Finally allowed to get a dog!

[BigG]

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Hello all,

New member to the community as, after a huge amount of persuasion, my wife as finally agreed we can get a dog!

While we are all hugely excited about having a dog, my wife has given some conditions (me and the kids had to sign a contract ) and I was hoping to get some advice on breeds, routines, food etc etc.

We have kids (12 and 9) and lead active lifestyles with work, school and sports clubs, like most I assume!

We’re looking for a small/medium dog breed, short haired, and preferably not with a short nose, must be a more technical term for this but I’m still learning. If anyone has any advice, comments, words of wisdom for us they would be gratefully received. We lived in Staffordshire and would be looking to buy a dog from a licensed breeder when we return from our summer holiday in a few weeks time.

Thanks everyone in advice!

 

[JoanneF]

must be a more technical term for this but I’m still learning

It's brachycephalic

First, licensed breeders only means that the dog is coming from someone who has a number of litters a year - that's not generally thought to be a good thing.

What you want to be looking for in a responsible breeder is someone who carries out health tests (specific to the breed) on the parents. This isn't just a quick vet check to say the dog is capable of siring or carrying a litter but proper tests to reduce the chances of inherited conditions being passed down. It will cost you more initially, but you are far less likely to have a poorly dog later in life that will cost more in vet bills, pain for the dog and heartache for you.

What would a typical day look like for your dog, what are your views on shedding, do you want a dog that is handler focused (easier to train) or independent? Feisty or a cuddle monster? Remember we have selectively bred dogs over millennia to do particular jobs and a few years of being pets doesn't eliminate the deeply ingrained traits they have, so that's why breed is important. We don't use terriers to herd sheep for example - you possibly could train one but it would be a lot harder than training a collie. That info will help us point you in the right direction.

Also please, please read this important thread on recognising puppy farmers.

Puppy Farming

 

[JudyN]

A few more specific questions:

How long would the dog be left for each day? (Note that puppies really benefit from having someone there pretty much 24/7 at first, to help with toilet training and avoiding separation anxiety.)

How much walking/exercise/training can you give your dog on a daily basis, come rain or shine? Some dogs will settle quietly for a few hours after a good walk, others will be dropping a soggy tennis ball in your lap after 10 minutes' rest.

Grooming - do you want an easily maintained coat, or are you happy to groom thoroughly each day and/or take the dog to a groomers?

Is shedding a problem? Dog hair on your clothes and furniture, and sometimes even in your meals, comes as standard with some breeds.

How about drool? I have no problem with dog wee and poo, but back away in horror if I'm approached by a jowly dog with slobber hanging from its mouth!

With an active household with young people and their friends coming and going, you need a fairly robust (mentally) dog as opposed to a sensitive flower who might find it all too much. I'm thinking along the lines of a labrador, though any dog is an individual and their sensitivities should always be respected. And they do shed a lot.

Re training/behaviour, two things are really important from the outset:

1) Training methods: There are still those who believe that dogs need to be shown their place in the 'pack' and corrected when they put a foot wrong. This idea is completely outdated now - read up on positive training methods, where you focus on what you want the dog to do and encourage that rather than what you don't want it to do. You can pretty much train a dog without ever saying 'No'.

2) Body language: There are videos all over the internet of 'cute babies playing with dogs'. People with knowledge of dog body language find many of these scary, because they can see the dog thinking, 'Help, save me, take this horrible thing away... must not bite, must not bite, must not bite....', when the owners have no idea And the number of people who said 'Oh look, our dogs like each other because they're wagging their tails' when my dog and theirs were eyeballing each other, and challenging each other, thinking 'So you think you're hard? Bring it on, buddy' So do your homework here.

 

[Hemlock]

How wonderful! And good for you for doing some research now. Have a look at our recommended reading - there's a ton of tosh out there, so we've a list of books by reliable sensible realistic authors. Make sure your children read them too, because they will get endless useless "advice" from - just about everybody.

