Im still in a quandry about the whole rescue v puppy choice for us. Oh, what to do!

[crossedwires]

I have submitted an app for a failed guide dog but I still would dearly love a puppy. I know that the puppy stage is very difficult and that it is very trying, tiring, overwhelming etc. but I cannot decide once and for all what route to take. I would consider a rescue dog (prefer retriever breeds above all others which is why I have gone Guide Dog organisation route). Pro's/cons please. Driving myself (and everyone around me) barmey with my indecision!

The thing is, the more you ask, the more people will chip in.

And everyone has got a different opinion, and none of them are wrong.

I would choose a puppy every time because of what I want from my dogs, and what I want to do with them. I choose my puppies after carefully following their lines for a few generations and watching what sort of pups and litters their parents throw.

I can clearly see not only inherited physical attributes, but also inherited behaviours and characteristics. It's obvious really, but that is the point of a pedigree; to help a buyer get a fair idea of exactly what they're going to end up with.

The way they are cared for in the first precious 8 weeks of their lives makes a mammoth impact on the puppy you eventually take home, so the attitude and set up of the breeder is more important than I can say.

Do what you feel in the depths of your heart is right for you and your family. That's the only way you'll ever be happy with your decision.

WE felt we didnt want to go through the puppy stage again, so the last three dogs we have had, have all been rescues, past the stroppy teenage stage, probably about two years old. We did bring a second rescue home to be a companion for our other rescue, but he was at the horrible teenage stage, humped everything in sight, chewed on our other dogs ears, chewed everything else in the house, so he was unfortunately returned to the rescue after 24 hours. His replacement was a calmer, sweeter natured lass, the two girls get on famously, we ve had them about six months.

In the meantime, my friends have got a puppy. Urgh !! I remember now why we didnt want one! It nips your ankles, wrists, elbows if you are sitting down, chews everything in the house, spends hours in the garden being told to 'go' then comes straight back in and wees and poos on the floor. They cant go out for more than an hour, else they come back to something destroyed. Whines when you are out of sight - it really made me glad I could go home to my older girls. The children in this house are all teenage, but they find it very wearing despite loving it to pieces, but I dont know how a younger child could cope with this, or a parent having a demanding child, and a demanding dog as well to cope with.

But this is just my opinion, everyone s experience is always very different.

what daisy said

there really are a mixture of views on here which I so appreciate. I do feel inclined towards the puppy option currently,but am going to trawl over these messages again and look at other puppy threads. There was somone on here who got a puppy about 2 months ago or so, a yellow lab, I might find her thread and another who was getting a pup about now. I'll try and find them and get their take on it. I really do think I can do the puppy thing. I don't quite know what is making me falter. Too much reading on MN I think!

And thank you NETCURTAINS :-))

well... he is an absolutely adorable dog, who had his teething and teenage phases, he is also incredibly clever and very creative (from emptying the washer, sleeping on the fridge, removing the wall paper, munching around everything which is normal but got a bit dangerous when he took a liking for electric cables and the medicine cabinet under the basin. I was even asked to go and remove him from an ambulance that had come to pick up one of the neighbours ) but they were mainly sorted by the time we got the second, but the main problem was that when we got the first one I was at home all day. We got the second to keep him some company once I started working part time, so i thought I wouldn't be able to keep the second one out of trouble if it was as active as the first and I was not at home as much as before, so we decided to go with the theory and go for an adult one.

In our case, the theory didn't work, our rescue dog came with many behavioural problems, that took many years to resolve. We have 2 lovely dogs now, very obedient and well behaved, but it took a while to get there.

Pedigree! he sounds amazing, What breed is he? I really did laugh at the having to remove him from an ambulance bit . What a character . How long would you say the difficult puppy stage lasted?

Your welcome :)

I spent months making the decision. You want a dog, just go for it...so long as you are physically prepared you will cope. Mentally you may lose it a little :) I love both of mine. You know you should really get two. My first drove me so mental on a night attacking me, and she was so overjoyed (pulled like buggery) when she saw another dog, we got the 2nd dog as a friend. Now she mithers him on a night instead of me :) But they adore each other, its lovely to see.

