Thinking of getting a puppy......

[BaconAndAvocado]

Possibly a beagle.

We are me, DH and 3 DCs aged 18(away at uni) 8 and 10.

I have no experience whatsoever of having a pet dog and grew up with cats.

What are the best and worst things about having a puppy?

Sorry for delayed reply, been a bit under the weather.

I work part time at the moment but will,probably be decreasing my hours next year. We plan to go on holiday next summer for 3 weeks so wouldn't consider getting a dog until after this.

I don't like the sound of not being able to let beagles off the lead!

Maybe an older dog from a rescue centre would be better?....

I can't see how anyone works and has a puppy. We picked ours up last week. Today I left her. For half an hour!!
I'm co sleeping
She chews everything.
Needs to pee. A LOT!
Can't be walked so we are her only stimulation.
But I bloody love the hooligan!!

I would love a puppy - in theory
In practice I would only consider it if I had a live-in puppy nanny... I know my limits!

Wolfie, photo or it's not true

Go and visit some rescues.
Dog's Trusts centres will let you wander in and just look at dogs for instance.
The rescue I eventually adopted from does a monthly walk every 1st Sunday of a month to allow potential adopters or just randoms who are vaguely interested (like I was) to meet their dogs, chat to owners/fosterers and ask questions.
We fostered a dog first - try before you buy

I had been wondering how long it would take until somebody mentioned sighthounds.... not that I am biased or anything...

Oh, and we adopted ours when he was about 20 months old and I still had to sleep on the kitchen floor in a sleeping bag for the first few nights (but not for months. And he only had 2 accidents in the house - ever, both were stress wees, not that he did not know he was not to relieve himself in the house).

Please please dont going looking at puppies or rescue centres unlessbyou know absolutely what you want from a ddog anf always walk away from a litter or ddog you feel sorry for.

All these pictures and viewing puppies is what causes lll the issues becauseblooking at appealing pictures of ddogs is meaningless and doesnt tell you anything. Its like winfow shopping and you are very likely to be getting horrendously farmed pup/dog with god knows what ailments /temperament or behaviours and probably terrified

For a first dog get yourslef a well balanced family ddog if the breed you decide is right for what you expect from it and what you have to offer.

Now you have discovered a beagle (or many working dogs) wouldnt be the best first dog to go with necessarily!

You want something with great temperament of a size and energy yiu can easily manage thats healthy and not run up massive vets bills through poor rearing in the future (not to mention heart-ache)

Do research (put brain fully in gear) before indulging heart and be very strict to stick to whats best for you all but especially the dog (and being a great fit is the best for you and therefore ddog)

You have been shown a selection of complete unknowns allbof which are apparently suitable but they are like chalk and cheese and with inexperience how are you to know?

Thanks all.

What breed would anyone recommend for a good family dog, DCs aged 8 and 10?

Depends on how much you want to walk and groom. How much training you want to do? Fancy agility? How big is your house and garden? Where could you walk?

Pacific I was going to wait until she had been safely here a week and introduce her formally. God knows I am going to need all the advice and help I can get from the Doghouse. First dog and I choose a giant sight hound! Thankfully I have lots of expert friends and have hopefully found a really good trainer (for me! To stop me making rookie errors!)

OP there are lots of breed selector quizzes you can try online. I think you have missed Discover Dogs show this year.

My working cocker spaniel has been a joy to own. Easy to train. Wonderful temperament. Needs a fair amount of exercise/stimulation, but that suits our active lifestyle. Theres no one breed out there that will suit everyone, so it really depends on your own circumstances. Internet research is great, but nothing beats meeting lots of different dogs in the flesh and talking to their owners to figure out which breeds you like.

Don't let anyone guilt trip you for thinking about getting a puppy rather than a rescue. I'm full of admiration for anyone who takes on a rescue dog, but it's not for everyone. As long as you buy your puppy from a highly reputable breeder so you're not supporting puppy farming or indiscriminate breeding, and know you can give him/her a happy home for life, there's nothing to feel guilty about.

Re. good breeds, it really depends on you -

For a first-time owner, very generally, I would say stay away from breeds who need a specific "job" to do (and get a bit crazy if not kept busy) like huskies, JRTs, border collies etc. However, there are always exceptions to the rule. I wouldn't go for springers but loads of people love them as family dogs but they are pretty high energy.

Low energy are greyhounds, quick bursts of energy but complete couch potatoes otherwise. Very little grooming needed.

I would say stay away from the very popular, most puppy farmed dogs like cavaliers, bichon/poodle crosses, labradoodles etc unless you're prepared to do a lot of research about breeders who will show you all the health checks they have done (and be ready to walk away if they haven't).

Beagles - also very popular but unless you're prepared to really train to recall, some can never be let of leads as they will follow their nose.

Loads of people love labs or retrievers - but consider size, shedding hair, smell - is that something you could contend with? Also, pretty strong from an early age so something to think about.

State here what you can offer and cope with and looking for in personality

Lots of springers are pretty unruly lively critters and cockers too plus more barky / nervous ime.

Working lines of any breed tend to need to use their brains and be more occupied generally.

