advice on dog

Gmaximum

Hi

Looking for some advice please. Myself and the Mrs are moving with our baby shortly to a house where we really should have a dog for security given its remote location.

We both love dogs and have had them as pets before. Our baby will be just over a year old when we move. ideally we would like to allow the dog into the house under supervision. The house has a large garden so dog will have plenty of room outdoors as well.

Any suggestions as to what breed would make a good addition to the family?

cocker5

ok well here's what i think:

Firstly with your baby being very young personally I wouldnt get a dog until your baby is 5 or so.

Puppys will get over excited (all the time) they will "knock your baby over" when they are learning to walk etc, they will play bite (all puppies do this) it can take months for them to learn to not. This can be upseeting to a baby and confusing for parents as they sometimes see this as a puppy being aggressive etc (which its not). Puppies require a massive amount of time and effort and to be honest I not too sure how people manage this along with a baby. Lots of people end up dumpng the puppy / dog outside for 99% of the time and thats no life for the dog - now i am not saying you would do this but its a sad reality for alot of dogs in Ireland today.

Have you thought about the hygenie of it? lots of parents dont like the babies crawling on floors when a dog is around - if you know what i mean.

Dogs are expensive (high quality food, vet bills, pet insurance etc), demand alot of time and effort (for training), alot of breeds want to be around their humans all the time and dont do well outside etc.

I am sorry if its not what you want to hear but these are all considerations when getting a dog.

With regard to getting a dog for security, to be honest nowadays this doesnt deter people.. they will just rob the dog as well..

IMO i would suggest making sure you have adecent alarm system and floods lights and when ypur child is old enough to be able to interact safely with a dog and vise versa then get a dog...

Also when you say youve had dogs before? as in when you were living in your familys home or as an adult?
Reason i ask is Ive grown up with dogs my whole life, 8 years ago we got our own cocker, and although i have always had dog my parents were their keepers really, until i got my own i had no real clue of the responsibility etc.... and it was a shock to be honest.

a dog is a 15 year plus committment - with babies / kids this makes things hard, IMO i wouldnt get a dog until kids are 5 years old etc....

Just my opinion, good luck with your decision.

meoklmrk91

Considering your babies age I wouldn't even consider getting a puppy, yes people do do it, but it is expecrionally hard work to do properly, house training, socialisation, obedience training and will you will have accidents with an excitable puppy jumping, nipping, running around with abandon. It is a lot to take on when you don't have a baby.

Maybe it might be a good idea to consider an older dog from rescue, I know a lot of people would worry about a dog from rescue around kids as you don't know their backround but many rescues do evaluations on their dogs and they know what kind of homes their dogs would be suited to. Just something to consider.

Gmaximum

Thanks for the replies folks

While we haven't had dogs as an adult we've both grown up with them from an early age and appreciate the effort and cost that goes into them. We have thought hard about and believe we can manage

Its also more for a sense of security rather than having a "guard dog". A dog that will make a bit of noise is always good.

We are considering a rescue dog as well

cocker5

Gmaximum wrote: »

Thanks for the replies folks

While we haven't had dogs as an adult we've both grown up with them from an early age and appreciate the effort and cost that goes into them. We have thought hard about and believe we can manage

Its also more for a sense of security rather than having a "guard dog". A dog that will make a bit of noise is always good.

We are considering a rescue dog as well

OP, glad to hear you've put alot of thought into it, as lots of people dont...

As i said I had dogs my whole life growing up and "thought" i was fully aware of the responsibilty of owning a dog all to myself and when it came down to it, i had only a ounce of an idea - but maybe thats just me.

I def wouldnt get a puppy, IMO puppys and babies dont usually do well together, its too much stress on everybody etc. A puppy when you baby is 5 or over would be alot eariser and a smoother transition..

Personally if you are dead set on getting a dog I would go with an adult dog..

you havent said what size dog you are thinking of?
Small? Medium?

As all of these things effect your breed choice.

Where would the dog be sleeping? inside or outside? reason i ask is if outside lots of shelters wont adopt out to a home where a dogs living outside and lots of brreds dont do well outside...

exercise, how much will the dog be getting? not just in the back garden but general exercise? this all differs per breed.

have you any breeds in mind yourself?

mutley dastardly

You've got lots of really great advice here Gmaximum. I would listen to the advice about not getting a puppy with such a young baby in the house. Also please do consider a rescue dog!

