Am I being an idiot getting a dog?

[teenytinypuppy]

Apologies if this is long..

I've been wanting to get a puppy/dog for a long time, seriously thinking about it for about a year. I've done a lot of research on types of dogs, and I think I have seriously considered the effect it will have on my lifestyle. I live in a decent sized house with a medium garden and a big field out back, in a little village in the countryside. Lots of woods/beaches nearby. I am a lone parent with a 4 year old DS who is used to dogs from his fathers side. I am aware that I cannot leave the puppy alone at all and that I can't go on nights out etc for a long while. I don't work at the moment, but will be aiming to start part time work soon after the new year (or a few months after if I do get a puppy so it can settle etc). I rent but I have permission from my landlady to get a puppy.

On the flip side, my entire family thinks I am nuts and that I am making a mistake. I have never owned a dog before. I don't have a shedload of disposable income right now, but I have taken into account when I do start work I will pay for doggy day care/dog walker/insurance etc.

Is there anything I should know that I may not have considered? I consider myself to be pretty responsible, I've raised DS so far on my own so I don't think its a giant leap to think I could raise a dog too! I'm not sure why everyone thinks I'm being stupid. It has compelled me to come on here to ask opinions because if I do make the choice to get one, I really really never want to have to give the dog up or anything. I want it to be for life so I'd love to have all the information I can get!

Any advice or thoughts would be wonderfully helpful. Also, Ive not settled on a breed yet so any suggestions would be nice :)

My son was four when we got our puppy, it's do able!

I think with a budget of £500 you would find it difficult to do things 'properly'.
For example, I have a border collie who was dirt cheap as she was a farm pup.
Lovely, lovely dog.
BUT the breed is known for being prone to ibs/ibd, numerous eye complaints, hip dysplasia, tns and some more deadly inherited diseases.
Low and behold, my dog has had serious digestive issues since we bought her home at 9 weeks.
Raw food APPEARS to have cured this.
At two, she shows some signs of possible sight loss.
Fully health tested border collies who are guaranteed free from eye disease, tns etc are available... For around £700.
I would expect to be paying £600+ for a fully health tested pup tbh.

Getting a puppy in spring/summer makes toilet training so much easier!

Also keep in mind that the puppy is likely to test your patience by soiling in the house, chewing your possessions, waking up through the night etc. at 4yo your DS may not instantly take to the puppy which won't have any manners and may run into him, push him over, chew his toys, nibble his fingers, etc. You need to set aside quite a bit of time for socialisation in the first month and time for training including going to training classes.

Hi OP. Thought I would add my two penneth in. I am a single parent with a 6 year old. We got our pup in the summer. I did lots of research, and ummed and ahhed for a long time. I was terrified that I would regret getting a pup/dog. I can honestly say I haven't once felt regret. She brings so much to our lives, she is wonderful. I do have a lot of support from my parents with regard to looking after the pup while I am at work and I know how valuable that is. With regard to the prep, I sold loads of stuff on ebay and bought crate bedding etc from there (new). I researched and researched some more with regard to the prices of everything. Our pup is on Acana pacifica and it's £18 per bag, which lasts us approx 3 weeks. The food really suits her. In contrast to the food she was on from the breeder, her poos are much better (sorry for TMI) and she never farts! Her insurance is £15 per month (lifetime cover) and worming and flea treatment is approx £11 per month (plan with vets). Feel free to PM me if you want any more info. Good luck!

I'm ok with shedding, grooming etc I dont think Id have any problem with a long haired dog. Ive been looking at pomeranians because apparently they are good with children as well as not being very big.

I'm approaching a puppy as I would a baby in a way, I know I will probably need to get up at night and lose a few of my belongings in the process.

At one time I had a short legged staffy, a big long legged staffy cross puppy and a french bulldog puppy who wasnt toilet trained in my house for a few months, and although there was a lot of cleaning and baths and brushing i didnt begrudge doing it at all. It was a joy to have them all :)

My only shopping around has been on gumtree and pets4homes, are these really bad places to get dogs from? Ive looked online but its hard to tell good breeders from others as they all say the same things on their ads.

I don't even specifically want a pedigree, a mongrel would do fine but i have not come across any, most ads are for kc reg french bulldog fad type dogs that are popular right now.

Also, regarding breeds, staffies are widely known for their affinity with children.

But I actually think that there is no such thing as a breed 'good with children'.

