Breed advice please

[mavornia]

Hello

I'd appreciate your advice. We're moving house soon and will have a big garden and I would love to get a dog.

I had a St Bernard and a Great Dane when I lived abroad - I love both breeds but I was thinking of a medium sized dog this time as it would be easier to take him out with me in the car with the children.

I was thinking of 2 dogs but my brother has been insisting I get a bull mastiff and that it would be happier on its own.

I have 3 boys aged 5, 3 and 9 months.

As I child I had a wonderful dog, he was half King Charles Spaniel, half miniature poodle (he wasn't a designer breed, just a happy chance occurence). I miss him to this day and it has set me thinking about getting a Labradoodle or a Cockapoo.

Are there any other breeds you might suggest that I could research. I'll take my time and look into it very carefully before getting any new dog.

Many thanks

How about just a mongrel random mix if u have such good memories of ur childhood dog? Possibly check out the local rescues?

you are going ot get a pasting on here for mentioning any variety of doodle! personally I think they are lovely (though we are getting a lab) but i did consider a golden doodle at one point. Have you considered a springer spaniel or a golden retreiver or labrador? Both lovely family dogs and medium ot large in size. I'm sure there will be 100's of other options though.

CharlieMumma, I wouldn't mind a rescue dog bu dh is worried that it could be more unpredicable than a dog whose background we can ascertain, especially given our children are so young
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WTF, I didn't realise doodles weren't popular on here! I'm only interested in them because of my wonderful childhood pet who just happened to be a mixed breed. Also, I liked the fact that many of them don't shed.

I was never overly enamoured with springer spaniels but a labrador is certainly an option. Thanks

mavornia Go for a doodle if that is what you want. I think they are gorgeous. I love the idea of a do that sheds less than pure breeds. but I have to say my hear lies with the retriever breeds. Good luck

dog, not do

We have a Boxer and he is lovely. He was 4 when we bought DD home and they have been best friends ever since, mainly because she shares all her food with him. He is so gentle, when she became mobile and he had had enough he just took himself off to another room.

My friend has a Cockerpoo and he is lovely two, she has two kids 5 and 7, however I do think £700 for a cross breed is a rip off, when there are crossbreeds needing homes in rescue centres.
You could always put your name down for a puppy at local rescue centres.

Rescues have puppies too, have you looked at Many Tears or Dogsblog?

I'm sure you know that it doesn't matter how big your garden is if you get a dog it will still need to be walked, are you confident you can manage that with your kids in tow?

Very good point Mothership, this is why we have waited until children are older OP

You can get a pup from a rescue, but a dog that's a couple of years old is probably better for young children rather than a biting, mouthing, jumping, scratching crazy pup? You dont always no their exact background but the staff are well trained in assessing them plus they are usually spayed, chipped, vaccinated and ready to join the family! Kids all try to pick puppies up whereas with an adult they can learn more that the dog is an animal not a teddy? Just my own opinion as a big fan of rescue dogs. We had a 2 yr old collie untill this year when she passed away aged 14.

Don't know where you live, but there's a 6 month old Labradoodle at www.sosdogrescue.co.uk - here's the description of him:
Beau is more Lab than Doodle he is a very friendly fella great with people kids and dogs he will chase cats but in a playful way. He is fully house and crate trained he does need some more training on the lead and off. He is a typical puppy and will need further training he can be left for short periods.
If you feel you can offer Beau a home please contact our suffolk branch 01638 603719

Oh Lady, he's beautiful! I shouldn't look at rescue pages, makes me want them all!e

we haven't moved into our new house yet, currently in our apartment so I couldn't pick him up just yet.

we're in Northern Ireland - certainly wouldn't mind taking the car over on the ferry to pick up a dog but it might be a bit stressful for him?

MothershipG - I would definitely be taking the dog out every day. The new house is beside a country park, full of open and wooded areas which would be lovely for him. My oldest ds is at school in the mornings and ds2 is starting playgroup so I'll only have the baby with me for the morning walk. In the evening dh will take him for a romp around outside. My father is retired and lives very close by, he suffered a few strokes last Christmas but is mobile again so I was planning on taking him with me for some afternoon strolls too with one or two of the dc. The garden is just handy if there happens to be a day when we're all sick or some crisis happens, at least the dog will still be able to go outside and charge about.

CharlieMumma, that's a good point about rescue centres and about older dogs, will mention it to dh - i like the idea of giving an unwanted dog a home rather than buying off a breeder, as long as the staff were happyabout its temperament.