If you really just want some suggestions about breeds you may want to make part of your family (personality, temperament etc) take a look here http://www.iams.com/dog-breed-selector - it's not exactly the most romantic way to select your dog, but it's not a bad place to start either.

ShaShaBear

Definitely worth mentioning that the size of your garden means diddly squat in relation to a dog. He or she will never, ever, ever get enough exercise pacing a garden - twice daily walks, at least 20 minutes long EACH will be needed for almost all healthy dog breeds.

An adult rescue dog is a great idea (as puppies and toddlers do not mix well unless you constantly keep them apart, and people tend to think that this isn't necessary with a pup). You will probably want to look into crate training, as you should never leave a baby and dog unattended together. Babies are loud, squawky, screamy and terrible slappers/pullers when it comes to dogs. In fact, I would say there are way more baby attacks on poor dogs than there are dog attacks on poor babies! You will need to offer ANY dog coming into your home a safe place to rest and find peace from your baby, especially as they are likely crawling or even starting to walk now. An extra baby gate for rooms so the new dog can see what is going on in a room but not enter and exit willy-nilly also helps if you needed to, say, run to the loo while baby is in a playpen or travel cot.

Finally, where will the dog sleep? Outside isn't really recommended in this weather, or at all by some people. Most rescues will not give you a dog if it will be forced to sleep outside alone, especially as many of them will be used to having an indoor space in the shelter, or have come from a foster home where they were kept indoors.

I believe all children should have a family pet growing up (if parents like them) as it teaches them a level of respect, love and appreciation of animals that they will never learn otherwise. I've rarely come across anyone who never had a family pet that didn't develop distaste for dogs or cats (not being able to outweigh the hair loss, doggie smell and slobbery windows with the unconditional love, loyalty and laughter), or even minute fear or mistrust, which almost always gets transferred to their children.
If you absolutely want a dog, security should never be the first reason. Not all dogs, even within a breed that usually displays protective characteristics, will naturally protect the way you want. If it is simply noise you are after, any dog comfortable in their surroundings will probably learn to bark when they hear something unusual. But if you plan to put the dog outside, expect that ability to become distorted by constant response to other barking dogs, people in neighbouring gardens that sound closer to the dog than they are and the ever-expected presence of wandering cats, who love to perch on high fencing just because they can :o

Knine

I would actually never bring an adult rescue dog into a house with a young child. The OPs child is less then a year. Such is the nature of many rescue dogs you will not have its full history.

I have young children. I never ever have had any issues with puppies & children as long as they were supervised. One of my children has a severe disability & very challenging behaviour. The puppies grow up here with the children & they are taught using rewards not to knock over the kids. Any puppies I breed leave here bombproof.

ShaShaBear

Knine wrote: »

I would actually never bring an adult rescue dog into a house with a young child. The OPs child is less then a year. Such is the nature of many rescue dogs you will not have its full history.

I have young children. I never ever have had any issues with puppies & children as long as they were supervised. One of my children has a severe disability & very challenging behaviour. The puppies grow up here with the children & they are taught using rewards not to knock over the kids. Any puppies I breed leave here bombproof.

Some rescue dogs have been in foster with children for months, even years. A good rescue will never let you adopt a dog if you have young children if they are even the slightest bit unsure about their dealings with children.
As I said, it is not always the puppy/dog that needs the training - usually the kid is the one you need to watch! Plenty of puppies might think a tap on the head or a pull of the ear is permission to play, and one nip could lead to a puppy with no home before you know it.

