I'm new to this - looking for the right breed.

[Kerribobbins]

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register

Hi, my husband and I are thinking of getting a puppy but are disagreeing on breeds. He wants a staffy as he had one as a child, but I find them a bit ugly to be honest. We don't want a dog that is too big, so I was thinking a border or patterdale terrier. The dog is likely to go to work with my husband and sit in the van as it grows up, and then we'll take it for a walk in an evening. I'd prefer a dog which doesn't shed too much. Any ideas on if these breeds would be suitable. Thanks!!

 

[goldenbear2013]

HI there,

First of all, you shouldnt base your opinion of dogs on how they look. Staffies are beautiful dogs who are very loyal and a wonderful breed to own if if you have the time.

You need to think of what your lifestyles are like.

Will you have time to put in the training?

How often will the puppy be on its own?

How much can you walk the dog?

How active do you want your dog to be?

How much time are you able to give to the dog?

And the most important is will you have the time to put in when you first get a puppy?

Puppies need constant attention, and must be watched very carefully, as they get into all sorts of mischief! This is adorable at first but can lead to bigger problems down the line.

All of these are major factors into getting a dog.

If you dont have much time for them, and you can only give the dog one walk a day then you dont want to get a working dog, like a terrier, gun dog etc.

Terriers are working dogs, and come in all shapes and sizes and are known to be very hard to train as they are a very stubborn breed and you will need a lot of patience with them.

However if you can put the time and effort in then you will have one very clever and loyal dog on your hands.

I don't mean to preach, but so many people get dogs because they are cute and really have no idea on what the puppy will need, and later on end up giving them up or handing them over to a dogs home because they became so difficult to deal with once they hit adolesence.

There are a few sites you can go on that match breeds to your lifestyle if you cannot decide and then you can read up on the breed to see if it will be the one for you.

Any breeder worth their salt will also welcome you to visit them or meet up with you to give you advice on the breed you have chosen. Me and my partner did this as we had decided on German Short Haired Pointer. After much discussion and research we decided against this breed and went with a labrador instead, as Bear is on his own for a few hours a day and GSP's suffer massively with separation anxiety, so this wasnt the breed for us.

I wish you all the best in your search for a puppy and hope that you make the right decision with the breed that you pick,

There is so much that you can find out nowadays on line, through breeders or a good book!

GOOD LUCK!!! xx

 

[broxi3781]

Hi,

First off, no breed is going to do well sitting a van all day with one walk per day. If you can commit to a good walk before the workday starts, and then another shorter one at lunch, followed by the evening walk a few breeds might be suitable, and honestly a staffy might be one of the best as they are happy wherever their owner is - but over heating is a major issue for the breed. I have kept staffies most of my life and they can go downhill very quickly with too much heat. The long soft palate starts to swell cutting off the air supply. If the van is air conditioned and your husband will never be leaving the dog alone in the van it might do quite well, but if he is going to be leaving the dog even 5 - 10 minutes can be deadly on very hot days. And even if he is in the van at all times, there can still be problems. My pup overheated last week on the way to the caravan. Thankfully I had bottles of cold water and a wet towel to wrap him in. You really can not leave any dog in van on its own, and overheating can be an issue with any breed, but staffies, pugs and bulldogs are among the worst possible breeds to get if heat is going to be an issue.

I would keep in mind if the dog is going to spend the vast majority of its time with your husband, then it really should be a breed which suits him, even if you possibly took on two, one as a house dog for yourself, but then you'd have to be walking that one in the day, and one as a constant companion for your husband. Border terriers and Patterdales are both very high energy and I don't see sitting in van the better part of the day as working out well for either. A dachshund might work out. They are small, short haired ( at least one variety of them) and can be quite content to just be near the owner all day. Likewise I think an older Labrador would do well, but it is big and does shed. Beagles are short haired, very friendly and get along with everyone but a young one needs quite a lot of exercise. A basset hound might suit, but b keep in mind they can bay like a full sized hound - and they do it a lot.

