Thinking of getting a dog

[xnailsbylisax]

Now i know dogs aren't for the faint hearted & are a HUGE responsibility but i'm hoping to get a puppy in June.

As much as i'd like to get a rescue dog, this isn't an option as i have a son who will be 5 in June & i want to train the dog myself from being a puppy & not risk getting a rescue dog without knowing the full extent of its background.

I have only been around cats so dogs are all new to me. What do i need to look for when looking into buying one? What breed has a nice temprament. I don't want a tiny dog but again i don't want a huge dog what towers me lol.

Any help/advice will be appreciated x

 

[gillian w]

I'm biased but labs have to be near the perfect dog.Id go for a bitch as they are smaller.
My friend is a kennel club accredited breeder in herts who has home bred many lovely tempered,healthy labs.She picks the homes they go to more than the other way around, she loves her dogs and puppies so much.
So if its Labs you want and you are near herts I can put you in touch no puppies for June though but they are worth the wait.

 

[SmartDesigns]

I have to agree that labs are a great choice, great temperament but do require a lot of exercise - very slow metabolism I have found, doesn't take much for them to pile on the pounds

 

[eilsxx]

Going to have to agree with the others - 100% a lab. There so good natured. My brother , bless, was sooo afraid of dogs for years so when we suggested getting a wee pup he wasn't having any of it. However we went to view them he asked if we could take two home!! :biggrin: so easily trained aswell ( mines was toilet trained in 2 days). Personally I would say a male is easier as they don't go into season but it's very much personal preference.Definitely ask to see the Mother and father! Best of luck xxx

 

[Isabellamae]

I had this same situation this time last year...we have a 2yr old and a 6yr old, I didn't want a big dog but my husband didn't want a hand bag dog, we wanted one that had great temperament!!!

We chose a beagle....it took us a long time to decide as they get a bit of bad press for being hard to train....we have just graduated puppy school and she does lots of tricks!!

All the negatives we had read, she doesn't live up to.....she is a dream

I have friends with labs and they are great just bigger than what we wanted xx



I don't know why the pic quality is so bad

 

[Deena]

I agree, labradors are lovely dogs. Collies are great, too, but need a lot of exercise.

 

[Rachel123]

I have a collie she has a great temperament but is lively !! Keeps me fit though 😊

 

[mm29]

I was petrified of dogs wouldn't be in the same room as one, but my girls kept asking for a dog. After loads of research we got a lab in October.

Really research and pick a dog that will fit in with your family.
We chose a lab because they have great natures with young kids, can be taken up the hills when we go walking and can go running with my hubby and they arnt to excitable like some dogs.
He's not a pavement walking kind of dog though he loves the fields and gallops like a horse. He is amazing.

Watch out for inbreeding its common with some breeds & shouldn't leave mother too young.
Il try uploads a pic

 

[Steph86]

Just my personal preference Id love a French bull dog... Or a british bulldog.

I have a traditional shar pei, he is gorgeous. But they are prone to skin, ear, & eye problems. Mine only has a problem with his ears, thankfully his skin & eyes cause him no problems.

Xx

 

[Jellybaby1970]

As a dog trainer and walker (and a breeder of springer spaniels and working cocker spaniels) I would totally recommend a Labrador as a first dog. What people don't realise is that there are 2 strains if the breed, the working and the show. The working ones are much smaller than the chunky show ones. Ask to see the mother, father if possible and other siblings from previous litters so you can get an idea of the size they will be fully grown. Avoid chocolate ones if possible as although they look lovely they are actually 'mutants' of the yellow and black and can have all the worst traits of the breed. Crates are a God send and ask around for a good trainer that will visit you in your house on the first visit as the training all stems from there. Basic instruction from amount 12 weeks then more in depth training (lead work etc) from around 6 months on. Ooooh I could go on and on and on! It's my passion lol :Love:

 

[xnailsbylisax]

I wanted a Lab but i got told the rate they shed their hair is faster than any dog :shocked:

What are the signs of inbreeding? Sorry if i sound dim :biggrin:

 

[JemmaB]

I wanted a Lab but i got told the rate they shed their hair is faster than any dog :shocked:

What are the signs of inbreeding? Sorry if i sound dim :biggrin:

Abnormalitys, disabilities, illnesses...
We had our dog a year ago, we chose a chihuahua.
We've got a small house so wanted a small dog, he's taken alot of training but he's so loveable
And yes all the labs I've met moult alot lol.

I think what you need to think about is if you can afford the insurance for life, neutering costs (strongly recommend I'd your not going to breed), price of food, flea treatments every month, how long your out of the house for (I think they recommend no more than 5 hours), grooming costs, if the breed moults alot or not. .

Sent from my GT-I9100 using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[Deena]

As a dog trainer and walker (and a breeder of springer spaniels and working cocker spaniels) I would totally recommend a Labrador as a first dog. What people don't realise is that there are 2 strains if the breed, the working and the show. The working ones are much smaller than the chunky show ones. Ask to see the mother, father if possible and other siblings from previous litters so you can get an idea of the size they will be fully grown. Avoid chocolate ones if possible as although they look lovely they are actually 'mutants' of the yellow and black and can have all the worst traits of the breed. Crates are a God send and ask around for a good trainer that will visit you in your house on the first visit as the training all stems from there. Basic instruction from amount 12 weeks then more in depth training (lead work etc) from around 6 months on. Ooooh I could go on and on and on! It's my passion lol :Love:

Really interesting and I love labradors, always wanted a chocolate one but that's put me off - not that I'm in the market for one right now. We only do one dog at a time and my Yorkshire terrier is not quite four years old yet! Can I ask your opinion of collies and also the various spaniels, please. My husband really likes them.