Gmaximum

Thanks again folks

Dog will be walked daily and we'd be happy for him to sleep indoors. We also have a stable adjacent to the house with no horses. Medium sized dog would suit best I think

ShaShaBear

Gmaximum wrote: »

Thanks again folks

Dog will be walked daily and we'd be happy for him to sleep indoors. We also have a stable adjacent to the house with no horses. Medium sized dog would suit best I think

Is there an enclosed area? It's never a good idea to let a dog roam free outside!

foreverme99

With such a young child it should definetly be a puppy that you bring into the home. With an older dog you can never tell what way he was reared and if he suffered abuse or neglect.also A rescue dog would be out of the question around a young child

ShaShaBear

foreverme99 wrote: »

With such a young child it should definetly be a puppy that you bring into the home. With an older dog you can never tell what way he was reared and if he suffered abuse or neglect.also A rescue dog would be out of the question around a young child

Of course you can. That's why most reputable rescues have their dogs placed in foster homes - so that they can tell how they are in a comfortable home setting. There is absolutely no reason not to get a rescue dog. A puppy could have been treated equally badly, and you are guaranteed a puppy will bite.

Gmaximum

ShaShaBear wrote: »

Is there an enclosed area? It's never a good idea to let a dog roam free outside!

Yes its enclosed

ShaShaBear

Gmaximum wrote: »

Yes its enclosed

Sounds perfect if it's enclosed and big enough for a stable! If you let us know what area you are in, we can PM some rescues with available doggies? Even just to get you started on breeds or sizes you might like? Of course, buying a puppy is an option if you want to go that route, but you'll have your work cut out for you toilet training a puppy and getting up through the night to let it out. Of course, again, you can rescue puppies!

Knine

ShaShaBear wrote: »

Some rescue dogs have been in foster with children for months, even years. A good rescue will never let you adopt a dog if you have young children if they are even the slightest bit unsure about their dealings with children.
As I said, it is not always the puppy/dog that needs the training - usually the kid is the one you need to watch! Plenty of puppies might think a tap on the head or a pull of the ear is permission to play, and one nip could lead to a puppy with no home before you know it.

And many rescues will not let adult dogs into homes with young children. Few dogs end up in foster for years & a couple of mths is not sufficent to see a dogs true personality. There was a very sad tragedy recently in the news involving an adult rescue & a young child.

How much experience have you with puppies & children?

ShaShaBear

Knine wrote: »

And many rescues will not let adult dogs into homes with young children. Few dogs end up in foster for years & a couple of mths is not sufficent to see a dogs true personality. There was a very sad tragedy recently in the news involving an adult rescue & a young child.

How much experience have you with puppies & children?

Me? Plenty. In fact, my brother was on the receiving end of a very traumatic accident with a puppy who was extremely well-socialised with children, through nothing but his own fault and my mother's stupidity in leaving them unattended. Like I said, children are more often to blame for such issues than the dogs themselves - puppies or not. In my brother's case, the bite was completely and utterly innocent, but it cost him his bottom lip. My brother and mother learned a valuable lesson, and unfortunately the puppy, despite my consistent objections and further hatred toward my mother that lasted for months, suffered as a result.

Knine

Do you actually have your own children though? There is a hell of a difference between a puppy nipping & an adult bite.

There are lots & lots of unreputable rescues & advising people who may not realise this to go out and get an adult rescue dog when they have a small toddler could be a recipe for disaster.

I have had lots & lots of puppies here including litters. I have never ever had even one incident.

foreverme99

ShaShaBear wrote: »

Me? Plenty. In fact, my brother was on the receiving end of a very traumatic accident with a puppy who was extremely well-socialised with children, through nothing but his own fault and my mother's stupidity in leaving them unattended. Like I said, children are more often to blame for such issues than the dogs themselves - puppies or not. In my brother's case, the bite was completely and utterly innocent, but it cost him his bottom lip. My brother and mother learned a valuable lesson, and unfortunately the puppy, despite my consistent objections and further hatred toward my mother that lasted for months, suffered as a result.

Problem here was the puppy owner and not the puppy itself. The poor pup suffered because the owner was not looking after him or supervising him. Shame

ShaShaBear

foreverme99 wrote: »

Problem here was the puppy owner and not the puppy itself. The poor pup suffered because the owner was not looking after him or supervising him. Shame

I'm assuming, for the third time now, that you have not been reading my posts. I have already said on numerous occasions that children are the problem in a puppy scenario, not the puppy.

Knine

ShaShaBear wrote: »

I'm assuming, for the third time now, that you have not been reading my posts. I have already said on numerous occasions that children are the problem in a puppy scenario, not the puppy.

