Help me to chose a dog for my daughter.

[complexo]

I am thinking about buying a puppy for my daughter as a 6th birthday present and I would like some opinions on it please as last time I had pets I was a child myself.

*I am thinking Yorkshire Terrier or Chihuawa (I know it does not spell this way...) but I am open to suggestions.
*I am thinking a female dog because my daughter already have the dog's name in mind
*We live in a small 2 bedroom flat and ideally the dog would poo and pee inside the flat on a tray or something (yes like a cat) if possible (I don't know if it is possible or not because I had a garden when I had a dog 100 years ago so sorry if it is a silly suggestion)

• We are a family of 3

I think this is it, if I remember more, I will post.
TIA

My DH and I lived in a flat and had a huge German Shepherd in there with us. I really have no idea how we (he) managed but we did. We were between homes at the time. We took our dog out twice a day but he also spent a lot of time cooped up and he survived...He was absolutely the right (rescue) dog for us and lived out his days in an idyllic rural setting when we moved to our current home with garden.

Our neighbours have a similar set-up housewise but stand on the doorstep with it on a lead while it goes and has a poo

Just because you live in a flat doesn't mean a dog can't have a nice life with you. I would challenge anyone who knows us to say our dog was better off in kennels!

Stupid question but does your daughter WANT a dog? I mean has she actually said it?

Yes she does and she is always asking.
I had dogs, cats, chicken, turtles as a child and big houses and gardens (not in this country) so I really feel she is missing a lot.
I love the guinea pig idea, I had a book about a guinea pig pet being this child's best friend I remember now....so I maybe should get a guinea pig and the book...
Another ridiculous question than, how does a 6 year old play interact with guinea pigs?

Sorry confused aren't Parisians flat dwelling dog lover's. Maybe you need to go Mamannet

It's a long time since I looked after a guinea pig, but they nice and cuddly and it's fun to watch them run around.

I am doing my research on guinea pigs, thanks, but we really would love a dog to play, run with, walk in the common ...

I've had dogs in flats as long as they're walked properly it's not an issue - but they need outside to go to the toilet

culturenulcher believe me the crufts judging panel would not walk away alive from the doghouse

Complexo people do have dogs in flats but it will be a lot of work. I don't think you would want a dog to use a litter tray in the house it would be very smelly/difficult to live with. So you would need to have a lot of trips outdoors just for wee and poo etc. I am generalising but little dogs can be harder to house train so to start with this will be a pretty full on job. That may or may not worry you at all.

Having a new dog in a flat can cause problems with neighbours eg settling in new dogs they can whine, bark etc and that can of course be harder if you are disturbing people around you.

The reason it is not a great idea to get for a birthday is that often the person is not involved in the decision making and it may just be a bit of a fad. Also buying a healthy dog from a legimate breeder or rescue takes a lot of research so you would be very very very lucky to tie it in with the birthday date. Good breeders will have a waiting list and a good rescue would want to match you up with the correct dog rather than date it was available.

You may decide a dog is the way to go - talk to rescues to get their advice, talk to as many people as you can with the breed of dogs you are interested in.

I had my dogs with me in a flat when I was at Uni and it was ok but did mean however late I partied I had to be up at 6.00 for their wee and poos etc so you will need to consider the extra time you will have to give to the dog if you keep it in area with no outside. It is harder for you.

Another animal to consider is a house rabbit - they can be left to free roam in the house, great fun can be clicker trained and even do agility! They are very clean animals and love human company.

SnoopyKnine thank you so much for your helpful not judge mental answer. I know I'm very ignorant on the subject and it is great to get info from people with experience so I'm glad I posted here and got all the answers so far tbh. So some more questions now: would than a house rabbit be ok in a flat? Do they use litter tray? Can they be left alone for long periods during the day? Do they need a partner to be happy? Do they need a cage or a basket? Can I take them to the green area outside my block to play? I don't mean to irritate anyone if I'm asking unrealistic questions, I admit I don't have a clue. I will do my own research about rabbits later, for now the Guinea pig idea is great but it seems to fiddly and I think we need a pet we can interact a bit more. Cheers.

I don't usually wander onto Doghouse but please don't get a guinea-pig as a compromise to a dog.

For one thing, you need 2 they don't live happily as solitary pets.
You'll need an indoor cage at least 4'x2' (and even that is too small for my boars as their indoor night winter cage)

Your DD will not be fobbed off if she wants a dog, and that will be another GP/GPs in rehome.
You can interact with guineas they are lovely. But messy.
We have their night cage in the dining room (they are outside night/day now. Have you got oudoor room?) and we kept tripping over it .

You will be responsible for your pet- not your DD.

Why not wait a while?
Because if you compromise and get rodents/rabbits now, you can't really fit a dog into your life in a few years.
Unless you get a hampster ,they live maybe 3 years?

complexo -if you want an honest answer?
Contact a few rescues.
Tell them:
"I live in XXX area, there are parks, commons.
I've got a 6 yo DD. There are XX adults. We are home for (however many) hours.
we have a flat on ? floor. ? rooms.
I want a puppy. I've not owned a dog for XX years"

And see what they suggest?

