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Original poster

advice on breeds

52 replies

mumtodd · 23/06/2007 20:48

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?

OP posts:
Ecmo · 26/06/2007 22:26

" an adult well trained, docile dog."

be lucky to find one of those in a rescue centre. Most of the dogs have a reason for being there and its not coz they are docile and well trained. (sorry that sounded a bit pompous)
Also you will find very few can go to homes with children under 7 or 8. It would be easier to get a puppy

geekgirl · 26/06/2007 22:31

in my experience puppies and young children are an extremely poor mix - puppies jump, nip and scratch without caring whether what they got hold of is your child's face or a squeaky toy. Anything your child leaves at puppy-level will get chewed up. Your child will react inappropriate and probably give the dog mixed messages (i.e. by shrieking when jumped at, quite a natural reaction really!), making training so much more difficult.

I'd really, really recommend waiting until your dd is of school-age - speaking from bitter experience here, we rehomed our dog last year, it was an absolute nightmare for 6 months until we eventually got rid.

shimmy · 26/06/2007 22:33

glad you're not rushing in and doing your homework

FWIW we got our first dog as a family 2 years ago and I found the puppy stage incredibly hard work. I thought I knew what I was letting myself in for but puppies are very hard work, very messy and very time consuming. With a 14 month dd you are asking a hell of a lot of yourself (or will your dh be doing all the work?). Have you thought about how you will be able to walk your dog? 14 month olds aren't famous for wanting to do a brisk 45 minutes walk twice a day and even the most biddable dogs turn into destructive pests if they don't get the exercise they need.

shimmy · 26/06/2007 22:37

agreed ecmo - most rehomed dogs have their 'issues' but there are a few who are sorted (e.g. owners have died or gone into a home but dog was well cared for before).

Balls · 26/06/2007 22:38

Labrador or Blue Roan cocker spaniel would make good child-friendly pets. The first is larger but easy to train. The second is small and a little more nervy/needs lots of exercise, but very child friendly.

Personally at this stage I'd not get a rescue dog - you need to really understand dog psychology and have bags of time to train. And very rarely do you get the full history as the rescue centres don't always have it.

I'd go for a bomb-proof second homing or a puppy.

NB This comment comes based on experience and I consider dog ownership a VERY serious responsibility.

casbie · 27/06/2007 09:33

i've got three childrenand want a dog, but are going to wait until the little one is potty-trained before embarking on a puppy.

we are also looking at breeds. i like 'working' dogs (hubby at home and looking after the kids, so will have constant company) and hubby likes 'old english sheep' dogs.

anyone have any suggestions?

dionnelorraine · 27/06/2007 09:54

labs are a lovely breed but take a lot of training and a lot of attention. They eat EVERYTHING! so put locks on your cupboard doors. They are big, bouncy and loving. Great family dogs, they just need training!!

My fave would have to be cavelier King Charles. I dont have one but they are soppy, soft, cute and loving. Not too boystreous and a little gentler than a lab, yet still playfull and well known for their lovely nature.

Im a German Shepherd owner. He is fantastic with my dd but again needed some training.

Good luck!

binkleandflip · 27/06/2007 09:56

pretty sure that pippin is a tibetan terrier isnt she?

rattleskuttle · 27/06/2007 10:06

i agree with others who've suggested waiting. puppies go through a stage of nipping and chewing everything. they can't help doing it.

binkleandflip · 27/06/2007 10:15

I have a newfoundland who is huge, BUT the most gentle, docile, cuddly dog you will ever get. Fantastic with children (that's why we got her), she is patient and never reacts when she inevitably gets tripped over as my daughter tears through the house - very calm and only gets excitable when she has a run on the beach. Didnt chew (thankfully!) and doesnt cause any mess, she is happy to lie outside most of the time where it's nice and cool. If you look at them you will fall in love.

winemakesmummyclever · 27/06/2007 10:17

Why don't you apply to rehome a retired guide dog? www.guidedogs.org.uk It could be anything from a puppy who didn't make it through the training for whatever reason to an older retired dog. You are assessed at home re. what type of dog you could/are willing to rehome, then they match your criteria with any dogs that come up to be rehomed. The only downside is that you may have a long wait, depending on what you are looking for in a dog (you can be as specific/non-specific as you want).

We have done this - we lost our Rottie/GS cross to cancer last year and didn't think a puppy would be a sensible option with a boisterous 14mo ds. We got assessed/accepted last week , so settling in for the wait for a suitable dog.

bebespain · 27/06/2007 11:35

A Shih Tzu - lovely with children, soft and cuddly lapdogs, very affectionate especially the females!

arwen · 27/06/2007 11:53

We waited until our youngest was 2.5 and i think it was a good job. They have a close bond (dog and children) but dd was old enough to leave hime alone when told. We got our dog from battersea. there is a long wait for a puppy but it has been so worth it. He is a JR /Dacshund cross.

Wisteria · 27/06/2007 11:58

Mumtodd - I have always kept labrador collie crosses - firm believer that mongrels are much less temperamental than pedis (especially with young children) but I will probably stand corrected on here! I have found that lab/collies are fantastic family pets and would thoroughly recommend, especially if you are at home all day, wonderfully faithful and gentle.