Not in my house though because they are all supervised & well trained. The puppies have been a very positive influence on my children. My dogs are also a very lively terrier breed & a very large gundog. There can be 3/4 puppies also visiting regularly - several times a mth.

Children also need to be taught how to behave. There is no reason the OP can't rescue a puppy.

foreverme99

ShaShaBear wrote: »

I'm assuming, for the third time now, that you have not been reading my posts. I have already said on numerous occasions that children are the problem in a puppy scenario, not the puppy.

Hmmm third time?? Nope..
It's a bit hard to keep up with your post as it seems you back peddle a wee bit in what your saying.
Starting with the long speel you posted and suggesting that an adult dog be brought into the home with an infant rather than a pup. I don't think I need to say much more....

ShaShaBear

Knine wrote: »

Not in my house though because they are all supervised & well trained. The puppies have been a very positive influence on my children. My dogs are also a very lively terrier breed & a very large gundog. There can be 3/4 puppies also visiting regularly - several times a mth.

Children also need to be taught how to behave. There is no reason the OP can't rescue a puppy.

Again, if you read, I did suggest that as well. I am not saying a puppy is a no, I am saying that the choice that the OP makes needs to be utterly thought out and they need to be prepared for any possibility. No dog, regardless of age or breed or temperament or promises from a breeder, should be left unsupervised with a child, because, as you yourself said, children need training too. Unless the OP is buying a puppy off you, your word can not be considered spoken law for all puppies on the planet. Some will nip, some will scratch accidentally, some will poop on the floor and the child will have it in their hands before you can say the S word!

ShaShaBear

foreverme99 wrote: »

Hmmm third time?? Nope..
It's a bit hard to keep up with your post as it seems you back peddle a wee bit in what your saying.
Starting with the long speel you posted and suggesting that an adult dog be brought into the home with an infant rather than a pup. I don't think I need to say much more....

I'm sorry, am I not entitled to an opinion? I said three times now that CHILDREN are more likely responsible for the actions of a puppy. So I think it is you who are misreading :rolleyes:
However, I am not the one considering a dog with an infant in my house, I am merely giving advice based on my personal experiences, which is all anyone on an online forum can do.

foreverme99

ShaShaBear wrote: »

I'm sorry, am I not entitled to an opinion? I said three times now that CHILDREN are more likely responsible for the actions of a puppy. So I think it is you who are misreading :rolleyes:
However, I am not the one considering a dog with an infant in my house, I am merely giving advice based on my personal experiences, which is all anyone on an online forum can do.

You are most certainly entitled to your opinion

Knine

ShaShaBear wrote: »

Again, if you read, I did suggest that as well. I am not saying a puppy is a no, I am saying that the choice that the OP makes needs to be utterly thought out and they need to be prepared for any possibility. No dog, regardless of age or breed or temperament or promises from a breeder, should be left unsupervised with a child, because, as you yourself said, children need training too. Unless the OP is buying a puppy off you, your word can not be considered spoken law for all puppies on the planet. Some will nip, some will scratch accidentally, some will poop on the floor and the child will have it in their hands before you can say the S word!

And the child might have a little scratch or if you read the news lately if an adult dog is involved it could be far far worse.

My words are through years of experience with both puppies & children, including a child with very challenging behaviour.

ShaShaBear

foreverme99 wrote: »

You are most certainly entitled to your opinion

And my opinion is that an adult dog who has already been toilet trained, is sleeping through the night and is past the stage where they are teething and chewing on everything might be better for the OP's one year old baby than a young puppy, rescued OR bought, that may still be teething, needs to be let out in the dead of night, and needs to be watched constantly for reasons unrelated to the fact that you have a child, and MAY nip and scratch unintentionally.

Never once did I say that was the rule for all puppies, but I am not so naive as to tar all dogs with the same brush. Just like I know not all rescue dogs are going to be disastrous maniacs around children. The OP said they were considering a rescue dog, so I gave advice on that

ShaShaBear

Knine wrote: »

And the child might have a little scratch or if you read the news lately if an adult dog is involved it could be far far worse.

My words are through years of experience with both puppies & children, including a child with very challenging behaviour.

