What would you do?

lil_monkey

Hi Doodledo,

We have a springer who is now 4 years old, we had him from a pup - we choose the quiter puppy - we have only had a little jackrussle before. Our springer is so lovely. he has never chewed anything never recked the house. We all work but at the time my sister and brother were at home so could look after him. When we did go out, we use to leave the radio on so he felt like people were home and we used to leave him with toys and treats that were hidden away so he had something to think about - dogs only chew things if they are bored or have nothing to play with!!

To help with puppy training we use to leave paper on the kicthern floor so he learnt that was the place to go if he had to. We also put white wine vingar on the carpets - dogs and cats don't like the smell so won't go to the toliet on it - this was the quickest way to teach him!!! we take the dog out about 3 times a day for a walk.

It really was the best thing we have ever done - he is like one of the family and a real soppy thing - he knows if someone is ill so will leave them a lone but when your out and about he loves fething sticks - just mind the rabbit holes:rotfl: .

I say go for it.....and my Dad has lost 2 stone from going out with the dog.

If you need any more advice or help jsut shout.

Lil monkey x x x

lil_monkey

forgot to say if the man dog or lady dog has not had their bits taken away you could always use them as a stud or mother and then sell the pups and then get your money back - I know their are not money making machines far from it - but just an idea!!:rolleyes:

Lucy1982_2

My uncle used to breed kennel club standard cocker spaniels (they were family pets though), and gain it is all down to the training.

so long as you are consistant pup will get the message. Charlie (our spaniel) never went for the furniture, but did attack the veg rack once! Chunks out of everything, he didn't like sprouts if I remember rightly.

Keep pup busy and thinking and I am sure it will be fine!

doodledo_2

Thanks Lilmonkey good to hear from someone who has a springer.

I know they are lively dogs and like others have said I am sure we will cover the destructive phase as one of us will be here with it. I am not naive though and know there will be incidents lol but with a lively toddler to deal with I think Ill be ok.

All I keep thinking is how good it would be our family unit. It would get us out the house as we would have to exercise the dog. Would be free entertainment for my little girl who loves nothing more than running about in a field with a ball.

Maybe they will bounce off each other lol.

The possible two stone weight loss is definately a pro

THE_LONE_RANGER_4

hi just to put my experiance/advice in etc , take it or not i have bred dogs for a few years now currently i have an air dale which has just cost me £750 my parents bred both labradors and springers , .
my views on rescue dogs i have aired before and it is clearly up to an individual but i would never introduce a dog in to my family with young children from a rescue centres, as i would not be confident about any faults they may have i know they are checked observred in numerouse situations bur sorry with kids it would have to be a pup, or as you say a dog you do know where it has come from , to behonest if it has been spayed etc it isnt worth £200 you have to be realistic , springer are high octane dogs but great fun but come rain/gale/snow he has to be excersised at least 2 hours a day .
I asume it is house trained due to age i recommend cage traing if she has a problem, also if you have a pup they see the cage as the den and will not mess in it, use the cage if she is a pup for time out and when she is left alone this goes for an adult dog also remember a pup can only last4 hours max before they want the lou adult dog a lot longer ,
join a dog training class it adds some fun to owning the dog and will help you with training and giving directions if its needed , pet insurance isnt to bad , dry dog food i would recommend but i use to feed my old dogs on tripe you can buy it in small blocks £1o0 per time last for at few months you keep it in a chest freezer and bring it out when needed it is excellent for high octane dogs.
any way thats my bit please no post moaning about my view on rescue dogs we are all entitled to an opinion and i do not want to detract from original post.

TinkyWinky_2

I don't want to be the angel of doom here but buying a healthy puppy is about considerably more than being "pretty sure". It is absolutely essential that anyone buying a pedigree dog is absolutely 100% sure of the health status of BOTH parents. That includes all necessary certified health checks on BOTH parents. Just looking at them and thinking "Oh that dog looks healthy" isn't enough. If you buy a dog from un-tested parents then you could end up with enormous vet bills or the absolutely heartbreaking choice of having a puppy put to sleep.

My advice (and I know, I know I'm like the puppy police!) is only ever buy KC registered puppies from a breeder who will pick the right puppy for you (or not depending on their assessment of your suitability to own one of their dogs) from a planned mating of health tested dogs.

