Help needed re DOGS, never had one before, DH has suddenly decided we are getting one, what about a West Highland Terrier?

[MrsSpoon]

Help!

We have previously had a cat and DS2 in particular seem quite obsessed with her death. DH out of nowhere has decided the best thing would be to get a dog [thunk]. We have decided against another cat as we have moved to an area where the roads are busy (our cat was killed on the road outside our house).

Neither DH nor I have any dog experience. I would like something small, DS2 likes the hairy variety and prefers lighter coloured dogs , I think they just show up the dirt more. Something that won't chew up the house, a dog that could be left for a number of hours (there is generally someone at home all the time but for the odd occasion it would be nice to know that it wouldn't be barking all day and tearing the house to shreds). Also obviously a dog that would be good with children and be happy with moderate walks, ie no 10 mile treks.

Does such a thing exist? I am thinking West Highland Terriers look not too much bother, am I deluded?

I don't know if you've already bought a dog or not, but I wouldn't recommend buying a ''labradoodle'' as you will only be supporting an unreputable breeder. if you must buy a dog, at least buy a real breed from a ''proper'' breeder, but better still, why not consider adopting a dog from a rescue or pound? there are bound to be plenty of friendly dogs that would be good with children (the person running the rescue would advice you on which dogs would be suitable for a home with children) or if you wanted to get a puppy there are usually plenty of puppies in rescues, especially after xmas when the novelty of the xmas present puppy wears off. some breeds/types that are usually good with children would be labs, golden retrievers, shelties & staffies, but of course any breed can be good with children if they have been brought up right etc or are just friendly by nature. (I know plenty of collies, GSD's and complete mixed breeds that are extremely friendly and good with children) boxers are also very friendly and playful by nature but they are quite big and strong so might knock a child over accidentally if they aren't obedience trained, but that wouldn't be a problem if you were willing to put in the time and effort as all dogs need some level of obedience training.
I wouldn't really recommend a terrier as a first time kids pet, as a westie owner myself, they can be rather grumpy and stubborn, even though they are small. a larger breed would probably turn out to be easier to handle and train and be friendlier, but of course that's not to say there aren't friendly terriers out there, it all depends on the individual dog really, breed doesn't really make much difference as it's the individual dog's temperament that matters.

That is so funny - I read the title and instantly thought of a larbradoodle but read your thread which said 'small dog'.

Labradoodles are ab fab and I am SOOOOOOO envious.

Surprised CG that you think all Labradoodle Breeders unreputable. They make great pets ( are often specially bred as service dogs)and are a really good cross breed. Just because the kennel club is too snobby to recognise them doesnt automatically make their breeders unreputable, on the contrary a number of people out there are passionate about labradoodles. We have a 3rd generation labradoodle and she is officially a labrador cross - because her breeding is not recognised! She is very obviously a labradoodle and is fabulous pet, great with kids, very bright and not a mean bone in her. If you are looking for a puppy dont be put off labradoodles by the dog snobs of this world

Just to set the record straight, I have absolutly nothing against mongrels or cross breeds, in fact I usually prefer them to pures as they are unique. what I don't like are "breeders" deliberatly breeding cross-breeds, putting a silly name on them and trying to sell them as new breeds to the gullible public. Unlike established breeds, there is no guaruntee what a labrador x poodle will look like or what it's temperament will be, there are even variations within the same litter. If you want a cross breed, rather than lining a breeders pockets, give a good home to a homeless dog.

Also, any dog will be great with kids and not have a mean bone in them if they are socialised & treated well.

ROFL I clicked on this from the home page in order to rave about my Labradoodle puppy only to find out it was my own thread!

However I can't leave alone without answering CountryGirl2007 as to my reasons for choosing a Labradoodle, I had no interest in a pedigree dog other than wanting to know something about the puppy's heritage and 'likely' temperament (never having had a dog before and being inexperienced this was reassuring to me), I was able to meet Pippin's parents and read comments from other owners who bought puppies from the same breeder.

I did do my research into Labradoodles and while I take your comments on board that you cannot guarantee their temperament (I very much doubt any breeder could do this with a pure bred either) generally Labradoodles do make great family pets.