And my words are directed to someone who does not have any experience of juggling a young puppy and a one-year old child, and may not realise what puppyhood normally entails.

It is imperative that someone considering a dog for the first time as a responsible adult see all flipsides of the coin.

foreverme99

It's not tarring all dogs with the same brush, it's putting a young child's safety first.
Now, this is my opinion, it would be far more safer to bring a pup into a home where a young child is present rather than an adult dog or rescue dog reason being, (presuming that parents of the pup have been checked and all papers in order, and the dog breeders have been checked out, kennels and conditions have been checked and so on) the pup gets to know the family and no other, the pup finds his place in the family and is reared with the family, a bond develops and so in..
Bringing an adult dog in, you never know what way it was bred, what conditions it lived in, what abuse it's been through, and so on. A dog only needs to suffer trauma just once to snap one day, it's terrible how dogs can be mis treated but it does happen all the time.
To get an adult dog just because he's already tiolet trained and all that is just pure and utter laziness. If a person has no time to train a pup then the person has no time for the pup and therefore should not have one.

Whispered

Knine wrote: »

And the child might have a little scratch or if you read the news lately if an adult dog is involved it could be far far worse.

My words are through years of experience with both puppies & children, including a child with very challenging behaviour.

How many adult dogs do you think have been rehomed without ever an issue? As you are aware there have been cases where dogs raised by the family have bitten and attacked too. This is how stupid breed specific laws come about - one tragic case makes the news and knee jerk opinions like this come into play.

How long in your opinion before you see the real personality? You said that a few months is not long enough, so would you suggest that if you rescue an adult then find out you're 2 months pregnant you should get rid of the dog, just in case? (obviously joking, but I'm sure you get my point, if the dog has been in foster with a child I would see it as a good indicator of it's ability to live with a child)

I get what you're saying re rescues who are not reputable being a problem, but I'd rather point the OP in the right direction of a rescue who would be considered reliable rather than point blank cross a whole load of dogs off their list based on one tragic news worthy story.

DBB

There's a very important point being glossed over here. A lot of rescue dogs do come with a full history, with provenance, so to speak. Most of the dogs I rehome, I have a very detailed and robust history for, because when I take them from their owners, I ask a set of detailed and revealing questions in order to get the full story. This is not entirely foolproof, but I can say with absolute honesty that has proven to give me a very accurate idea of what each dog is, where each dog is coming from behaviourally.
I have rehomed many an adult dog to homes with small kids. I have a dog here who is a rescue dog, I got her as a young adult, who could be placed into any home, with any number of kids. The dog I had before her was 7.5 when I got her... again, exceptionally reliable with children.
I have to say, I'd be very slow to place a young puppy into the average home where there's a small child: knine, I appreciate that you'd prefer the opposite, but there's nothing average about your wealth of knowledge and experience
To my mind, placing a small puppy into a home with a small child means you now have two small children, one of which has immensely sharp teeth and is not afraid to use them It takes a pretty significant extra effort on the part of the parents to try to control the madness, which proves to be too much for some.
I think it's perfectly acceptable to place a carefully selected adult dog, of known history and who has been road-tested in a foster home where kids live, into a home with little 'uns. Emphasis on the words "carefully selected" now, but there are a hell of a lot of fabuloso dogs out there who could fit in with the OP just right! They just need to get in with the right rescue group

Knine

The major problem I have is an inexperienced person finding the right rescue though. I have seen & personally had dealing with some right horrors!

And the fabulous rescue stories these culprits have up on Facebook!

foreverme99

Introducing an adult or rescue dog is just as much time and work as a puppy. You can teach a dog new tricks but it's very hard to undo habits and behaviours.
No previous dog owner Is ever going to admit mistreating the dog so I would never take someone's word for the history of the dog. Also these rehoming places can also only guess or imagine the history of a dog, nobody can ever realy tell,therefore it would be best to have a pup and rear it with the child, and this way the owner knows the history of his own dog.
I'm not saying that rescuing or rehoming dogs Is a bad idea, I'm saying its better and safer to bring a pup into a home with a young child rather than an adult dog or rescue dog.

