Looking for a puppy- What breed would be suitable- thank you !

Jayob10

Hi guys,

Want to become a dog owner for the first time. Have 1 young child, my wife is at home most days and we are all in agreement that a dog will be a great addition to the household.
We are looking for a small dog, something fun loving, trustworthy around the kids and also a little bit passive I guess.

We are pretty adamant we want to get a puppy (maybe 8 weeks old) as we would like it to grow up alongside our child to be his little dog really.

Any ideas on what breed would be ideal for us?

karlog

Beagle's are good dogs and for their size there good for kids. The one my friend has tends to bark alot though but their friendly in nature.

heres a pic:

star-pants

Neither of ye have had a dog before then?
The age of the pup will depend on the breed of the dog, some of the smaller breeds can be ready to go at 8-9weeks, others won't be ready to go til up to 12/14 weeks.
You do realise how big a commitment it is to get a puppy? It's like having a baby.
There'll be toilet training / and lots of things to learn (for you and the puppy).

How young is your son? (from the point of view of him understanding to stay away from dog mess, or to becareful when it's teething).

What kind of space have you got outside? And what type of dogs have caught your eye? In the sense of are you looking at a collie size or a small terrier size? Some of the breeds don't take kindly to small children so that might rule out some of your choices.
I have two Lhasas and they're known to not be overly fond of small children, just because they don't like to be bothered too much. And children do tend to be glued to a new dog/pup.

meisha

good points star-pants,its a big decision to make,i personally love mongrels they tend to have less of a chance of illness and are always needing homes,maybe you could rescue a pup?

anthony4335

cocker spaniel, neighbour has a black one, that comes over a bit, and she is the nicest dog I have ever encountered. Seems to be great with my nephews.

JamesTaylorfan

Cocker Spaniels are lovely but they won't tolerate being left alone and will want to sleep with you and be around you all the time.
They are very loyal and bond with one person especially although not exclusively.
They don't like strangers in the house or in their territory and will bark
at others.

Jayob10

Thanks for the info guys.

Can I just say its not a off the cuff decision, we have always wanted a dog, are very responsible people and we now feel we have a system in place that we can look after a dog. We have a big back yard, our son is 7.

Totally understand also the hard work that will need to go into it, toilet training, walks, training in general (which our son cant wait to do some of) will all be undertaken with great seriousness and enthusiasm.

I suppose we are looking for something smaller than collie size, something that can be a part of the family, we are not looking for a designer dog we are just looking for a loveable puppy.

My wife has mentioned a bichon frise or a coton de tulear, I think she has her heart set on one of them.

What do ye think? something small now

Toots

JamesTaylorfan wrote: »

Cocker Spaniels are lovely but they won't tolerate being left alone and will want to sleep with you and be around you all the time.
They are very loyal and bond with one person especially although not exclusively.
They don't like strangers in the house or in their territory and will bark
at others.

I've a cocker who is grand on her own, although she does want to be around us all the time and we have caught her trying to sneak into our bedroom once or twice
She's great around kids, although as pups they can be a little boisterous so you'd need to train them well to sit etc when told to. They definitely are very loyal, although ours is attached to both myself and my OH equally, my mum's cocker is particularly attached to my little sister. My mum's cocker is very territorial and definitely doesn't like strangers. However our little one absolutely loves visitors, even ones she's never met, and is very friendly to everyone. Funnily the only thing she really doesn't like is motorbike helmets.

caroline1111

I've heard cavalier king charles are nice pets. I love jack russells but they're not particularily good with chikldren or passive so don't get one in your situation. Look into the cavalier king charles though or a bulldog maybe?

sabbyp

Whatever you decide to get two of the most important things are 1) If you are going to buy a pup ensure it's from a reputable breeder and 2) Make sure you get the pup as soon as you can - ie at 8 weeks. The pups formative socialisation period lasts from when it is born up until its around 16 weeks old, and the experiences it has then will shape the type of dog it will become - these few weeks are so so important in your pups life.
For some excellent information on raising you new addition check out Dr Ian Dunbars 'Before you get you Puppy' and 'After you get you puppy'

Good luck

Elevelyn

Dashchund's are small, loving and good with kids ive found, my sister breeds them and her bitch is great with her kids ages 12, 5 & 2.

I have a westie/dashchund mix and she is the best little house dog ever

Lemlin

JamesTaylorfan wrote: »

Cocker Spaniels are lovely but they won't tolerate being left alone and will want to sleep with you and be around you all the time.
They are very loyal and bond with one person especially although not exclusively.
They don't like strangers in the house or in their territory and will bark
at others.

I think there are some broad statements in there. My cocker is left alone for about eight hours a day but is fine as she gets plenty of attention and 2 walks a day.

My cocker is wonderful with anyone who calls to the house or anyone she is brought to see as she is used to people calling etc. I think its more to do with how you socialise the dog than the breed when it comes to dogs being used to strangers.

looserock

Hi op, I have Mastiff's myself but my daughter who is now five has a miniature Jack Russel Terrier we got as a puppy when she was around 3 years old.

Well they are absolutely devoted to each other, all the other dogs follow me but the jrt would follow her around all day, every day, they have great fun together.

