I’d like to get a puppy advice please

[Cherryblossom200]

Hello!

I’ve been thinking of getting a dog for a number of years, I’m a full time single parent with one almost 11 year old daughter. I wanted to wait until my daughter was older until we considered getting a dog.

My daughter has adhd (not the hyperactive type) and gets anxious sometimes. She’s a huge animal lover, we have two cats which she adores. She has a natural affinity with dogs. I’ve always thought about getting a dog as I think it would be great company for her especially in her transition to secondary school. Recently I’ve found it quite lonely being on my own, my daughter struggles socially in crowded areas. So I’ve decided we need a lifestyle change, something to keep us company and to do things like long walks.

We would give it a loving home which isn’t too hectic. I walk everywhere so exercise isn’t an issue.

I feel it would be better to get a puppy as we have our cats and that way it would be trained the way we live. I would consider a rescue but as a first time dog owner I don’t have the experience to deal with a dog which has issues. Also we would need a doodle cross like a Cavapoo as my daughter tends to be allergic to certain breeds.

I’ve been doing lots of research as its something I want to take my time with, but I’m seeing horror stories about puppies in the first year or so 🫣 It’s scared me!! Not being able to leave the room without them crying etc. Is it that bad?

I’m completely open to advice as I want to get it right.

Thank you x

Dogs are the best 🥰

Our pug was an incredibly easy puppy and is the most ideal doggy companion who you can do anything with - long walks or cosy nights in, travel around Europe, pub lunches etc. - and he just wants to cuddle on your lap when at home and he adores kids. 😍

His only flaw... he absolutely HATES cats 😂

This is basically what we would be doing with our dog, the life I see is for our dog to do most things with us.

We go camping and a lot of the sites we visit allow dogs. so holidays wouldn’t be an issue.

My oldest had really bad anxiety and the dog is a huge help to him and all of us. She is a shihtzu chihuahua cross. We got her from a family with lots of children similar age to ours. She was 9 weeks when we got her. She had been used to lots of noise and isn’t phased at all. we were firm with bedtimes. We put her in a pop up crate for bedtimes and left her with a blanket that smelled like her mum.

Did they sleep through the night? Sounds like I need to find a home where they have grown up in a family environment.

I don’t understand how fostering works? Could I foster a puppy with the view of keeping it?!

Just read a few more responses. I’ve always had dogs literally from birth and I’m probably a bit old school I guess because of that. But you can do stuff. If I want to go to the cinema I will, my dogs will sleep on the sofa, probably do a few rounds of trying to find food to steal but that’s it. You can leave dogs for a bit. Obviously get them used to it or they’ll get separation anxiety.

I have two labs and they’re more than capable of being left for a bit without being traumatised. They’re chilled out happy dogs.

Mind you breed comes into it, rather than going by looks go for breed characteristics.

You don’t need a poodle cross. Crosses can come with all sorts of health issues, as they aren’t ethically bred.

The information that you need a poodle cross due to allergies isn’t correct. A poodle doesn’t shed and has hair rather than fur, so this breed tends towards being more hypoallergenic. If a poodle is crossed with say a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, then the puppies could be more Cavalier and therefore more likely to cause allergies. The same goes for cocker spaniel Labradors, Golden Retrievers etc.

Get a miniature poodle. They are great dogs in every respect. However, you still need to research breeders and visit some breeders. Any ethical breeder is only too happy to see people looking for puppies.

Always choose a puppy born into a home environment. Make sure you see the puppies with their mother.

what sort of breed do you recommend please?

I don’t want a massive dog, that would be too much for us. Ideally I’d like a small to medium sized dog. A dog which enjoys walks is important as I’m active, but also a dog which enjoys cuddles and is chilled 🤣

Your description matches a miniature poodle exactly!

What about just getting a dog which is a mongrel from the a rescue? One with a mix of breeds?! Honestly I don’t mind as long as they fit in with our lifestyle, but ideally I’d like a healthier type of dog breed.

Thank you x

What sort of traits would you hate or struggle with in a dog?

Often it's easier to eliminate breeds because lots of breeds share "nice traits" but can be seperated out based on tendencies to bad things

It sounds like you'd need low prey drive (which might eliminate terriers for example)

What type of grooming are you happy with?

Do you need a breed thats reliable with other dogs if you are taking it to work?

What level of noise, barking and guarding can you tolerate?

What is the dog expected to do at work? Eg are they allowed to give a bark when people come in? Wander round? Greet visitors and be playful or are they expected to be fairly sedate and on their bed 90% of the time. It sounds like you might be looking for a very strong off switch which might lead you away from spaniel crosses

There's no "bad breeds" because what we all want in a breed is different, my hyperactive could be your playful, my cuddly could be your separation anxiety prone needy mess.

