Potential dog ownership advice...
Discussion
I'm coming under increasing pressure (wife + 2 daughters) to add a new member to the family 
This is not being helped by a friend of ours whose Beagle has just given birth to some Beagle/Collie cross puppies. We have been talking about getting a dog for a while now and I wondered if anyone could offer some advice.
The main question is which sex to go for ? I think that b
hes are generally better, but my wife is more inclined to go for a dog. Breed wise, I would rather go for a pure bred with my current favourite being a Nova Scotian Tolling Retriever as a friend of ours has one and they are stunning looking dogs. As I understand it, pure breeds are more susceptible to illness and health problems which could be a point in favour of getting a cross breed.
Size wise our house and garden aren't that big so we can't really go for a large dog, and neither I or my wife like small 'yappy' dogs to we are looking at medium sized breeds. My parents used to own a collie cross who was lovely (but highly strung) and we would both like a border collie but have been warned that they are a huge commitment exercise wise and that they get very easily bored so are prone to 're-decorating' houses/furniture for you.
So I guess I'm really looking for any recommendations and advice that the PH dog owning fraternity can offer.
This is not being helped by a friend of ours whose Beagle has just given birth to some Beagle/Collie cross puppies. We have been talking about getting a dog for a while now and I wondered if anyone could offer some advice.The main question is which sex to go for ? I think that b
hes are generally better, but my wife is more inclined to go for a dog. Breed wise, I would rather go for a pure bred with my current favourite being a Nova Scotian Tolling Retriever as a friend of ours has one and they are stunning looking dogs. As I understand it, pure breeds are more susceptible to illness and health problems which could be a point in favour of getting a cross breed.Size wise our house and garden aren't that big so we can't really go for a large dog, and neither I or my wife like small 'yappy' dogs to we are looking at medium sized breeds. My parents used to own a collie cross who was lovely (but highly strung) and we would both like a border collie but have been warned that they are a huge commitment exercise wise and that they get very easily bored so are prone to 're-decorating' houses/furniture for you.
So I guess I'm really looking for any recommendations and advice that the PH dog owning fraternity can offer.
1. Can you give a puppy enough time to train it?
2. Can you give a dog enough exercise? That is what you need to match, the energy level of the dog to you. No good getting a very high energy dog then never walking it, that is where problems arise.
3. Can you feed raw? (not fundamental but a major bonus if you can spare the time and effort to do so).
2. Can you give a dog enough exercise? That is what you need to match, the energy level of the dog to you. No good getting a very high energy dog then never walking it, that is where problems arise.
3. Can you feed raw? (not fundamental but a major bonus if you can spare the time and effort to do so).
I assume with small children the interest in a puppy will be high... 
Pups are good in that you know their life history, but bad in that you have to invest the huge amount of time right at the beginning.
Pure breeds often have specific issues, yes... with mongrels less susceptible to these particular "issues" due to some neat genetics. But mongrels aren't superdogs, obviously, and will still be susceptible to possible health problems.
The good thing about pure breeds from reputable breeders is "you get what you pay for" - you can investigate the hereditary lines of the pups - health issues, temperament, etc. Also, there's tests (with specific issues) that breeders will carry on out pups with regard to the specific issues.
(Examples - BAER test (hearing test) on English Bull Terriers (for one) - as they are prone to deafness. Hip scores on breeds like GSDs and other larger dogs, etc.)
Kennel club have got this to help choose a pure breed that's a good fit for you... and will give you an idea of what sort of things you need to be considering...
...would you consider a rescue?
General things:
What level of exercise will you be able to give the dog?
Will it be left alone for long stretches of time? (Really not ideal, but some breeds manage with periods of solitude better than others.)
How old are your kids? - some breeds are more placid around children than others, some breeds are prone to "guarding" tendencies of their favourite oomins, etc.
Long hair/short hair? - consider shedding issues (do you have hardwood floors?
)
Regarding gender, a small amount depends on the breed you choose, as there might be small variances in temperament and behaviours between the genders... but neutering for either gender is advisable as it reduces changes of either testicular/prostate or ovarian cancer in them in later life. (She says, watching her own dog lick his very-definitely-still-there-balls...)
There's loads of really helpful folk on here... who will no doubt recommend their favoured breed
There's a whole loads of different breed owners on here, so you're in with a good shout of some specific advise, too... springers, collies, labs, daschunds, beagles, vizslas, weimaraners, terriers of all kinds (boston, english bull, staffies, jack russells...) to name a few!
Pups are good in that you know their life history, but bad in that you have to invest the huge amount of time right at the beginning.Pure breeds often have specific issues, yes... with mongrels less susceptible to these particular "issues" due to some neat genetics. But mongrels aren't superdogs, obviously, and will still be susceptible to possible health problems.