I don't really care what she looks like as she grows, she'll be gorgeous to me however scruffy or unscruffy she ends up, I chose Pippin from the litter based on her nature.

I, like many Labradoodle owners, am quite happy that the Kennel Club has not recognised the breed as this would put a stop to the first generation stock of Labradoodles and would lead to Labradoodles being bred from a limited gene pool which would in time lead to the inbreeding and health problems that affect many pure bred dogs.

FWIW (and I do not intend to put anyone off a rescue dog) I met a Mum at the School who had a rescue mongrel puppy who was having problems with aggression.

Take out pet insurance (ideally the top whack one) for your labradoodle. You WILL need it and it WILL be worth every penny!!

Well, if you want to support these breeds that's your business, but regarding the rescued puppy, there is no such thing as an aggressive puppy, no dog will be aggressive from birth, whoever this person is with the rescued puppy obviously needs to take a look at her training methods (if there are any of course)

OK, you say "Unlike established breeds, there is no guaruntee what a labrador x poodle will look like or what it's temperament will be", then you say "there is no such thing as an aggressive puppy, no dog will be aggressive from birth" and imply it's down to training methods , in that case if I stick in at puppy training my doodle of uncertain temperament will be just fine.

Call me touchy but I also find this comment bizarre and bordering on offensive "I wouldn't recommend buying a ''labradoodle'' as you will only be supporting an unreputable breeder". 'Puppy farmers' are just as capable of peddling pure breeds as doodle dogs. My understanding of the licensing of dog breeders is that it applies to anyone breeding dogs for sale (not just pure bred dogs).

countrygirl - what strange things you've posted. Mrs Spoon is certainly not supporting bad breeders but simply got a family dog regardless of how it looks etc.

I've met some great labradoodles and spoken to breeders when we were researching dogs.

I also disagree about the friend simply not getting the training right. Dogs that have been abused, not socialised properly and then given to be rehomed can be problematic and to blame it purely on the new owner is plain silly.

Thanks hercules1. I know I started this thread really badly and didn't come over very well, excitement more than anything but I did my homework about labradoodles a couple of years back and just needed MNetters to convince me that we could give a bigger breed a home.

If we had some experience of dogs in the past I may have considered a rescue dog but we haven't and felt that having a dog was a big enough challenge without dealing with as hercules says "Dogs that have been abused, not socialised properly".

I tend to agree with CountryGirl and am not particularly keen on this new craze of cross breeding 2 pedigree dogs, giving them a fancy name and charging a fortune for them. Most reputable breeders of pedigree dogs are doing their utmost to breed out the health problems that appear in their breed. Is this the same with these new cross breeds? Labradors have hip problems. A good breeder will only use a dog and bitch that have a good hip score. This means the pups will have a better chance of having good hips. Are the Labs used for Labradoodles hip scored? Will Labradoodles be hip scored or do the breeders think that just because they have crossed it with another breed the problem disappears? Breeders that I know research the lines of their dogs going way back to try and get good temperament, confirmation etc. Its a hard enough job for those who know what they are doing, would a breeder of a Labradoodle really know what the dogs are like down both lines of the parents? It would require a good bit of knowledge of both Poodles and Labs to be able to pick good lines. Or are they just chucking together any old lab and poodle, hoping for the best and reaping the financial rewards?

Wags, a reputable Labradoodle breeder will hip and eye test and will also only breed from the best stock, just like pure breeds I'm sure there are those who will breed any old dogs together and those who will stick to the guidelines.

FWIW Pippin's parents were hip and eye checked and I have paperwork showing her parentage back a number of generations, however this is where presumably I have to trust the breeder that these were good dogs, however Mum and Dad were on the premises.

TBH I don't see any difference between this and buying a pedigree. With a pedigree breed you still have to be wary as there are so many rogue breeders.

Even though I, like Wags, don't agree with this craze, at least you did do your homework, so many people just see an ad and buy a pup and do no research into the breeder, they don't care if it's a puppy farm or not. When I said that there would be no guarantee what it's looks/temperament would be like a purebred, I mean it could either inherit poodle temperament or lab temperament, could end up looking like a poodle or looking like a lab, there's just no guarantee. I never said they'd be born nasty. But really, it's up to you, it's just that it wouldn't be my choice to support these breeders because I think they've just jumped on the bandwagon with this new "breed" craze, but I'd never buy a dog anyway lol.