I adore my yorkie, but often think it'd be lovely to have a slightly more biddable dog. He's got a mind of his own, my yorkie, and we can't trust him off the lead when out walking. Once he got to two years old, he became a bit of a menace when he met certain dogs whilst out. Some he's fine with some and others he just wants to rip to pieces! :Scared: :wink2:

 

[Jellybaby1970]

Really interesting and I love labradors, always wanted a chocolate one but that's put me off - not that I'm in the market for one right now. We only do one dog at a time and my Yorkshire terrier is not quite four years old yet! Can I ask your opinion of collies and also the various spaniels, please. My husband really likes them.

I adore my yorkie, but often think it'd be lovely to have a slightly more biddable dog. He's got a mind of his own, my yorkie, and we can't trust him off the lead when out walking. Once he got to two years old, he became a bit of a menace when he met certain dogs whilst out. Some he's fine with some and others he just wants to rip to pieces! :Scared: :wink2:

I am not a big fan of collies as pets as they need a lot of work, stimulation and discipline and can be quite snappy. I have 3 spaniels, an English springer spaniel, a working cocker and a mix of the both, a sprocker. I would never buy a cross breed again as he has had nothing but problems and is now suffering from arthritis as a result. I always thought that pedigrees were more vulnerable to problems but having had them I find them better in this way.
Spaniels can be hard work but are extremely trainable and with the correct amount of exercise can be quite calm dogs. I walk a mixture of small and large dogs and have to say that I find the smaller dogs much harder work. They seem to all have ' small dog syndrome' and think that they are massive rotties!
I also find that male dogs are much less complicated than females ( a bit thick, like humans lol)
I despair over some of the dogs that people get which just don't fit into their lifestyle and they haven't done any research into the breed.
I mean, when people choose a car they read up on the models, test drive them and such (and they can change them easily) but put less thought into an animal that they could have for 15 years or more!
Sorry if I have gone on a bit but there is so much to owning a dog and I could bore you for hours lol :zzz:

 

[Jhdhairdressing]

Does anyone own a basset hound?

We want to get one, but won't be till towards end of the year by then our little boy will be 2 and our little girl nearly 6, have read up that they are supposed to be great with children and easy to train

 

[Deena]

I am not a big fan of collies as pets as they need a lot of work, stimulation and discipline and can be quite snappy. I have 3 spaniels, an English springer spaniel, a working cocker and a mix of the both, a sprocker. I would never buy a cross breed again as he has had nothing but problems and is now suffering from arthritis as a result. I always thought that pedigrees were more vulnerable to problems but having had them I find them better in this way.
Spaniels can be hard work but are extremely trainable and with the correct amount of exercise can be quite calm dogs. I walk a mixture of small and large dogs and have to say that I find the smaller dogs much harder work. They seem to all have ' small dog syndrome' and think that they are massive rotties!
I also find that male dogs are much less complicated than females ( a bit thick, like humans lol)
I despair over some of the dogs that people get which just don't fit into their lifestyle and they haven't done any research into the breed.
I mean, when people choose a car they read up on the models, test drive them and such (and they can change them easily) but put less thought into an animal that they could have for 15 years or more!
Sorry if I have gone on a bit but there is so much to owning a dog and I could bore you for hours lol :zzz:

The 'Small dog syndrome' is exactly how I'd describe my yorkie. He is as good as gold in the house, does as he's told <mostly> and wouldn't really say boo to a goose but he carries on like the king of the jungle when out. Our vets' talked about the small dog syndrome, too, and have a really tiny dog barely weighing a bag of sugar who's ferocious round other canines. Maybe the little ones know they don't stand a chance against the bigger breeds and think attack is the best method of self defence?

 

[MrsSlim]

Just my personal preference Id love a French bull dog... Or a british bulldog.

I have a traditional shar pei, he is gorgeous. But they are prone to skin, ear, & eye problems. Mine only has a problem with his ears, thankfully his skin & eyes cause him no problems.

Xx

We have a frenchie and he's amazing!
A real little character and loves kids... Love Shar Pei my best friend has two of them x

 

[Jellybaby1970]

The 'Small dog syndrome' is exactly how I'd describe my yorkie. He is as good as gold in the house, does as he's told <mostly> and wouldn't really say boo to a goose but he carries on like the king of the jungle when out. Our vets' talked about the small dog syndrome, too, and have a really tiny dog barely weighing a bag of sugar who's ferocious round other canines. Maybe the little ones know they don't stand a chance against the bigger breeds and think attack is the best method of self defence?

It's all nature. In the animal world the way small animals survive is either by 'fight or flight'. If they can't run away from a predator (which dogs on leads can't do or dogs off leads won't do because they won't leave their leader, you) they have to appear as big and scary as possible so they puff up and make lots of noise to scare the threat away. Mostly it's just noise and a warning, nothing aggressive or more sinister but it does still need addressing before it develops into more

 

[Jellybaby1970]

We have a frenchie and he's amazing!
A real little character and loves kids... Love Shar Pei my best friend has two of them x
View attachment 57360

I LOVE french bulldogs!!!! :Love:

 

[Deena]

It's all nature. In the animal world the way small animals survive is either by 'fight or flight'. If they can't run away from a predator (which dogs on leads can't do or dogs off leads won't do because they won't leave their leader, you) they have to appear as big and scary as possible so they puff up and make lots of noise to scare the threat away. Mostly it's just noise and a warning, nothing aggressive or more sinister but it does still need addressing before it develops into more

Yes, I agree. So, when out with your 'Tiny' and they start kicking off at the sight of a bemused larger dog, what would be the best way of dealing with them? He was fine until he was two and then decided to get 'Tough!'