Jug

[EezerGoode]

Anyone got a jug?.. anything to be aware of?.. be glad of advice please

To walk away each time from the breeders is hard.coz you think your the person to rescue that scrap of fluff and give it the best life possible..I felt immense guilt each I left with out taking the pup..perhaps that's what breeders bank on...that we will feel guilty leaving them there

Well done for being so alert and following your gut with the puppies you've seen so far

What sort of characteristics/traits are you looking for in the dog that drew you to the Jug in the first place?

I wouldn't recommend JRT or a mix for first time dog owners. They are willfull, high energy and difficult to train, and can be very miserable without enough exercise

They can rely on you feeling sorry for a puppy and you 'rescuing' the puppy but in reality you only condemned more puppies to fill their place. So well done for being strong enough to walk away.

That is absolutely what they hope. Either you won't spot they are dodgy or you will fall for the cute pup, give them the money and they can continue to breed and breed from that poor neglected female dog and then dispose of her when she stops making them money.
I waited two years for my pup. I wanted a certain pedigree so went through the breed club and went and spoke to breeders and got to know people in the breed. Personally I would either go for a rescue or an actual breed and go through the breed club like we did. My girl has come from someone who dotes on their dogs. Who breeds VERY rarely. The mum of my pup had one litter and has been spayed already. I doubt this breeder will breed again for 5-10 years. I have her support and advice for the life of my pup and we will meet up fairly regularly. Breeders like that are few and far between though.

As your daughter wanted a greyhound, what about a whippet? Or other good family dogs I considered were Shih Tzu and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (be very very careful about breeder - I found mine through the KC Assured Breeder Scheme), also small lurchers such as whippet x bedlington are supposed to be nice and as they are usually bred as working dogs and are not a designer cross, so it's one cross that you have a chance of finding a decent breeder for.

Wolfe,that was what my first dogs breeder was like,she was amazing..I've named changed ,but if you remember me I'm the lady whos 10 yr old whippet died..so now I'm ready to look again,it's proving difficult,or I'm being difficult...not sure..

We have a jug & she's fab. Mum was a jack Russell. She is full of energy & will walk for miles. We have 2 young children & she is great with them. Slightly naughty puppy & dug a hole in my carpet & chewed skirting board but you can expect damage with any puppy. Mine is also extremely affectionate & wants lots of cuddles on an evening.

Cornflake, I watched half that documentary last night. I knew it was grim, but my God, those boxes with the whelping bitches... I was astonished by the statistic that a third of puppies sold in the UK come from puppy farms.

I recommend a pug if you had to choose between those breeds. Whoever said on this thread you can't exercise a pug doesn't know pugs my pug walks up to 3 hours when we go on hikes, runs up and down steep hills, over rough ground etc and has more energy than me hands down! This isn't an exception to the rule either, I am part of a very large pug group and it is full of walkers and people that even run with their pugs. I also don't know anyone with an unhealthy pug but of course they are more prone to certain kinds of health issues as mentioned so checking health testing before buying is important. There are also some great pug rescue centres if you're in the UK.

Pugs are real characters, fantastic with children and other animals, bubbly but also cuddly and friendly with everyone while also good watchdogs. I am not a fan of terriers as they have a very high prey drive which for me would be hard on walks as I need a dog to have great recall. If you are interested in greyhounds then as someone else said, what about a whippet? Smaller but lovely gentle dogs.

I had a whippet....was devestated when we lost him...I still cry when I see a hipper,I can't have another whippet...I will look at at rescuing a pug..will they let me with a 7 yr old thou?

I should think so but they match up dogs to your circumstances (as all rescues should) so it would depend on the dog.

Here's the link pugwelfare-rescue.org.uk they help with transport too so you don't have to be local.

There are many other small dogs perfect for family life too such as a Lhasa apso (we have a Lhasa puppy) or similar.

I would definitely go for a terrier over a pug. Much healthier and easier to train.

Gypsy it was me who said they cant exercise. And I know pugs. I worked in rescue. Pug rescue

Having a 7 year old won't stand in your way. Be prepared to be on a waiting list for ages, unless you really stand out as an exceptional candidate, and insurance for a pug will likely be expensive.

And they moult like absolute fuckers. Never seen anything like a fawn pug moult.

But they are undeniably lovely little dogs, though I'd never have any again!

I'm now firmly in the long nosed hound camp.

Then surely you must know how energetic pugs are and how much exercise they crave so I don't get why you would say you can't exercise a pug

But insurance is expensive (£32 a month lifetime cover).

I think terriers can be lovely dogs if you are prepared to put in work with recall and don't mind vocal dogs etc. But I always think dogs bred for companion or utility make better family dogs if you want something small.

At nine yrs of age my whippets insurance was £40 a month with Tesco.so I'm used to paying insurance....I'm in no rush,the right dog will find me ,i hope🙂

I think that is a good attitude to have. Research different breeds too. Kennel club plus others do little fun questionnaires online that you fill in to help you decide which is the best breed to go for. Might be a good place to start. Also keep lurking in this forum, I did that months before we got our first dog and learned lots before I had even started.

Yes they are energetic and yes they crave exercise. They also have elongated palettes and abnormally small tracheas, and I've seen pugs have fits and overheat and have blocked airways and all sorts of nasty stuff from over exercising. I've had to intubate them, and hold them while they suffocated almost to death.

Then of course the other issue is those pugs who can't exercise much get round as barrels as they don't stop eating.

I'm afraid anecdotes don't equal data, and your experiences, while positive, are certainly not the 'norm'.

Eezer I'm so sorry you lost your boy.

Rescues would avoid homing dogs with tiny children I think. At 7 a child is old enough to know how to behave with a dog (guessing your child has dog experience too!)
Hoping the right dog finds you soon.

Thanks Wolfe,majority rescues seem to say children of secondary age only or adult only household...our whippet breeder lived 2 minutes away and came over to clip his nails for me a lot..she was so supportive as he was my first dog as an adult..in hindsight he was probably to big a breed for our home,as we don't have a huge garden,which is why I'm looking at small breeds..

Many rescues say school age kids are fine. Look at any where dogs are in foster. They will have a good idea if the dog will suit you.
BTW if you are looking at pugs then you need to be very aware of the health issues around the breed (guessing you are already.)

A pug will probably be really smelly after having a whippet , some of them really stink . What about a border terrier ?

It's worth contacting rescues who say things like DC 10yr+ . A local rescue to be (quite a big name one) often advertise DC 10yrs plus only but when I was speaking to someone who works there she said that actually if your child is sensible and has been used to a dog in the home they will actually home to some of those dogs to families with DC over 5. They just have the 10+ policy to make it easier to say no to families with over excitable DC.

There's one on DogsBlog suitable for children 6+

www.dogsblog.com/peppa-12/

I live next to one.
It is noisy for such a little chap.
(That;s me being kind for it never STFU)

I have a Jug (although I never call her that!) - she is an absolutely super dog. Amazing with my DDs (6 and 4), happy with a few short walks a day or equally happy to run for an hour with me! Super cuddly in the evening and has been known to cuddle up with DD1 in bed. Very trainable as completely food obsessed. We love her!