Advice on dog breed/sex etc from people in the know please?

Cherry Blossom

Hey guys, I hoping to get 2 puppies in 2 months time but just wondering about some things i need to consider and am confusing myself At the minute I'm on a course which ends in 2 months so think this is the ideal time to start thinking about it. Don't intend to be a bum for too long but seems like a good time when I'll have some free time on my hands and this is also why I want 2!

Due to personal preferance I like collie crosses/ labrador crosses/ foot beagles/ foot beagle crosses/ Siberian huskies/ westies/ dachshunds/ dachshund crosses. Just wondering what would be best for the situation i'm in which is basically as follows?

Someone will be at home all day (even when I go back to work), fairly busy noisy house on a farm with acres and acres of countryside. Neighbours dogs not particularly well kept in! (Including a rotweiller and a doberman) so best if good with other dogs as the most likely way they will be kept on my own premises is with one of those radio fences which won't keep other dogs out. I also have a very old, quite deaf golden labrador with arthritis and a tom cat that only really turns up twice a day to get fed.

The main issues however are the fact that there is a 3 yr old child in the house and 3 more kids all under 5 who are there on a daily basis. I also own 2 horses and the plan is that i'll be acquiring a 3rd in the foreseeable future and don't want any dogs getting kicked or trampled or anything. The main reason I want puppies is so they will grow up in these circumstances and specifically so they will become used to the horses and I'm hoping be easier to train to stay out of the way. In an ideal world i'd like to be able to have the dogs with me when doing anything with the horses but for everyone to stay safe at the same time! :rolleyes:

Another thing i'm wondering is whether i should get 2 dogs from the same litter, 2 males, 2 females, 1 of each, i'm guessing i should get both at the same time if they're not from the same litter? As I said, i'm confusing myself

Would appreciate any help or advice anyone can give!

Cherry Blossom

Apologies, I was just thinking i'd accidentally posted in the wrong place :rolleyes:

star-pants

No worries - just here would be better than Animal Welfare is all

Steve30x

If somebody is around to look after the dog a lot I would recomend a Border Collie. They need some stimulation and a long walk once or twice a day but they are a fantastic healthy and very affectionate breed of dog.

crotalus667

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

Siberian huskies/

these can not be let off the leash so it is some thing to consider

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

so best if good with other dogs ]/

that is more to do with training


as the most likely way they will be kept on my own premises is with one of those radio fences [/QUOTE]they are not a good idea the do could charge the line after something and then stray because it does not want to come back over the line

Cherry Blossom

crotalus667 wrote: »

these can not be let off the leash so it is some thing to consider

Have heard from a few people now that they may well go off on a wander and not come back, the only person I know who has one has never had a problem but yes bearing that in mind especially with more risk of that happening with 2 of them.

Also aware that I may have to change my fencing plans depending on the dog but if I end up with a couple of westies or dachshunds i'd think it would be adequate Friend of mine has 2 un-neutered GSD's and never had a problem with the radio fence but yes I agree a scent dog for example may be a different story.

peasant

Shelters are brimming with colladors and labradollies


http://www.irishanimals.ie/collies_homes.html

and yours sounds like just the place to relieve them of two.

Hermit07

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

Due to personal preferance I like collie crosses/ labrador crosses/ foot beagles/ foot beagle crosses/ Siberian huskies/ westies/ dachshunds/ dachshund crosses. Just wondering what would be best for the situation i'm in which is basically as follows?

Someone will be at home all day (even when I go back to work), fairly busy noisy house on a farm with acres and acres of countryside. Neighbours dogs not particularly well kept in! (Including a rotweiller and a doberman) !

For a start I would not get 2 puppies at once for the reasons below

They may bond better with each other than you

2 together take much longer to train

They need individual time with you apart from each other

There is a chance of major dominance battles coz litter mates tend to be evenly matched, think hormones at 12 mths, even if they get along as pups that may change when they mature

May be more likely to create a pack mentality i.e fighting with other dogs

In 10 years time you will have 2 elderly dogs at the same time and possible lose them around the same time which is very hard on you

If you really want to go ahead, male/female would be the better option although 2 males might be ok, 2 bitches can fall out any time and never be trusted together again although I do know lots of bitches who live together happily. Neutering is also a great idea.

Of the breeds mentioned, I would be inclined to go with lab or collie or crosses of these or how about something like a setter or pointer, Most of the gundog breeds get on very well with children. The fact that you have visiting children would mean you need a breed that is excellent with kids. Other suitable breeds might be boxers, golden retrievers, Italian spinoni, springer spaniel but note that radio fences are not as successful with some of the scenting gundog breeds.

Huskies will be very unlikely to get on with the next door neighbours dogs, and have a very high prey drive and would more than likely kill yor tom cat and as much as there are plenty of husky fans on this site, I would not be trusting this breed around children. I have a lot of experience of them.

Westies & dachshunds are very big dogs in very small bodies:D some are fine with children but others are quite festy little characters & wont mind picking fights with next doors Rottweiler:eek:.

If I were you I would get one pup, put in the time and effort to train it and then see if you still want another dog and then go for number 2.

lorebringer

*deep breath*

You seem to have a lot of questions and I'll do my best to answer them (I hope!) but if you need more info please feel free to pm me.