Boxers are lovely, Havetowearheels, i'll look into them

many thanks for all the advice, very helpful

we've never had a pet with the children - do you think it would be wiser to wait until they are a bit bigger (currently 5, 3 and 9 months). ds1 is a very gentle child, he has a lovely nature and would be great with a dog. Obviously i would be supervising him at all times (for the dog's sake as much as his) along with the other two

Mavornia Sounds like you've thought it through!

My youngest was 4 when we got our first dog and I really don't know how people with younger kids manage! But lots of them do! Some of the things you'll have to think of are toys, if you get a chewer the kids toys will be a prime target, food, keeping the dog away from the kids when they are eating and making sure dog doesn't have annoy guarding issues. You'll obviously need a dog that is going to be happy in a busy household.

As I understand it there are lots of dogs in NI needing homes but remember that a pound is different to a rescue, they won't do any assessments or check for suitability, so make sure if you do decide to rescue you are careful about it.

I have a cockapoo - don't give a monkeys what people on here or anywhere say about such crossbreeds. He is the most gorgeous dog you could imagine - fantastic temperament, friendly, outgoing, playful yet placid when you want and unutterably cute to look at.

clam, he sounds lovely. I most definitely wouldn't be swayed by the whole doodle debate. What I cannot understand is that if a rescue dog of any breed needed a home, suddenly all the arguments about reputable breeders, health checks etc go out of the window. I do understand that the rescues are majorly oversubscribed and i feel so sorry for the older dogs who are jsut handed over because they 'don;t fit' anymore but their parentage doesn't seem to matter...iyswim

WTF The difference with a rescue dog is no one is making money out of it!!!!

Breeding dogs for profit is an emotive issue, breeding at all is quite controversial so the difference is that if someone is expecting to profit from breeding you need to make sure that they are doing it in the best way possible and not just using their dogs as a money making exercise with no consideration of the the health and welfare of the dogs. (Sadly this is not uncommon amongst the breeders of fashionable crosses.)

By contrast a rescue dog is already here and has the misfortune to have its life on the line so it's too late to worry about its parentage and no one makes a profit from rehoming it! They still need to be matched to the right home but often their background is unknown so you can't check parentage or health checks.

Now do you get it?

i think so Mothership! It has puzzled me though......

Just wanted to say that if you do go for a "rescue", do bear in mind that not all rescues are the same. They vary from pounds run by the council or the famous Battersea Dogs home where the dog's temperment is an unknown to smaller organisations where almost every dog is fostered for a while, and the temperment & health is FULLY assessed in a home environment with kids, traffic, cats and the neighbours Sunday roast.

The first type is a risk with young kids, and a few horror stories have appeared in this forum from time to time. The second is I reckon probably the best way to obtain a dog with a child friendly placid temperment so long as you are 100% honest with the rescue concerned. I went down this route with my then 4 year old ASD son, and have never looked back. The care the rescue took with helping me find the perfect match for us has paid off 10 fold.

My rescue dog is the best therapy my sons had, she wouldn't suit every family out there, but for us she's a real blessing iykwim. We got exactly what it said on the tin with our yearling whippet. She was old enough to be past the toilet training stage, but young enough to train to suit us. A known quantity as a young dog - easier to assess her personality than a young puppy for suitability with my son.

I'm very pro rescue dogs - with one caveat for those taking on dogs in to homes with young children - research the rescue as closely as people are always banging on about breeders. imho "rescues" have the good the bad and the ugly amongst their ranks too. A good rescue really won't be offended if you have 101 questions, in fact they'll welcome it, constraints on their time permitting.

Take your time and be prepared to wait a while for the perfect doggy match to come along, and be honest with the rescue about what you require from a dog. If you don't want to do 10 mile treks in the snow, or spend your life grooming say so. Write a list of what you deffo don't want (for me I didn't want a dog with a strong guarding instinct in case my son's anxiety set it off at the wrong time). You'll find the list of potential breeds narrows itself down fairly fast, and it'll help the rescue to help you iykwim.

I so agree with bochead! If you get a rescue dog research the rescue extensively! I appreciate they all have their hearts in the right place but rehoming the wrong dog to the wrong household is a disaster all around. With such young children you need a dog with a fantastic temperament, not in any way shy, or worried, or possessive over food/toys, or with a strong herding instinct, etc. Ideally you want a dog with a known history, one which has been properly socialised.

Equally if you go for a breeder, do a lot of research on your breed and the person you buy from to ensure they are breeding for health and temperament.

Personally I think GSDs (with the right temperament, socialisation and training) are superb with families. We were looking for a medium sized breed recently (we have a GSD and JRT already so I needed to be able to fit three in the car without having to buy a bus!) and opted for a Tibetan Terrier - wonderful dogs, very, very friendly and tolerant of 15 month old DD.

I've got a 9 week old collie puppy. I will let you know if I recommend the breed in another couple of weeks