Which kind of dog could we get that would be happy with a large garden, instead of frequent walks?

[InternationalFlight]

I don't know if this is an impossible thing.

We live on a road which is a good ten minute walk from any decent countryside - only a very small park nearby, which doesn't allow dogs anyway.

however we have an enormous garden - 100ft+, massive lawn, trees etc. and fully enclosed.

DS1 is desperate for a dog. I promised him one yonks ago, he's almost 6 now. I think it'd do him a lot of good.

Subject to landlord's permission, could we get one that wouldn't reauire constant walks but would be happy running about in our garden? Or would it be unfair?

He'd get a proper walk once a week or maybe up the road once a day if necessary, but not much fun with a toddler in tow and traffic iyswim.

Also we have 2 guinea pigs and a cat to consider.

Any suggestions welcome!

Oh and would probably be a rescue dog as we've no money for a top bred pup. I am dog virgin but do like them.

Driving to walk works, lots of people do it.

I will be honest here though and hope I don't offend you, I don't want to offend but getting a dog is a big thing and should be over rathr than under thought out!

I think you are looking at the whole thing through rose coloured glasses, there is not way to be sure the dog will even like ds, you may find that the dog much prefers the company of ds2 and actually makes things worse between them.

Or you may find that the dog does not like children at all but constantly lays under your feet so you trip over it 20 times a day, it may bark all day at everything that moves, it may have a weak stomach so you come down every morning to sick on the floor...do you see where I am going with this?

Maybe look at thte worse case scenario for a bit and then see if that is a situation you can live with and take it from there?

Wherethewildthingsare - I do supervise almost constantly, already - ds never plays out in the tsreet, as there arent really any other kids around or anywhere to play.,

Dog would be like another child I think, for me. I'm sure he would not treat it as a toy. He's great with the cat now, he took a while but would not hurt her now. He's very sensible (even when being silly!)

Cats don't bite.

Even well meaning but boisterous children can make a dog snap.

Sorry, were! I was reading that book last night.

Bella, I don't expect it to solve anything.

I simply think ds and the right dog would get on well...obviously we'd have to make sure it was the right dog.

I've had loads of cats, fostered many, and they've usually had something wrong with them so I'm not too worried about that. I know pets often need a lot of attention and are not what you expect them to be.

I'd never jump into it without great caution these days as I have plenty of experience of the responsibility side and things going tits up with pets. Like whenever I fostered a new cat, it would almost invariably hide and crap under the bed for several days before deciding to join the household! so I'm definitely not going to be rose tinted about this. I'm planning to imagine the worst case scenario, honestly, that's the only way to approach it, I know.

Thanks for your help though. I'm not sure how I can further reassure you all.

I didn't mean your ds would mistreat the dog in any way, more that you shouldn't think of it as a toy that will tire him out, as KinCanute says the dog may not even like your ds!

We have a dog who is 10 (our oldest ds is 4) and he hates the kids and has to live seperately from them in the kitchen which is often a logistical nightmare to give him enough company and exercise, but I do it because he is my responsibility.

Kids and dogs arn't always a good idea esp. young children.

I see what you're saying Where.

How can I best ensure that the dog will get on with the children? This is what I'd need to do, it would't be a case of 'hmm I fancy that dog, let's see how he gets on' it would have to be a question of several visits and time spent with ds to make sure the dog liked his company.

Sorry it does feel like we are ganging up on you, I would read up as much as possible and get in touch with some rescue places.

I would also read up on specific breeds that may be suitable and then contact specific breed rescues, these dogs are normally kept in home environments until a new home can be found adn often make better pets.

