Woofer wanted!

Biggins

The kids and I (to be honest) want to get a dog.
Need advice though on what one to get given that it has to be reliability easy to train, safe with kids (or as much as possible!) and don't shed hair all over the place!

Anyone recommend a particular breed to look out for in an animal sanctuary, if available?

What dogs should I most avoid (beside the obvious pit-bull...)?

King Felix

Biggins wrote: »

that it has to be reliably easy to train,

You'll be needing a sub-woofer.

Biggins

King Felix wrote: »

You'll be needing a sub-woofer.

Doh!
I should have seen that coming! :pac:

2manyconditions

I hate dogs - just dont get one.

Cunny-Funt

I've a part rhodesian ridgeback part border collie. Dogs ftw.


If you don't like Dogs you have no soul.

gogo

Not what I thought this tread was about at all, but seriously the guys over in animal and pet issues will point you in the right direction if your serious, but you knew that right..

Personally, from experience I would have gotten small dogs, having spent much of my afternoons up to my arse in mud walking them, they need to be out every day as they are fairly big, not massive, but big enough. Think small, small legs needs less walking.

biko

AH->Animals.

christina_x

my brother has a bichon frise and he's very friendly! Theyr small so he'd be safe around the kids and doesn't shed much hair.. although you will have to get him shaved during the summer! :pac:

Biggins

gogo wrote: »

Not what I thought this tread was about at all, but seriously the guys over in animal and pet issues will point you in the right direction if your serious, but you knew that right..

Personally, from experience I would have gotten small dogs, having spent much of my afternoons up to my arse in mud walking them, they need to be out every day as they are fairly big, not massive, but big enough. Think small, small legs needs less walking.

Didn't know about that section actually.
(My own fault, don't or didn't till now, have to venture that far)

We (wife and I) was thinking small dog more so however I know some small breeds can be right little nippers!
Ouch!!!

Biggins

christina_x wrote: »

my brother has a bichon frise and he's very friendly! Theyr small so he'd be safe around the kids and doesn't shed much hair.. although you will have to get him shaved during the summer! :pac:

Cute. The kids would want to play with him all the time.
Expensive to obtain?

Cunny-Funt

Go medium sized, more personality and intelligence.

christina_x

yeah i think they were over €100 anyways... have a look around though, you may get them cheaper!

christina_x

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/dogs/1417116 hes €120

Rabbitandcavy

Bichon Frise- Around 300-500. The cheaper you go with a breeder, the more likely you are to end up with a dog that will have health problems.

doggiewalker00

Dont go gettting a dog on the "cheap" theyll end up costing you more money in the future with health/psycological problems.Go to a reputable breeder were you can see the mother.

im going to sound like a broken record but really,for a family dog thats good with children you cant go further than a cavalier king charles and thier very easy to train as all they want to do is please thier owner
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rd5dR7YR2ig

Sigma Force

Not sure what you mean OP by besides the obvious pit bull..you do realise that any dog can be a danger to kids and the public in general that's doggy racism that comment.

Considering my oul one got bitten by a collie and attacked by a jack russel recently..have known some nasty mix breed dogs too.

Blame the deed not the breed as they say.

As for getting a cheap Bichon then you are also asking for trouble health wise in the dog, cheap can mean a breeder is genuine and just wants good homes but it can also mean badly bred, unvaccinated, unsocialised and un vet checked.

Bichons and other toy dog breeds are small and delicate you can't have kids roughhousing with them one drop by a kid and puppys bones can break so personally I wouldn't recommend a toy breed for very young children if they are older then that's different.

Forget the hair shedding you will have lots of poo and pee to clean up so don't get a pup is overly house proud.

Small dogs again are only nippers if you don't train them, again blame the deed not the breed. There are traits certain dogs have that are strong of course and Westies aren't recommended for young children.

Do consider a rescue dog though at least that way a good rescue (eg dogs trust) will be able to match a dog to the household and vice versa.

adser53

Biggins wrote: »

What dogs should I most avoid (beside the obvious pit-bull...)?