The good thing about pure breeds from reputable breeders is "you get what you pay for" - you can investigate the hereditary lines of the pups - health issues, temperament, etc. Also, there's tests (with specific issues) that breeders will carry on out pups with regard to the specific issues.
(Examples - BAER test (hearing test) on English Bull Terriers (for one) - as they are prone to deafness. Hip scores on breeds like GSDs and other larger dogs, etc.)
Kennel club have got this to help choose a pure breed that's a good fit for you... and will give you an idea of what sort of things you need to be considering...
...would you consider a rescue?
General things:
What level of exercise will you be able to give the dog?
Will it be left alone for long stretches of time? (Really not ideal, but some breeds manage with periods of solitude better than others.)
How old are your kids? - some breeds are more placid around children than others, some breeds are prone to "guarding" tendencies of their favourite oomins, etc.
Long hair/short hair? - consider shedding issues (do you have hardwood floors?
)Regarding gender, a small amount depends on the breed you choose, as there might be small variances in temperament and behaviours between the genders... but neutering for either gender is advisable as it reduces changes of either testicular/prostate or ovarian cancer in them in later life. (She says, watching her own dog lick his very-definitely-still-there-balls...)
There's loads of really helpful folk on here... who will no doubt recommend their favoured breed
There's a whole loads of different breed owners on here, so you're in with a good shout of some specific advise, too... springers, collies, labs, daschunds, beagles, vizslas, weimaraners, terriers of all kinds (boston, english bull, staffies, jack russells...) to name a few!
Tollers are lovely dogs, not too big but robust enough to run for days (they will also retrieve all day long if you let them!). The breed is relatively small in the UK so I suspect a puppy wouldn't be cheap but you'll probably find a nice "family" of owners around your pup - so you'll know what pups are its "brothers and sisters" and aunties and uncles which is quite nice.
Dog or bh I think is a matter of choice - one isn't better than the other.
Dog or b
h I think is a matter of choice - one isn't better than the other. 
Thanks for the replies folks, lots of useful info.
I forgot to mention, the reason for getting a puppy is that we have a rescue cat already and I don't think she would take too kindly to an adult dog being introduced to the house. With a puppy, she will stand a chance of 'educating' it as to its place in the pecking order
Our children are quite old (11 and 15) and have friends with dogs so are no strangers to them.
Exercise wise, we would all be taking turns and have access to some nice walking areas close by so this shouldn't be an issue. I have said that I won't be getting up even earlier in the morning to do the morning walk as I currently leave the house at 7AM every morning already - so someone else will have that duty. The idea of long evening/weekend walks is very appealing - so I guess another breed requirement is a fair amount of stamina.
I forgot to mention, the reason for getting a puppy is that we have a rescue cat already and I don't think she would take too kindly to an adult dog being introduced to the house. With a puppy, she will stand a chance of 'educating' it as to its place in the pecking order
Our children are quite old (11 and 15) and have friends with dogs so are no strangers to them.
Exercise wise, we would all be taking turns and have access to some nice walking areas close by so this shouldn't be an issue. I have said that I won't be getting up even earlier in the morning to do the morning walk as I currently leave the house at 7AM every morning already - so someone else will have that duty. The idea of long evening/weekend walks is very appealing - so I guess another breed requirement is a fair amount of stamina.
I recommend a border collie, got a 5 month old puppy and she's made such a difference to our lifestyle for the better.
Nothing better than taking her for nice long walks on weekends, and loves to play fetch.
We haven't got a massive garden either so we make the most of having fields within a 5 minute walk.
Nothing better than taking her for nice long walks on weekends, and loves to play fetch.
We haven't got a massive garden either so we make the most of having fields within a 5 minute walk.
When we went to pick her up, she was the quietest and most shy of the litter. It didn't take her long to get used to our house and she is obviously missing her mum and sisters but she seems to have bonded fairly well with all of us. She is only happy to sleep when we are near her which I think is going to be a bit of an issue, when we put her in her cage she wants to come out fairly quickly and is quite 'vocal' about it. Food wise, at the moment she is on grown up dog food as that is what her previous owner was feeding them (!) but we plan on weaning her onto puppy food as soon as possible.
As I write this, she has fallen asleep on the sofa with my daughters
Our cat was very unimpressed, lots of growling, hissing and fluffing herself up to look intimidating before heading out to the garden. Hopefully she will adapt and I'm sure she will impose her 'superiority' at some point
The next challenge is Christmas day, we are supposed to be visiting my brother for the day. It's not a long journey (25 miles) but Holly has never been in a car before so it will probably be another new experience for her. We will have a trial run tomorrow (when we take her to the vets) so hopefully she will be OK.
