Advice please for for first family dog.

[lemontwist]

DH and I are just thinking about whether to get a dog. I grew up on a farm and have some experience of both working and pet dogs. DH has never had a dog and til recently has been not too keen on the idea but is slowly coming round. We will certainly not be jumping straight in as we are not too sure and need to have a long hard think about the pros and cons. We have two small children (youngest is two) . DH works full time. I am currently a SAHM but thinking about going back to work. If I do it will be approx mon to fri 9-5 but at the local hospital which is just a few minutes away so I would be easily able to pop back on a lunch time whether for a quick walk or just for company.

Our garden backs on to a field suitable for dog walking and we have several areas just a few minutes away including huge woodland that we could use for walking. We have looked into the costs and are pretty certain we could afford what is needed in terms of vet bills/insurance etc. I would have to talk to family but I think we could rely on mine or DH's for dog sitting, although our preferred holiday in recent years has been camping so could probably accomodate dog on this.
The minimum we could manage is a quick walk/run round field on mornings, lunchtime and evening (but there may be some days when this is a stretch) then endless excerise as needed on a weekend. We already have two cats so a new addition would have to be able to fit with them
I'm just loooking for a bit of advice on breeds we could think about, where to look and any other things we need to be thinking about. Am unsure whether to think about a pup, which I realise could be a lot of hard work, or a rescue, but I would be a liitle worried about any issues.
Thanks for reading. Any advice would be much appreciated.

It is irrelevant how much exercise you can provide at weekends if you can't provide enough on a daily basis so you do need to ensure that you can commit to every day .If I were you I'd make a definite decision about going back to work and get settled with that and childcare before bringing any kind of dog into the mix ,it would be a shame to get a dog and then find that it doesn't work with any new arrangements .

Thank you for your input. Like I said, we're not planning on jumping in feet first and are just thinking about things for the moment. I do know of people who have dogs and who work alot.but if getting home every lunch time isn't enough then I'll accept that. DH is keen on morning walks at the moment as he likes to be up first thing. I would be the one providing lunch time exercise and either/all of us on an evening and weekend. I didn't mean that we couldn't commit to every day, more that on occasions this might mean a quicker walk round the field /park rather than stomping for mile s round the woods.

The point is that dogs are social creatures. They like company and having long periods on their own can make a dog very anxious and unhappy.

I think you would be fine to get a dog, though you would need to think carefully about breeds. We have a large hairy dog who needs lots of exercise , but sometimes she only gets 10 mins morning and evening, which is fine as ling as she gets long walks at the weekends. The hair is a big pain though.

Thank you Sally, this is why I neeed to ask these questions to see whether it can be done. I would hate to have an unhappy dog because we couldn't give it the time. Plenty of people do have this kind of arrangement and claim it works out but if the general consensus is that it wouldn't be fair then I'd have to take this on board.
What sort of dog is yours frenchfancy? And if you don't mind me asing how much are you/someone home during the day?

I agree with Sallybear, it isn't just the exercise.

The thing is also lots of people who leave there dogs will say they are okay. It does not mean it is the best thing to do or even that what they are doing is okay. As an example, I once had someone tell me as was being ridiculous for rushing home to my crated puppy after an hour and a half. They said they'd had a dog and left it crated all day whilst they worked full time and it was fine. The saddest thing was that this came in the same conversation that they had 'got rid' as it went for the kids and they honestly couldn't see where the problem might be

I think tbh if we were to get a dog, even if I do continue being at home during the day a pup probably wouldn't be forus anyway as a first dog. Thanks for the suggestion of an ex-greyhound everlong. I'll have a good read around.

I'm very concerned about being able to provide a dog with everything it needsto be happy with us as I have twice had neighbours who did not appear to give their dogs enough of their time. One who's dogs howled all day long when the owners were at work and another who's large dog was just let out in their small back yard a couple of times a day with no or very few walks at all

Oops meant to say retired not 'ex'!

Our dog is a gordon Setter. We are self employed. Some days we are at home. Some days we are out 9-6. She seems to sleep most of the time if we are out.

I'm sure there is an ideal for dogs where they are with someone all of the time, but most people don't live in an ideal world. Around here we are seen as being strange as our dog lives with us in the house and we take her for walks. Most dogs here are caged outside and are not exercised daily. I'm not recommending that but it puts into perspective the idea of an ideal dogs life.

The people who lived beneath us got a lab puppy. They were out of the house all day too, but I was always at home because I was working from home. The puppy cried All. Day. Long. For months. It was so awful to listen to. We told them but they didn't give a shit.

Please don't get a puppy!

I'm at home with my six month old lab puppy and if I have to go out its for a maximum of three hours. He's used to the school runs now, as he's given a kong toy stuffed with something nice when he goes into the crate. I'd hate to think what he'd be like if I was to go to work. Quite anxious I suspect.

Unless you CCTV how can you know your dog sleeps all day when alone?

Because I come home at different times of the day, I have no fixed schedule, and I often come home to find her slinking off the sofa (where she is not allowed) pretending I didn't see her.

I'm not saying I went out all day when she was a puppy, but they don't stay puppies for long and the OP doesn't work at the moment.