So – my kids have mithered for maybe years about a dog, and I told them no way was I taking responsibility for it so they had to prove they can look after it – ergo take a 1/2hr walk every night for 3 months 😡

So – it was negotiated down to 1 month (kids – born negotiators) and they are 1/3 of the way there. 🙁

So – looks like a dog is for christmas after all! 🙄

So – I have ruled out cocker poo – stupid name, and I hate poodles – looking for cocker spaniel, light brown. pets4homes is their permanent favourite website presently.

30minute walk isnt enough for most dogs…. ours gets 2 hours a day minimum and its 3+ hours on a wednesday, weekends is closer to 4 hours a day.

EDIT – forgot about mrsconsequence’s half day on fridays, so friday he gets 3+ hours in total as well.

5am walks take the sting out of the evening walks and the bonus is its deadly quiet out so no distractions 🙂

Working cockers are consistently good.

My sympathies.

We have the same discussions where I flatly refuse any involvement with walking a dog and more significantly attending to its dumps.

Can’t you start with a smaller pet, and work upwards from there? My guess would be, dog arrives & kids start out with good intentions. 6 months later (or less!), they’ve got fed up with picking up poo and walking it & then it’s over to you.

I’m a born cynic though……

🙂

Cocker spaniels, the working ones are pretty good dogs, but they do need exercise. That said, our neighbours’ show strain cocker also loves walks, but is probably a little less hyper than Ralph is.

Take your time, find a good litter, then get the kids to choose the puppy. That way, when/if it turns into a sofa eating poo machine with a hankering for chewing the armpits out of t-shirts*, it will be their fault.

Oh, and of course, this thread demands photos of cocker spaniels.

* Mine actually did this with a merino base layer t-shirt when he was a puppy. Little sod.

if you get a puppy… they only have small bladders. on average about 2 hours will pass before they need to wee or poo again ❗

cockapoos are awesome, stupid name, but lovely dogs.

Tip:

Don’t get a Labrador/Patterdale X
They have the appetite of a small horse [complete with the associated shitting to equine standard] and the temperament of a Tasmanian Devil

I’m with Woody2000 – start small as a test- hamster or something similar with a shortish lifespan. No input from you and if it’s dead in 6months then they’ve failed.

As a dog owner I am also with Woody2000 and Yak. If they can look after a small pet then the ‘reward’ is the dog. Potentially saves everyone (dog included) a lot of hassle.

any rescue places near by they could go and do some volunteer dog walking at? walking is completely different to having a dog attached to you, sniffing everything, pulling to play with other dogs, pooing and having to clean it up etc….

philconsequence – Member

30minute walk isnt enough for most dogs…. ours gets 2 hours a day minimum and its 3+ hours on a wednesday, weekends is closer to 4 hours a day.

2-3hrs a day isn’t nearly enough for a fit, active dog.

Mine get a minimum of 8hrs a day and 16hrs on weekends………

😆

in that case mine gets 25 hours a day and 29hrs a day on the weekends, bank holidays its 35+

😆

Mine’s still running since the day we got her!

crikey – that thing is REAL – http://www.gopetusa.com/

http://www.gopetusa.com/shopgopet/cs6020

that’s a lot of money for an average sized dog? can’t they just put em in the tumbledryer?

I really am quite amazed

i know, not just a hatstand right?! they’ll be kept warm in the tumbledryer too saving on heating costs whilst you’re out at work!

Get a rescue dog.

Please dont get a working cocker – they arent mini springers. They need a lot of exercise and mental stimulation. You see them as police sniffer dogs for a reason.

Ive got a springer and parents have 2 gundog trained working cockers. The cockers are skitsier (spelling) more intelligent then my springer.

All demand alot of attention.

Why let them practice on a poor Hamster! At the Rodent Defense League (Hamster section) we take a very dim view of pet ownership practice with these little creatures. They will not be able to go for 30 minute walks either though picking up their poo should not be to messy. Think of the poor animals, get them a cat.

my hamstercat gets 782hours a day walks, usually off the lead.

Ex racing greyhounds make great pets. Look at Retired Greyhound Trust – there will be a branch near you. Greyhounds are known for being good with children, but do make it clear to the kennels that you have children. Some are not good with cats or small dogs (but can be trained), but again best to mention this at the kennels so they can tailor the dog to your needs.

They can get by on 2 x 20 minute walks a day (as long as they can get out for a poo/wee between-times). I take mine for longer walks because I love walking dogs as much as I love riding bikes.

They are gentle, intelligent dogs who love to cuddle. They don’t pull on the lead, they are great around the house.

Two downsides: they are prone to bad teeth, so check your dog(s) before you take it/them home. Be prepared for dental work. I clean my two’s teeth every day – something I think children would be delighted to witness and do: they aren’t trained to recall so need a bit of work (but then, a puppy would need training too).

