to the age of the children, even if they have some experience of dogs. Being around someone elses dogs and having your own is a different matter entirely - one of mine would act like a little saint whenever new people came around to visit her whilst she was a puppy, the moment they were gone though she'd be back to the little puppy terrorist.

An older dog (1 year onwards) is usually trained and will not present the problems of a very young puppy, particularly not the biting issue, and also, let's be honest, will be free of some of the expensive, early costs of dog ownership (vaccinations, microchipping, spaying/neutering, worming etc), allowing the owners to invest a little more into keeping the dog entertained, happy and settled.



Compared to an 8 week old puppy, a 13 month old adult is a cakewalk in my opinion.

My children are not very young nor are they stupid. They fully understand about not leaving toys or anything poisonousness about. They have grown up with dogs and are also used to having small babies about who also you have to be careful what you leave around.

Tropez

Kimberley82 wrote: »

My children are not very young nor are they stupid. They fully understand about not leaving toys or anything poisonousness about. They have grown up with dogs and are also used to having small babies about who also you have to be careful what you leave around.

To be fair, I didn't suggest that your children were stupid, but they are young. I also didn't suggest that your children would leave anything poisonous about but there are numerous things, common to many people's gardens, that are lethal to dogs and it can be difficult to protect a puppy from itself. Not once did I make any comment on what your children would do; what I did say though is that there are a lot of things that some children may not grasp - I know nothing about your family, therefore I am not commenting specifically on them. I am speaking in general terms and simply answering your question as to why I wouldn't recommend getting a puppy.

I've grown up with dogs; in fact, there hasn't been a single day in my entire life when I have not had a dog in my home. Two of my current three were raised by myself from eight weeks old and therefore I offer my opinion based on my own experiences. You're free to ignore my advice if you feel it is not useful to you and if you feel that a puppy is the best choice for you and your family then I wish you all the best.

Youdontseeme

Tropez wrote: »

An older dog (1 year onwards) is usually trained and will not present the problems of a very young puppy, .

:rotfl:I remember my Dad using this argument when we got our rescue dog, we were at the local pound, my sis and I, both at around 10 and 12 at the time had fallen for a Jack Russell pup (wouldn't dream of having one now, defo a big dog kinda girl!) but Pops was determined that we needed an older dog as "it would be house trained" we ended up with a 18month lab/collie cross, who as soon as we got in him home shat in every single room, bit my sister (albeit playfully) and carried on in this manner until Mother nearly had a break down, he did become a fantastic dog in the end though.

I do admit that this was 25 yrs ago now, and was back in the day when you just used to turn up at the pound, pay a "donation" of around a tenner and go home with a dog,but.......... Dad still gets stick about "We are NOT getting a puppy, I want one that is trained!!!

To the OP, I think you need to work out your family life, how much time you have, etc. then narrow it down, if going for a rescue (even a rescue pup) the chances are a dog will pick you. If going to a breeder (reputable of course!) then do your research.

There are a few quiz / test things if you google to see which dog is best for you and while I wouldn't take the results 100% seriously, it might help narrow it down.

Good luck in your search!

YDSM