All of them if your that ignorant. maybe get a goldfish or a garden gnome instead

doggiewalker00

avoid buying from buy and sell sites,most of theese dogs are from puppy farms.

boodlesdoodles

adser53 wrote: »

All of them if your that ignorant. maybe get a goldfish or a garden gnome instead

I think that's a bit harsh, perhaps the OP has no experience of dogs and like a lot of us believed the bad press before they got into dog ownership. Why not give the plusses of pit bulls and try to educate someone you think is ignorant.

My only bits of advice is to avoid cheap dogs on donedeal and if you go to a shelter they should be able to match up a family and its needs from the many dogs in their possession. You'll also have the feel good factor of knowing you gave a lonely doggie a forever home.

Biggins

Guineapigrescue wrote: »

Not sure what you mean OP by besides the obvious pit bull..you do realise that any dog can be a danger to kids and the public in general that's doggy racism that comment

LOL :pac:

I meant that beside the obvious ones that most would clearly recommend to stay away from.
Doggie racism, thats new one on me! :pac:

We intend to go for a sheltered animal if possible. Have to try and do our bit.

Sigma Force

But that's just it why clearly stay away from a bull breed? Not all are baby eaters

Check out EGARs site

Or irishanimals.ie

Biggins

Guineapigrescue wrote: »

But that's just it why clearly stay away from a bull breed? Not all are baby eaters

Check out EGARs site

Or irishanimals.ie

Will do.

Side question: Not getting a pitbull but aren't they illegal now to own?
Apologies for my lack of knowledge in this area.

adser53

boodlesdoodles wrote: »

I think that's a bit harsh, perhaps the OP has no experience of dogs and like a lot of us believed the bad press before they got into dog ownership. Why not give the plusses of pit bulls and try to educate someone you think is ignorant.

ok my apologies, it did come across quite harsh. its just that there has been a lot of threads on here lately saying the same and were all tired of arguing. OP the best advice I can give is research the bejesus out of any breed you consider.

and no, pits aren't illegal here. they are in england and NI. look up the irish control of dogs act which imposes restrictions on a number of breeds here (i.e muzzled, never off leash etc) which is pure BS but still the law nonetheless. don't think that this law means these breeds are vicious though, thats a subject thats been covered hundreds of times on other threads

dyl10

I've a border collie/lab cross breed, we've had her about a year.
She's energetic, smart, loves to be near people (e.g. will lie down to sleep at your feet when you sit down to watch TV), we have toddlers and babies in the family and she's very careful of those.

She hasn't bitten anyone to date (has nipped me on the calf/ankles once or twice if I ignore/neglect her (deserved tbh!) but never any malice, just looking for attention).

Her coat doesn't need to be managed much and she's not that picky of an eater. She is indoors for most of the time and doesn't wreck the place, although she's a bit of a cute whore and will try to sneak up the stairs to sleep on your bed, any chance she gets. In the time she's been here, she's become a real member of the family.

I know cross breeds can differ considerably in the traits they inherit, but we certainly struck lucky with ours.

I guess our dog looks like an older version of this dog:
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/images20/BoradorRexLabradorRetrieverBorderColliePuppy3Months.JPG

anniehoo

Biggins wrote: »

The kids and I (to be honest) want to get a dog.
What dogs should I most avoid (beside the obvious pit-bull...)?

Howya Biggins and welcome to API. Cant believe you didnt see this forum (2 down from AH )

Anyway...good luck with the search, you're goin to get A LOT of good advice in here.First being dont write off dogs you "think" might be dangerous. Staffordshire Bull Terriers (different to Pit Bulls) are AMAZING with kids believe it or not. In here you're goin to get most of us sticking up for the "restricted breed" (not Dangerous Dogs).

I could go on all day recommending breeds but seeing as you're going to rescue heres my advice.

• Find a shelter e.g. Dogs Trust/DSPCA (both have websites) and go for a browse by yourself. See what you like first and ask LOTS of questions. If you find a cutie you like ask to meet it and bring it for a walk with the person in charge.Itll give you a feel for what you do and dont want in a dog. I guarantee you'll fall in love with a dog that you least expect.
• Go home and think about it!!Really think about it. Its a massive committment. MASSIVE!
• Research breed traits if its a pedigree.You'll be surprised the "animal racism" you think you have that is not true.
• Bring the kids the next time and do the same again.
• Oh and im biased...mongrels all the way

If after all that its still a goer then come back here and tell us what you want to get. We're animal mad in here and will tell ya the Dos and Donts till the cows come home

Good luck with the hunt!

cyrusdvirus

Biggins, go to a rescue centre, or a pound.

