Thinking of getting a dog

luke123456

Hi

I apologise in advance for the silly q's.....:rotfl:

I wanted to get a toy poodle to join the family. I don't know what you actually have to do? Legalities?

I have haeard about microchips... insurance and good ness knows what else i don't know about.

How much does insurance cost? Does it cover health costs? If not please advise.

i have seen one on pets4homes that I like, please advise

thanks

krlyr

There aren't many legalities when it comes to owning a dog. There aren't dog licenses any more, so as long as you don't have restrictions such as a no-pets clause in your tenancy, in your house deeds or similar, you can generally just go out and get a dog.

The most obvious law, especially with recent cases, is the Dangerous Dogs Act - so keeping your dog under control in public and not allowing it to harm or scare anyone. And whilst it's not a criminal act, letting your dog attack another dog is a civil offence (and a horrible experience for everyone involved), so taking responsibility for your dog and not letting it harm or harrass other dogs is important too (and other species, so keeping your dog secure in your garden so it doesn't escape and eat the neighbour's pet rabbit, for example!). Even if it's friendly, letting it stray can result in car accidents and so on, so a secure garden is a must, as is care when leaving and entering the house (some dogs like to make a bolt for it - I've heard many sad cases of dogs dying when bolting through the door when the owner's got their hands full with shopping/a small child/etc. and they've run straight out infront of a vehicle).

You obviously are required to clean up after your pet - fines can be incurred for dogs fouling in public. Your dogs are required, by law, to wear a collar with ID on - and this has to be in a certain format (more information on the Kennel club page here - http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/training/good-citizen-dog-training-scheme/information-for-dog-owners/dog-identification-tags/ )

Microchipping isn't currently enforcable by law, but is a good idea incase the dog is lost or stolen. It's not proof of ownership but may well get your dog back to you quicker, and it's a cheap and easy thing to do.

Insurance isn't essential, but is a good idea. When operations can easily fall into the thousands, having insurance to fall back on is great. Try to get the most comprehensive insurance you can afford - a small policy that only offers, say, £2000 cover could easily be used up in one go. Do try to go for lifetime cover too - "12 month" policies are cheaper but your dog will only be covered for one insurance year/period. After that, any injuries or ongoing conditions will be classed as pre-existing conditions, and future insurance will exclude claims related to those injuries or conditions. Lifetime policies will carry cover forward for as long as you renew the policy - some will put a cap on the amount per year or per condition, so do real the policy notes. There are pros and cons to both - having £x per condition allow you to claim for several conditions within one year without running out of money, but once you've reached £x for each condition, that's it for the dog's life. Other policies may say £y amount per year - this amount will have to cover every condition, so there's a risk of running out within the year if you have lots of claims, but it does renew in the next policy year.

Insurance won't cover routine treatments like spaying/neutering, microchipping and vaccinations, and many policies won't cover dental work (or will require annual dental checks if they do, and may limit what dental work they cover) but will cover things like a broken leg, a thyroid condition, an emergency vet trip for bloat and so on. Generally the expensive, unplanned/unpredicted things that many people may struggle to pay for in one lump sum, which mays insurance invaluable to many people.

Some vets will offer 'health plans' for a set price a month. This will be for things like flea and worming treatment, boosters, maybe microchipping and a discount on neutering. However, do calculate whether this actually saves you money - you may be able to buy these products online, use vaccination clinics and you may not require neutering if the dog has come from another owner/rescue.


I would say take caution with adopting a dog from a free ad site like Pets4Homes, especially if it's your first dog. While many of these dogs are great dogs (one of mine is from Pets4Homes herself), the major disadvantage of a private rehoming is often that there is a real lack of any support.

If something goes wrong - either the dog isn't as described (remember, many owners will be desperate to rehome their dog and may bend the truth slightly to do so - we were told Kiki was fine being left home alone, but soon found out she tried to eat doors and windows when we went to work!) or just for some reason acts differently in your home, the owner may be unable to take the dog back or offer any support.

