Dogs for Boys

[suzywong]

No, not an offer of a swap but some advice please

What, in your opinion, are the top 3 breeds which
a) display most compatability to small boys
b) afford least donkey work and shit kicking for a busy parent (walking excluded, we love a walk)
c) would be content to be kenneled outside most of the year in a warm climate
d) don't live on and on and on to late teens?

TIA

I'm just wondering whether your preference for a short-lived dog miight mean you really don't want one for yourselves, and are only considering it for the kids. If that's the situation perhaps a dog wouldn't be right for you?

well I am planning to have the kids around for a fair few years yet, ds2 is only 4.

damn
I was hoping it would make a good companion ofor the little childfen I send up the chimney and the neighbouring guttersnipes

any one else care to shed some pearls of wisdom?

i did research recently into perfect breed for us (ive never had a dog so i know bugger all about them) and found a few websites where you can key in things like preferences on size, how much exercise, type of coat, shedding, sheep worrying (!) etc... adn it comes up with a list of compatible breeds.

i decided that a Hungarian Wire Haired Wizsla was perfect for us... tho the non-wire haired wizsla looks slightly cuter...

Perhaps you need some small inter-bred lap dog sort of thing, with a high risk of heart disease, and then you could feed it double cream. Actually, that sounds a bit like a cat.

Not sure.

Not sure about warm climate dogs either. Or dogs that like being on their own. Their must be some snooty breeds likely to get heart disease I should have thought.

ahem, before you all call the ghost of Barbara Wodehouse to curse me, I live in Western Australia, not frickin Dundee!. We all spend a LOT of time out doors in the sunshine - remember that - and forgive me if I am wrong but I think dogs are originally out door creatures by nature? Are they not?

Blimey NORA you lot are rabid.

Hmm, Snappy, thanks for the idea but that one looks a tad robust for my short term needs

cor, these dog owners really are a ...um... fervent lot arent they? [makes note to be v careful about talking about dogs]

yes suzy i dont think you sound at all cruel. id like to live outdoors in south australia as it goes. and actually isnt it v v responsible to do the sort of research suzys doing into dog ownership before thinking of buying?

and did you find any of the sites i mentioned? cant remember what any of them were called but i found them through not v extensive googling...

Hi Snappy
well yes, precisely, I could have just walked up to the pet shop and pointed to the cutest one and started to sing that favourite old music hall tune ...." the one with the waggerly taiiiiiiiiiiil"

I had a google too and the same dozen or so greeds keep coming up. I'm liking the temperament of Beagles. But would they be expensive on the fags?

I will watch this thread with interest. I'm not a 'doggy' person (though I love taking my friends' dogs for walks).

My boys would adore a dog, so my criteria would be...

Not too big
Won't bark all night when it's shut downstairs
Won't shred the house to pieces on the 2 days a week it would have to be left home alone
Doesn't smell
Doesn't mind going to kennels
Ok with cat

Suzywong I have considered adopting an older 'rescue' dog on the basis that the rescue people would know that it would be temperamentally suited to our situation. Older dogs are hard to re-home so if you got one that was 5 or 6 already it wouldn't be around for ever.

Well I for one was joking. Am most unfervent, if that helps at all.

I just don't know about dogs for warm climates. I don't know much about dogs.

We have new puppy, a cocker spaniel. Won't do for Suzy as they like/need company and are hairy and so I guess would get too hot? He ticked our boxes, after exhausting research on Mn for about, erm, a day? - because:

medium sized, require walking but can live in a city, very friendly, great with kids, not guard dogs.

I also discovered that there are two strains of dog - working and show. Everyone seems divided on the advantages and disadvantages of each - but seems working are more active, perhaps more intelligent? and like and require jobs to do.

Now someone will come along and say 'No, that's not true.'

Lol at the Beagles' expensive ciggie habit. But their smoking would help make sure they don't hang around into their teens

(Seriously, I didn't think you were being at all harsh in your dog-selection criteria. I just know that having a dog when you yourself aren't really keen can be a real drain -- and not ideal for the dog.

ahundredtimes,

what do you mean 2 strains????

do you mean the breed groups:

terrier
working
gundog
patoral
toy
utility
hound

or.....did u mean that there are 2 types of pet:

show
family

in which case show dogs can be family dogs, and if you didnt mean that, i am now worried!!!!

A dingo?
On second thoughts,
a) could abduct fragrant boys to bush
b)probably easy to keep - hardy critters
c) outside not a problem
d) Usually shot by farmers, so wouldn't live too long.

What about one of those Australian sheepdogs, usually seen on Skippy and called 'Blue'?

I mean a cattle dog - a Blue Heeler?
Not v good pets I reckon.

I would get something beagle-ish sized. Too small not good with kids. Too big - hard work for you.

Oh dear hertsnessex - I'm not sure what I mean.

When I spoke to various spaniel breeder people to find a puppy, they kept saying 'he's working strain' or 'she's show strain.'

Depending on who I was talking to they would say: 'working strain are easier to train, will always come back when called, more interesting' (that was a working strain breeder), then the show strain breeder would say 'you don't want a working strain dog, they want jobs, need to be outside a lot of the time, if you live in a city and want a dog for the children and to walk twice a day - get show strain.'

I've had this puppy for nearly two weeks now. I don't really know what I'm talking about except that this puppy has very long ears and squashy paws and is very nice and not too mental. Dim but beautiful I suspect. (show strain).

there are 2 strains of cocker spaniel - working and show. Working cockers look like small springers, show cockers have longer ears and a longer coat.

we had a working cocker - he was a great pet

some goodpic illustrating the difference here

The beagle will teach the kids to smoke. It'll also be chasing bunny rabbits between puffs.

How about sponsoring an animal at the zoo?

i really wish i had a dog to chase rabbits round my way. millions of the little buggers we have. overrun we are. they breed like, er, rabbits you know. young shoots havnt a chance in my garden. even youngish trees have to be guarded. my veg patch is like fort knox. we need a dog. (dp really really doesnt want a dog).

ahundredtimes,

ive got you now - you were talknig spaniel specific, in which case i would agree with the 'dont get a working dog'.....unless you want it to wrk/havev lots of outdoor space etc....with a show bred dog, make sure the pedigree goes back the 5 generations, check for interbreeding and kc reg, see at least the mum. which i am sure you have.

enjoy your puppy!

cx

(buying a bullmastiff pup next month!)

100x
Had to laugh at last post from hertsnessex

Beagles won't trouble you with living long - they are very prone to tumours etc, which is why they made such good subjects for experiments