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Original poster

Advice please- what kind of dog makes a Family Pet

30 replies

lemonstartree · 07/04/2006 20:24

We have three boys (7,3 and 1)DH is about to become a full time Stay at home dad.
We are considering buying a puppy.

We live really close to the river and a few minutes walk from a park.

I think a labrador -

any advice

OP posts:

brimfull · 07/04/2006 20:29

Labs are great imo

we have a bearded collie,lovely temperment,great with children,need grooming though.

Lurcher,or retired greyhound are lovely aswell,nice and laid back ime.

Retrievers are nice family dogs but will come back soaked from the river as they love to wallow in water,so if you don't want the wet smell and mess ,maybe not.

Have you approached any rescue centres?

tegan · 07/04/2006 20:40

We have a Staffordshire bull terrier who puts up with everything an 8yr old and 2 yr old can throw at him (literally).
DD2 is constantly pulling his ears and sitting on him to watch tv and he even stays asleep now cos he is so used to it.

Spacecadet · 07/04/2006 20:41

labs are great, need a bout 50 walks a day though!
greyhounds make lovely family pets, very good with children, retired ones, they are always looking foir homes for ex racing greyhounds.

magnolia1 · 07/04/2006 20:51

We have a staffie and a stafie X springer. Both mad but great with the kids... In fact they seem to think they ARE kids

rosylizzie · 08/04/2006 19:26

weve got a springer and a collie cross mongrel. both great family dogs chase sticks, balls, swim, play football with our kids but do need a lot of exercise which is OK in summer but can be tough in winter - you dont always want to drag the kids out when its freezing during the day and i find they need a good walk off the lead evety day which can be hard in the dark. you need to get them out so they dont go in your garden -its grin depooing a garden every time your kids want to go out. so I would think carefully about whos going to walk them and when and where before going for a dog that needs a lot of exercise - labs do seem to need a lot or they can get a bit fat in my experience

schneebly · 08/04/2006 19:32

my dads beagle cross is wonderful with my kids and v.cute too but beagles have a tendency to follow scents and run off a bit - I think labrador is good choice if you can give it plenty of exercise.

Waswondering · 08/04/2006 19:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

throckenholt · 08/04/2006 19:40

labs are good to train but they are very strong - so could easily pull a child over - so if you are going to have one make sure you train it well (although that goes for all dogs).

monkeytrousers · 08/04/2006 19:40

Dobermans are lovely sweet gentle dogs - really. And greyhounds!

Prufrock · 08/04/2006 19:43

Labs are great, adn don't actually need huge amounts of exercise - they will get used to whatever you give them, so you just have to not get them used to 2 hour long walks. Ours gets a 45 minute+ off lead walk 4 times a week, and the other 3 days he copes fine with a 20 minute on lead walk to and from the park and half an hour of ball fetching/child chasing in the park. We usually have a toddler + dog running around in the garden session each day as well.

Lab are brilliant with kids - mine puts up with the kids roling in his basket, getting into his cage and climbing all over him. They are also relatively easy to train as they will do anything for food. and whilst they are a proper big dog, they aren't so big taht they will become stronger than you and pull you around easily.

wannaBe1974 · 09/04/2006 18:33

labs are lovely and great with kids. TBH though I would consider getting an older dog rather than a lab puppy if you have very young children because puppies are extremely hard work. And lab puppies are extremely destructive, and a pup can do unbelieveable damage with those little teeth.

2labs · 09/04/2006 19:46

Much as I love labs (used to puppywalk for Guide Dogs and have two) I would be wary of making too many generalisations about breeds - labs are one of the most popular dogs in this country and far too many people are breeding them without proper knowledge or regard to temperament and common physical inherited diseases, so there are increasing numbers with nervous/aggression issues or crippling health problems, though still a minority. Which only means you have to be careful where you get one. I would agree with the person who suggested an adult rescue (from a proper rescue centre that knows the dog's history and will homecheck you) as you will be able to assess it more easily, and plenty are given up for no good reason. Otherwise a puppy from a proper breeder who either shows or works their dogs (definitely not one from the local paper and never from a pet shop), one who has a waiting list for pups, has done eye-tests, hip and elbow scores etc. Hope you find your family's best friend.

2labs · 09/04/2006 19:54

Also a puppy is like having another baby in the house for a while (in fact arguably harder work as they don't stay still ). A normal lab puppy will do a lot of hard biting / mouthing / jumping up / grabbing clothes to start with which can scare children. If you haven't had a dog before I would recommend Gwen Bailey's The Perfect Puppy, and Pam Dennison's Complete Idiot's Guide to Positive Dog Training.

tillykins · 09/04/2006 19:59

agree with 2labs!

why don't you go to a rescue centre, maybe get a mongrel or cross who is 18m / 2years, so you know what temperament you are getting

mine is labrador / border collie cross and she absolutely adores Minitilly, very gentle with him, even when he falls on her (or the time he crawled thru her legs and started eating her dinner but we won't go there....) but I know of some border collies that can be quite nippy with toddlers - and I know a couple of labs round the corner who are lovely with us, but very snappy with kids - not vicious, but def can't be trusted

tillykins · 09/04/2006 19:59

oh - and good luck with the river, make sure you have a good supply of old towels...

throckenholt · 10/04/2006 07:39

I agree having a puppy is a bit like having another child - you go through all the same stages - but much more quickly - and if you are calm and consistent about the rules you come out with a mature reliable friend within about 2 years

Squarer · 10/04/2006 08:37

children don't eat your furniture though......

throckenholt · 10/04/2006 08:46

no but they are fairly effective at trashing it in other ways - I have yet to meet a dog that can draw on the walls or stick thinks iin the video

throckenholt · 10/04/2006 08:46

and they are much quicker to toilet train (although you do have to pick up after them for the rest of their life )

Squarer · 10/04/2006 09:22

Lol Throckenholt
Our dog has drawn on the carpet - Suffice to say he used his own brown crayon
Ah, the joys.

cupcakes · 10/04/2006 09:29

having a 6 month old lab I completely agree with throckenholt. The adjustment to having a dog in our lives was akin to adjusting to having ds - but quicker. Back in \link{http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=2340&threadid=148284&stamp=060312124624\February} I was really struggling but now (despite one unfortunate chewing episode) things have settled down so much.

FioFio · 10/04/2006 09:33

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted

scarymamma · 11/04/2006 21:38

We got a Border Terrier on the advice of a vet friend. (Big dog mentality in a small dogs body), He's mega cute and just the right size, and a spunky little chap (until the snip :o). But as I found out l8r, terriers are prone to be bolshie little buggers and he has snapped/growled at ds (ds was squashing him). So perhaps not the best choice in hindsight.
I agree it's like having a baby, but, neither ds nor dd ever ate a rug, then vomited it up again, pee'd then poo'd on the ripped up rug then dropped my shoe right in the middle of the poo. Dh reckons it was punishment for the castration (dog not dh :o!!!)

tillykins · 11/04/2006 21:40

PMSL Scarymamma

JVickers · 20/04/2006 11:27

labradors are very good but prone to mood swings I have heard and therefore could snap. I grew up with a German Shepherd who was absolutely gorgeous, she was great with us but extremely protective at the same time. Great guard dogs but we could lay all over her and she wouldn't react.

Thing to do aswell is teach children dog etiquette. You can't expect a dog not to react if it is being snipped, pulled, sat up and chewed about all day.

Jo x

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