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I take it the last post was aimed at me.
I have two boarders and was trying not to recommend them as althought they are great dogs I could never whole heartedly recommend them.
Just what is your problem?
who? 😆
2unfit2ride- my last post wasn't about you at all and I apologise if you thought that. I actually agree with your post.
Bjj, not you, the perils of a delay & trying to get to grips with the auto correct on an iPad, sorry.
Why wouldnt you recommend Border Terriers 2unfit? Are they yappy? or do they just dig your garden up a lot? Never had one but I do like them.
Beagles a good shout, what bad habits does that breed have?
No worries. I'm off to bed before TJ makes an appearance 😀 night night.
Ob, every dog is different, my two are just a pain in the arse, they smell a lot, scratch the couch a lot,yet manage to keep me sane.
That said one of them will turn even on me if I blow in her face, the other just cowers, I wouldn't want a child to try & get away with it, & that is the sort of thing a child would do, if they did that to one of my dogs I would end up in the nick.
Cheers
for a smaller spaniel, i recommend a cocker. great with kids, modest to high exercise requirement, not too big for a 4yo, not much hair shedding.
ours gets modest exercise during the week and at least a ten mile walk with me of a weekend.
Hey Jonah Tonto---that Harry is a big'un alright. Lady down the street has a white/cream male about that size. Harry looks just like our smaller female, Echo, except twice her size. Have you noticed how hard it is to see their eyes when the have the black coat?
Great Dane or Wolfhound.
Just need a bit of exercise each day. You'll never need to worry about gardening again either, the dog does it all - including the fertilising.
Get down the rescue centre, and find a rescue dog which fits the bill. The dogs trust is brilliant and will help you.
+1 We got one of these from the Dogs Trust
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How a Large Munsterlander could end up as a stray I've no idea.
Uponthedowns---that is one right handsome dog!!
I highly recommend Staffordshire bull terriers, widely recognised for their love of children, i've had/ have other dogs inc. Rottweillers whom are great around the children BUT they generally ignore the children and follow their master, the Staffie has a genuine love for the kids and loves nothing more than playfull interaction with them, they are energetic when played with but calm and controlled when the family sit down to relax. The only downside is they can be confrontational with other dogs.
Now now folks! We dont want a My dog is bigger/better than yours arguement..
JTonto,Those dreadlocked dogs remind me of Floella Benjamin with beads in her hair.You would have to be doing dog stuff around the clock owning one of those. Plucking it out of bramble bushes,hosing dung out of its dreads every other day. Good on the owners that choose to have such a nightmare of a dog. Great dogs to view,crap to own!
martinxyz - Member
Now now folks! We dont want a My dog is bigger/better than yours arguement..JTonto,Those dreadlocked dogs remind me of Floella Benjamin with beads in her hair.You would have to be doing dog stuff around the clock owning one of those. Plucking it out of bramble bushes,hosing dung out of its dreads every other day. Good on the owners that choose to have such a nightmare of a dog. Great dogs to view,crap to own!
You base that on having owned one? Not hard to take care of at all. A little presumptious, don't you think, without actual experience? (now slipping on Red Adairfire-fighting suit)
You say you and your wife have jobs that mean a springer would be out of the question. I have to ask whether any dog would be suitably stimulated and cared for?
How much time will the dog be left alone? How many times a week will this happen? I ask because you have hinted at it and, for me, this would be one of the single biggest issues for you owning a dog.
Don't don't don't don't get a beagle! They are lovely dogs and have many good traits, especially with kids. However in the situation the OP describes they would be a nightmare. We had one years ago when I was a sprog. I have no doubt that you would do two hours hard exercising and when you got back and slump in your chair it would come up to you, look up adoringly and say, "now we've done the warm up can we start the real run?" The other issue is food. They will go to any lengths to scavenge food. In the house you'll need child locks on all the cupboards and never leave anything out. When off the lead no dustbin is save. They have a discerning pallet. They will try anything again and again just to make sure it's crap. We have had loads of dogs and the beagle was a lovely character, but hell to live with. Couple round the corner from us ignored the advice and now look like zombies trailing around on the end of a lead.
Damn you lot can argue about anything can't you!!!???
In reply to too tall my wife works from home but twice in a week she needs to go onto the office for about 6 hours and it's that time that also concerns me but I don't think it would be too much of an issue in reality I have heard Dalmatians can be a night mare left alone
I have a GSD/Husky X and a Springer, both from rescue centres. If it were me, I'd approach the Dogs Trust initially, as they're very good around evaluating what dog would be best for you. As has been mentioned previously, I'd avoid purebreed working dogs; our spaniel is fantastic, but very high maintenance and simply cannot be left alone for too long. For the record, we use a choke chain on him and he's fine. When we first got him we had astonishing aggression issues with him, and I've owned all sorts; GSD, Dobes, Rotts, Akitas etc, but he genuinely worried me. After contacting the former chief instructor at Keston, we managed to get it sorted and now he's great, although the fella said that Springers are a wonderful breed, but will always try to get to the top of the pecking order if allowed.