[hijack] Phil – didn’t you get a rescue recently? How’s (s)he getting on? [/hijack]

As a family man who loves to get out on his bike, when my kids hassled me for a dog, I held off for a while and then said yes knowing that I would end up doing the walks so got a boarder collie and have to ride loads to keep him fit and well – life is just so hard!!

DezB – Member
crikey – that thing is REAL – http://www.gopetusa.com/

I think the give-away is the USA part of the web address

@OP – the small pet idea is a good one but really nothing is quite like a dog for companionship. If you do go the dog route you need to understand it’s yours and the wifes responsibility, the kids will probably grow and leave before the dog passes on

the dog’s doing fantastically 😀

put on about 4kg of muscle since we got him 3 weeks ago, in the first 2 weeks we managed to train him up past ‘week 5’ of the local kennel club’s 8 week training program judging by the session me and becca went to sit in on which was reassuring.

he’s made lots of local doggy friends which is cool as he’s really good with meeting other dogs, can be playful but doesn’t bark or growl at any other dogs.

generally fantastic 🙂 we’ve been using a clicker for training which has worked better than expected, trained him out of nibbling/biting when playing in about 30 minutes using the clicker. young and lots of energy to burn but sleeps very well at night and when we’re not around.

My girls wanted a dog, I explained the responsibility that goes with it, blah, blah.

I decided to to get them a hamster to test their mettle on.

They got bored of the hamster so didn’t have to go down the dog route.

Job done.

cockerpoos like to please – easily trained and will be quite biddable to kids. Spaniels lovable as they are tend to be a bit bonkers and having watched the neighbours 9 and 11 year old kids trying to “walk” their 1 year old dog I’d have some concerns for the safety of the kids and dog anywhere near a road.

we’ve a Bedlington and he’s great – loves the kids, for a terrier is remarkably obedient, will run or sleep all day and given both my wife and youngest daughter are both allergic to dogs, is pretty hypo-allergenic too (not to say he’s odour free; after a day playing with the inlaws jack russel and running around like the proverbial blue-4rsed fly he can geta bit funky). doesn’t shed hair everywhere though. Never thought we’d have a dog due to allergies so a lovely surprise when we discovered that they don’t trigger the full on red-eyes, streaming nose and asthma attack.

Mind you, our neighbours have a rescue greyhound and I’d love to get one to keep Stanley company.

These people who walk their dogs for 4 hours a day minimum are amazing. I am so impressed. No, really, I am.

Oi! You lot! You know the rules: Dog thread means photos… Post them up.

One I prepared earlier

30minute walk isnt enough for most dogs…. ours gets 2 hours a day minimum and its 3+ hours on a wednesday, weekends is closer to 4 hours a day.

FFS… Any dog will get use to whatever it is that you do, and like people if calories in > calories out…

We’ve a working cocker, either get an outside pen+kennel or have a garden that they can ‘live’ in during the day.

Good MTB dogs too, fit and strong plus love water. Just have a coat for them in winter to put on afterwards so they can cool down in comfort.

Yikes – post, take a break, return and woah! its alive. I was just expecting to be bombed by the STW pedants for to much So-ing, and POW 32 replies, SO….

Woody, yak and cupra – that has been my holding defence for about 2 yrs – we started small – you don’t get much smaller than 2 mice. Then it was one…I couldn’t put up with the pong from the cage one day (clean those bl****y mice out – same condition precedent – not my responsibility)), relented and found one rotting (half eaten infact….eugh!) mouse. So you can imagine my smugness since….”dog? You lot can’t even look after a couple of mice FFS” ……hence the 3 month walking thing.

philconsequence – not a bad shout, the Battersea annex is 20mins away in Old Windsor – but I am afraid that would actually only encourage them…

carbon337 – I utterly abhor untrained uncontrollable dogs, and always said if I had a dog it would be gun training, might even start shooting again.

Karinofnine – no chance, that would just compound my already pikey image.

leigh5smith – good shout, I love border collies – they can well trained, very smart, less prone to insanity, less skitterish…plenty of ticking going on there

Anyway, I’m not saying I wont walk it, I just refuse to get a dog unless its not my primary responsibility, else I would have one already. Besides my missus refused to shut my chickens up at night, so they all got eaten by freddy fox 👿

I was introduced to a 6 Month old Cocker/ Rotweiler cross the other day. I want one! Was a beautiful looking dog and I am interested to see what it turns out like. (looked like a Sprocker with Rotty Colours)

Ihave a cocker and a Springer. The Cocker is the clever one…

We have a cockapoo (stupid name I know) she is part working cocker and is great, I too was steamrollered into it by the mrs and kids.
We all love her but the novelty wore off walking her in the rain etc for the kids after about 6 months or so.
However I have not regreted it as she was dead easy to train and is a lovely dog great round kids and other dogs.
I have bumped into quite a few other cockapoos in our village and they all seem the same temperment.
She loves long walks but she will sleep for hours too during the day plus they dont shed hair..