First off, getting two pup that are around the same age at the same time is generally not a good idea. They can develop something called "littermate syndrome" (even if they are not litter mates) which is a behavioural problem that occurs when the pup become too reliant on each other and can have severe reactions and problems if separated. They can also become very protective of each other and this isn't a good thing if you have little kids around. Also, two pup together are hard to train can be very overwhelming. If you are dead set on getting pups, I would get one first and then a few months later get the other. They will still bond and grow up together but that first few months being separate ages makes a big difference when training and letting them find their feet in the family.

On gender - if you are going to neuter it really doesn't make too much of a difference, epically if you do it at 6 months. Bitches can remain "bitchy" after they have had the snip so generally two females is the toughest choice to make. Personally, I prefer two neutered males but it really is up to you. If you are not going to neuter (but I highly recommend that you do) a male and female tend to work best.

Thinking of your current pets, pups may be a bit mad for older animals. Have you considered getting young dogs as opposed to pups? Rescues are bursting at the seams around the country with loads of young dogs that would be great in your home. You would also have the added benefit of knowing what personalities they have, whether they are good with kids/dogs/cats/horses etc before you bring them home. Training is easier (some come trained!) and it may be less stress all round. Also, you could probably get two straight off the bat without too much hassle. There are quite a few dogs in rescues that come as a pair, they have lived together their whole lives and don't want to be separated, so this is also worth considering.

On the subject of breed - Labs, Spaniels and most "working" breeds are good with children as long as they are socialised with them well. I have a personal soft spot for Spaniels but it really is a matter of opinion. You seem to like active breeds but if they are exercised properly and trained they should be fine with the kids. The main thing to be aware of with children and dogs is start as you mean to go on - regardless of whether you get an adult or a pup. Train them from the minute they walk into you home not to jump on the kids (and much more!) and they will get the picture pretty quickly. If you only start training when they have been there a few weeks they will have settled into the home and it will be harder. When if comes to them getting on with the neighbouring dogs - introduction is very important and supervision the first few times they meet. They need to establish who is who first. Chosing a breed (or breed mix) that gets on with other dogs really is a must if they are going to be in contact with other dogs on a regualr basis.

Lastly, good luck and I really hope you end up with two fab dogs in the future! Please let us know two it goes.

Cherry Blossom

I hadn't ruled out an older dog (meaning not a puppy) with the right characteristics, just assumed it would be easier getting puppies so they'd be accustomed to the circumstances from a young age, now I'm thinking of maybe a lab cross from a rescue centre (which I was sort of thinking of anyway) under a yr old as a yard dog (I already know what it looks like in my head haha) and possibly a beagle/westie/dachshund puppy that's been reared with kids as a house dog. I don't mind active breeds being fairly active myself. And as for Westies and Dachshunds being big dogs in little bodies, indeed that's half their appeal The only thing with the house dogs is they'd have to be small enough to sleep in my room which is the only way my mother would tolerate them staying in the house at night :P. Bigger dogs would sleep in the stables with my old dog (who gets lonely in his huge custom built kennel) or in my tack room depending on how the horses feel about it. Thanks for all the advice folks. I'm currently living in Dublin doing an equestrian work placement course and have one of my horses at the the same yard so I'm there all hours and can't have dogs on the yard. Hence the reason I have to wait till I move home in May, can do what i like in my own yard then

toadfly

Hi!

You sound like you are getting prepared well in advance so well done!

I would go for Border Collie or the likes, there are some amazing Collie/Collie crosses in rescues. I was up at Ashton Pound last week and they have loads of big dogs that would be suitable.

see this, I know he is reserved but just to give you an idea the different dogs that come into rescues all the time..

http://dogsindistress.org/blog/?p=2918

or this cutie..
http://dogsindistress.org/blog/?p=2886

Have a browse through Dogs in Distress website when the time comes, the ones in Urgent Action Needed are in the pound and can be rehomed direct from there (we got our second dog last month from Ashton) and the others are all in Foster care.

the ones from the pound are €35 to rehome (this includes dog license) and I am not sure what DID charge to rehome from foster, I think it is around €150 which is amazing as they will neuter (if over 6months), flea treatment, wormed, assessed by Vet etc.

I had Ozzie at the vet yesterday it cost me €90 for second vacination, KC vac and a bag of food!

Good luck!

Sigma Force

In my opinion the male or female makes no difference, it's all in their personality and how they are trained. I have never seen any conclusive difference between male and female dogs personality and behaviour wise.
So wether you get either or one of both doesn't really matter as long as they are given a good start. Obviously spaying/neutering is important regardless.

Two can be a handful though and if you need to watch kids as well it can be hard to keep an eye on them all.

Collies are brilliant but can have a habit of jumping up and any medium or large dog will knock a kid over now and then just out of clumsyness. Training is important but you will still get times when a pup gets overly bouncy and mouthy so it's important to have a balance between allowing the pup to mix with people of all ages and sizes which is good for them socially but also to give them boundaries so they don't over excite themselves.

Puppy classes are a must have in my book I'd of been lost without them and our guy is only a little thing.

Collies are great but do need training they need an interest even a collie cross, it's almost like they get addicted to whatever habit they get in to. So if they have a habit of chasing kids or animals they really zone in on it but if you can get them interested in a ball instead they zone in on that and expect the child or even another animal lol to throw it for them.

Collies are nuts but fantastic loyal playful dogs as well.

There are tons in rescue as said so a good rescue will match a dog or pup to your needs.

If you aren't too fussy about what type of breed perhaps consider a really mixed up breed, best thing to do is visit a rescue to look first and then re visit again to choose the dog you've been thinking about.

I've got a collie, a mix, and a Phalene and they all are great pets (mix is a bit nuts but that's down to over spoiling not her breed).