As I write this, she has fallen asleep on the sofa with my daughters
Our cat was very unimpressed, lots of growling, hissing and fluffing herself up to look intimidating before heading out to the garden. Hopefully she will adapt and I'm sure she will impose her 'superiority' at some point The next challenge is Christmas day, we are supposed to be visiting my brother for the day. It's not a long journey (25 miles) but Holly has never been in a car before so it will probably be another new experience for her. We will have a trial run tomorrow (when we take her to the vets) so hopefully she will be OK.
bexVN said:
Don't envy you, that's a tough breed combo!!
I was thinking the same! She looks a sweetie though.
TBH a 25 mile car journey and a day at someone else's house with the excitement of Christmas is a huge amount for a tiny pup to take in. No chance of making other arrangements?
Good luck!
Piglet said:
bexVN said:
Don't envy you, that's a tough breed combo!!
I was thinking the same! She looks a sweetie though.
TBH a 25 mile car journey and a day at someone else's house with the excitement of Christmas is a huge amount for a tiny pup to take in. No chance of making other arrangements?
Good luck!
Try and keep it as peaceful as poss for the puppy.
We are going to play it by ear re: Christmas day as we really don't want to let my family down. My brother has a very well behaved 1 year old Labrador and he is more than happy for us to bring the puppy up. We will take her cage with us as they have plenty of room and she will have at least 4 of us looking out for her I know it's not ideal, but at the same time we want to get her used to things like this as soon as possible.
She's still fast asleep on the sofa, she looks up every now and then to check that we are still here but seems pretty contented at the moment.
I know it's not ideal, but at the same time we want to get her used to things like this as soon as possible.She's still fast asleep on the sofa, she looks up every now and then to check that we are still here but seems pretty contented at the moment.
Well we have had Holly for almost a week now so I thought it was worth updating the thread with our experiences. We have been introducing her to as many new experiences as possible early on (she has met lots of new people) and handled the 30 mile car journey to my brothers on Christmas Day very well (she slept for almost the whole journey !). Christmas Day at my brothers went very well, my brothers 1 year old Labrador is very well behaved and was brilliant with Holly, although Holly did get a bit fed up with the constant attention.
She is waking up a couple of times in the night and has an almost adult sounding 'howl', we have a cage for her and are trying to get her to sleep through the night - I had forgotten how hard sleep training is !
No upset stomachs so far and she has a very healthy appetite. We've managed to restrict the newspaper covered floor to just a couple of rooms now. She still has the odd little 'accident' but is getting much better. She is only allowed downstairs for the moment although we may try and keep it that way for good. The cat has taken up residence in the upstairs room but even she is gradually getting used to the new member of the house.
She is fully insured and signed up at the vets, we took her for her first visit on Christmas Eve and the vet advised against having the first vaccination then as her immune system would already be in a suppressed state following the stress of moving to our house so she will be having her first injection on Monday.
She has loads of character and is incredibly playful and is a great addition to our family. I'm looking forward to being able to take her out for some nice walks in the future
She is waking up a couple of times in the night and has an almost adult sounding 'howl', we have a cage for her and are trying to get her to sleep through the night - I had forgotten how hard sleep training is !
No upset stomachs so far and she has a very healthy appetite. We've managed to restrict the newspaper covered floor to just a couple of rooms now. She still has the odd little 'accident' but is getting much better. She is only allowed downstairs for the moment although we may try and keep it that way for good. The cat has taken up residence in the upstairs room but even she is gradually getting used to the new member of the house.
She is fully insured and signed up at the vets, we took her for her first visit on Christmas Eve and the vet advised against having the first vaccination then as her immune system would already be in a suppressed state following the stress of moving to our house so she will be having her first injection on Monday.
She has loads of character and is incredibly playful and is a great addition to our family. I'm looking forward to being able to take her out for some nice walks in the future
:thumbsup: Glad it all went well, that is good.
Your vet was right, exactly what we advise, they should settle into a new home for at least 5 days before starting vaccs. However - as your vets did - we do new pup cks earlier as a free appt to ensure the pup is healthy and to get free insurance started asap!
Look forward to seeing more pics soon.
Your vet was right, exactly what we advise, they should settle into a new home for at least 5 days before starting vaccs. However - as your vets did - we do new pup cks earlier as a free appt to ensure the pup is healthy and to get free insurance started asap!
Look forward to seeing more pics soon
.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRhhECBS_-U&fe...
I had to record this last night as she was so funny.
My wife is reading several puppy training books at the moment and we are being quite strict with her which is hard at times but we have been told it will be worth it as dogs have an inbuilt need to be told what to do and how to behave. We will also be going to puppy training classes as soon as possible.
I had to record this last night as she was so funny.
My wife is reading several puppy training books at the moment and we are being quite strict with her which is hard at times but we have been told it will be worth it as dogs have an inbuilt need to be told what to do and how to behave. We will also be going to puppy training classes as soon as possible.
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