You may have to wait longer than just popping to a local center but you are more likely to get a better pet.

we have a cavalier king charles spaniel - he was bought for dd2 as her second birthday present - what a huge sucess, we have a large , rambling garden and he is very happy on week days to potter/roam around there. he mucks about easily and good naturedly with the children who all adore him and then after 10 mins or so of this he will come in and go to sleep again, he is content to be left while we are at work , in fact he is a right coach potato and sometimes clearly doesn't want a walk when i wafe the lead at him

That is fine Flight, if you are happy you are going into it with the proper care then it is totally fair enough. I just wouldn't feel right if I didn't address my concerns WRT a dog joining a family, it is a bit of a personal high horse

If it helps I would say exactly the same things if we were sat having coffee together IRL, I am just keen for people to go into the right situation with the right animal is all

Please do not take this personally, but I have seen the results when people get a dog and are not fully prepared or do not do it for the right reasons.

When a question like this comes up I always point out the negatives.

One last point - a dog is much more work than a cat. Cats are relatively independent little beings who will amuse themselves. A dog is a highly sociable animal bred as a companion for people.

Right. Gotta go walk my dogs now

Best of luck whatever you do.

IF - some rescue places also let you walk dogs - I sometimes used to take my goddaughter with me and borrow a dog or two and walk it round the nearby park - good for the rescue dogs and fun for the children.

Walking - yes, driving to a walk often the solution - we can walk to the countryside, but with ds and dog its SO much easier nipping out 5mins in the car and getting somewhere where they can both run immediately.

Dogs are not cheap though. You need to buy food and treats (and quantities depend on the type of dog you get), general medication (eg flea treatment) and annual innoculations, as well as factor in insurance so that you don't have problems with large vets bills. You might want to do dog training (and this would be a fantastic thing to get your ds to do with you).

If you go away you will have to find places that take dogs (usually extra charge for a dog) or kennels or a dog sitter - and if you are away during the day you'll need someone to come in and take it for a walk or at least let it out in the garden.

And then there's the car! Covered in hair and mud (OK, the mud's mostly from ds, but the hair is defintely mostly the dogs)

But I wouldn't be without ours

Most rescue places WILL NOT place a rescue dog with a young familly.
Wait until your children are at least 10yrs old then get one.

I can see that you're fairly sensible about this IF, but I think some valid points have been raised. I would disagree with the suggestions that good rescues will not place dogs with children, or that greyhounds are not cat-safe. It is true that some rescues have a no-children policy and true that many greyhounds chase cats. But as I mentioned previously, many rehoming charities, GAL for example, have fostering policies and some of the dogs they rehome will be fine with kids and cats having spent time in family foster homes being assessed on their ability to live with them.

I have a Saluki cross and a Whippet cross and given the chance when out on a walk both will chase and murder anything small, furry and fast, but they live with a cat quite happily and show no interest in him whatsoever. They've got more sense .

dogbreedsearch

We have 2 dachshunds. They are great with small kids (ds1 3 & ds2 1) and wonderful playmates, also very couch-potato as well. Don't like other dogs, seem to prefer people. Can't say on cats or small furry things tho. They don't need much exercise due to small legs, we have a huge garden and it is plenty for them. Due to where we live walking is not an option which was why we got them in the first place. They are not nearly as lively as terriers, in fact quite nesh really. Definitely worth considering if you can find a place that rescues them.

We decided to get a dog when ds1 was 4 and ds2 18mths. We, like most people, liked the idea of a rescue dog and went along to our local centre for advice. Their advice was to get a puppy from a breeder and NOT a rescue dog. With a young family they felt it would be very unlikely a suitable rescue dog would be found for us.
So I researched breeds on the internet and considered the size of our house etc etc and decided on Cavalier King Charles spaniel. Yes she was expensive to buy £450 I think but has been a fantastic family dog. The breeder had children so she was used to children from the word go. We all love her to bits. When she was younger she would chase around our garden with the boys and then curl up and sleep. She is alot calmer now but still loves a good run. She sleeps alot and often we forget she is here she is so good. She does love company, not lots of fuss, just people being around. With regards to walks, we have a reasonably big garden so she has lots of space to run about. We take out everyday but sometimes it is a short walk on the lead just for a sniff about. As often as possible we take her to the fields for a good walk off the lead but I will be honest and say that isn't every single day. Good luck with what ever you decide.