Also, if the dog isn't as described, you can be faced with more serious issues than chewing up your house - the owner may fail to tell you that the dog has a bite history or has displayed aggression, or something in your household may trigger behaviour the owner was unaware of.

Would you, as an example, feel confident in dealing with a dog with severe resource guarding that tried to bite you whenever you walked near its bowl? Or a dog that was fear reactive of other dogs and would bark and lunge everytime it saw one? A dog afraid of men, or unpredictable around children?

For a first time dog owner, I would suggest doing a lot of research, and finding either a great, possibly local, breeder who will give lots of advice and find the right dog for you. If you're not set on a breed, going to events like Crufts and Discover Dogs will allow you to meet lots of breeds and the breeders, who will happily chat to you about the breed.

Alternatively, approaching a good rescue (there are good and bad rescues, like there are good and bad breeders) who will match you to a specific dog to suit your home. A good rescue will assess dogs and not put you with a dog you cannot handle (or a dog that couldn't handle your home environment, e.g. not giving you a dog afraid of children if you have kids), and will offer lifetime support - helping you with any hurdles you meet, and ultimately taking the dog back if you cannot manage. A good breeder should offer this same lifetime support.

There are lots of threads of finding a good breeder if you go down that route, and I will search dog forums for recommendations of breeders or rescues. If you use Facebook, there are lots of dog related groups too. You may see lots of private rehomings too - but again, I would be cautious of the unknown/unpredictable element and lack of support that can occur with private rehomings.

luke123456

Thanks very much krlyr!
I really appreciate the advice!

I was thinking about these issues too, but wasn't sure if a 3kg toy poodle (max 10inch) can be as problematic as perhaps a german shepherd....?
Sorry if thats a silly assumption on my part, I just didn't think they can cause that much harm....?

So how do I search for local breeders please?

Thanks!

Misty_Blue

luke123456 wrote: »

I was thinking about these issues too, but wasn't sure if a 3kg toy poodle (max 10inch) can be as problematic as perhaps a german shepherd....?
Sorry if thats a silly assumption on my part, I just didn't think they can cause that much harm....?

A small dog will probably not do as much damage if it bites another dog or a person, but it can still be dangerous and make a real nuisance of itself. Every dog owner, of every sized dog, has exactly the same responsibility to ensure their dog is properly trained, socialised, and under control at all times.


I have a 50+kg Akita. The number of small dogs that lunge, snarling at her, while the owners laugh and say "Haha, he thinks he's a Rottweiler," winds me up a treat. If my dog were behaving like that they'd probably be calling the police, but because their dog is small they think it's funny.


You can find reputable breeders through the kennel club, or breed club. You should be asked a lot of questions by a good breeder, and you should see the puppies (if its a pup you want) with the mother. Read up into the health problems for your chosen breed and ask if the breeders tests their breeding stock for these (they definitely should do), and for the results. The temptation is to buy a puppy from the nearest person with a litter, but you should be prepared to speak to a lot of breeders and possibly for quite a long wait for a litter. The best breeders have waiting lists for their puppies.

Wellyboots6

Microchips can be done by the vets, or some pet shops will do them. They have your contact information on so that if the dog gets lost or stolen it can be scanned and the finder will have your contact details.

Like krlyr said, wearing a collar with tag and cleaning up after your dog are legal requirements, as is keeping your dog under control.

Insurance is worth getting to cover medical costs other than the basics. This can be found by searching around on the internet. Get quotes based on the type of dog you are looking to get. You will need to know the dogs breed, age etc to get the insurance set up however so quotes can be done hypothetically but the final policy will need to be done when you have chosen your dog. Insurance can also cover third party incidents, similar to how car insurance works.

It is definitely worth getting if you don't have savings etc to pay for unexpected medical treatment, although having your dog insured is not a legal requirement.

If you are ever planning to use kennels for if you go away etc then extra vaccinations for kennel cough are usually required by the kennels so keep that in mind.