Call it a "craze" if you like but they were originally bred for Guide Dogs for the Blind in 1989 and although it has not been a rip roaring success as I understand they hoped to breed hypo allergenic guide dogs the benefit for people like myself is that they discovered that the lab/poodle cross made a terrific family pet. I will defend them and the reputable breeders (which is by no means all Labradoodle breeders) to the death!

Its good to hear how much research your breeder did and you are right there are soooo many rogue breeders of pedigree breeds, its a complete minefield. I just think that these Labradoodles and the like are being touted as a 'new breed' and charged for as such which is only going to encourage any Tom, Dick or Harry to do the same and think its OK. All pedigree breeds have a breed standard which encourages breeders to try and achieve a certain blueprint within the breed. Apart from confirmation it will also state things like 'outgoing and friendly not shy or hesitant, free from nervousness and agression'. After all temperament is most important in any breed. They all have a breed club as well. If anyone phoned up our breed secretary asking about the breed or getting a puppy, she would put them in touch with someone in their area. I have often visited homes with my 2 dogs so people who are thinking of getting one can see what they are like up close, ask lots of questions etc. We have a Welfare section. We rehome many, many dogs each year (unfortunately there is the need for this ). Again, all the members do this on a voluntary basis, doing home checks for those wanting a welfare dog, assessing dogs that need to be rehomed. This helps keep them out of the already over worked dog homes and hopefully means that we can spend more time matching the dogs with the homes we have waiting on our books. Cross breeds given fancy names will have none of this and I think its a shame and in the long run is encouraging the further demise of dog breeding.

Just as a point and I don't know why I did it cos I want to weep now. One puppy selling web site has for sale (under cross breeds) Staff-Pei's (Staff x Shar Pei), Sprockers (Cocker x Eng Springer), Bordeauxweiler (Dogue de Bordeaux x Rotty), Cockapoos (Cocker x poodle), all selling for significantly more than your averge 2 breed cross breed. Where will it end .

Just dont do it - I have a labrador who is lovely and has fantastic temperament with the kids but my god shes hard work. Not just the walking and cleaning after the walk, she also has an ear problem that needs daily attention and the whole of downstairs has to be hoovered daily as she constantly moults. Get a cat!

LOL Denny, too late we've already got the dog (she doesn't shed much which is an advantage of having the poodle in the genes), always had cats before but can't have one where we live as the cat would be road kill within minutes. To be honest after having had cats since I was a teenager, now that we have a dog there is just no comparison, Pippin is an amazing companion in a way that no cat ever has been. The way she greets us in the morning and follows us from room to room to snuggle where we sit, she loves to play and walkies are going well. I wouldn't swap her for a cat.

I totally understand Wags and agree with you that there should be more regulating of crossbreeds. The more research I do I feel that Pippin's breeder was good (she had been breeding Labs for 25 years and still breeds Labs but also breeds Labradoodles) but the more I find out the more I realise that some breeders are better. I am a member of a Labradoodle website where there are many excellent breeders who would go to the ends of the earth to make sure their puppies are well looked after. On the website they are actively campaigning to do something about Puppy Farmers and have been known to 'name and shame' specific breeders/farmers in an effort to stop people from buying puppies from them.

I do believe that it is not unreasonable to ask a fee for a crossbred dog from a good breeder and although I don't think Labradoodles should be KC registered there should be more regulation.

hi there, im a vet nurse and i may be able to ofer some insight.
be very careful when choosing any pedigree breed. westies are notorious for bad skin and ears and allergies, cavilears often have heart problems. and we do se many terrier types in for rehoming because they have bacome agressive / destructive ( usually due to lack of exercise) you would be best to look for a crossbreed if its a family pet your after, and im assuming you dont get veterinary treatment for free. they tend to be longer lived and generally healthier.
a westie cross or poodle cross (minimal hair shedding) would be good choices but if you see a puppy you like. phone your local vet and have a chat with a nurse about it, they will be happy to help and will be able to advise you on and breeds or crossbreeds and their suitability for your situation.
hope this helps