Pretzill

OP do your research and think long and hard a dog is a huge responsibility. A puppy and a baby can work but I only know of the time dedicated to puppy and can't imagine having a baby to care for at the same time! A puppy is the closest thing I have come to raring, not to denegrade parenthood but it's hard work!

The toilet training, the chewing and playful nipping from teething and constant shadowing in the first few weeks to make sure he's done no damage to himself or otherwise is pretty full on. I have a duo of nice purple bruises on my arm from a playful nip from injection like teeth which I'm sure would've been far worse on babies tender skin.

All that said; Rescues home pups as well as adult dogs and some have gotten a great start with fosterers who have children.

Choosing a dog as a gaurd dog well are you just looking for something that barks to alert you to strangers? That can be any breed and it doesn't rule out a robber being licked to death!

I would suggest getting a pup in Spring when the weather is more clement for the 15 times a day toilet dash! (okay maybe that's just my new fella who litterally pees water at the mo!)

And research the breed, the breeder,the rescue centre thoroughly before committing.

If you have your head and heart set in the right place your little one could have a loving friend well into their teens!

But be prepared for a big committment.

ShaShaBear

foreverme99 wrote: »

Introducing an adult or rescue dog is just as much time and work as a puppy. You can teach a dog new tricks but it's very hard to undo habits and behaviours.
No previous dog owner Is ever going to admit mistreating the dog so I would never take someone's word for the history of the dog. Also these rehoming places can also only guess or imagine the history of a dog, nobody can ever realy tell,therefore it would be best to have a pup and rear it with the child, and this way the owner knows the history of his own dog.
I'm not saying that rescuing or rehoming dogs Is a bad idea, I'm saying its better and safer to bring a pup into a home with a young child rather than an adult dog or rescue dog.

The problem here is a puppy reared in a family environment could just as easily snap at a child after years of being in the family home and never being mistreated. Because they were startled, or hurt, or are sick. Getting a puppy absolutely under no circumstances guarantees a safe dog. And a very large portion of dogs in rescues are not abused, but simply unwanted. Some have been there since they were puppies. If a fosterer cannot tell if a dog is going to ve good with a child after a 3 month placement with training and supervision, then a breeder cannot guarantee the temperament and patience of a 3 month old puppy with training and supervision.

There is also absolutely nothing wrong with adopting an adult dog because you are not in a position to train a puppy. They are as much hard work as a child and many people would rather give a chance to a fully vetted, health checked and trained adult dog that is unwanted rather than dedicate the next 4 to 6 months cleaning doggie mess off the floor and standing outside in the freezing cold at 3am waiting for a golden poop.

Pretzill

Shashabear I'm a month in he's just 12 weeks old and doesn't need to poop overnight - The pees are a wee different though - I'm seriously thinking of embarrassing myself with the vet because I've never had a pup who piddled as much! Some dogs are easier to house train than others - my 3 year old got the pooping outdoors quickly too and I trained her to jump on the door when she needed to go out - she still bangs on the door but mostly to pretend she needs to pee!

DBB

foreverme99 wrote: »

Introducing an adult or rescue dog is just as much time and work as a puppy. You can teach a dog new tricks but it's very hard to undo habits and behaviours.

I don't agree.. at least, I don't agree with your painting of all rescue/adult dogs with the one brush. There are plenty of lovely, soft, ready-to-go family dogs available for young families. Indeed, I consider it a job well done when the new home calls me within a day or two of getting their new, carefully considered, carefully selected adult rescue dog, with the immortal words, "It feels like he's always been here". I don't recall anyone ever saying that about a puppy!

No previous dog owner Is ever going to admit mistreating the dog so I would never take someone's word for the history of the dog. Also these rehoming places can also only guess or imagine the history of a dog, nobody can ever realy tell,