You're son is 7 now, he may not like what he sees as a girlie dog like a Bichon Frize or King Charles, I'd suggest as already mentioned the beagle or miniature Schnauzer or wire haired fox Terrier.

Good luck with whatever choice you make.

Jinxi

Try any rescue shelter and tell them of teh type of dog you want. They already know what type of personality the dog has, and you don't have to rely on breed steryotyping to hope that the puppy suits.
many lovely dogs need homes. Buying a pure-bred for a couple of hundred euro, to me, just perpetuates the sensless breeding of animals, when there are so many who already need homes.
Greyhounds are in the biggest need of rehoming. They are usually already very well trained, and desperate for affection.

wexford202

I would maybe go to a shelter and have a look around. You would be amazed at how loving even the puupies from the shelter can be as they can't believe their luck at having a second chance.

I would def go for a puppy as they will be so much better around young kids. I will grow woth your child and be their best friend.

Maybe nothing with too long hair as the kids can sometimes grab or pull it.

li-evo7

Cocker spaniels are great dogs! My parents bought one when I was 5/6 and she was one of the best dogs I have had. We always left her alone in the house and she was fine. She was easy to toilet train. When we were all in the house she would be running around lookin for attention but then she would just lie around the kitchen on her own happily. She would always bark if the door bell rang etc but she would never bark or be aggressive to anyone that would enter the house.She was great fun and very loveable. I would highly recommend one. At the end of the day a dog will act in response to how you treat it. If it is well socialised,trained and knows its boundaries it will be very well behaved.:D

Also jack russels can be great dogs but I know of a few of them that do not like children and can snap if they are annoyed.They are great little guard dogs as they are rottweilers at heart haha.

If you are not totally set on a small dog.. a labrador would be a wonderful dog to have.They are great with children,highly intelligent so would be easy to train. You can leave them alone during the day. They do need a good bit of exercise as they are a large dog but in my honest opinion they would be my favourite because of their placid personality.

brian.mckeon

Good luck no matter what dog you get. Sounds like your kid is just the right age to help out (well, for the first few weeks).

I'd like to put in my sixpence for a slightly older dog. We have a Parson-Russel-type mongerl and she is a dote and would be great in your situation. We also have a male collie and he'd be too much unless you knew what you were taking on.

There are so many one or two year old dogs in pounds/shelters. They are mostly house trained, and grateful for a warm rug and some attention. A dog just out of the puppy stage will also be calmer and may not be so inclined to rip apart your furniture. Both ours were one-ish when we got them and they bonded completely in no time at all.

Another factor is you can get so many mixes and strong blends of dogs they won't die with their first infection (handy when explaining to your child).

Oh yeah, try a female (spayed). Our male pees on anything that is vertical. That's really annoying when dealing with goalposts, toys left against a wall etc..

iguana

How active a dog do you want? Both cocker spaniels and beagles are bred as working dogs and need lots of exercise. Do you want the type of dog that needs an hour or two of intensive exercise each day, along with mental stimulation, or would you prefer the type that's satisfied with a gentle stroll around the block? I think that is the number one question you need to ask yourself when you choose a dog. The amount of dogs like those mentioned above, springer spaniels, labradors and collies that are abandoned as the owners haven't realised how much exercise they need is staggering. One of my springers, Toby, was given up by his old owners who replaced him with a kc spaniel. They obviously liked how Toby looked but had no clue about how much exercise he required.

The dogs you mentioned are lower exercise requirement, though obviously like all dogs they need some. I've included some links to organisations of owners and breeders of these dogs in the UK, so you could have look on there and learn more.

http://www.coton-de-tulear.org/

http://www.bichonfriserescue.me.uk/

Jayob10

iguana wrote: »

How active a dog do you want? Both cocker spaniels and beagles are bred as working dogs and need lots of exercise. Do you want the type of dog that needs an hour or two of intensive exercise each day, along with mental stimulation, or would you prefer the type that's satisfied with a gentle stroll around the block? I think that is the number one question you need to ask yourself when you choose a dog. The amount of dogs like those mentioned above, springer spaniels, labradors and collies that are abandoned as the owners haven't realised how much exercise they need is staggering. One of my springers, Toby, was given up by his old owners who replaced him with a kc spaniel. They obviously liked how Toby looked but had no clue about how much exercise he required.

The dogs you mentioned are lower exercise requirement, though obviously like all dogs they need some. I've included some links to organisations of owners and breeders of these dogs in the UK, so you could have look on there and learn more.

http://www.coton-de-tulear.org/

http://www.bichonfriserescue.me.uk/

Thank you very much for that info. Also thank you to everyone else who put forward their ideas, this sure is a great site for finding helpful people.

MyDublin

Agree with other people on this site that what is most important is the knowledge of the committment you are making in taking on a dog;

Can't go away for the night without organising kennels or someone to feed dog.
Type of dog and amount of exercise it requires to be a happy dog is important i.e. can you find the time to walk an active dog twice a day?
Hair length and if anyone in your family has tendancy towards allergies.
Will the dog be kept outside or inside the house?
Lots of grooming, washing, etc or otherwise a smelly dog ...
Time to toilet train, etc

Having a dog is a truely wonderful experience and it will be so good for the health of all of your family as so much more time is spent outdoors when you have a family pet that needs lots of attention and playtime.

Enjoy!