No dog is just a mongrel. They all have dog types in them (like terrier, mastiff etc) and some of those types will dominate their character more than others. It is important to get the right type of dog for your family.

Also the size of the dog is irrelevent if you plan to train it properly. You only need a small dog if you plan to allow your dog to pull on the lead or attack people and animals.

Poodles are generally very healthy dogs. Miniatures have a lifespan of up to 15 years.

Don’t be put off by the stupid haircuts. You can have a poodle cut the same all over and then you have a perfectly normal looking dog.

i’ve had dogs all my life. I’m on my first poodle. As a puppy she was so easy. I dreaded the puppy phase but she settled straight away. She came virtually housetrained from the breeder. She never chewed anything. She’s been absolutely brilliant. She looks at me as if to say ‘just tell me what you want me to do and I’ll do it’.

I’m looking for a dog which isn’t too barkey, that would drive me utterly mad. I’m sure I’m ND too (aren’t we all 🤣) so a dog which is too noisy would do my head in.

I think realistically it would need to be a dog which has a good off button, which does it walk to work with me and then sleeps in his/her bed until 2.30 when I leave to collect my DD. I don’t work long in the office which is good.

I might look at work full time from home, this is something I’m considering.

I don’t mind doing a bit of grooming, I definitely don’t want a long haired dog though. I likes the short Curley hair teddy bear type cavapoos. But no idea what their grooming is like.

You can have a poodle cut however you want. Many people ask me whether my poodle is a cockapoo or a cavapoo!

Do you have a photo 😊

Thanks for everyone’s help xx

We have 2 young pedigree dogs. About a year between them and we got each one at 8 weeks.

I can’t really relate to posters saying the nights are hard. Both of ours could go overnight from 8 weeks without needing to go out. Perhaps we were lucky there. We don’t use crates and our ground floor is largely open plan. Some people would say this isn’t ideal, but again, it’s not been an issue. The younger one was a bit of a minx, but he’s 8 months now and seems to have matured.

We got a poodle mix puppy for the same reasons you quoted. Unfortunately, he grew up to have a very strong prey drive. One of my cats disappeared (I’m sure he was so fed up, he went off in search of a new home) and my dog now has to be closely managed with the remaining cat. It’s so difficult, as they’re both my responsibility and I want them both to be happy.

Given my time again, I’d foster then adopt to ensure all the animals could live together peacefully!

Ah, I often caution against on 'should I get a puppy?' threads because invariably the set-up sounds wrong, or the motivation, or the expectation, but I think your reasons are pretty sound and your expectations realistic.

Your DD sounds like mine and the regulation thing and smaller trips really resonated. That is exactly the role our dog fills in the busy times. I would say our dog really is my DD's heartbeat.

We have a whippet who never barks and ticks most of your wish-list, but cats could be tricky, so that might not be the breed for you.

If you do go ahead, come back here - or the puppy threads - for advice and we can talk you through the early days!

Poodle puppies are adorable.

Hi OP! Just wanted to say we have a poodle puppy and she is not easy by any means every puppy is different, like any human. We have DNA tested our poodle and she’s prone to separation anxiety so we’re helping her to ‘train it out’. I would echo everyone’s don’t get a doodle cross, you indeed don’t know what you’re getting. Could be brilliant, could be an absolute nightmare. If I was to get another dog I would consider a whippet. Timid indoors, happy with walks, relatively small, easy going & not as barky as poodles, easy to clean 😊

I think I’m going to join a few rescue centres and see if they can help us find the right dog. I’m happy to take my time with this to get it right 😊 so happy I came here. I’m not put off but feel like overwhelmed by it all now!

Doodles have a tendency to be high strung and have stress type issues. They are not the ‘fit and forget’ easy dog they are often made out to be. Puppies are hard work, and if you don’t put in the work in the first 12-18 months you’ll end up with a high needs reactive dog with separation anxiety. Do lots of breed research, watch the videos from Southend Dog Training etc and get to grips with what a dog really needs, don’t just believe the breeders. Find a rehoming centre and have a chat with them. Go and meet the dogs they have available and see how you gel with them, and assess your daughter’s allergic responses. A good rehoming centre will match you with a dog that suits your family and lifestyle, and not just try to ‘sell’ you what they have. There are so many dogs that get surrendered because of completely no-fault reasons, from puppies to seniors, please don’t assume ‘rescue = problem dog’

This is a huge decision, but could be amazing for you and your daughter, as well as the dog that comes to live with you.

You wont know what you're getting. It could turn out to have a high prey drive. I brought my current pup into a home with two 12 year old cats, so it was essential for me to choose a breed with low prey drive. Some small breeds have a multitude of health problems so it is essential that you do your research beforehand, but the idea that mongrels are healthier than purebred dogs is a myth.