Again, too much painting everyone with the one brush. Of course you'll get liars and chancers, I said as much above, but by and large, most people who have gone to the trouble of sourcing a good rescue through which to rehome their dog will be honest, and want to give you the full story because they want their dog to end up in the right home. I can say now, without fear of contradiction, that of the 300+ surrendered (not stray) dogs I've rehomed, perhaps 10 of their owners were deliberately deceitful. And guess what? Any unreported faults with these same dogs were picked up at the fostering/assessment stage.
On the contrary, how many people go and buy pups which the breeder is deliberately deceitful about? I know quite a number of "reputable" IKC registered breeders who use their homes as a front for their puppy farm two counties away. I know a multi-prize winning breeder who sold a very expensive pup to friends of mine.. the pup hid under their kitchen table for months and needed extensive professional intervention... that's not to mention the fleas the pup had. Look at all the pics of puppies on the various websites, all cute 'n' cuddlesome on a cozy sofa... the staining of the coat and disposition of these pups belying the fact that this is their first time ever to be inside a house.
So, in short, getting a pup is no guarantee, by any stretch. I get quite a few dogs surrendered because they don't like the kids they live with... yet every one of these owners set out to get their dog as a pup because... wouldn't that be the best option for their young family? In this small rescue, somewhere in the region of 40% of the surrendered dogs says they were wrong to make such an assumption.

boomerang

foreverme99 wrote: »

its better and safer to bring a pup into a home with a young child rather than an adult dog or rescue dog.

Is this belief based on fear, or experience?

TBH it's a ridiculous generalisation.

ShaShaBear

Pretzill wrote: »

Shashabear I'm a month in he's just 12 weeks old and doesn't need to poop overnight - The pees are a wee different though - I'm seriously thinking of embarrassing myself with the vet because I've never had a pup who piddled as much! Some dogs are easier to house train than others - my 3 year old got the pooping outdoors quickly too and I trained her to jump on the door when she needed to go out - she still bangs on the door but mostly to pretend she needs to pee!

Oh I know some are easier to train than others, but what I mean is some are harder to train than others. And someone just getting used to sleeping through the night when their baby turns 1 might be reluctant to start doing it again!

foreverme99

boomerang wrote: »

Is this belief based on fear, or experience?

TBH it's a ridiculous generalisation.

A ridiculous generalisation? Now are you basing that on fear or experience?

Absolutely a ridiculous comment to make

bailey99

I would absolutely recommend a rescue dog. The work these rescues do is incredible and have only ever had one dog who was a purebred bought when he was 6 weeks old, I would only ever get rescue dogs going forward.

As the sign on my local rescue says: "Adopting a rescue dog won't change the world, but for that dog, it changes their world"

ShaShaBear

foreverme99 wrote: »

A ridiculous generalisation? Now are you basing that on fear or experience?

Absolutely a ridiculous comment to make

No it isn't

We'd all like to know if your steadfast opinion on puppies being safer than adult dogs is based on a fear of adult dogs/rescue dogs or if it's based on personal experience on attempting to integrate both puppies and adult dogs into families with small children.

As I've already said, dogs that have been in the family for years are just as prone to snapping when provoked by a child as an adult dog from a rescue.

Plenty of rescue dogs received nothing but love and adoration from previous owners and ended up in rescue through circumstances out of everyone's control eg an owner died, or owner(s) were forced to move or risk becoming homeless, or in some cases managed to escape or were stolen from their home and due to a lost collar or no registered chip were never re-united with their owner.

As well as this, plenty of puppies grow up with a child in the family, and when a second one comes along people assume the dog will be fine. They may get jealous of the lack of attention, they may find that the screams and pulls of a toddler are not nearly as fun as they were when they were puppies, and you might find that the dog would decide they are no longer patient with children.

So, in both cases a dog cannot be trusted alone with a child nomatter what ANYONE says or thinks, and it is entirely reasonable for us to wonder what makes you think that a puppy would be easier and safer than a pre-trained, pre-vetted and pre-socialised adult dog to integrate with a family.

foreverme99

bailey99 wrote: »

I would absolutely recommend a rescue dog. The work these rescues do is incredible and have only ever had one dog who was a purebred bought when he was 6 weeks old, I would only ever get rescue dogs going forward.

As the sign on my local rescue says: "Adopting a rescue dog won't change the world, but for that dog, it changes their world"

Nobody said not to get a rescue dog. Read the first post. The question was about getting a dog for a family with a young child. I suggested a pup is better for the young child than an old dog or rescue dog.
Obviously there are alot of rescue dog owners here or ppl that work with them so no use in continuing here, as no one here is willing to admit what's right incase it's knocking the idea of rescues.
Yes there great dogs, but everyone missing the point, or ignoring the point. It's only common sense ppl. Unfollowing this thread as its gone so boring... Yawn.....

runawaybishop

Gmaximum wrote: »

Hi

Looking for some advice please. Myself and the Mrs are moving with our baby shortly to a house where we really should have a dog for security given its remote location.