For the amount of time you're not in the house, you might think about compromising and having an ex racing greyhound; by all accounts they're an excellent first dog.
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hexhamstu, check (choke chains) do not strangle, a quick sideways pull has a shock like effect, which startles the dog and reminds it to do as it's told. My dog was trained using one (the trainer insisted on it)and now at two and a half years old and over seven stone of muscle she happily walks to heel and very rarely needs to be reminded or checked.
To the OP, make sure you get a dog to suit your lifestyle, some dogs need to be walked for over two hours daily minimum. It breaks my heart to hear of dogs being cooped up and not allowed to get the exercise and stimulation they need.
We have a rescue working cocker that is chilled but when the nose gets a smell he gets selective hearing! Always comes back but standing about in the rain at the spot he did a runner gets a bit tedious!
Also got a 8 month old collie bitch which i thought was going to be hard work but has turned out to be not too bad. Just need a tennis ball in your pocket!
My sister has a beagle, it recently managed to get past the baby gate on the stairs and into her bag. Then it proceeded to eat a whole terry's chocolate orange including the wrapper!
I've got two rescue trailhounds. Lots available from Dogs Trust or the Trailhound Trust.
Lovely dogs, great with children, couldn't care less about our cats, rarely bark, snooze loads, and love to go for long walks.
Rubbish guard dogs though - probably just cuddle a burglar.
[s]Rhodesian ridgeback - what are they like with children?
I also like Patterdale Terriers.[/s]
Get a nice cross breed pup.
6 hours is getting a bit towards the wrong end of how long you should be leaving a dog alone for. Any dog, if not properly brought up, trained and handled, can be a nightmare if left alone. I've seen from Yorkies to Great Danes who can't be left alone for an hour.
If you've never had a dog before, try and borrow a dog. Offer to dogsit for friends perhaps. It is a good way to see how much effort they take, then think about it once the novelty has gone, you're knackered and the weather is crap.
I'm a dog lover, grew up with them, trained them etc. I know some people make it work around their work, but I have seen more bad dogs with both parents working than I have good dogs in similar situations. Of course, my experiences may be different to yours, but dogs usually suffer more than humans in those situations.
hexhamstu, check (choke chains) do not strangle, a quick sideways pull has a shock like effect, which startles the dog and reminds it to do as it's told. My dog was trained using one (the trainer insisted on it)and now at two and a half years old and over seven stone of muscle she happily walks to heel and very rarely needs to be reminded or checked.
I've always just given mine a severe beating. Reminds them to do as they are told. After the severe beating a sharp kick to the face reminds them what you are capable of and they will cower in fear.
Yeah and if that doesnt work(or even if it does) throw them into a dark cupboard and throw a bucket of water over them from time to time. Gotta keep up the dominance. Incidentally I have a malamute and my next dog will be a caucasian shepherd. Try mistreating either of them!
I want a greyhound. Mr Toast doesn't like them and says they look miserable. But they make such good AT-ATs!
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Late to this, but unless you want to do a lot of walking avoid working breeds or crosses with working breeds, I've got a mutt and if he doesn't get 2 to 2 1/2 hours exercise, he can be a bit mental, he is calming down now he is almost three. Games can knock 30 minutes of the walk (hiding stuff and making him find it, training etc)
I know some people think this is a lot, but when he's looked after by friends with dogs for a week+ they have found the same out, as if you drop the walks down he gets more and more 'naughty', and at 7 stone of muscle that can be difficult. Upside of this is I can do 4 hour rides with him no problem as long as you don't go mad on flat fast bits.
Labradooles, and cocker/poodle crosses are a safe bet, but you need to see the parents! And unless you want huge vet bills avoid puppy farmed dogs for obvious reasons (£600 vet bill in first few months, problems with stress etc)
Personally I would also avoid Large Munsterlanders, as there is a good reason they become rescue dogs (they are expert escape artists, and when they get a scent you can have to wait a few hours for them to come back)
Ridgebacks are good dogs (the males can be huge though!) however not sure I would want one with kids, are they can be very protective, and their hunt instincts can be a problem (I've heard of kids growing up with them learning not to run towards, other animals/people as it can start of the hunt instinct)
Oh yeah, and if you get a puppy the first 6 months is easy (bar the getting up in the night and peeing on the floor issues), the next 3-4 months is more difficult as they start to get more independent, and then from 10-18 months they are in the teenage phase (ie: vary from angels to bastards in a 10 minute period); so that's why you see a lot of rescue Labs/dogs which are 10 months old; as people suddenly realise they dog doesn't just want a 10 minute walk and leave you alone
Patterdale!
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Mine comes to work with me most days and is quite happy about that. She doesn't always get a walk in the morning, but plenty of playing in the yard keeps her entertained and exercised. She did, though, need a lot more exercise as a pup, and she only occasionaly gets left on her own for more than 4 hours. She's always been great with other peoples kids, and now that we have a 6 month old ahe's great with her too. Patterdales are very headstrong though, and I reckon that decent training is a must. She can run as far as I can, and is more than happy to come out with us on our bikes, but we recently discovered that 16 miles on the Trans Pennine Trail (therefore fairly quick riding) is a bit much! I'm always amazed at how quick she is. The Father in law recently decided to test her by seeing how fast she could chase him on his quad - the result 20mph plus over half a mile!
