To buy a dog or not to buy a dog

[jessiepercy79]

Hi mummies,

Little Molly has been chewing my ear off about getting a pet dog. She's 8 years old so can be quite hands on with anything fluffy.

Could anyone advise what kind of dog would be best suited to cope with a lively and lovable 8 year old girl?

Thanks!

need to know about your lifestyle,home and garden,what exercise you'd be up for to give suggestions really.Rather than what dog is ok based on your info.

What size dog would you like?Grooming?How many/duration of walkers etc?

Walkies not walkers!

what kind of dog would be best suited to cope with a lively and lovable 8 year old girl?

A stuffed toy dog.

Hi TripTrapTripTrapOverTheBridge,

I am a stay at home mum. We have a relatively large garden too. I'm not too keen on having a large dog as I have heard some horror stories but on the other hand I have seen small dogs get rather aggressive too.

It would have to be rather low maintenance grooming wise but I wouldn't mind taking the dog for long walks as this will properly tire out Molly too!

Thanks for your help!

Please go and talk to a rescue centre. They will have bags of experience with assessing you and matching you. It might be that an adult or older dog would have a better temperament around a lively child. They would also help if it isn't working or you need help.

Do you want a dog rather than just your dd wanting a dog?

It will be you walking it when its wet and cold, you paying the vets bills, you not been able to go on a family day trip out as you can't leave the dog all day, you doing the training, picking up the poo, doing the grooming, dealing with your carpets being wrecked and shoes being chewed.

If you do want a dog then have a look at some of the breed selectors to give you some ideas and then research the recommended breeds in a bit more detail.

www.purina.co.uk/content/the-right-pet-for-you/choosing-a-dog/dog-breed-selector

Do you want a dog?

Forget Molly.

A dog will live 10 years+. Once they're fully grown they will need (on average) an hour of walking a day. In 5 years time when Molly is a stroppy Year 8 busy at school, you will be the one out in the rain and the cold walking them. You will be hosing the mud off them. You will be hoovering up the hair and clearing the poo from the garden. You'll also have another 5 years of it to come.

i think you cant have a dog and Molly at the same time. you will have a hard time taking care both of them, not mentioning the expenses for your planned dog.

Any breed of dog can be aggressive it doesn't matter on the size of the dog just how you raise it. But no you shouldn't get a dog just because your daughter wants one you both have to want one. They're a commitment 10 years + plus vets bills, insurance and unexpected bills that insurance doesn't cover.

In the same position as op so watching with interest.

Another one to echo the rescue home advice. You would also get the opportunity to build up a relationship with your chosen pet prior to bringing it home - invaluable if you are a first time pet owner. I would aim for a short haired breed or poodle mix - much less shedding and brushing. As a smaller female, my personal preference has always been for medium sized female dogs - they have been a joy to train and much easier to control on the lead than the larger, male version.

To echo the others, I would sit down and do the sums before committing to a dog. Food, insurance, training school, kennels, pets bills, toys and general wear and tear. But it's a bargain in return for their love and loyalty. I am dogless at the minute as my working hours preclude getting one - but I would do so in a heartbeat if things changed.

Why can't you have a child and dog at the same time?

We have always had dogs of all shapes and sizes. Thats the brilliant thing about fogs. They come in all shapes and sizes.

You will have to teach your dd not to overwhelm the dog. I have to be strict with my dd about giving our dogs space.

we have terriers and whilst they are great they aren't a breed for novices. They are bloody strong willed little feckers.

Have a look at battersea dogs home website. I think there is a section on helping you choose the right breed.

there are so many variables. Where you live - your home, walking areas etc. You say you don't want a shedder so that rules out lots of breeds. Not a big dog. More crossed off the list :) child friendly and tolerant.

Dogs that spring to mind are

cockapoo
Cocker spaniel
Westie
Cavalier
Schnauzer
Shih tzu

do give serious thought to a rescue dog as to SOME degree you will have an idea of temperament. Puppies are great but bloody hard work and if you aren't confident you could make your dog nervous. Avoid a nervous dog at all costs. A nervous dog is far more likely to be a biter.

Do your research and get it right and s fog will be a wonderful family member fuck it up and its nothing but stress.

Your child won't look after, pay for or train the dog. Neither will she clean up any accidents.
First you need to train her not to be "hands on" with fluffy things.
Sit down and work out your finances and how much time you can commit. (Dogs need regular walking. Not a lovely wander once a week!)

We've just got a 6 month old cavapoo,he is amazing,so friendly,gentle and loves cuddles,we have a 9 year old daughter. He's the first dog we have ever had and he really is great.

For me in genenal Sunday to Friday is not too much a problem but Saturday we do go to extra curriculum stuff for 3 or 4 hours also occasionally family day out which will take more than 6 hours. I don't think we are unusual so how do other people cope? My 8 yr dd used to play with her guineapig all day but since the gpig died last summer dd2 has become very demending for our attention. Also my 11 yr old dd1 is in yr7 now and having more and more homework so not able to play with dd2 often. So I think may be a small dog will keep my dd2 occupied a bit in stead of youtube. Am i right? I know dd2 will pick up poo. But I do worry what to do when the dog is unwell and familyholiday etc.

I am thinking of rescue shelter if we get a dog at all.

A dog will not keep your child occupied I most definately would not expect m 9yo DD to pick up poo.

We are going out today, leaving our dogs behind, the are happy to be left occasionally but not regularly. If you can get somone to pop in and let them in the garden it breaks up their day. Thats what we do.

Family holidays - the dogs come with us.

Done some research on dog training courses for children. The club that near us meet once a week and only costs £3.50 per session. So she can bring her little dog to do junior dog handling course and get bond, silver, gold etc certificates. I think it will give her a good heathy hobby if it works out. But still have find how much and how often to have to the dog vaccination

An initial course of vaccination is approximately £80, they will need two injections three weeks apart at 8 weeks and this will need repeating every year.They will also need to be wormed regularly and treated for fleas/lungworm - advocate is the only treatment that covers for lungworm too - about £50 for six months supply. Insurance will be approximate £20 a month but wont cover routine vets appointments and there is an excess. A veterinary consultation costs about £30 for 10 minutes of the vets time. Then you will need to factor in castration/speying - this is expensive - up to £300, possibly more depending on the size of the dog (usually done around six months).

But in all seriousness PLEASE do not get a dog as a toy/hobby for your DD because it will be YOU that needs to train this dog, YOU that needs to clean up the poo, buy the food, ensure that he is walked daily, in all weathers. Yes she may well enjoy the training course, in fact I am considering letting DD do this with one of MY dogs, but I am the one who has house trained, lead trained and generally given the dogs mannered. It would be too much to expect a 9yo to be able to acheive that.

That was directed at alittletreat not the op

Note lemisscared I am doing a lot of research and calculations here. We haven't even decided whether to own a dog yet and definitely not this year. We still to have to make sure our garden is secure enough to keep a dog in. Do you think we are the sort of people will rush to own a dog without enough info and preparation?!. I even check the price for dog hotel. Thanks for the info. But I do feel your post is a little patronising.

By the way I don't mean owning a dog is a hobby. But attending and learning dog training towards to becoming a skilled dog handler / trainer can be. That s why the dog training centre do junior qualifications to encourage children to work with dogs. If we had a dog the entire family will have to attend the classes to point so we know to share the dog commends anyway. I used to have a dog when I was little and I shared some basic care responsities.

Your child is too young to have a dog, she can't take good care it well, think many times first before you buy, because at the end you might see yourself taking care of dog instead of your child.lol