We both love dogs and have had them as pets before. Our baby will be just over a year old when we move. ideally we would like to allow the dog into the house under supervision. The house has a large garden so dog will have plenty of room outdoors as well.

Any suggestions as to what breed would make a good addition to the family?

What sort of dog are you thinking of yourself and for what reason? Do you want a small dog or a big dog etc - given you mention security I assume you are looking at a medium to larger breed? A guard breed like the Alsation might be suitable (they are lovely animals) but be aware that you cant just leave them outside on their lonesome.

Vel

foreverme99 wrote: »

as no one here is willing to admit what's right incase it's knocking the idea of rescues.
Yes there great dogs, but everyone missing the point, or ignoring the point. It's only common sense ppl.

So I was wrong, when involved in rescue, when I rehomed a number of adult dogs to homes with children?

And I have been wrong, over the past 5 years when I have rehomed a number of adult rescue dogs to live alongside my 4.5, 3.5 and 1 year old children?

I know of numerous homes, my own included and others where I have directly rehomed adult rescue dogs to homes with children where all of the rehomings have worked out brilliantly.

I could put you in contact with a huge amount of people who have successfully introduced an adult rescue dog to a home with children.

What is your direct experience that has led you to the conclusion that people like me are 'wrong' and not using 'common sense' and people like you are 'right'?

Hopefully you haven't slunk off from the thread already before giving us some insight because I genuinely am dying to hear where I might have gone so wrong:D

DBB

foreverme99 wrote: »

Obviously there are alot of rescue dog owners here or ppl that work with them so no use in continuing here, as no one here is willing to admit what's right incase it's knocking the idea of rescues.

It think that this is one of the most insulting, ignorant comments I have ever read on this forum.
Clearly, you are not prepared to accept that those of us who are seriously experienced in placing unwanted dogs into new homes can actually do that pretty well, and take great pride in doing it really well.... Why, oh why, would I want to place an unsuitable dog into a home with kids, only for that dog to bounce back, making more work for me, and more expense for me? For me to risk the reputation of my small rescue with newspaper headlines about how one of my dogs bit a child and put it in hospital?

Based on your profound expertise, I'm going now to call the the many, many, many homes I've placed dogs in who have lived out, and continue to live long and happy lives with all of the family, so that I can take all of their apparently savage, child-eating rescue dogs back off them. Even though these dogs have never so much as looked sideways at a child, I think it'd be best to put all those dogs to sleep, just in case one day, they decide to kill a child... you know, because that never happens to people who buy their pups from a breeder!
Thanks foreverme99, you're a true inspiration!:D

fiounnalbe

foreverme99 wrote: »

I'm not saying that rescuing or rehoming dogs Is a bad idea, I'm saying its better and safer to bring a pup into a home with a young child rather than an adult dog or rescue dog.

Over the last 12 months, I have had a baby, got a new puppy and took in a adult rescue dog....the only planned addition to the family here being the baby :P

It's been manic at times but from my experiences over the last few months, the adult dog has been so so sooooooo much easier to handle coming into our home than the pup!

The pup is a bundle of energy, has his face in everything you're doing, the minute I'd get up to feed my baby in the middle of the night the puppy would start screaming from the kitchen, between changing nappies and cleaning up accidents from the puppy by the end of the day I'd be exhausted.

A few weeks later, in came the adult dog, and bar him being ill when he arrived and needing extra attention, since then there has been no problems and as DBB said "it's like he was always here"! Being an adult dog he's more relaxed, he doesn't need constant attention, he had one accident inside the house and thats it, he can hold his pee for so much longer that it was never necessary to get up to him in the middle of the night and he is also extremely gentle and quiet while in the same room as the baby, the puppy doesn't care if baby is asleep or not, it's all go and play with him!

I would definitely recommend and adult dog, if you go to a good rescue they will be able to match you up with the perfect addition