Greyhounds can be fine with other animals. We have a greyhound, a cat, 20 chickens and 2 rabbits. The dog has never chased any of them. Fair enough the rabbits are shut up in a big run and I do think she may be tempted if they were running free round the garden, but they don't run free. The chickens do and she doesn't chase them, not even smaller chicks.

Did anyone actually bother to read what I wrote???

I hate being told off for saying something by people who are saying what I said

KC, you said "A rescue greyhound is a bad idea" and gave the OP's existing pets as justification for this statement. Greyhound rescues are constantly struggling against this misapprehension. Not all, but many greyhounds go to homes with cats.

Your statement was an unfair generalisation.

FWIW I wouldn't let any dog loose with Guinea Pigs!

Cheer up, KC.

Have a laugh at my suggested breeds from the breed selector instead:
Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog

American Bandogge Mastiff

American Cocker Spaniel

American Mastiff
American Mastiff (Panja)

American Staffordshire Terrier

American White Shepherd

Australian Bulldog Banter Bulldogge

Ba-Shar

Belgian Shepherd Groenendael

Belgian Shepherd Laekenois

Belgian Shepherd Malinois

Belgian Mastiff

Belgian Shepherd Tervuren

Bergamasco

Berger des Picard

Bernese Mountain Dog

Black Mouth Cur

Black Russian Terrier

Boerboel

Bogle

Bohemian Shepherd

Bouvier des Flanders

Boxweiler

Bull-Boxer

Bullboxer

Bulldog

Canaan Dog

Canadian Eskimo Dog

Cane Corso Italiano

Canis Panther

Cardigan Welsh Corgi

Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog

Catahoula Bulldog

Chesapeake Bay Retriever

Chinese Chongqing Dog

Chinese Imperial Dog

Corgidor

Czechoslovakian Wolfdog

Dogo Argentino

Dogue Brasileiro

Dogue de Bordeaux

Doodleman Pinscher

Dorset Olde Tyme Bulldogge

Dutch Shepherd Dog

East-European Shepherd

EngAm Bulldog / Olde Bulldog

English Boston-Bulldog

Fila Brasileiro

Giant Schnauzer

Golden Boxer

Great Pyrenees

Hovawart

Irish Staffordshire Bull Terrier

Irish Terrier

Karelian Bear Dog

King Shepherd

Labernese

Maremma Sheepdog

Mastiff

Miniature Bulldog

Mountain Cur

Mountain View Cur

Mudi

Neapolitan Mastiff

Nebolish Mastiff

Norwegian Elkhound

Olde Boston Bulldogge

Olde Victorian Bulldogge

Original English Bulldogge

Ori Pei

Pembroke Welsh Corgi

Plica

Pyrenean Mastiff

Rafeiro do Alentejo

Redbone Coonhound

Roman Rottweiler

Rottle

Rottweiler

Shar-Pei

Shepadoodle

Shiloh Shepherd

Spanish Mastiff

Spanish Water Dog

Staffordshire Bull Terrier

St. Weiler

Swedish Vallhund

Thai Ridgeback

Tibetan Mastiff

Titan Bull-Dogge

Tosa Inu

Valley Bulldog

Victorian Bulldog

Any ideas anyone?

Feck!

Dobermanns aren't on there?

And I'm going to have to swap my lab for a

Rafeiro do Alentejo

(cut and paste there)

Fairmidden, why not read the whole post instead of taking offence at sentence of it and going off on one. "Some can be retrained, some don't even need retraining " Your greyhound would come under the heading of some.

Bella, your suggested breeds are exactly the same as mine, it worries me a little that GSD is not in the list
Although apparantly I am allowed a Bullmation and you are not

I have a yorkie that won't walk for more than a few blocks. However, i wouldn't recommend them for a household with small children (can be easily crunched by kids)

I remember considering the exercise part and King Cavaliers where the second ones in my list. They are very much couch potatoes for most of the day and a good run around with your children around the garden will keep them in good shape.

Ooh Thai Ridgeback

My personal weak spot