Balls · 27/06/2007 14:19

Surely all dogs need training?

Chelseamum · 27/06/2007 14:30

I would love a little pair of pugs....

they are very homebuddies, hate long walks, very very very child friendly and they are so so so ugly but cute at the same time!!

PUGS ROCK!

MadLabOwner · 27/06/2007 15:26

Great recommendation from WMMC about rehoming a guide dog if you can get hold of one. If you do get a puppy, agree that a crate is a good idea, as are the puppy parties arranged by your local vet and also dog training classes

We have a pair of 5 year old labs, who are fantastic with my 8 month old DD, but I would add that they behaved like mad puppies til they were 3 years old, though always amazingly gentle with babies and children. And they need walking every day, and games in the garden. I would hate to be in the position now of having another puppy and a baby/toddler to deal with as there are only so many hours in the day. I can only walk one dog at a time on the lead with a pushchair, so lots of my walks are done at 9pm, after DD's bedtime and after we have eaten. Fine now in June, not so nice in the cold and wet in Nov-March!

casbie · 27/06/2007 17:26

that's it - i'm up at 6am and bed at 11pm - so dog walking would be fine, with couple of smal walks with hubby and maybe a long run after school.

a friend has got a brown collie and she's beautiful!

bambino1andbump · 27/06/2007 17:45

i haven't read through all of the threads but we have recently got a Black Labrador and she is just lovely. We have an almost 3yr old and they are best of friends. I would recommend one.

leakyR · 27/06/2007 17:53

English Springer Spaniel? Medium sized, very intelligent dogs. Working breed so not at all yappy. They do need exercise and activity but are lovely with children.This is from a Springer website:
"The Springer is a hardy dog, which is well-behaved, eager to please, and, quick to learn and respond. They are easily controlled, not highly-strung, aggressive or shy. Through training, this is an ideal family pet, which does not do well in a kennel environment

Wags · 27/06/2007 19:19

I really wouldn't advise getting a puppy until your DD is older, especially as you are inexperienced and nervous with dogs. They are such hard work and need to be guided by someone who is confident and knows what they are doing. If you are a complete beginner to it then you need to have a lot of spare time to go to training classes and learn how to train the pup. A large garden is not enough, they need to be taken out, socialised with other dogs, its really hard work if you want to have a happy dog that fits in well with the family. You are right, Pippin does seem a clever dog, she has probably been trained to within an inch of her whiskers, it doesn't happen by magic a lot of hard work would have gone into such a lovely dog.

I would advise you to spend the next year doing research. If you want a pedigree then try to narrow it down to a few breeds. Contact the breed clubs who will be more than willing if they have members in the area to send someone round with their dogs so you can meet them, talk to the owners and see how the dogs really are in real life. If you have anyone local to you who has a dog see if you can join them for some dog walks. Get an idea of what its like to be out on a walk with an idependant toddler and an equally independant puppy. I don't mean to sound so down on you about it but there are lots of ways of making sure your DD is not nervous around dogs without actually rushing out and getting one. If you are local to me (SE London) I would be more than happy to visit with my 2 Dalmatians, although that usually makes or brakes a family .

Original poster
mumtodd · 27/06/2007 21:42

hi everyone, thanks for all the advice. you have really given me a lot to think about.
the guide dog one is a really good idea. i knew people who got a dog who didn't make it as a guide dog and she was lovely.
wags - thank you for the kind offer but it would involve flying for us to meet up so not practical unfortunately!!!!!
i think we are going to put it on hold for the moment but it was interesting to hear what our options are from people who have experience.
the most important thing for me is to know what we are doing because i don't think it is right to take on a dog and then want to be rid of it if it doesn't go the way you hoped. i saw a shocking statistic on the number of dogs that are put to sleep in this country every year.

OP posts:
casbie · 28/06/2007 08:20

i think an english springer would be perfect.

how do you go about finding a good breed of puppy and what do you look for?

tonysmum · 28/06/2007 10:52

We have a working cocker spaniel puppy and she is great with our two year old DS, they are not yappy at all and also a bit smaller and less nervous than a springer spaniel. She is very affectionate and incredibly patient with him.
We looked for a local breeder in the kennel club webpages:
www.thekennelclub.org.uk/
You can also check this: www.epupz.co.uk/
I would avoid commercial breeders and pet shops.
It is very important to see the mum with the puppies to get an idea of their future character and looks. Make sure the puppy is at least 6 weeks old (preferably 8 weeks) when you take it home to make sure they get plenty of doggy socialization.
hope this helps!

Nbg · 28/06/2007 11:05

We have a Beagle and he is amazing with our children.
He can be pulled, scratched, tugged, laid on, you name it he's fine with it
They do like to be outside so your garden would be great for them plus if you live in the country, it would make great walks for him.

We also have a chihuahua and she is also very very good with the children. Very much a lap dog and always wants lots of love and attention.
Very easy to walk and also a good size

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