Smaller dogs can be as problematic as large dogs, depending on the problems you mean! They can fit out of smaller gaps in garden fences, be faster to catch if they run off, depending on breed can have a high prey drive to be liable to chase things that move etc.

Smaller dogs can still bark as much as large dogs, and so noise could be an issue. They can be as aggressive, and although bites may cause less damage due to the size they would still hurt and can cause serious injuries.

Smaller dogs can be easier to transport, less physically demanding to walk, vet treatment can be cheaper, food could be cheaper, flea and worm treatment could be cheaper.

I'd think about researching local training classes too, especially if it is your first dog as they will have lots of advice for you and people to turn to if you struggle with anything.

krlyr

Small dogs may be easier to manage in terms of physically being able to keep hold of the lead, their teeth and strength causing less damage - but an aggressive small dog can still harm a person or another dog. Children and elderly people with more delicate skin could just as easily be hospitalised by a Toy Poodle as a German Shepherd - maybe not to the same extent, but secondary issues like a nasty infection could go on to cause lots of problems. Regardless of size, it is required to keeps dogs under control in public, and it is good manners to keep your dog from being a nuisance. Not to mention safer for your dog - your 3kg dog might just run up to the wrong dog and have a go at it, and be seriously harmed in retaliation.

Champdogs will let you search for breeders. Facebook groups, events like Discover Dogs and Crufts as mentioned, dog forums and so on. Just remember to do lots of research - choosing a bad breeder could result in years of heartbreak and expensive vet bills because they failed to do the appropriate health tests, didn't socialise the puppies in their vital socialisation windows, didn't take care choosing parents with good health and temperament and so on. "KC Registered" is a term battd around on Freeads etc. but bear in mind it only costs a few quid to register a puppy - I've heard of dodgy breeders adding hundreds on the price and people paying it because they haven't researched how little effort the process takes, or what little it actually stands for.

http://www.apdt.co.uk/dog-owners/choosing-a-puppy
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/findingbreeder.htm

A good breeder will be happy to be quizzed on all aspects of the breeder, their puppies, their own dogs, etc. so don't be afraid to ask too many questions. If they seem to be hiding anything - not letting you meet their dogs, not letting you go to their house (they may ask you to make an appointment - breeders have jobs, families, hobbies, etc. too so I think that's reasonable enough), not letting you visit the puppies, etc. or anything seems 'off', listen to your gut - as cute as puppies are, there will always be more to choose from, so taking a sensible step away may be the better option longterm.

Person_one

luke123456 wrote: »

I was thinking about these issues too, but wasn't sure if a 3kg toy poodle (max 10inch) can be as problematic as perhaps a german shepherd....?
Sorry if thats a silly assumption on my part, I just didn't think they can cause that much harm....?



Thanks!

As a toy poodle owner, sorry, but no!

They're very clever, they might look like soft toys but they are descended from working dogs and still have all their doggy instincts intact.

Josky

Don't forget that pet insurance can also cover you for damages caused by your dog other than directly biting people - e.g. if it runs out into the road and causes a car accident - that can happen with any size dog. It's worth having for that alone I would say.

Person_one

katy721 wrote: »

They can fit out of smaller gaps in garden fences,

I can confirm this to be accurate. :rotfl:

senileturtle

http://www.poodlesinneed.com/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.toypoodlerescue.net/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oodles-of-Poodles-Needing-Homes/487942967899131

Please consider a breed specific rescue if looking for a particular breed.

Contrary to what others say, there is no such thing as a good breeder as they all add to the pet overpopulation by doing what they do.

calicocat

Person_one wrote: »

I can confirm this to be accurate. :rotfl:

I had the pleasure of being in the company of a most fantastic peach toy poodle years ago as a temporary owner until she found her real home.


Do not underestimate them one bit...very clever little dogs, and you need to be one step ahead of them if they become dominant or flighty.

The one I had I loved to bits, she was a doll, but a feisty one.

Big things come in little packages.