advice on breeds

[mumtodd]

hi to all the dog lovers out there. we have a 14 month old dd and dh is thinking of getting her a puppy. i have always been very nervous around dogs and he doesn't want her getting like this. has anyone any ideas of what breed would be good. we live in the country and have a big garden and i will be at home during the day. i don't like small yappy dogs but don't want something huge either. i like that dog pippen on the cebeebies program. don't know what the program is called though. there is a woman who flies a spotty plane. anyone know the program and type of dog?

Labrador are deffo brill

Direct answer from CBBEBIES......

What breed of dog is Pippin from Come Outside?
We are not sure of the exact answer to this! Pippin is roughly third generation bred from the original Benji who was found in a dog sanctuary in California and was himself a mongrel.

thanks rtkangamummy - so probably not much chance of finding a pippin so!!! that's the kind of dog i think i would be ok - medium sized and very clever.
for a family with a small child is it always better to start with a puppy so they get used to each other or could we get a slighty older dog from a shelter?
just wondering because i think it is the bouncy jumpy craziness that made me nervous about dogs in the forst place.

IMHO and IME get a labrador and get it trained

I deffo agree about small yappy dogs

here is their club

i had a look at the bearded collie website. they are lovely but just a bit concerned about the coat. neither dh or i grew up with pets so don't know a thing about grooming etc. is there a way to learn a bit more about owning a pet before we leap in. (a bit like ante-natal classes but with dogs rather than babies is what we need

i know a couple of people with jack russells and other small dogs but don't really like any of them (the dogs, not the people)
we just don't seem to be part of a dog loving community for some reason.

we have a labradoodle and he is the best dog i have ever had! Really friendly and soft and gorgeous and loves the kids. and mainly his hair doesn't fall out. Really recommend his breed.

sorry speccy had a look a the cairns - just not my kind of dog. was persecuted by a neighbours small yappy dog as a teenager so it put me off anything around ankle height.

apologies speccy didn't mean to imply your dog was a yapper. i'm sure if they are looked after properly all dogs can be great. our neighbours were very inconsiderate with theirs - let it roam around barking and snapping and even though it was small it terrified me.

i'll take a look at the tibetans too. thanks

speccy, i've met loads of labradoodles and have never heard of anyone having a problem. It's true you can't be 100% certain about the hair not coming out but if you're not concerned about it then it's hardly an issue. But their temprament is fantastic. Agree about unscrupulous dog breeders though and it's true of all breeds in my experience (my sister is dog breeder tho' not of labradoodles). There are a couple of excellent UK breed sites that it's worth contacting, I know of several who are very good indeed. We got him because of our dc's allergies and someone we knew had one who previously had been unable to have a dog. And they breed them for use as guide dogs in Auz so they must be ok tempramentally. but of course most people are very loyal to their prefered breed of dog (and i've loved many a mutt!)

We got a Golden Retriever pup when our youngest was 6 months old. I TOTALLY trust the breed.

What I would say though in hindsight is that the hair IS AN ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did want to get a Boxer, but if you want to read my other thread, you'll see that it was a wise move that we didn't!!!!!!!!!

They're a bit of a handful!!

If you do get a puppy, my biggest piece of advice would be to get a doggy crate. Get the puppy used to the crate from very early on. Our pup actually liked the crate, the only time we had to close the door is if on occasion he was getting a bit over excited. Also, the dog should see the crate as a place it can go to escape the children when it's had enough!!

I grew up with golden retrievers but we wanted something a bit smaller, so I've got a Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever. He's great with dd, who is 2, although he's only 4 mths old and we've only had him two months, I know lots of adult tollers too and they are lovely dogs. they are very bright and greedy so easy to train. They do need excercise but not loads like a springer or collie. There are very few genetic diseases in the breed. They do need to be mentally stimulated, the kids can have great fun triaing them to do things, I've seen them do skateboarding, and doggy dancing etc, but also tidy up their own toys. they don't moult too badly. Mines a 'foxdown toller' you can google for them as I don't know how to do links! He came 3rd in 'most appealing eyes' dog show yeterday, they do the cute factor very well too!
I'd second getting a crate. Our puppy likes his and was housetrained quickly and its great for him to go in there when I'm out as I know he won't chew anything - he's teething at the moment! Also a great place for him to escape from dd! Ours has a blanket grapped over the top to make it more like a den, its very cosy with his toys blanket and water.

There's a labradoodle in our family and she is the size of a Shetland pony...height, not width! Just thuink of the size of the poos you would need to scoop.

She is a big softy but can get a bit overexcited and carried away when out, especially when chasing rabbits, can be gone for ages, owner shouting herself hoarse.

How about a Shetland sheepdog? Not too big, very biddable, rounds up children like they were sheep....

merlotmama, our labradoodle is them height of a labrador and as skinny as anything underneath all his hair! His poos appear (to me anyway) normal size! But we have seen one a bit bigger than him around. As for excitibility - he was excitable when a puppy but once he got to a year he calmed right down and everyone comments on how placid and calm he is. My dd sleeps on top of him and he is so friendly (tho' obviously I never leave him with her alone like all dogs you have to be sensible) I am biased but I can't recommend them too highly. (and from the look of the pics today, Tiger Woods has a white one!)

tiger woods labradoodle

Cute, Ska, with the instantly recogisable smiley face. Tiger's baby is even cuter, tho'!

butting in here but - don't please choose a dog because it looks like Pippin or it doesn't look like something else. With children and as an inexperienced dog owner you should only choose a dog on the basis of its temperament and how easily trainable it is.

You may have more success by going to a dogs home and choosing an adult well trained, docile dog.

hi shimmy i wouldn't pick a dog just based on it's looks. it's just that pippin is the size of dog i think we could cope best with (also very cute though) As i posted i have a few issues wuth small dogs since i was a teenager but think that as inexperienced dog owners i don't want anything too large and unmanagable. i want it to be a long term commitment so not going to rush into anything.
i was wondering about the possibility of getting a slightly older dog from rescue but was wondering would a puppy be better as we have a young child.