Talk to me about dogs - Ds (4) is longing for one

[Columbia]

...heck, he is one...

I have been promising it for years now. We might be about to move to a dog-friendly house, well it is near a big field and they might be talked into letting us keep a dog (renting) and I realise now I know nothing about them at all.

I was thinking rescue centre, but is that Ok, someone told me once you need to get a well'bred puppy not a mysterious older dog who might suddenly freak or snap at your children?

I would be so grateful if anyone can talk me through the basics with this. What breed to get and what to look out for when choosing one (especially second hand )

I love some dogs but not little yappy ones. Big silly ones, yes. But Ds will be walking it... so it has to be weaker than him!

Thanks so much x

Oh and seeing the burglary thread, I would love to know hwow to have a child-friendly/burglar unfriendly combo!

Well firstly, ds will be walking it for all of 1 week probably and the first time he pulls him over or its freezing cold and raining, that will be it.

Dogs IMO are like having another child. They are a huge responsibilty and take alot of looking after.

You have to consider costs of vets bills, insurance and food. Not cheap.

Rescue Centres assess dogs before they are rehomed so there will some dogs that they deem as suitable to live with children and others that are not.

But you could also do some research into breeds and get the right dog for you.

I think of you got any intruder into your house, your dog would let you know.

My dogs (Beagle and Chihuahua) are very people friendly but if they see or hear someone come in they make a real bloody racket!

In fact last year, 2 men tried our front and back doors and at the time we just had the Beagle. He barked and growled and woke me upat the time.

Thanks Nbg, that is good stuff. I can't imagine Ds ever giving up, he loves being dragged through mud etc. see I told you he was a dog himself! But I will have to supervise obv. till he's old enough to go out alone.
I'm glad the centres assess their dogs. I think Ds gets lonely really, his brother is only 6 months and not much fun yet.

I have cat insurance, dog is more, no? Do you have to have all the usual flea stuff and all that as well? Is food very dear?

Not sure I am ready for third child

at the burglar thing. Beagles are lovely - my grandparents had a couple who were rescued from a research lab. They were gorgeous if loud. I still remember the smell of damp dog, curling up in their basket with them after a walk

Dog insurance is more yes and it also depends on breed types and age. Alot of companies dont insure older dogs and certain breeds.
We pay just under £30 for both dogs and they are both pedigree. Thats with M&S and we dont have to pay excess. I would really recommend them.
The Beagle has just been diagnosed with a skin condition and needs treatment for life now but luckily the insurance are paying out.

You will have to pay for boosters, worming and flea things yourself though.

Food depends. Alot of people tend to feed their dogs on whatever they were given from a puppy or at the rescue centre.
We actually buy a big 2kg bag (i think it is) from a farm. Its dried food but lasts us well over a month and costs £8

I know alot of people go on about rehoming Greyhounds from race tracks.
They are meant to be very kind dogs and not too big or small.

Avoid tereiers as they can be a bit hit and miss with children, my parenst have labradors and DD just wades through them (there is a labrador rescue group) we have a rescue pointer who is fab=ntastic with kids, parents labradors esp one very loud when someone comes to door.

You may be scuppered regarding rescue centres. When we wanted a dog we approached the local RSPCA branch, and the local BATTERSEA Dogs Home branch. Ds was 5, dd was 2. Both places said they would not rehome a dog to a family with a child under 5. (Once place even said they preferred the youngest child to be 8)

So we ended up getting a Cocker Spaniel puppy. We researched our fave breeds, then approached local breeders and spoke at length about our requirements/circumstance/wishes. Some breeders turned us down as dd was so young.

Finally we found a breeder who after she had met us was happy to put us on a waiting list for a puppy. 4 months later one of her dogs had puppies, and when these were 2 months old we were allowed to choose one. She had earmarked the most laid-back ones from the litter so as to suit our still young dd.

