choosing a pup

popppy

A friend of mine is looking to get a puppy, she has 3 children. The two older kids (age4 and 2) had a bad experience recently with a dog that was off the lead and jumped up on them in the park. The dog was only playing but really terrified the children. They are now both very very nervous of any dog and she thinks that maybe getting a pup could be the way foward as she doesn't want them to be afraid of dogs forever. She was asking me what breed she should go for, I recommended a lab x type, she was thinking maybe something smaller. I tend to think of smaller dogs as a bit yappy ( i know this is a gross generalisation though) If anyone has any suggestions for her, I'd be really grateful.....thanks

Irish-Lass

has she really thought through the idea of a pup they are a LOT of hard work and she does have young children.

It depends on the dogs but we have 2 dogs that are very friendly but like that they would run very to say hello and jump up. Maybe an older dog who is quieter might be better for your friend and if it is already house trained then believe me you it is an added bonus.

Fast_Mover

ya i concur with Irish-Lass there about maybe getting an older dog(quieter,trained etc)...puppies are lively things and alot of hard work..it will be like having an extra child..

Nala

popppy wrote:

A friend of mine is looking to get a puppy, she has 3 children. The two older kids (age4 and 2)

First off, if her two eldest children are 4 and 2 she isn't going to have time for a puppy.

popppy wrote:

had a bad experience recently with a dog that was off the lead and jumped up on them in the park.The dog was only playing but really terrified the children.

Em...puppies jump up on people all the time. Has she thought that if she gets a puppy there might be a small chance it might like to play? Puppies jump around, mouth you with their teeth (which might hurt a child) and generally be puppies. What's she going to do if the kids don't like the dog playing, is she going to get rid of it?

popppy wrote:

They are now both very very nervous of any dog and she thinks that maybe getting a pup could be the way foward as she doesn't want them to be afraid of dogs forever.

Again...puppies run and jump around, has she not considered that if her children are afraid of a dog that jumps up on them, that getting a puppy might not be such a good idea?

popppy wrote:

If anyone has any suggestions for her, I'd be really grateful.....thanks

I think if she knows anyone who has a nice quiet dog, letting the kids meet the dog and see that not all dogs are "scary". Actually getting a dog is a bit extreme. Sorry if I seem aggressive but I'm only thinking of the puppy, who could end up being treated unfairly or gotten rid of should he happen to want to play and scare the children in the process.

luckat

Hmm. I was on the beach one day with my dog - a black collie cross, very glossy and lean, who was loping along the beach with her long red tongue dangling from her grinning teeth.

"DADDY, IT'S A WOOOOOOLLLLF!" howled a small kid, racing for his father. Of course, she thought this kid was inviding her to a game of chase....

Maybe the best thing to do is to tell the kids lots of stories about friendly dogs - while also pointing out that you don't automatically reach out to pet a strange dog; dogs can misunderstand things too.

I'd honestly wait until they're a bit older before getting a dog, and do the whole thing in a calm and considered way.

The most likely age for people to get a nasty dog-bite is in the few years after the toddler stage, by the way.

In the family, dogs will treat babies and toddlers as cubs, allowing all kinds of liberties, but once they pass that "cub" stage, a dog is likely to snarl and nip at a child who goes too far, just as it would at a cheeky older pup.

Many's the dog that's lost its life that way, through being put down for having "turned", and now being considered untrustworthy.

Nala

I used to be friends with a girl who, despite claiming to like animals, was just as bullying and pig ignorant towards them as she was to other people. When she was 4 she decided it would be fun to tease her dog. She kept pulling its tail and poking and prodding at it and generally driving it demented until the dog snapped at her. The dog spent the 16 years of its life on its own in the garden because it was "vicious".

She never learned her lesson though. When she'd come over to my house she'd stick her fingers in my budgie's cage (knowing he hated it) and then, if he dared to peck at her, she'd accuse me of not looking after the budgie properly because he "had obviously turned wicked". I tried to explain to her that a lot of animals don't like their space being invaded but she wouldn't listen. She basically thought she had the right to treat animals any way she wanted and that they had to just accept it, and they had no right to show any feelings.

iguana

Nala wrote:

First off, if her two eldest children are 4 and 2 she isn't going to have time for a puppy.

In fairness you don't know enough about her life to make that kind of judgement. I was 4 and my brother was 1 when we got our first dog. My mother managed to have sufficient time for all of us. We also had chickens at the time. A few years later we got a second puppy, a second brother 2 and goldfish.

To the op, if your friend really does want a dog perhaps she should contact her local animal rescue and talk to them. She can explain the type of dog she is looking for and see what they recommend.

