To want to buy Ds a puppy for Christmas?

[minifingers]

He is 10. He is caring and loving towards our 9 year old Labrador bitch who we got when he was 1 (who could do with a bit of doggy company herself), and would enjoy taking it to training sessions and walking it. I am at home all day and have a dog to walk anyway, so it's not a massive extra burden.

But where do you get puppies from if you want to avoid the whole puppy farming nastiness? I'd prefer a terrier type cross - nothing too big and strong as Ds isn't big himself. Don't want an older dog as would feel obliged to get one from a rescue and I worry about their background (have an 8 year old who can't be entirely trusted to be completely sensible around dogs all the time).

Is a dog for Christmas REALLY such a bad idea for a dog loving child/family?

Do you know anything about terriers? Just because they're smaller, doesn't mean they will automatically make good family dogs.

Do go to somewhere like Dogs Trust or somewhere else where dogs are fostered in a family environment, but in the new year. Nowhere responsible will give you a puppy this close to Christmas.

I wouldn't automatically discount an older dog - people have to give up wonderful pets suddenly for all kinds of reasons. A friend of my mum's had to give up hers when her husband suddenly developed a life threatening allergy.

My DD would love to have a chihuahua puppy (i know!) I would love to get her one and if it was around xmas time i think it would make a lovely present. However this is not likely to happen as we have two dogs already and we cannot afford another, we have the time, but not the money just now - of course, when we have the money, we probably wont have the time so she will probably have to wait until she is old enough to buy her own dog.

You say you want a terrier cross? sounds perfect, we have two - they have loads of energy though and are constantly play fighting, its funny for the first hour If i were going for this sort of dog I would probably go to a rescue - maybe go and register with dogs trust (how old is your DS?) or suchlike and they will likely be able to find something for you - albeit not instantly or in time for xmas. For a donation of £80 (i think) you will get a dog that is neutered and had its first lot of injections, and if the dog is older it will be house trained and have some basic manners.

Does your DS want a dog as a present though?

I think you should let your Labrador read this thread

If you really want a puppy, the christmas break is a horrid time for a puppy to adjust to a new home,

Find someone who breeds for health and temperament, never for profit, register an interest in a litter in the future, a resposible person only breeds when they have 10 plus register of interest,

Find someone who knows what all the great aunts, uncles and great grandparents and extended family of their bitch and sire have died of.

It will take you a while to find the right breeder, but you will know when interviewing them about their dogs, when you have found the right one,

because they will be keen to talk about all the earlier generations problems, and deaths, they will have been looking at these issues in great detail for the last two decades at least.

If you support someone who does follow the breeding for health,temperament and longevity code, and only breeds when they have homes ready, you will end up with a decent dog, and have not added to the misery.

lookatmybutt is right about terriers - I have had all sorts of dogs, from lab x, to chihuahua to rotweillers. The two terriers I have now are more of a handful than all of the above rolled together! They are harder to train and i have to admit to only doing basic manners with mine (their recall is appalling and i cannot let one of them off the lead because he is a bastard ) The rescue terrier has eaten everything from my phone charger through to my bed! They are noisy and need more exercise than you would think. They are also loving and funny and currently keeping my legs warm curled up on my lap and i will always want a terrier in my house from now on.

You already have doggie experience though so i don't think it will be a major shock to the system but some people to labour under the impression that small dog = easier and it is definately not always the way!

I agree with waiting until after Christmas. Rescue centres often have a waiting list for puppies anyway, as there's so much demand for them (compared to older dogs).

I feel uncomfortable about the whole idea of a dog as a present, and of getting a dog for a child. I know you don't mean it this way, but it seems like you're saying a dog is like a toy or a thing, which doesn't seem a great message for children. Remember that (especially if you go with a small-breed puppy) you could still have the dog in 15 years time, when your son has grown up and left home. That's a big future commitment to ask of a 10 year old! It'll likely end up being your dog.

As for the puppy vs. older dog question - personally I think an adult dog can sometimes be the safest and most reliable choice to live with children, because the temperament is already established and known. Obviously not a stray or one with a problematic/unknown history, but one that's grown up in a family home and is used to children of that age, and has been assessed by a reputable rescue as being suitable for you. It's your decision though, obviously you have to go with you're comfortable with.

I would keep an open mind about breed as well. Temperament is more important than size, in my view.

If you go to the Dogs' Trust, they will want you to bring your dog to meet the rescue dog you have chosen, and a member of staff will observe their interaction, to ensure they are going to be OK together.

I think the idea of giving him a puppy training book, and then looking for a puppy from a reputable rescue after Christmas is the best idea.

I agree with the recommendation for the Dogs Trust. In my e

oops! In my experience they're very thorough about matching the right dog to the right home, especially when children are involved, which is as it should be. Yes they will want to meet all (human and canine) family members, to make sure everyone's going to get along.

Another thought on the puppy question - how would your existing dog be with a young pup in the house? Would it be disruptive or annoying for her? Just asking as I have a 10 year old large-breed dog (so getting on a bit), and I think at his time of life the last thing he needs is a bouncy puppy winding him up!

Agree with everyone else and on top of it all do you really want to be doing toilet training in the middle of January?