Personally, I would suggest volunteering to walk dogs at an animal shelter or rescue organisation at weekends. A I know it sounds like a lot of hassle, but getting the wrong dog is a lot more hassle. You might be surprised to learn that Jack Russels can shed like mad - I used to groom dogs. Patterdales are not a recognised breed with the KC, but generally a cross between staffies and other game terriers bred to hunt badger, fox or vermin. They can be long haired, short haired etc... and in short if you are not going for hunting any terrier cross might serve you just as well. You might just find your perfect dog at one of the rescues, but if nothing else it will give you some experience in different breed characteristics. Once you have narrowed it down to a couple of breeds - I can not recommend speaking to someone with breed rescue enough - even if you will be buying a pup. Rescue organisations won't push their breed. The last thing they want is more work for themselves in the form of more of their breed needing to be rehomed. Good breeders will be honest too, but sometimes it is hard to tell the good from the bad. I once talked a lady out of buying a staffie after a breeder told her staffies never chew! In fact this very expensive puppy could spend 12 - 14 hours per day alone because and still wouldn't chew. That is tantamount t to selling piglets with the guarantee that they will sprout wings and fly as adults.

I would keep in mind though - that if you choose a dog for what you want - it may not be right for your husband at all. Personally,having always kept staffies, I can't imagine many other breeds I would be happy with, and I have worked with lots of other dogs. I may love them all, but only a staffy is right for me. Most of the people I know who have gone from Staffies to another breed have sorely regretted it. They do have a very unique temperament. I would rather not have a dog at all than a small terrier and if your husband does not want the dog, then having it spend all day with him is not going to suit. Instead, you will have to take complete responsibility. But if you really can't stand the idea of staffy, do not get one - I've found if the wife dislikes the dog it usually ends up gone sooner or later where most women will tell their husbands where to go if he were to suggest getting rid of a good dog. If you can't find something you both like, you may end having to do without pets.

I can understand not liking the appearance. Personally I love the look of bully breeds, but to be honest, I have found poodles are often very intelligent wonderful dogs with a brilliant temperament, especially the full sized ones, but the look just doesn't appeal to me - no offense meant to those of you who keep them. I do love the look of greyhounds and my husband finds them ugly as sin, we all have different tastes. But no matter how much we like the look of a certain dog - if the temperament and other requirements do not match - don't buy it. I love the look of wolf hybrids, and even had a wonderful one as a child, but the overall requirements of the breed don't match my lifestyle and it would not be fair. My husband nearly bought me a staffy instead of taking me to pick one. Thank God he didn't as he was going to choose by marking and the dog with the cute markings ended up terrified of me because I use crutches. We just wouldn't have been a good match. Do wait until you find something you can love - but don't let looks be the primary deciding factor. Think of it this way - if your husband was horribly scarred by a fire and looked like a monster, I am sure you would still love him. Love goes deeper than looks. But if his personality were to change and he were to become cruel, evil and heartless you might very well feel differently even if he looked like a film star. Good looks only get you so far. A good heart is far more important. Don't rush into things, find a dog whose heart matches your own and you're all set

 

[chelynnah]

A good heart is far more important. Don't rush into things, find a dog whose heart matches your own and you're all set

The whole post above is really good, but I just love the sentiment of the last sentence :wub:

 

[eingana]

I'm with broxi on this one- the idea of having the dog in the van is a lovely one, but for all sorts of reasons it really may not be practical. Too hot in summer, too cold in winter, too long between toilet breaks and walks, too hard to toilet train a puppy in this environment- and just think about the mess that the pup could make with both the toilet training stage and the chewing stage!

My dog is a GSD and she would be a great dog for being in the van. She's happy being wherever I am and loves being able to people watch from the car. However, she doesn't do well in the heat either, and she's very slobbery when she's drinking and is very good at snot art on the windows when she's people watching and with the amount of hair she sheds she would make a real mess of the seats really quickly

How is this dog not meant to be bored, particularly as a puppy? The occasional day out in the van is one thing, but 5 days a week is a recipe for a bored dog I'm afraid, which ever breed you're looking at.

 

[KyleO]

Don't worry about breeds, you know will know when you find your dog!