They do vary a lot mind, my brother also has one and it looks just like HexhamStu's, and is about half as big again as ours and curly, not smooth coated.
My sister has a beagle, it recently managed to get past the baby gate on the stairs and into her bag. Then it proceeded to eat a whole terry's chocolate orange including the wrapper!
My brother's staffie is notorious for managing to snuffle out chocolate, particularly when it's Thornton's gift sets. Given chocolate's supposed to be very bad for dogs, he must have a cast iron stomach. My brother's learnt not to leave chocolate underneath the Christmas tree.
His staffie is a lovely dog by the way, generally good with other dogs, and fantastic with kids.
In case you were wondering - a pointer (GSP) does NOT fit your requirements!
I will add to the not's:
Chesapeake Bay Retriever does NOT fit your requirements!
Anyone suggested a jack? great little dogs mine is 13 and still going strong...
although personally the next dog I get will be a rescue pup and a broader mix of breeds as possible i would like a labcockrusselweiler. 😉
Staffie's are great dogs (as are Rotwieler crosses) however you will have to put up with people being scared of your dog, which can make ownership a little trying, as you will get a lot of shouts of 'control your dog' or ' that should be on a lead!' when you are out walking it (think of people like TJ but even more ignorant)
Sad really, as every Staffie I've known have been friendly, lovely dogs, if a little ball obsessed.
I struggle with long sentences, but has anyone suggested a Viszla? I've been researching dogs after the family golden retriever, Brodie, died last week 🙁
Viszlas seem to be a good bet if you're looking for a dog that can be energetic when it needs to be, good with kids, not too big, not too small, and doesn't shed hair. They're quite handsome too:
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Ben, nice Patterdale. We got one about 4 montsh ago. They really are brilliant! Very lively but great nature 🙂
We also have Jack Russell, she's an old girl now, and has become a bit grumpy 😆 one/two walks a day for both is usually what they require, or a very long play in the garden!
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/2010in50mm/5700357375/ ]08.05.2011[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/2010in50mm/ ]Will - B[/url], on Flickr
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/2010in50mm/6182827690/ ]25.09.2011[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/2010in50mm/ ]Will - B[/url], on Flickr
However for well natured dogs I think you'd be hard pushed to beat a Golden Retreiver. Yes they are medium/large dogs, but so so good with children, other dogs etc...
Viszla are lovely, but need loads of exercise. People I know got one recently and realise they have bitten off more than they want to chew.
Still, they could do with the exercise! 🙂
[i]Viszlas seem to be a good bet if you're looking for a dog that can be energetic when it needs to be, good with kids, not too big, not too small, and doesn't shed hair.[/i]
I've never had a viszla (either), but they [i]look[/i] so similar to a GPS, can they really be that different?
OP said [i]..the mrs' job and mine don't allow that level of exercising! ... enjoys running but isn't as mental as spaniel!![/i]
Well, my pointer needs easily as much, if not more, exercise than a springer, is quite big, and is pretty mental (ie, 4 years old and still brain of a puppy). Maybe viszlas are different, but I wouldn't recommend something I've not had first hand experience of.
Also, my GSP hates being left alone.
[edit]Ah, bagstard answered some of it.
The viszla in question also tries to hump every dog in sight, jumps up at people, is occasionally dog aggresive and has been snappy with one of the owners children! Should have bought a staffie! 🙂
The viszla in question also tries to hump every dog in sight, jumps up at people, is occasionally dog aggresive and has been snappy with one of the owners children!
How old is it? as sounds more like an owner problem, than the dog.
Also does it still have its balls?
[i]is occasionally dog aggresive and has been snappy with one of the owners children![/i]
Ah, ok, nothing like my GSP then!
The dog is about a year old now fully intact. They have used some sort of microchip which has helped a bit, but are considering getting him chopped.
Peoples dogs jumping up does really annoy me, if mine did it there would be uproar.
Get a mutt from the pound, there are loads of dogs in need of a good home. If you're set on a puppy then I'd echo some of the earlier comments and go for a cross, which generally don't have the genetic defects associated with narrow gene pools. Lurchers are good dogs, as they are very restful in the house and only require short bursts of exercise. Whippet x Lab, makes a brilliant trail companion.
Ultimately try and choose a dog that matches your lifestyle/energy levels. Too many people get working dogs, don't exercise them enough and then wonder why they chew their furniture.
The dog is about a year old now fully intact. They have used some sort of microchip which has helped a bit, but are considering getting him chopped.
Balls off should help, the microchip is more than likely to try and reduce its testosterone, however it doesn't work that well; and if you aren't going to breed from it, get them done, as you usually end up with a much nicer dog for it. The dry humping is more than likely a learnt behaviour now so could always be a problem.
The jumping up is a pain, and take a lot of effort to crack, especially if they have let it get away with it for a year ........ What drives me nuts is people who encourage my dog to jump up! saying they don't mind!, and then look hurt when I say I do!