I think the different breeds will have different drives and traits, eg, an Akita Is likely to be quite strong willed, a collie is likely to be quite sensitive to noise, a greyhound is likely to have a mega high prey drive but all of them, socialised and trained correctly with their breed specific traits managed properly could be fabulous with kids!

There are plenty of breeds widely recommended for kids who have bitten them, breed is not a guarantee of anything imo.

Pick the breed you like and work on its natural breed traits to shape into a good companion, i.e. Work on the sight hounds recall and 'leave' as a pup, train the sheltie to speak (and shut up) on command, desensitise the collie to loud noises straight away etc.

That's my view anyway.

Crumblevision, thankyou for messaging :) what breed did you go for in the end? Its nice to hear from someone in a similar position to me. I cant click on your name to PM you for some reason but please send me one and we can talk :)

You'll want insurance straight away, incase any issues come up.

I'd second any of the dogs mentioned other than cavaliers. They don't tend to like to be left, can be needy and are very, very prone to huge Heath conditions which require a lot of care. Unless you can afford to import one, you're likely to face serious heart or nerve issues.

A good breeder will:

• be very nosy about you and your life
• will insist that the dog is returned to them if you can no longer keep it.
• will offer lifetime advice and support
• will usually ofer 4 weeks pet plan advice and changeover food
• will have proof of the health tests the parents and sometimes pups have had eg. Hip scores, elbow scores, haemophilia status, Baer hearing results (which tests will depend on the breed)
• they could be registered with kc but there are good breeders out there who don't register.

Avoid 'council licensed' breeders like the plague!

The mum should be there for you to see, temperament is largely inherited so make sure you like her personality!
Run a mile if she is shy, snappy etc, chances are her pups will grow up to be as well.

** 4 weeks pet plan INSURANCE not advice. Bloody iPad.

Questions you need to ask yourself:
Is ds big enough/ happy to come on a decent length walk every day (45 mins or so) come rain or shine? (Even small dogs get bored and destructive if they don't have a good off lead leg stretch daily).
Will you be at home before going back to work for long enough to house train completely? Don't underestimate this. Our ddog learnt quickly (2 weeks) but had sneaky accidents if not watched for a good year. Dog walkers are all very well but they're not there at the critical 10 second window when dog needs to squat and decides where to do it.
Can you afford the insurance to double or triple as your dog gets older?
How house proud are you? Dogs do smell, bringing mud, slobber and disgustingness along with love and devotion.

I agree that it's better to do it before you start working. We did this and ddog was completely happy and settled when I went back to work part time. And for similar reasons to you we didn't get a rescue (young dcs and not knowing what sort of dog a rescue pup will become).

Yes, your family are right. You are mad but it's do-able and a lot of us are happily mad just like you with our lovely dogs . The joy, entertainment and family-feeling our dog has brought us massively outweighs the mess and cost.

Good luck

No, gumtree and pets4homes are not where good breeders advertise.

The kennel club website and champdogs are better, but you still have to watch out.

£500 isn't a lot btw...some breeds are more like 3 times that and even well bred Labradors are more than £500. (The less there are of a breed the more they cost and things like whether they have small litters raises the price as well)

No good breeder will be advertising on gumtree,pets4homes,preloved,facebook etc.

You may strike lucky and find someone who has taken care but it's not likely.

Champdogs,kennel club (which isn't a guarantee )are your best bets but you would be looking at more money.My goldie pup is £850 from a great breeder who is really lovely,includes microchipping and the vaccinations though (first done for you second the cost has already been covered)

What area are you in?People can recommend rescues or possible breeders that way.

Word of mouth is another way to find a good breeder.

But,many people don't use good breeders so the choice is yours,you just need to be aware of the potential problems both health and temperament wise,nothing is going to stamp out people buying from backdoor breeders.

Have you done one of the 'which breed would suit me' type quizzes online? I think the kennel club have one. It might help you narrow things down. Once it's narrowed down to dog breeds with similar traits/needs you can think more about what you want and look into the breeds more so you know what to look for and what to ask a breeder.

Or there is still the rescue idea and they could help with matching you.

And sadly, rescues have lots of staff and staffy crosses. When I told various rescues I was actually after a bull breed, they were really keen - and several told me on the phone, when we kept ringing to see if pups had come in, that the majority of pups they get are staffies or staffy crosses. They are very trainable and I wouldn't worry about being a first-timer if you go to puppy classes. Hopefully you can find a rescue that offer these or recommend a local one that is positive-based training.

