Where to begin with becoming dog owners

[CultureAlienationBoredomandDespair]

I was brought up with dogs and have always thought I’d have one as an adult. DH hasn’t but always wanted to. We have lived in rented accommodation up until now, that wouldn’t have been suitable but in about a year we’ll be looking to buy somewhere that will be perfectly located for lengthy walks.

Even though I feel very confident around dogs I realise that my parents and grandparents weren’t the best dog owners, despite loving them very much. Breeds were chosen based on looks and availability and dogs were left alone for for long periods of time and frequently allowed out in the garden to relieve themselves rather than going for a walk (where they’d pull and have poor recall-but never dangerous or snappy).

In short- we want to be better, responsible dog owners and want to use the year or so to research the right breed for us and find out exactly what we should be doing but we don’t really know where to start!

We have DC2 and DC8months, so don’t feel that a rescue would be be the best for us at the moment.

Good luck!

Research the dogs breed and what it’s actually bred for

I mean don’t go getting an active working dog if your idea of a walk is a 10min walk around the block 😂

check out the cost of insurance as well as some beeeds are more expensive to insure than others

I would def wait until your children are at least school age. Puppies are messy, often destructive and very time consuming, needing a lot of attention. Many puppies get returned before being a year old as people just don't realise how challenging they can be. You will all have a much better experience if you can concentrate on the little furry one without the extra responsibility of very small children. Whenever and whatever you get I hope you have a wonderful experience.

I would second the people who say go to crufts - the discover dogs section is great, you can look at breeds that fit the amount of exercises you can give, grooming required and how easy they are to train.
talk to the owners there, try to join get togethers and meet the dogs “in the wild” so to speak and get to know some breeders.
make sure you are aware of any breed specific problems (kidneys, hips etc.) and make sure you can cover the costs of those if needed.
look at insurance
find a good trainer and research feeding/nutrition.
… I realise that seems a bit obsessive 😂 but this was what I did when I was 16 (plus a slide show of the pros and cons) trying to persuade my parents to get a dog. It didn’t work, but I would do it all again as an adult.

Rubbish. Teach children to respect animals.

It’s not about respecting animals. It’s about having the time to give to a puppy. It’s about how puppies mouthe (bite!) and could hurt a small child.

I’m sad to see lots of people saying not to consider a pup until your kids are older.
as long as you are very honest with yourself and know to expect hard work and chaos for a while it’s not totally crazy.
The part you might find the most difficult (depending on your circumstances) will be toilet training pup. You have to take them out to the garden constantly and quickly to get the toilet training nailed and obviously you can’t just leave your 2 kids unattended in the house.
Do lots of research on all breeds and whatever you pick make choices to make life easier for yourself. Exercise level is the obvious big one, be realistic and honest with yourself, don’t give yourself more work than you have to, coat maintenance - do you have extra time & money for a lot of grooming (any doodle type needs regular grooming work).
If you decide on a pure breed (rather than a cross) the kennel club website is a good place to look. You can find breeders to contact and ask if they have any litters planned this year and get on waiting lists etc.
Dogs and kids can be wonderful together but it takes a lot of time and energy to get there.

PastaMummy
I’m sad to see lots of people saying not to consider a pup until your kids are older.
as long as you are very honest with yourself and know to expect hard work and chaos for a while it’s not totally crazy.
The part you might find the most difficult (depending on your circumstances) will be toilet training pup.
With children her age it isn’t just chaos, when you are toilet training one child and trying to feed/ play with another, how can you also be teaching and looking after and loving a dog properly? When you’re just after putting the kids to bed and then you have to go stand outside waiting for your puppy to go to the toilet or when the puppy tries to grab at your child’s toys or you’re trying to keep the floor clean for your baby but the dog is on it? And puppy resentment is huge because you’re so tired but op will have two children on top of that!!

Saying all of that Op read all the threads on here about people not being able to cope, should I rehome etc (they also give you advice on how to cope if you decide to proceed) and best of luck if you do go ahead. Definitely avoid high energy breeds. Mn is a wealth of doggy knowledge

The ignorant words of someone who obviously doesn’t have a young puppy to care for.

I’d third going to crufts and joining Facebook groups that breed KC registered dogs from genetically tested parents. While it would be best to wait until DC are a little older and you have less on your plate as puppies are newborns themselves, when the time comes with you not having raised dogs yourself you do want a balanced well bred dog. Crufts owners and dedicated breeders who are in love with their dog breeds would be more than happy to advise you on the typical characteristics/workload of their dogs. You also need to bare in mind different breeds have different associated costs, the bigger the dog the more expensive it is to feed and for medication, some dogs require more regular professional grooming which can be £40-60 depending on your area. Ensure you have facilities that are local to you for veterinary treatment, kennelling or boarding if you like to go abroad, socialisation/trainers to hand for puppy classes to ensure the best start and have a little read through puppy developmental stages as there’s a significant amount of people who see fully trained adult dogs who are perfectly calm and expect a teething puppy to be the same (not saying this will be you!) but a boisterous teething puppy does not reflect the dog they will become with good training, socialisation and time put in x