Take your time over this decision. Re-think the breed. Terriers are wonderful characters but they are working dogs and can be challenging in a family environement. Why a cross breed as such? Responsible breeders will know their breed and will have spent years working towards a particular characteristic (like being a suitable family pet), why go to someone who has (randomnly presumably) mixed two breeds? (I understand if you want to rehome, but if you want to buy off a breeder why not reward someone who does it right and maximise your chances of getting the right puppy).

I have a nine year old lab bitch and although she is fine around other dogs and brilliant with children, she certainly does not like it when my older DD's lab dog invades her space ie the utility room, with her dog bed, bowls etc. She does not snap, but her look of horror and dismay has to be seen to be believed. She has always sulked when dogs have visited. She is fine on walks with him but home is her territory.

That said, she has stayed with a friend of mine when we went on holiday and his smaller terrier bitch. When we brought her home, she seemed low for days so it could just work. Just be aware that you run a definite risk.

Try looking at the Kennel Club website, they're registered breeders and every experience I've had with a KC breeder has been a good one so far, puppies bred responsibly with papers according to the KC standards and breeders who make very sure their puppies are socialised, vaccinated and go to prepared, lifetime homes. The site does postcode searches of breeders with litters awaited or born in your area. You may well have to go on a waiting list for a puppy to be ready from someone good and you'll pay more, but will know you're getting a puppy with a good temperament and medical history from a well cared for mother. Your local vets may also know reputable local people they trust and know the puppies are legitimately family raised healthy dogs from a healthy mother, mine only permits puppy ads up on their noticeboard from known and regular patients. At all costs avoid newspaper ads and pet finder sites.

Rescue centres I agree, wonderful and will be full of dogs urgently needing good homes in January, but I'm always so aware of the need to adopt with eyes wide open that the dog has gone through transitions and distress and will be higher need.

It does matter that he would see the pup as a gift. Dogs are not gifts, ffs.

They are live animals. They should only be taken on after long, hard, reasoned thinking and assessing of circumstances, with an understanding that they are huge lifelong responsibility. They should not be gifted on a whim.

The sooner people teach their children the importance of this, the sooner rescue centers will stop having to take in more dogs than they should, to keep up with demand.

The KC accreditation is not worth the paper it's printed on. They have very little interest in the welfare of the pups or the bitch. KC registration is no guarantee at all that the breeder is reputable. Many notorious puppy farmers are KC accredited breeders.

I'd wait till after Christmas, personally.

Our family became proud and unexpected owners of a Lhasa Apso puppy last March. We had been thinking about getting a puppy for ages,then the dog of a a friend of my daughter's had a litter and we were offered the chance, but had to make a quick decision as they were in demand!

They are lovely dogs (there are 5 Lhasa Apso's down our road alone!) very,funny and robust,but sometimes a bit naughty (ours is terrible for stealing things then running around the garden with them!!)

It would be better if he could be in on the choosing, I think.

have you ordered a pup yet if not i would leave it getting a new pupy on Christmas is such an upheavel i would imagine get it for his birthday instead, where are you going to get a puppy from anyway at such short notice

I haven't seen you answer whether it is you or him that wants the dog?

I never wanted a pet as a child but we had a "family" pet, this was because my parents wanted a dog, but it was our responsibility to walk her etc.

Does your child want this responsibility?

Lemis - my mum has always had demented terriers so I know what they can be like.

Have read all the posts on this thread though and have taken on board that I've left it way, way too late for Christmas. Other than this though I don't think I have got it too far wrong. I know what problems dogs can bring, from health (current dog was runt of litter and suffers from episodic fits) to behavioural issues (sister's rescue springer is the biggest pain in the arse of all time) but trust that as a family we would stand by our promise to care properly for any dog we took into our home.

I agree with everyone else and, having been slave to a rescued terrier I could imagine your having a hellish time settling a pup in at this time of year, especially as Christmas weeks are so chaotic in most households anyway! So for your own sanity, don't do it.
Otherwise you sound like a wonderful family for a puppy looking for a home.

I'm really glad that you had the mind to acknowledge that this could be a problem, and to ask the question - a lot of people wouldn't, it wouldn't even cross their minds.

I would wait till after christmas. especially because a lot of animals get abandoned just after christmas so you'd be giving one a good home.

Are you ready for all the puppy training again, the poo, the chewing, the crying at night? It's easy to forget the second time around. A bit like birth

Glad you've been swayed OP.

I think in any case it would be far far better to involve your DS in the process from the start - researching breeds (do you even know if he'd like a terrier?), reading up on training and how to handle introducing a new dog into a home with a dog already present, choosing the dog himself and so on. You may find that he'd prefer to get a slightly older dog from a rescue home anyway - lots of kids like the idea that they've had a hand in "saving" their dog from a crappy former life. (And adults too, for that matter.)

Dogs trust have a special scheme for matching ASD kids to suitable dogs!

Well worth looking them up as that's what I would have done if I'd only known the scheme existed during my own search. There are notable proven theraputic benefits for ASD kids - DT are heavily involved in the research. they run workshops too.

Christmas is a pretty bad time to bring a pup into a household that's going to be even busier than usual. You could put a reserve on a pup for after the busy xmas period - be something exciting to look forward to in the New Year