Which puppy .. daschund, pug, french bulldog ?

[benhorrocks]

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Hi all,

Sometime in the new year my wife and myself are planning on getting a puppy but are unsure which breed will suit us best.

We are in a 4 bedroom/ 3 storey house with a small/med yard and a big park nearby for walks etc ... im self employed so we have plenty of scope to ensure we can be with the dog as much as possible

We are wanting something small and fairly chilled out but that will still enjoy longer walks at weekend and also that will get along with our cat (and children in the future)

We've done plenty of research into what dog may be the right fit and that we can give enough time and attention to and we've narrowed it down to a few breeds

my 1st choice was a sausage dog but I have read a few things about them potentially being a little snappy and hard to toilet train? ... with proper puppy classes/socialisation and training would

this still be an issue?

other dogs that seem to fit the bill are Pug, French Bulldogs and Boston Terrier (obviously all of those have the potential for breathing issues which we are aware of) but we are also open to some other small dogs

any advice, particularly if you own these breeds would be amazing

many thanks!

ben

 

[poppy2714]

I know alot of the small/toy breeds are harder to toilet train so have you thought about anything a bit bigger that may make your life a little easier in the long run?

 

[benhorrocks]

Hi poppy thanks for the reply. . . we are looking for something that will be somewhat a lap dog so we're definitely looking for something fairly small ... plus we don't want a dog that needs masses of walking so pug/frenchy/Boston seemed to fit the bill somewhat

 

[Biker John]

Now lets see, a dog that is easy to toilet train, don't need a lot of exercise and loves cuddling. One jumps to my mind straight away, a Whippet. By the way if you introduce a Whippet pup to your cat they normally live easily together, mine lived with two cats until they died in old age, but I wouldn't trust her with a strange cat. But they do fit every one of your requirements. As to Daschunds, we used to have a mini long haired. She was actually fairly easy to toilet train and a lovely dog to live with but how typical she was I have no idea

 

[chelynnah]

I have whippets now, and they are great family pets, but there is a lot of work to training them as far as being able to free run them. Because they are sighthounds they will never be 100% reliable, even if you think they are. All it takes is a leaf blowing across the road for them to take off under the wheels of a car. I'm not trying to talk you out of the breed, but just be aware that you need good space either enclosed or away from roads for free-running.

I grew up with miniature dachshunds and only had one who was a nightmare to toilet train, and that was the middle of a nasty Canadian winter. Once the winter was over she was trained easily and never had an issue with her afterwards. They are great family pets. I've never had a snappy one, but you will need to find a good reputable breeder who breeds for temperament. Also they can potentially have back issues because of the way they were built. Again, we never had issues with ours, but we allowed them to do stairs, and sofas etc which helps build those muscles. I hear a lot of breeders advising against those things, and my thoughts are if they are never given the opportunity to build those muscles up then of course it leaves them with more of a weakness. Not all of our Daxies were well bred either - one was a rescue from a puppy farm. And yet she had no back issues. But that's something else to check with breeder - so make sure you find one who's priorities are health and temperament. I loved my daxies, and only ended up with whippets as there were no breeders near us when we were ready, so we got a rescue whippet-cross who made us fall in love with whippets.

 

[jordandiesel]

If you haven't chosen a dog, i'd urge you to have a look at a king charles spaniel. They sometimes have heart problems and breathing problems later on in life. But, they are intelligent (easy to house train, easy to train in general), they are happy with a short walk or a long walk, they have the sweetest natures and when well controlled are well balanced and happy little dogs great for family life

 

[Chatterdog]

Out of those you mentioned, I'd go with sausage. I agree Poppy2174, for me smaller dogs do seem a little harder in training but practice makes perfect so as long as you put the effort in training shouldn't be an issue whatever you choose!

Good luck with your new additon!

 

[2hounds8paws]

Please be warned to pay thousands for a pug, french bull dog or bosten terrier

if your looking for good health The Boston trumps either sausage dog, pugs or frenchies.

Frenchies are probably going to suit your needs better but the sausage dog and pug both come with health problems and sausage dogs require special care to help prevent spine injuries they are generally more delicate and not as rouugh and tumble sorta dog until older.

Pugs are prone to skin complaints as well as eye probelms.

Bostons are the smartest of all breeds mentioned stocky but not large they are a good sized dog for even small gardens and like most terriers make excellent family pets.

They costly but worth it you could contact breed clubs to see if any pups or adults have been brought and are available for adoption but this could mean waiting some time.

Research price and ethics never contact free sites only go through the KC or word of mouth or the breed club web page if your not entirely happy with the litter walk away. don't support BYB's (back yard breeders and most definaely never support friends who have just happend to have a litter for the sake of it or groups on facebook with littes being sold.

 

[Chatterdog]

2hounds8paws good advice!

Small dog do have more health issues, make sure you do you research on all of them before you make a decision.

 

[goldenbear2013]

I'm sorry but I don't agree.

Even larger breeds have many health issues. Eye, hip, elbow issues, arthritis, cancer etc all sorts!

Doesn't matter on the breed in my opinion, you get a dog and dependent on the breed depends on the higher probability of certain illnesses.

Saying that a mongrel can also have numerous health issues. It all depends on the blood line and whether the family tree of the dog has any historic illnesses that are hereditary and then you have more chance of them contracting the same problems.

Sophie x

 

[2hounds8paws]

2hounds8paws good advice!

Small dog do have more health issues, make sure you do you research on all of them before you make a decision.

Sadly not true! Theirs nothing more illness prone then a boarder collie I was honestly shocked to find out just how many issues they suffer from nearly all breeds are prone to some form of hip or elbow displasia plwnty of large breeds grow up with bone deformaties because they were fed a poor diet, exersized to hard a youngster and or over fed as they got older.

Of course this does not mean that just because a paticular breed is illness prone some individuals go their whole life fit as a fiddle.

You may also hear cross breeds are healthier but this is completely false if not cross breeds are more prone to ill health as most are back yard bred from poor blood lines from fancied a litter sorts who thought it would be fun to make a few Bull Shih's sell them as hypoallergenic and add a few naughts on because people are just to buy them for the name alone.

Their are common myths out there that everyone takes for granted as fact.