New to dogs - advice please

[Itreallytiedtheroomtogether]

Hi, we are thinking of getting our first dog (we don't come from dog families) this year or next. I work in a school so would like to get it from the beginning of the six week holiday so I can devote my time to settling it in.

Before we move forward I want to be happy I can answer all of my questions which is why it might be next year if we aren't comfortable yet.

I have the big general questions:

• breed...we have two boys 7 and 8. I don't want a large dog or a really tiny one. Don't want a dog who moults/dribbles a lot or one who needs hours of walking each day.

• puppy or rescue / boy or girl?

And then specific to us:

• what would we do when we go on a day trip i.e. theme park?

• What would we do when we go out at night together and kids go to GPs? Rare but happens 2/3 times a year.

• How much is flexible day care while at work? Kennels for holidays? Walkers?

• How much will food cost and vets?

• What time do they get up? Do they have to go out for walks straight away? What time do they go to bed? Sleep all night?

• should we borrow a friends dog for a day to see how we all get on with having a dog at home?

If anyone can help with any of this I would be grateful...as a complete novice googling isn't very helpful!

Thanks

That's a good plan, after lockdown has lifted I will go and talk to a rescue place, see if they can suggest a way forward. Thank you.

I have a shih tzus
They only need 20 mins walk a day and I usually walk in the evening
They do do better in pair, mine are happy as long as they have company and are fine pottering around in the garden if we can’t manage a walk.
they are fine left together when i go to work, i give them the run of the house leave radio on, food water & toys out.
they dont moult or slobber.
leaving them alone occasionally while u go out of an evening wont harm them just plan in advance walk them before hand to tire out and give a chew before you leave.
we do caravan holidays with ours and take them everywhere really.
If going to a theme park then could the grandparents watch the dog or let it out throughout the day?
I buy a bag of kibble for £9 from pets at home
Usually lasts 2 weeks.

My son has children of the same age and bought a working cocker spaniel puppy. The dog is amazing. It is so friendly. He put a lot of time into training it.

It is hard to say how much a dog costs monthly but this is a break down of ours. It does not include start up costs like beds, crates etc. Leads, feeding bowls, grooming brushes etc.

She is a patterdale terrier cross.

Food £60 month
Vet scheme £15 month. This includes twice yearly check-up,,worm and flea treatments. Which are expensive.
Toys £5 a month she is a toy destroyer.
Poo bags I buy in bulk.

We don’t have insurance, we will need to rely on savings if she has problems.

@Amandapanda1

I have a shih tzus They only need 20 mins walk a day and I usually walk in the evening They do do better in pair, mine are happy as long as they have company and are fine pottering around in the garden if we can’t manage a walk. they are fine left together when i go to work, i give them the run of the house leave radio on, food water & toys out. they dont moult or slobber. leaving them alone occasionally while u go out of an evening wont harm them just plan in advance walk them before hand to tire out and give a chew before you leave. we do caravan holidays with ours and take them everywhere really. If going to a theme park then could the grandparents watch the dog or let it out throughout the day? I buy a bag of kibble for £9 from pets at home Usually lasts 2 weeks.

Can I ask how long you leave your dog for at most? And also, how long did you let them settle in before you left them? Thanks

@Amandapanda1 the PDSA recommend an hour a day for that breed. A dog only getting 20 mins exercise and stimulation a day will be bored and unfit.
And if you buy a puppy you have no idea how long it’ll mind being left for as an adult. It’s not breed dependent.
You can’t leave a pup. At all.

I had a similar list of "requirements" as you and we ended up with an ex racing greyhound. I grew up with dogs and knew I didn't want a puppy as although they're cute, they can be very destructive and are a lot of hard work - similar to having a baby! Greyhounds don't shed much as they have a single layer coat, they're not slobbery and they're a good healthy breed. Although they're a large breed they vary in size greatly with some bitches being quite a lot smaller that some if the very large males. They're very laid back, many are happy to spend periods of time alone and they don't need a lot of exercise. Mine has a short 10min walk in the morning and a longer 20 min plus walk in the evening. Greyhounds are unlike many other breeds and do have a lot of quirks, so I would recommend reading up on them before committing, but they are fabulous low maintenance dogs that really do need homes once retired and are becoming a lot more popular due to this.

@Wolfiefan they get stimulated all day by each other myself and my children then they get walked round the block for 20 mins - 30 mins each day
Then also play chase each other round the
garden on top of that
Ive left my pup they sleep most of the day at that age
Ive had shih tzus all my life

@Amandapanda1 it’s really irresponsible to advise someone to get a dog and say it only needs 20 mins walk a day. Dogs need far more exercise than that. Playing in the garden doesn’t make up for stimulations outside on a walk.

Hi OP,
Just to let you know my experience- I work in a school too and had planned to get a dog at the beginning of the summer hols for a long settling in period.
Started looking at rescue organisations in early spring. By the time we had found our DDog, it was July - then she still had to be spayed and paperwork sorted by vet / pet passport (she's from Spain) and finally arrived just as school started back in September...
Much to my surprise though she settled in pretty much straight away and we got a good routine going.
As for costs, regular worm/flea/tick treatment from vets (£35 every 3 months), food £40 for a 15kg bag but that lasts a few months, £15 insurance, when we go on holiday (those were the days!) it's £175 for the canine b&b for a week. For day trips I tend to ask my lovely neighbours (it's a mutual thing, I help with their pets too).
Walks add up to 1.5 - 2 hours and probably more in the summer / nice weather. She's absolutely lazy at home but does need vigorous exercise outdoors! I don't think any dog would be content with 20 minutes a day to be honest.

@Wolfiefan i know it doesn’t make up for that I didn’t say it does i said they play in the garden for excersize on top of going for a walk

Thanks everyone

SansaClegane - can I ask how you managed work when you got your dog in September? Thanks