Considering getting a dog......never had one before!

[BaconAndAvocado]

Thinking about getting a rescue dog, about 1 year old.

Not sure about breed, but like the look of lurchers, greyhounds and beagles (LOVE beagles but guessing not many rescue dogs are beagles)

I work every morning at the moment but am going to decrease my hours in September.

Any pearls of wisdom for a first time dog owner?

I do like the pointy hounds. There are a number of whippet/lurcher/greyhound owners on MN. Trawl back through the Doghouse threads and see if you can find a Pointy Hound Cushion thread.

On paper you sound like an ideal owner. And well done for looking for a rescue rather than a puppy!

I am seeking a rescue dog and am also a first time dog owner (although had dogs growing up). There are actually a decent number of beagles in rescues. I think they are very hard work and people maybe don't realise this? A lot of the listings I have seen have asked for people with experience of the breed.

Lots of greyhounds and lurchers around, if you search for Evesham Greyhound & Lurcher Rescue on Facebook they have some lovely dogs. Also Dogs Trust tends to have a lot in, lots of breed specific rescues.

I have found that getting responses from rescues can be tricky. You have to keep persevering as they are busy. Have you got a fully secure garden with 6ft fences? That is a biggie. Also useful to have details of local dog trainers and the vet you would use as some of the forms ask for this. Good luck!

Really recommend Vizlamentes if you are interested in a pointer. (Look them up on Facebook.) Their support network is fantastic and our rescue dog was exactly as they described him - lovely with people and dogs.

Loads of beagles in rescue, I think they can be a bit different to what people expect. Cute but not trustworthy off lead and can suffer from separation anxiety.

I think for a first time dog owner a lurcher or greyhound is perfect. When I meet beagle owners, they usually have a lot of (loving) swear words to use about the stubborness of their dogs, and single minded pursuit of a scent.

I have two lovely lurchers from EGLR, and foster puppies for them, so I am a bit biased! There are always a lot of lurchers in rescue, mostly by products of racing or hunting breeding so a big spread of ages. Currently our youngest dog in rescue (all EGLR dogs are in foster homes) is 8 weeks, and the oldest is 13 years.
You do need to have a secure garden with 6' fencing, so its good to get that sorted before you think about looking at dogs.

Thanks all.

Yep, we have a garden with high fences.

I didn't realise beagles were such hard work. I Chat to a beagle owner every afternoon on the school run and her pooch seems quite calm......maybe it's a different story once he's off the lead!

DD age 8 is frightened of dogs. I know this sounds crazy but I though having our own dog might help her overcome her fear......?

How frightened? We are going to meet a dog soon and I have to take the whole family so we can be matched properly. I think that's fairly standard, so if she's very nervous it might not go well.

Could you find a friendly local dog to introduce her to first? It just seems a big step getting a dog to try & cure a fear. Like buying a pet tarantula if you're scared of spiders.

Haha dogseeker I am scared of spiders so I know where you're coming from.

It's just the smaller 'jumpy' dogs she doesn't like, puppies too, hence the 1year old criteria.

That's not the only reason we would like a dog ( that would be strange!).

It's a good idea to meet a local suitable dog first. Our friends who own dogs have pooches of the 'designer/toy' dog variety, very frantic, so not great for her. I'll have a think.

Puppies are graft so good idea to get a slightly older one but i will warn you that dogs are quite teenagerish until about 2 so just be aware that a one year old dog could still be quite jumpy and high maintenance!

Thanks daisy

All helpful advice gratefully received!

What if you and DD volunteered to walk some rescue dogs? There will almost certainly be some calmer dogs, maybe some elderly ones and if you find a decent local rescue and explain the plan I'm sure they'd match you up with some calm ones. Then DD could get used to it gradually and she's more in control of the situation as you will be on the other end of the lead

My dd used to be a bit scared of dogs but now we have one she loves her to bits! They're best buddies it's amazing to see. Getting a slightly older dog helped as soon was past the mad puppy stage. She jumped up a bit initially but was easy to train not to. Dd loves all dogs now!

I can't recommend lurchers or greyhounds enough. Beagles are generally fucking mental - lovely funny dogs (my ex has 3 and I adore them) but not for first-timers or the feint hearted.

That's a fab idea daisy

Your definition of a beagle made me chortle orange

. There's no other way of putting it.

Just go to the rescue and ask. They'll know if they have one suitable. We went just for a look and got introduced to an absolutely lovely 3yo
"Heinz 57" dog who was really calm and didn't alarm either me or DS (who is also 8 and a bit anxious about dogs). We took her for a walk the next week, she was more active on the walk but still okay, and a little reactive to other dogs but nothing DH and I couldn't handle. Then they rejected us because we live in a flat with stairs after previously saying it would be fine. :( Disappointing but has to be the right family for the dog too.

Greyhounds are lovely. I fostered an ex racer last year and it was actually harder than I thought it would be. This was mostly because he was a large, solid greyhound and was ridiculously food obsessed and also very bouncy. Fear not however as there is a greyhound personality out there for everyone. There are also some very petite girl hounds. Just a warning not to expect them all to fit the lazy couch potato stereotype.