Soupi

i would defo agree with going to an animal rescue as your friend can tell them her predicament and what she is looking for in a dog and they will see if they have a dog that would be for her. they can also recommend whether to get a puppy or an adult dog.

i think that bigger dogs are brilliant with children and would be a bit dubious with smaller yappy dogs as they can be cranky and are usually babied themselves so they are spoilt. i would recommend getting an alsation,lab,retriever or boxer but if your friend doesn't want to get a big dog the best small dog that i would recomment is a Boston Terrier, they are brilliant dogs with children and are so affectionate that her children will quickly learn that a dog should be loved not feared but to always be careful with any strange dogs.

i think that it would be a bad idea to leave getting a dog for a while as her children jyst got a fright with that dog in the park and if she leaves their fear to fester than they will just get worse and will never be able to get over it.

Nala

Soupi wrote:

iif she leaves their fear to fester than they will just get worse and will never be able to get over it.

I think that's a bit dramatic.

Cutie18Ireland

we have a pom and he's great with kids very friendly loves to be walked and petted... my aunt got a yorkshire terrior pup and she got used to the kids hanging out of her so shes grand with them though not as playful

jojo99

for kids the best dogs would be labs, most spaniels inc. cavalier king charles spaniels and also whippets can be really good with kids but need alot of walking, to be honest most dogs once brought up around children will be fairly tame. children love to pull dogs around like toys so make sure that you dont go for the runt of the litter and one that is too young as you will need to rear it like a baby!

popppy

thanks soupi, while I take the others points, I agree with you about leaving it til a later date while her kids fears fester. If my friend was the sort of person who would get a pup and then just get rid if it was not working out as 'nala' suggested i would not have even bother posting here. I will let her know about the boston terrier idea, thanks again everyone who's replied : )

Arcadian

If her children are really afraid of dogs would it not be better for your friend to consider introducing them regularly to a child friendly dog in order to get them used to being around one. Perhaps the dog of a friend or relative?

Having a young pup in the house could end up making them even more scared of dogs, many puppies love to chase and nip ankles !

Soupi

Arcadian wrote:

If her children are really afraid of dogs would it not be better for your friend to consider introducing them regularly to a child friendly dog in order to get them used to being around one. Perhaps the dog of a friend or relative?

Having a young pup in the house could end up making them even more scared of dogs, many puppies love to chase and nip ankles !

i think it's a very good idea to introduce them to a child friendly dog but it would be better to get them involved with raising a puppy or a dog themselves. it would show them that dogs like to play and it would teach them the difference between a playing dog or a dog that feels threatened and might turn on them.

it would also teach them the right way to approach dogs and treat them.

Nala

popppy wrote:

thanks soupi, while I take the others points, I agree with you about leaving it til a later date while her kids fears fester. If my friend was the sort of person who would get a pup and then just get rid if it was not working out as 'nala' suggested i would not have even bother posting here. I will let her know about the boston terrier idea, thanks again everyone who's replied : )

Yeah it was terrible of me to think of the dog as a living creature as opposed to a learning tool for kiddies.

popppy

wow nala...so touchy. I too see dogs as living creatures and would not for one second think that to get a dog purely as a learning tool would be a good idea. However I do think that her kids could greatly benefit from having a dog around and also a good home would be provided in the process. Although, i do have an autistic nephew, who is terrified of dogs, (I think it's the unpredictability of them that scares him) and they now have dogs trained specifically to help autistic kids and it is really helping him.....do you also think that this is wrong ?

Andy-Pandy

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Nala

popppy wrote:

wow nala...so touchy. I too see dogs as living creatures and would not for one second think that to get a dog purely as a learning tool would be a good idea. However I do think that her kids could greatly benefit from having a dog around and also a good home would be provided in the process. Although, i do have an autistic nephew, who is terrified of dogs, (I think it's the unpredictability of them that scares him) and they now have dogs trained specifically to help autistic kids and it is really helping him.....do you also think that this is wrong ?

No, considering that the dogs used are chosen and trained specifically for that purpose. I don't agree with buying a dog because it's a bit drastic when your friend can just let her children meet dogs that are quiet and won't frighten them. What's she going to do if the kids are still scared of the dog? Is she going to keep it? Is it going to be one of the thousands of dogs that spends its life on the end of a chain? I could be wrong. My friend is afraid of snakes so I might consider buying her a python. :rolleyes:

Soupi

well Nala, i would rather Poppy's children saw dogs as a living creature than something that terrifies them. no one should go through life scared of dogs and this exactly what Poppy's friend is trying to prevent for her kids.who would blame her for that and if a dog gets a loving home in the process i'm sure they wouldn't complain about being a learning tool for a few weeks and then a loved family member for life

shinners007

hey gone off the op's thread a bit!!!:rolleyes:
couldnt we give her breeds of dogs as a possibilty for her to purchase rather than argue over the "role" of a dog to a child!!!
ps boxers are great with kids have two boxers with my three kids and it works really well:cool: