Ok. Assuming that I agree to increasing family clamour to get a dog- and I am NOT saying I will mind- what us the best option for a household with 2 cats already in situ? Puppy? Older dog?

[Ormirian]

Any advice please.

I'd prefer to take on a rescue dog but would an older dog be set in it's ways re persecuting cats? Would a puppy learn better by being boxed around the ears a few times?

We have a rescue dog-daughter wanted a puppy but husband & I didn´t.

He´s lovely & the most placid thing.

He´s 5, our cat is 10.

He completely ignores her-she has batted him a couple of times when he has walked by unexpectedly-how very dare he!

But places should know which dogs are used to cats.

I doubt that our two will be the best of friends, but they tolerate each other, & that´s good enough.

If you want rescues in Somerset, have you looked at Holly Hedge? It's in Barrow Gurney, juust outside Bristol. Several of my friends have had dogs from there - and lots of people I meet while out dog walking - and they all speak very highly of it.

Just another point about getting a dog as opposed to a puppy-you know how big it will get

(Unless you can meet puppies parents to get an idea)

Rescue all the way. They might be a bit odd at first, but once they know they're in a safe and better place, they'll love you so much more than a puppy who has known no different. Sister did it and now they're inseparable.
Godd luck

Orm this time 10 days ago, I was where you are: resisting the family clamour.
I gave in!
Am now soon-to-be-proud-owner of the most adorable dog. We went for a puppy (sorry valhalla! ) in the end.
Can't wait for him to arrive!
Go on, you know you want to really.

Clam, I'm sure Val wouldn't want your apologies. She'd want you to consider a rescue dog. As you've managed to locate a pup in ten days, I'd hazard a guess it's not from that rare breed, a reputable breeder. If you've managed to get a pup from a rescue,then brilliant, well done.

Did you get it from a pet shop or somewhere like Epupz? If so, you've been contributing to the ongoing success of puppy farming, where bitches and pups are kept in miserable conditions, have poor health and treated like breeding machines (for the bitches) and as a cash crop for the pups.

clam - why sorry? have you bought from a reputable breeder or rescue? if you have no need to be sorry. if you havent then see the puppy farm thread and know you are contributing to dogs suffering

No-one needs to apologise to me. I'm not god (yet, but I'm working on that one!). Other than that, well, what ScuttleButter said, entirely.

No of course it's not a puppy farm!! Or a pet shop. I've done enough research to know that.
I'm confident that he comes from a breeder who knows what she's doing and he's living with his mum and siblings in a family setting with other dogs/cats and a fair few kids handling him.

Clam, we're concerned because if you've done your research you'll know that good, reputable breeders don't often have litters and they usually have waiting lists. You've managed, in ten days, to allegedly find a good breeder who just happens to have customer ready pups when you rock up.

And one of the tricks that many breeders use is to have a "stooge" family where mum and pups are taken for showing to customers. In this way, gullible customer thinks they are buying from a nice family, stooge gets a few notes cash in hand, and breeder keeps their head down (and the Inland Revenue well away).

If you've managed to do all the right checks and still got yourself a pup in ten days, then you should tell everyone how you did it, and I'll then ask you to solve the Middle East crisis and cure cancer while you're at it, since you are certainly a miracle worker.

Well, I appreciate your concern, scuttlebutter, but it's not necessary in this case. I'm quite capable, thank you.

Now, I have miracles to perform, so I'll be getting on...

oh dear, i have a feeling then clam that you didnt buy from a reputable breeder. you posted that you found a puppy in ten days so why wouldnt you explain how you did that?

"Orm this time 10 days ago, I was where you are: resisting the family clamour.
I gave in!
Am now soon-to-be-proud-owner of the most adorable dog. We went for a puppy (sorry valhalla! ) in the end."

you posted above publicly. could you also explain publicly how this was possible? it may help other people who are looking and as you say you did your research perhaps you could pass on tips to others?