Many ddogs that i've come across from rescues have issues beyond the abilities of many of their owners and it makes for very difficult and less happy times for the ddogs and theor owners not being able to take thwm places easily because they dont mox woth this or that and not sociable around people plus yoi dont know their health history or trauma's which can bring unexpected aggressions atany time .

I think that's more than a little unfair on rescue dogs really, they can end up as rescues for lots of reasons that are not their fault

God I am so sick of people saying these things about rescue dogs, I can't even be bothered posting on these threads any more.

ODFO Shriek.

Very sweeping statement shriek, and not really based on facts...

And tbh my experience is the opposite. Many owners have bought dogs which are way beyond their ability.

I agree, I think a rescue can be easie4 in some ways as their temperament is more known, particularly if the dog is an adult and the good ones offer lifetime support. We got out girl from a breeder after she was returned at a year old due to her owner's ill health. She's a delight. I have to say puppies are cute but too much hard work for me!

I have had my poodle pup for five days now. I researched and researched and researched. This morning I could happily give her up. Rest of family have bonded, for me it's slow. It's the seemingly CONSTANT weeing and pooing and hanging off my bloody clothes. In five days she's destroyed pjs, onesie, trousers and my table cloth. She bit my nose and drew blood. I had no idea it was this hard. Tbh, "what have I done" is my main thought. Rather be at work

That's a very common feeling, you can tell people how awful having a puppy can be, but until you've had one, it's hard to imagine

Most new dog owners get the 'what have I done?!' feeling - in fact IMO it shows that they care and they want to do the right things, but underestimated quite how all consuming it can be.

fess, don't give up.
Bonding takes weeks and months. I bet other family members find it easier to fall in love with the whole puppy cuteness because they are doing less of the relentless hard graft - am I right?

I grew up with rescue dogs, and now have one of my own.
And yes, have had plenty of 'what have I done?' moments - still do at times.... .
But on balance? He's a fantastic addition to the family and is enriching our lives in so many ways.

Agree these are unhelpful sweaping generalisations being made about rescue dogs. Having worked at a rescue centre, half of the dogs are not abandoned or strays, but brought in my owners who have had a change or circumstance/ can no longer care for their dogs. Most of those have been well loved. As face it the ones who are not, don't get handed in (get abandoned instead).
I'm always amazed at how many pedigree or 'popular' breed dogs are given up aged 1-2. There are also a number of puppies - they recently had a litter of apparently purebred 3-4month old cocker spaniels.
If you want a puppy, seriously wait until after Xmas, and check in with your local rescues regularly. The dog's trust made a statement recently that they expect a larger than usual amount of abandoned / surrendered puppies after Xmas this year. They are basing this sadly on the number of older dogs being given up in the run up towards Xmas, as families often get rid of the older dog to make way for a new puppy. So the shelters should have a large number of availabe puppies if you wait until Q1 next year (once people lose interest / realise how much hard work puppies are). But remember only get a puppy if you can dedicate several weeks initially of full time care until it settles in.

Otherwise I would heartily recommend a slightly older dog from a rescue. I can hand on heart say the recent (I've had her 3months) young mixed breed rescue I have (who came from a background of neglect), is the best behaved, easily trainable dog I have ever had or known. And so chilled out. No crazy separation anxiety (I grew up with poodles). Can be left for 4hrs. Just curls up to sleep. So eager to please. So apparently happy and grateful just to have a warm loving home. Growing up my parents always got puppies, but ironically the rescue's I have owned have been the most well adjusted! I appreciate that is not always the case. But you at least know roughly what you are getting with a rescue, as the centres have done a ton of evaluation of the dogs, so you have a pretty good idea of temperament and personality. . Unlike with a puppy, which will be a 'surprise'. Certain breeds have tendencies to certain negative traits, so do your research. For example I love poodles and labradoodles in theory, but oh the separation anxiety. Jack Russell's can be nippy, beagles will run off etc. Getting a dog is a huge commitment, and nothing to rush into.

Oh and I forgot to mention, many rescue centres need dog fosterers. This can be a great way of helping a dog that is otherwise living in kennels (which can be particularly confusing for them if they have previously had a loving home). This can provide an opportunity to see what it's like to have a dog, without the lifetime commitment. And along the way you may fall in love with one.
If you are in London look at charities like All Dogs Matter, who have a policy of trying to get all their dogs into a foster environment. They are always massively in need of additional foster homes. And depending on the dog, fosterers don't necessarily need a garden, can have kids, other pets etc. It depends on The needs of each each dog. It's how one of my good friends got her recent dog - fostered initially then fell in love.
Otherwise as other posters have suggested, look at Borrow my Doggy.

Ahhh fess don't give up as the others have said!
You are not alone!
I remember sitting crying thinking wtf have I done? Why me, looking at this little adorably cute westie gazing at me with big eyes as if to say "what's up with you! Iv only trashed the rug it's not the end of the world. And me feeling so bloody guilty wishing Id not got him.
I genuinly can say his puppy days were bloody hard work, tiring just constant cleaning wee & pop but you know when you stick with it you'll see the rewards honestly. It's hard to see the bond amidst all the hard work but it will be there I promise you.
I wouldn't be without my little fella now not for a min.
I traded my ex hubbi in for my westie and it's the best bloody thing Iv done 😉