Dillon has now been with us nearly 2 and a half years. He is fantastic. He is a chocolate brown cocker spaniel and looks just like a brown bear. He is currently curled up on the sofa with ds watching tv. He is very bouncy and loves attention (like all spaniels) but his breed is keen to please so relatively easy to train. (Dill does have a lovely stubborn streak though

The novelty has not worn off with the children. Ds is now 8 and dd nearly 5. They take it in turns to feed Dill and brush him. They like running around in the garden with him and throwing a ball for him. Walks in the local woods are great fun, the dc love getting muddy as much as Dill does!

Yes it is hard work, the never ending trail of muddy pawprints, the twigs and leaves he brings in, the half-chewed tennis balls scattered throughout the house, the remnants of chewed up post and newspapers, the non-stop poop scooping both when out and in the garden, the dog hairs in the fridge, on the sofa, on the bed etc.
But it is also lovely. The dc love their dog so much, they have a real bond. I love the fact Dill is always up for a snuggle, and when I am stressed or in a bad mood then taking him for a walk is a sure fire way of making me feel better. I love the way he tries to snuggle under the duvet if I try to have a lie-in (he only attempts this once dh has got out of bed), and he makes us mad with his daft antics, from trying to chase butterflies round the garden to trying to retrieve his tennis ball from under the sofa. It is just like having a clumsy, hairy, 4-legged toddler in the house. Great fun!!

sigh, he does not make us mad with his daft antics, he makes us laugh

Hippopot, we get all that already with Ds1 especially the twigs and chewed tennis balls...

Thanks for sharing, he sounds lovely! I thought about greyhounds but am very confused about the whole political aspect, seeing as I think it's wrong to breed them for racing...of course the ones already redundant do need homes but I wish they would stop doing it Lovely looking dog though. I shall look into it.

That is very helpful about insurance. Sounds a bit like cat version but more dosh!

Quite liking our potential dog already.

Greyhounds can make lovely pets, and are actually quite lazy! They certainly don't need any more walking than your average dog, at the very least. They can seem a bit stand-offish and aloof to some people as they are not your average gushing, eager-to-please type dogs - they're pretty laid back!

Awww...I saw a Scottish Deerhound in town the other day. That was beautiful. Hugeeee but beautiful

My BIL and SIL have 4 dogs one of which is a greyhound but shes a bit hairier

And I can honestly say out of all their dogs and both ours, she is the best.
Shes very quiet but likes a cuddle, is very friendly, very well behaved and just an all round gorgeous animal.

Setters are great family dogs, we have 2 - a Gordon Setter, 2 years old, and an Irish Setter, 4months old and they are both pretty good with DS 15 months old, and DDs of 12 and 10.

They're big and gentle, if a bit bouncy! They need about 1hr - 1.5hours of exercise a day. I doubt they'd be particularly fierce if a burglar were to break in, but they certainly bark loudly and I doubt anyone hearing them would fancy their chances!

Personally I wouldn't get a rescue dog with a small child, as you really don't know the background - if you want to go that route you'd probably be best waiting a couple of years.

Getting a dog is like having another child (and we did dog first as child practice [ IYSWIM). That being said please get an Irish Terrier, they are great..and don't moult...

Consider what would happen if you had to move house? It is all very well being allowed one in this rented house, but it will severely limit your housing choice in the future - or the sad consideration of having to rehome?

Getting a dog sounds like a great idea especially if your child is enthusiastic about looking after him etc.

Greyhounds really do make excellent pets, they are calm and well socialised with other dogs and people, another bonus is they are trained to walk calmly on the lead and I have never seen one pulling so should be easy for a small person to handle!

They are also usually very gentle and affectionate, and another bonus is they shed very little and don't require much grooming.

Even if you have a cat, there are a good few greyhounds that are alright with cats.

another breed that are good with children (and there are always tons of them looking for homes!) are staffies and staffie mixes. (there are usually a lot of staffie x lab or staffie x collies around) they are such sweeties, the only thing is they can be quite strong and do have a tendency to pull on the lead, they are only small in stature but are quite muscular so I'm not sure how easy they would be to walk, but I'm sure you could find one that was fine on a lead, it all depends on the individual dog really.

collies are also very nice pets, they are highly intelligent and very energetic, perfect if your willing to do plenty of exercise and devote lots of time to playing and training.