I'm betting they'll say "get a cat"

We have a friend with a teacup terrier, she has a house and a garden, and she has trained it to go the toilet on a puppy pad thing. She pops its poos dow the toilet and the wee'd pad goes in the bin. So it can be done.

If you want to know the ins and outs of rodents and rabbits, go onto Super Furry Animals.

And your reasons for buying your DD a pet (any pet) :
Because you had them when you lived in big houses and gardens
and you feel she is missing alot.
Is that a good enough reason, bearing in mind all the compromises you'll be making to your lifestyle and the dog's lifestyle?

And yes, an indoor litter tray for a dog will stink.

The two scenarios are different. Most young children (and your DD is 5yo, 6 in April?) is young- want a pet, especially a dog.

What will you do if in 6 months she's a bit meh?
It's difficult to plan days or overnights away with an animal indoors.

And are the Toy dogs (yorkie/chihauhau) really ideal for a child?

Not forgetting that the puppy will nip bite and jump on said child. They don't get trained by magic. It's a good two years hard slog. I have a puppy and a 2 yo to and a 9 yo because I am insane. But I am an insane experienced dog owner, and I still come on here for advice when I'm stuck.

If your dd really loved playing with dolls and adored visiting other people's babies would you get her one for her birthday? No. Really think about this, get advice from a rescue centre.

If you presented what you've said here to any decent breeder or any rescue centre at all they'd tell you to do one. Which means getting a dog from someone who doesn't give a damn and potentially getting a dog with a whole load of health problems or issues.

No one is trying to say you shouldn't have a puppy because you can't afford a house, they are worried about your motives for getting a puppy though.

All potential owners should be thinking what can I offer a dog, not what can a dog offer me? If there's nothing in it for the dog, don't get one.

OP, it's lovely that your DD likes animals, especially dogs. You've had lots of good advice already on the practicalities and issue to think about if you take on your own dog.

I just wondered if you had thought of the many ways that you can get more "hands on" time with dogs and build up your DD's interest/awareness - either as a prelude to dog ownership or quite possibly as an alternative.

Many rescues offer the opportunity to sponsor a dog - these are an ideal birthday present for children. Sponsors get regular updates, photos, info, magazines etc, and in some rescues can even go and meet the dog concerned.

Also many rescues offer lots and lots of great fun, (and very inexpensive) events that are ideal for families. Just thinking about some of the ones round here, there are regular tea parties (with home made cake ) where you can go along and meet/make a fuss of some of the dogs, regular walks, quizzes, BBQs, taster events, and of course wonderful charity dog shows. At this time of the year, practically every weekend there is a little rescue show somewhere - classes never cost more than a £1 to enter, and they are great fun to attend, with lovely stalls and a great atmosphere. Again you can meet and get to know lots of lovely dogs. We regularly go with our nephew to some of the local events, and now he often gets asked to take foster dogs into the ring and has a lovely time.

Some dog training clubs have children/junior handler classes - could be worth researching? Also, most rescues are desperate for regular dog walkers. How about you and DD making a regular commitment to a weekly walk? This would also be good for you to see how she reacts to this commitment and see if the novelty wears off, without the commitment of a full time dog of your own.

It's difficult to suggest specific rescues without knowing where you are but Google will help you.

Good luck

Yes it has been such a long time since I had a pet I am glad I posted here before buying any.
Thanks for all the suggestions, it was very helpful.

PLEASE don't buy a puppy!!!! They are bloody hard work, I nearly lost my mind when we had a puppy from a rescue and I can't imagine how hard it would be without a garden - honestly, you would go nuts cleaning up all the time. Kids (and adults) love puppies because they are small bundles of loveliness but they also scratch, bite with small, sharp teeth and chew everything. Will you and your daughter love it when your sofa, her favourite toy etc get chewed/peed/pood on?! Also, they will need loads of time and commitment to train - do you have the time and wish to do that? I'm sure like most people you're very busy and, once you're daughter's in bed, like bit of down time, will you feel like leaving your snug, lovely flat and taking it for a walk last thing at night, every night? You could consider a dog 4-5 years old, who is no longer puppy-manic, will be more likely to be patient with you and not seem quite so much hands-on time from you. But, trust me, kids lose interest very quickly so maybe "borrow" a dog from a friend, if possible, and make sure you really want the hassle. Good luck.

Just to add, Iwas the same as you, grew up in largish house with lovely garden, had a dog and guinea pigs, loved them but my mum did all work/walks with dog (that would be you!), I do remember loving my guinea pig to bits and playing with it a lot, so maybe that would be a good compromise. Pretty much all rescue centres will have some small rescue animals as well as dogs/cats and they'll give you really good advice. I would love a dog but am still hesitating because of the time, commitment and hassle of making arrangements every single time you need to be away all day, go away for a night etc.

we moved from a big house with a large garden into a big flat on the first floor with no garden. It was difficult as we had to make a concerted effort to walk the dog more often as there was literally nowhere for our dog to wee and poo unless she was walked. The difference was that she was already 6 years old when we moved so we knew when she needed to go out. My parents would NEVER have agreed to a dog if we had lived in the flat first. It would have been an absolute pain in the arse to be honest! I would definitely think again. If I were you I would almost certainly get a kitten provided a cat flap could be added or you could easily let the cat out. A rabbit still needs to romp about on the grass so that would be a no no for me.