Have had staffies or bull terriers all my life. The BTs are notoriously hard to train but staffies much easier as they are so people-centred, they want to please.

If you like poms you may like German Spitz, bright, small dogs, easy to train and friendly. You do need to keep on top of grooming and they do tend to bark a lot. If you are interested in GS let me know I can recommend a really good breeder who can be trusted to suggest a puppy based on its temperament (suitable for first time owning family).

Just get really good lifelong pet insurance because you will fall totally in love with them & can never guarantee what will happen. 2 years ago our beautiful lab knocked herself out chasing a ball & cost us over £2000 but insurance paid all of it, she's still wonderful & soft natured but is about to cost me the same again to find out what's causing seizures. Pet insurance is the only insurance that has ever paid out properly in my life so don't skimp on it. Apart from that if you get a puppy prepare for the first 2 years to be a bit mad with all the training classes & energy needs and after that its amazing.

Thanks for all your replies.

I'm in the south Wales area. I'm definitely going to go to a few rescue centres next week I hadn't been aware they had so many puppies. Many tears in Llanelli isn't too far from me.

Breed wise, yeah I've done a few of those online which dog is right for you things. I guess my issue is that for every page I find about a breed being good there's another one saying that particular breed is a nightmare! I've taken to stopping people I the street to ask about their dogs!

If you are considering rescue pups make sure you can at least see the mum and assess her temperament and go for a rescue that fosters the pups with families so that they are exposed to the sounds, noises and smells of family life. If you want a specific breed go to a breed specific rescue, they will have animals of all ages and temperaments.

Many Tears as you mentioned
Hope Rescue
Four Paws Rescue

All are in Wales, don't know if you're near the other two but worth having a google. Smaller rescues will often be more flexible about families with younger children. They often foster their dogs in family environments so you can get a better idea of temperament etc.

I would suggest you think about a slightly older dog. Puppies need a hell of a lot of attention and training which is very time-consuming and can be extremely frustrating (!). A dog of about 2 years will be slightly calmer, hopefully won't jump, chew, nip or pee/poo in the house as a puppy would. Your 4 year old may find that a hell of a lot more fun that a bitey puppy that steals all his toys!

It is expensive! Don't underestimate the costs - they can be high. Insurance is a must. It is a tie - you will have to take your DS out with you every single time you walk (when he's not a school) even if he's ill, it's raining like hell or freezing cold. Spontaneous days out go out the window as you have to have a backup plan if you want to spend more than a few hours away from the dog.

You sound an ideal candidate for a rescue dog. There are loads of younger dogs and even puppies in rescue.
A lot of dogs get palmed off when they reach eight months and are no longer cute and start to go through their 'teenage' stage. It only lasts a couple of months, and its fine if you are more laid back and actually bother to train your dog, but people that just buy a pup for the cuteness factor get fed up and get rid.
A staffy or staffy cross sounds like it would fit in with your lifestyle. I would recommend a female as they are slightly easier for a first time owner. Other suitable breeds would be schnauzers, calmer terrier breeds such as border terriers, King Charles spaniels and possibly something whippet-y. They're all fairly laid back, easy enough to train, relatively intelligent and on the smaller side.

Oh and beagles are great too. I would love a beagle.

Beagles are awesome dogs.Great fun and love being part of a family.Ignore people who say they're a nightmare to train and should be with one person,they are talking dog poo!

Hi OP. I have an 8 week old puppy - our first dog. He is a German shorthaired pointer and we love him. I work very very part time but my job finishes at Christmas. I am never out for more than 1hr 20 mins at a time and he sleeps a lot!

It's hard work but not nearly as bad as I expected tbh! The worst thing atm is not being able to take him out anywhere ubtil he's had his second lot of jabs. I worried about whether it was a crazy thing to do, but I don't regret it at all (yet!) He is so gorgeous and the dc adore him.

Booboostoo I just had a google of german spitzes and they are gorgeous! Ive never heard of them before so ill have a look into it.

I have heard beagles have a problem with howling? Is that not true then?

What about a basset hound? Haha they are adorable :)

homesweetholmes I'm glad you are happy with your puppy. I'm so excited to get one I don't know how I've waited this long!

My beagle never howled tbh but he did do his 'aroo roo roo' during play (like hide and seek) or occasionally if we were out but it certainly wasn't excessive.

Its a minefield of information on the internet. Reading one review where someone says their dog has so-and-so bad breed trait is worrying, but i guess if they have not trained their dog well then it may not be the dog or the breed's fault!