Please... do your homework before you part with your £200 (which is a low price for a Springer). Look at the KC website, find out what the health complications with springers are and make sure you buy a puppy that has been bred to have the lowest possible risk. Don't just buy it cause it's there.

Also be sure you really want a Springer. They're gundogs for a reason. They're like rockets and they need a serious amount of care and attention. If your heart burns for a Springer then research the dog. Find the pedigree breeding lines you like and get on a breeder's waiting list. If you just want any dog then go to a rescue centre and give a home to a loving mutt. He'll give you everything wonderful you could want from a pet dog and without the large outlay.

You also need to consider the cost of a whole of life insurance policy which offers you ongoing cover for illness. A lot of policies stop paying out after you reach your year's worth of payment. I pay £80 a month to insure my dogs and whole lot more on top of that to feed them and pay for vet bills which fall under the policy excess. They are possibly more costly than my children and demand just as much love and attention!! :eek:

And the suggestion that a pet dog should be used for backyard breeding is quite the most ridiculous thing ever and tantamount (in my eyes) to abuse. Rescue centres the country over are full to bursting because of people breeding irresponsibly from pet dogs. If people stop buying badly bred dogs from people who only see the pound signs then rescue centres'll stop having to turn away the ones who aren't easy to "sell".

Sorry I know I sound very preachy but it's a topic very close to the heart of dog people. Yes I am crazy dog lady!! :embarasse :embarasse

tyllwyd

I like dogs well enough, but at the moment I'm completely against getting one for our family, partly because at the moment things seem difficult enough without adding an extra responsibility. I'm assuming that you post on this board because money is tight - are you sure that you can cover the cost of food, injections (sorry I have no idea what puppies need but I'm sure its lots!), pet insurance, because once you've taken the dog on, it will be very difficult to go backwards. What will you do if (for example) fuel bills go up and you have to find extra money in your budget just to get through the month?

I'd have a chat with someone who owns a dog and get a realistic idea of how much you need to budget.

doodledo_2

Lone ranger thanks for your opinions much appreciated.

Your views on rescue dogs basically says how I feel. I do not want to introduce my child to a dog whose history I do not know.

Out of interest why do you say it's not worth £200?

doodledo_2

Tinky Winky - thanks for your post and don't apologise for your opinion and yes you do sound a little like the dog police but I understand your sentiments.

I have done quite a bit of research on Springers and still doing more, there is a wealth out there on the interent and I have also emailed a local breeder today for some info/advice.

Trust me I won't be breeding them. I neither have the time or the inclination for that. My SIL tried a bit of back-yard breeding and it ended as predicted in a lot of tears and the money they made was nothing in comparison to the lasting damage done to their home from 13 puppies!

Tyllwyd - money isn't tight as such I am on the board because I want to clear my debt. I am fortunate to have two steady decentish wages coming into our house but yes I appreciate the money side very much needs to be considered.

lil_monkey

"And the suggestion that a pet dog should be used for backyard breeding is quite the most ridiculous thing ever and tantamount (in my eyes) to abuse. Rescue centres the country over are full to bursting because of people breeding irresponsibly from pet dogs. If people stop buying badly bred dogs from people who only see the pound signs then rescue centres'll stop having to turn away the ones who aren't easy to "sell".

Sorry I know I sound very preachy but it's a topic very close to the heart of dog people. Yes I am crazy dog lady!! :embarasse :embarasse "

Can I just clear this up please - the comment I made -

"forgot to say if the man dog or lady dog has not had their bits taken away you could always use them as a stud or mother and then sell the pups and then get your money back - I know their are not money making machines far from it - but just an idea!!:rolleyes:"

I am a real dog lover my grand parents have always had dogs - and other pets I would not hurt them at all certainly not abuse :mad: :mad: them as Tinky Winky is surgesting!!!!!!! - I take afence by that comment because you do not know me.

With the comment above I have a firend who breeds KC springers this is were we bought out dog from, he is from a very good line of KC family and therefore has a very good breed history - our firend wanted to know if our dog would mind being a father as he really is a lovely dog - certainly not back yard breeding!!!!!!!!!:mad: :mad: :mad:

Sorry doodledo for making this point on your post - I didn't want people thinking I abuse my pets!!!

Lil Monkey