I'd personally go for a Whippet or a Whipetty lurcher if you can find one in rescue.

Don't worry about being a first time dog owner. With some common sense and the right back up you'll be fine.

I adopted 2 greyhounds as a first time dog owner & was working full-time. The rescue were ok as i could go home during my lunch hour, i have a dog walker now that visits and lets them out for me (i've 3 so its more affordable option).

Greyhounds are generally pretty laid back & tend to be happy to receive fuss but aren't as over friendly about getting it like many dogs. Indoors they spend a lot of time lounging about, the only time mine are liable to jump up is when their excitable at me getting home & i could probably train that out if it bothered me. They can be good with kids but aren't probably fun in traditional way like playing fetch. I would consider 2+yrs past the teenage phase personally, Its not like they stop being able to learn after a certain age.

Lurchers are similar have to bear in mind different breeds in mix will effect traits, so a good lurcher rescue are best to advise what dogs most suitable. Indoors they share their love of sleeping but usually have more stamina & energy than greyhounds and a little brighter, on one hand this may mean more trainable but then need more mental stimulation to not find their own entertainment. My greyhounds have never tried to jump the babygate to get into the kitchen, my lurcher's a little minx that will find a way to thieve food so has to be crated if left unattended.

www.retiredgreyhounds.co.uk/regional-branches see if you've a branch nearby & there's also lot of independent greyhound/lurcher rescues, many have own kennels or may run meet & greets or social gatherings where you can meet dogs & chat with owners.

These also home nationally but there are likely others which may cover your area.
www.lurcherlink.org/llink/forum/index.php
www.greyhoundgap.org.uk/

There are beagle rescues. Just be aware that beagles can be hard work. I have a beagle and he is the greatest dog I have ever owned. Truly makes my heart to just think about him (he's sleeping in front of me as I type this), but he was a challenged until he was about 18mo and I know some people with adult beagles who still cause them problems.

Mine has never tried to escape the backyard, which seems to put him in the minority of beagles. Secure fencing is a must, but even then, it seems that many attempt to dig underneath, and some even manage to climb the fences.

They also have terrible separation anxiety, generally. Our beagle could never be on his own. We have a second dog purely because he'll howl the house down if he's here on his own for even 5 minutes. He's absolutely fine with another dog. But they are very much pack-oriented still; many dogs are fine on their own for periods of time, but beagles tend not to cope.

My beagle is now 6 and an absolute dream. I honestly don't know if I could ever own another because I'd compare the new one to him all the time (honestly... no other dog will probably ever shape up when compared to him, in my eyes). He's loving, and adorable. He loves other dogs, he's incredibly gentle with children, he's not a picky eater, he lives for his walks (on-lead! unless at the dog park), he can sit, shake, get in his bed and go outside on command etc. They aren't obedience dogs, so persistence and consistency is key when training them, but they are trainable and are easy when they're getting adequate attention and stimulation. Mine sleeps all day and night now, with the exception of his walks and a couple of rumbles during the day with our other dog (6yo border collie).

To be honest, we previously had a Jack Russell and she was far more challenging for far longer than our beagle. And she was nowhere near as friendly. Our easiest dog was a mutt rescue. He was probably a mix of terrier and kelpie. The funniest looking little thing; he was absolutely incredible. I always suggest keeping an open mind when you go to a rescue because you'll never know which dog might draw you in the most, or which might be the most appropriate.

The devil himself the other day.

Superbeagle he is beautiful! I'm in love. We fostered a lurched a few years back and she was insane, used to throw herself around the place like she was a tiny small dog, ignorant of the fact that she stood to my hip - she used to like to sit on DHs head when he was on the sofa

OP just to say with pointy hounds remember they will likely have a very high prey drive. The lurched I fostered was obsessed with sheep and I could never have trusted her off lead - something to bear in mind as you generally need somewhere very well enclosed to exercise them off lead. You can usually hire an enclosed paddock from somewhere (kennels, dog trainer).

Lurcher not lurched obviously!

Actually, not all lurchers have high prey drives. Some will exhibit more of this behaviour as they have been 'encouraged' to do so in training to hare/deer course or generally hunt, and the same goes for racing greyhounds (ie, they may not be fed and have to catch and kill their food). Some naturally have a high prey drive, and some like my two just don't.
Recall is heavily dependant on training and reinforcement, not so much breed - but the difference is that a sighthound can be a very long way from you very quickly, and has the speed to catch a squirrel or rabbit in the open. The most either of mine has caught is a very dead kebab

Hahaha at dead kebab.
My giant sighthound has managed a dead bird (left for her by cats?!) and a binbag. Thank goodness she knows leave!

My mums two lurchers are terrified of but adore my two cats. But will chase any other cat. Recall is pretty good though. One of them is totally food driven so that makes it easy. Pita indoors though. You cannot leave food anywhere. They're great with my 18mo ds. But I suspect that is because he loves to 'share' his food.