I don't need to explain anything to you chicken. I'm happy with our choice. I repeat: I am certain that there is nothing disreputable about our source.

clam of course you dont have to explain anything to me. i just thought as you stated publicly you found a puppy in ten days that you would be reasonable enough to follow up your statement with an explanation to those of us who are concerned

of course it is your choice if you would rather not do so. i do find your defensive and lack of explanation worrying though.

*defensiveness

What you perceive to be defensiveness is nothing to do with how we came by the dog but probably more down to the fact that I object to people who know nothing about me, making assumptions. "Didn't choose a rescue dog = must be stupid enough to fall for a puppy farm scam."
You have no need to worry.

Congrats on your new puppy but please don't try boxing him round the ears as a training technique for introducing him to the cats or anything else. There are many different training approaches, if you do a bit of research to see which one suits you best you can find a local training club and start puppy classes as soon as vaccinations are complete. Meanwhile make sure your cats always have safe places to get away to when the puppy arrives home.

"Congrats on your new puppy but please don't try boxing him round the ears as a training technique for introducing him to the cats or anything else"

LOL I wasn 't planning to I was assuming the cats would do it without me asking them.

I've found out about some collie x JR pups that were 'accidents' on a farm. Mum and suspected dad can be seen - puppies living with the family. I don't know how I feel about it TBH.

Orm, both JRT and collies are not breeds that I'd recommend to a first time owner. You're going to be looking at a dog that is going to be highly intelligent, full of beans, loads of energy and a very feisty attitude to put it mildly.

If you do take on one of these, you are going to be in for some interesting times

An adult rescue dog would be a much calmer introduction to dog ownership and would require less training/inflict less carnage...

i have a collie x and two jrts. i love them to bits but i agree with what scuttle has said.

i know the individual dog is more important than the breed but both these breeds are more often than not very intelligent and very energetic. if they dont have appropriate stimulation physically and mentally then they can easily get bored and be destructive

I have been under enormous pressure to get a dog for years. I have and will continue to refuse. Have no hope at all that my dd would take it for walks or participate in the training. I work full time so would not be around for the house and other training. I do not want to pick up excrement or mop up urine. Our cat is much loved and has been with us for ten years - he is aggressive with other cats although fine with us. A bouncy puppy would at best irritate him hugely and at worst scare or anger him into retaliation of a painful kind. The sight of a dog walking past the house causes him to fluff out his fur and make yowling noises. With one in the house he would probably leave (and this is a cat who on November 5th lies crashed out on the bed occasionally twitching his ears). Am too involved in teenage psychology to worry about all that being the leader of the pack stuff with a dog!

Orm try looking up Greyhound Rescue West of England and also South West Sighthounds - both in your area.

er.. as she specifically wants a cat-compatible dog, is a rescue grey likely to be the wisest choice? I'm sure some are fine, but I thought the problem was that they are even more likely to chase smaller furries than other dogs, and actually be fast enough to catch a cat.

Collie x JRT sounds like hyperintelligent x hyperactive - I can just visualise high-speed cat-herding

But anyway - I'd have thought a rescue with a known history of being good around cats would be the best bet.

i wouldn't have thought a greyhound would get on with cats tbh, a collie would be too much hard work and aren't terriers snappy and chase cats?most little dogs seem to dislike my cats as they pass the garden.

Some greyhounds (two of our three, for instance) are very keen on chasing cats. However, others have a very low prey drive and this is often why they are early leavers from the racing industry. Cat friendly greys do exist, and some grey owners even have them mixing with rabbits - now that is something I DEFINITELY wouldn't be brave enough to try. Reputable rescues like the ones I mentioned would go through this in detail with any potential adopter and would never place a high prey drive grey in a home with a cat or other small furries.

Bear in mind a rescue could be taking in everything from a bouncy eighteen month old male straight off the track, to an elderly gent (like our third grey) who was a bounce from a home, and is so laid back he practically trips over squirrels when we are out.