Rescue centres will do a home visit etc to make sure you know what you're getting into.
they also make sure dog is neutered, and had shots etc.

Pounds are a dogs last chance saloon, when they're in the pound its death row type of thing unless they are re-homed.
No neutering or shots though.

My fella is a pound dog, and i couldn't be happier with him, boxer staff cross, and wired to the moon, totally affectionate, crazy about kids, but not crazy running up to them and frightening them. the neighbours all have kids here and they are all mad about him.

pugsnotdrugs

Pitbulls are not illegal to own in Ireland. They are a very misunderstood breed imo. They were originally bred for dog fighting but were always bred to be excellent with humans and have a reputation for being great with children as well.

One of my dogs is a staffy cross pitbull and I have never come across a friendlier dog with a better temperament. I'm expecting my first baby in 3 weeks and I'm pretty confident she's not going to try and eat the baby or anything!!!! You always have to be careful having dogs around children though (regardless of the breed of dog) and it's never a good idea to leave them alone together unsupervised.

No matter what breed of dog you get you need to make sure you will be able to commit to giving it plenty of exercise and taking it on daily walks. Our other dog is a supposedly low energy breed (pug) but he literally climbs the walls if he doesn't get his walk every day.

If I were you I would say is to stay away from the likes of donedeal and buyandsell. A lot of the dogs on there come from puppy farms and are not at all well bred / well socialised. My parents got their king charles from someone on donedeal and she has had a lot of health and behavioural problems. She doesnt have the typical king charles personality and can be quite agressive with other dogs and snappy with people.

If I were you I would go and speak to your local spca and see what they suggest. They will often have dogs in foster families waiting for homes that you can adopt. The foster family will usually be able to tell you a lot about the dog's personality, exercise requirements and whether they're good with kids. We got our staffy cross from dogsindistress and found them to be excellent. They organised for her to be neutered, vaccinated and microchipped and it was all included in the adoption fee. You should have a look at their website.

Good luck with your new doggie anyway

Red Hand

Woofers you say? How about a foxy looking dog like a corgi?

Biggins

Biggins wrote: »

What dogs should I most avoid (beside the obvious pit-bull...)?

You'll never look back if you get a Pit or any bull breed. I think you'll find you're a victim of the media. I have a 2 year old Pit, Clio. We call her the Pit Bull Teddybear.

Tootle

Hiya,
I got my first dog last March. I hadn't really any idea about dogs and various breeds etc. I went to the dog shelter in Connemara (MADRA) and discussed my needs with Marina. She came out and did a home visit and I spent a few weeks going out and walking and meeting a few different sizes, breeds and ages.
I thought I wanted a fully grown dog and walked a few bigger/medium sized dogs, but I fell in love with a small dog who unfortunately was already booked. So then I started to think small dog, but had the same worry about them being yappy and precocious, I was told these things are trainable. We actually ended up with a pup from the shelter although this was the other end of the spectrum from what I had initially looked for. I couldn't be happier with my little Yorkie x Jack Russell. In fact I'm already thinking about getting a second dog/playmate for him.
If you take your time over it and do the research, you'll find a breed that suits. I do recommend multiple visits to the shelter though and bring the kids.
As a final word, if you do get a puppy; socialise, socialise, socialise!

Best of luck!

Cherry Blossom

Small - Med easy to train, laid back breeds good with kids . . .
+1 Staffordshire bull terrier (wouldn't recommend any other terrier breed to first time owner)

+1 King Charles Cavilier - will need a quick brush over from time to time

No such thing as non-shed but you definately don't want a labrador.

How old are your kids and how much room do you have (how big is your yard?)

If you are going to a shelter try one that fosters dogs out as the foster home will already have a great idea of the individual dogs personality, this is your best bet more so than any specific breed. If you explain your circumstances and they don't have one to suit they can contact you when they do. All rescues will do a home check and you will need to have your garden securely fenced and they won't let a dog go to anyone who has the intention of keeping it outdoors.