Or have you considered fostering a rescue dog to get a taste of what to expect and experience of dealing with different dogs, and what you want in a dog? Obviously hard with children to let go but could end up the right dog for you :) you could see it as the dog having a holiday rather than a dog who needs a home...

However I will stop pushing rescues...its a personal thing and about a year ago last month I got a pedigree so totally understand wanting a puppy with a known background and sound temperament etc.

Anyhow, make sure you enjoy the anticipation of getting a puppy/dog...its a lovely feeling, even better when you get puppy/dog :) (did I mention my first dog eats walls?) (and my second one eats literally anything, I could put down a bowl of broken children toys and beads and he would wolf it down and ask for seconds...)

I have currently a 10 week old Lab. I know from my last darling girl that I am in for real hard work over the next couple of years. Massive commitment and that the children will alternate between love and hate.

But already, I can see the dog she can be. And she's worth it.

I think you need to ask yourself why you don't want a puppy. It could be your being so sensible about this you deprive yourself of a pleasure you really want. Whatever decision you make it sounds like you are prepared to put the work in

Although our dog was a rescue, he was only 10 1/2 weeks old when we brought him home. He was born in an Irish pound.

He is a Springer Spaniel, but aswell as his litter, the rescue had other puppies. We almost had a black lab or poss lab cross girl pup which the rescue thought might have been a better fit for us.

He was a very calm puppy, did not nip at all or chew much, so we were really lucky. He was house trained quickly, so not many accidents outdoors.

I still found it hard work though because of the sleepless nights (until 6 months or so, he woke at 3-4am every morning) and the attention he needed. It honestly was like having another baby.

To add another positive puppy story...

We had a lovely time with our puppy, I really don't see what the big deal is. People compare it to having a one year old with no nappy, and there are aspects of it that are like that, but it's not that bad!

Our puppy came to us when the weather was nice so it was easy to reinforce weeing outside, and there were never enough accidents inside to make me think it was hard work. Doing the training was fun, we went to puppy classes which the dc enjoyed a lot, and you just train when you are having the sort of fun you would expect to have with a new puppy. Don't be put off, just choose the right breed from the right place.

Our two were rescues. DDog1 was 12 months and an absolute joy. Given up because his family "had a baby". He was house-trained, easily obiedience trained and really, really easy. He had some issues with separation anxiety (a breed trait, he is a whippet), which crate training helped sort out, but apart rfom that, he is wonderful.

If he was not so good, we would never have entertained the idea of DDog2. She is also a rescue, was approx. 6 years old when we got her. she readily submitted to DDog1 as the alpha-dog in their pack of 2. She was also house-trained and since she came along, DDog1's separation anxiety has been resolved.

Both are wonderful, wonderful dogs. We have two ds's. One is 7, the other is 4. Both dogs are gentle and loving with both.

We have a puppy and he is wonderful... he is sometimes exasperating and silly, and the play biting is quite wearing at the moment.( I have no buttons left on my dressing gown) However,the housetraining took no more than about 4 weeks and the whole family love him to bits.

TBH he is our first dog as a family, and even though we are quite outdoorsy anyway, it is taking more of an effort then I thought it would to make sure he isnt on his own too much, but that would be the same with a dog of any age.

Adult rescue for us as I knew I couldn´t be arsed with the puppy stage .

We also have a 10yr old cat & wanted her to be left alone.

I think I have decided! Love these stories about dogs antics. No buttons on yoru dressing gown wizzler - really funny (at least it is for me...). Yes, the leaving dog alone thing. I'll have to go out shipping and taking children to school etc. But I would imagine alldogs have to put up with that anyways so I think dog will just have to get used to that......won't he/she? Do you crate your dog wizzler?

shopping, not shipping

I think sometimes having a puppy can get you into good habits for not leaving them to long when they are adults too. Particularly if you have children - its a helpful learning curve

Our puppy had a crate until he was a year old. He loved that crate! But we got rid of it after he had stayed with my Mum for two nights as we were away, as the person we had borrowed it from needed it back for her new puppy, so it worked out well.

Worrying about leaving them alone can be a pain in the butt sometimes, but I'm lucky that my Mum and her husband love looking after the dog, so we take him there if we want days out. Other than that it just means that I have to be mindfull not to go shopping for too long or whatever, but you get used to that.

Getting a puppy or a rescue aren't mutually exclusive, you can get a puppy and a rescue at the same time, although you are unlikely to find a purebred puppy in rescue, unless it is an older puppy.

Our breed rescue (Golden Retrievers) is run by the breed club and sometimes they will know of puppies that have been returned to the breeders or know of older puppies that breeders may have kept with the intention of showing them, often along with a littermate, but one didn't turn out to be good enough quality for the showring or isn't inclined to be shown. These older puppies are usually very well socialised as they will have been used to crowds/other dogs and ringcraft, so they will have been taught to stand still and be felt over by people, have their mouths checked etc, which is really useful when you need to see the vet. They don't come available that often though, so you'd need to wait.

I find puppies exceptionally easy. We never get things chewed, we never have any accidents in the house, training is fun/a doddle etc. However, most people do find them quite challenging, at least at times, you only need to read through the threads on here asking for help/advice to see that. Some people maybe make things harder for themselves than they have to though. I do think it's sensible if you decide on a puppy to prepare yourselves for every eventuality though.

If you do decide on a puppy, do find a breeder via the breed club and not the KC site or adverts on the internet. Expect to have to go on a waiting list and also check that the puppy will either be raised indoors or have time in the house every day and be well socialised by the breeder, as you want a family pet that is used to a home environment.

You will probably find the most difficult thing about a puppy will be your DC. To train a puppy your DC need to be under control and know how to behave when the puppy nips/jumps up etc. If you don't make sur eyour DC know how to behave around the puppy, it will be difficult to sort out normal puppy behaviours like nipping, jumping up, stealing toys etc.

I'm in the rescue camp. There are so many dogs that need a home, it's so sad, that's what swung it for me. And the money! We got ours when he was 7 months, he's been a total joy. Lovely and gentle with the children and he was already house trained and sleeps all night. I'm really happy we did it this way. Good luck with what you decide and enjoy!

Crossedwires.. we crated the lovely Rafa for the first few weeks ( as per the advice from Mumsnet) and it worked really well. The crate is still in the kitchen and he uses it sometimes, but now we leave him in the kitchen overnight and he sleeps in a basket.

We do crate him while we are eating ( mainly as the DC try to engage him in antics if we don't), but he doesn't seem to mind it at all.

I used the Gwen Bailey book, as recommended by MN... I cannot hand on heart say he is obedient, or sensible, but he is family now and we adore him

We got our puppy through a rescue place nearly three weeks ago now. She's been pretty much wholly delightful. Never cried at night, and has just been ridiculously grateful to find herself with her Own People to love, despite her young age (she was dumped as a very young puppy, about six weeks, so apart from a fortnight or so at her foster home hasn't had anyone to call her own).

She's a bit nippy when she gets over excited, but the children- even the three year old- are excellent at doing a yelp, then standing up, facing the other way, and blanking her for a couple of seconds.

The three year old does a good line in 'Stand like a tree!' when the pup is getting too bouncy and enthusiastic, too.

In the last two-and-a-bit weeks she's learnt to sit, and toilet in the garden on command (mostly).

We're taking her camping this week! Eek!

marmiteand honey, your puppy sounds adorable. what variety is she . She sounds liek she has learned a lot in a short time. I am really looking forward to training sessions. Have you found it difficult marmite? Sound slike you are training your dc's as well as your puppy. Wise indeed!

She's a kind of border terrierish Dog Surprise . We're looking forward to seeing what she looks more like as she grows older!

Told her off this evening though. We were playing in the garden in the rain (our five year old was organising Club Games, and we nobly joined in), and BetsyPup kept running to the back door and whimpering to be let in. I did try to tell her that she's got a border terrier coat (she has) and it's waterproof so she shouldn't be so much of a wimp!

Second the crate, for a life time. I remember one of the trainers mentioned about putting the dogs in the crate if I went out for short periods. I never realised how very right she was until the vet took 14 pieces of plastic, including the feet of an astronaut, half a space dog, and a cat's ball that had apparently been there for a long time (she is the size of a Chihuahua, I cannot even figure out how did she swallow all that). All at the surprising cost of £1800 so... remember, you need two things: a crate and pet insurance.

hahahaha Pedigree! What an expensive diet! I shall make sure I continue the insurance as offered by the breeder