Your wife sounds a little afraid of what might go wrong. And I love the idea of a contract! Do find out what is bothering her (e.g. that she is going to be stuck with all the work once the novelty wears off). I found this on another forum but it's very useful - seven days a week, you & the children get up and go out for a walk - rain, shine, whatever - before you see to any other jobs each day. Then do it again in the afternoon. If you get a puppy, it'll be a while before it can have proper walks, but there will be getting up early as well as during the night to begin with, to take it out for a wee/poo. Discuss where you will put water bowls, where you will feed pup, where it will sleep (somewhere private and peaceful, not under the kitchen table!).

Take your time with your research, and I love you for doing it.

 

[JudyN]

You can find some useful articles and recommended reading here: Useful Links & Recommended Reading

 

[BigG]

Thank you all for the information above. Very useful and interesting.

In regards to some of the specific questions:

Regarding the dog being at home, my wife works part time and I am fortunate enough to have control of my own diary. Initially, I will be looking to be home as much as possible although I am out on the road for meetings/presentations etc so would look to do these for times when my wife is home. As the dog matures there will be days when it will be at home on its own (but this wouldn’t be Mon-Fri 9 til 5) and I would expect that others would more than likely drop in on the dog to keep it company!

We completely agree on the dog drool! After having 2 kids, no. 1s and 2s don’t bother us but the thought of finding a trail of slobber around the house like a snail has been on the rampage is a complete no go!!

Short haired breeds would be preferable, we’ve had Guinea Pigs in the past (sadly, they’re no longer with us) so are use to grooming and routine cleaning but I’ve always preferred short haired dogs. Happy to groom occasionally as and when required. Shedding is high on the list of concerns for my wife so a breed that doesn’t shed or is minimal at the very least would be key.

I’m very happy to get up and walk the dog morning and night, there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing! Often my work takes me to remote parts of the country so will be able to bring my new friend along for the ride and have a walk while we’re there! We’re not looking to enter shows or agility courses with our dog so doesn’t need to be super trainable, just the basic commands to keep the dog safe and happy. If the breed is up for a cuddle, then even better… While young, I would be happy to find a good trainer in our area to help get the basic commands established nice and early.

Thank you to all above on the information on puppy farming and the list of books. We will get copies of these and make sure they are read, I may even do a test for the kids…

Very much looking forward to starting this chapter of our family life and your help/support is invaluable.

 

[JudyN]

We expect payment in puppy photos

 

[Flobo]

Can't add any more to all the great advice above, other than it's so good to hear someone really thinking about all the aspects of getting a dog and involving all the family I wish you the very best in your search, also bare in mind sometimes the dog you don't expect is the one that may just cross your path and be perfect! (just in case you're not totally set on a pup and may consider a rescue?)
As for the drool, I was always no good with it, used to almost make me gag! And then I started walking an elderly Retriever... now I seem to get covered and it doesn't bother me at all, because he's so lovely!

 

[JoanneF]

Shedding is high on the list of concerns for my wife so a breed that doesn’t shed or is minimal at the very least would be key

I'm with you on that, but that means your future dog will need regular trips to the groomer. My 8 kilo dog costs a little under £50 per groom, so that's a cost to factor in.

My personal top two non shedding breeds are schnauzers and poodles.

Schnauzers are nice little dogs but can be barky. You can train a 'quiet' though.

Poodles are fabulous dogs, intelligent and fun. A lot of people choose the crosses but these are far more likely to be churned out by back yard needed and puppy farms. It is a lot easier to source a well bred poodle. A poodle in a shaggy clip is virtually indistinguishable from a cross if the traditional clip puts you off.

Other non shedding breeds that come to mind - Bichon Frises are sweet little dogs, West Highland terriers are fun but can have skin problems, Bedlington terriers are a bit more terrier-ish so more of a handful, Tibetan terriers are not really terriers so a bit more mellow, I don't know much about Cairn terriers ... There are others, I'm sure people could add to that list.