Dog/Pup advice needed

markc

Hi all,

My wife and I have been talking about getting a dog/pup for some time now. We have 3 kids (all boys 7,3 and 1 years old). We are about to start building a house where we will have lots of space (c 1 acre) once complete. We are currently renting a house that has a very private, enclosed, decent sized rear garden.

Our eldest boy has Asperger Syndrome (A mild form of autism) but adores dogs and is very gentle with them - more so than he is with people actually . This is probably our biggest motivation for getting a dog apart from the fact that my wife and I both grew up with Dogs and have wanted to get one for a while now.

Both my wife and I work and during school term the kids are either in school or in creche so no one is at home during the day. My dad lives nearby and has said if we get a dog he would happily drop over each day, make sure he is fed and take him for a walk etc. He is retired so has the time to do this.

So my questions are as follows:

- With our work arrangements should we be considering a dog/pup at all?
- If so what types of breeds would be best for the scenario outlined (our only preference is for a medium sized dog, nothing too small or too big)
- Any other factors we should take into consideration?

Thanks for any advice in advance...

mymo

I think it sounds great, your dad nearby means the dog could get some attention in the middle of the day, once the place is all secure you should be fine.
My friends have 2 girls with learning disabilities and got 2 retrievers that the kids love, the dogs are great with the kids and very gentle. It really has done wonders for the older girl, she wasn't walking when they got the first dog, but soon did to play with her.
That said, I bring my dogs up there often, my smaller dog (a Lhasa Apso) loves the younger girl and will sit for hours being hugged and talked too, my bigger dog is a bit of a live wire and gets on better with the older girl, and is much more gentle with the younger girl, so I think it depends on the personality of the dog and child.
Any dog with the right temperament would suit, you need to match one to your boy, if he's very lively you need and active but calm dog, if he's quieter and calm and more sedate dog. You could try going to a rescue and getting a dog thats a little older but still under 6 months, has been in foster care so you will get some info on the dogs personality.
Most rescues will let you spend some time with the dogs and try to help you the best they can.
Good luck.

Just to add, a rescue dog that is a little older than the usual 8-12 week old pup can have advantages in that some training will have been done, potty training etc. Also the pup will be that bit hardier.

mrsbear

markc wrote: »

Hi all,

My wife and I have been talking about getting a dog/pup for some time now. We have 3 kids (all boys 7,3 and 1 years old). We are about to start building a house where we will have lots of space (c 1 acre) once complete. We are currently renting a house that has a very private, enclosed, decent sized rear garden.

Our eldest boy has Asperger Syndrome (A mild form of autism) but adores dogs and is very gentle with them - more so than he is with people actually . This is probably our biggest motivation for getting a dog apart from the fact that my wife and I both grew up with Dogs and have wanted to get one for a while now.

Both my wife and I work and during school term the kids are either in school or in creche so no one is at home during the day. My dad lives nearby and has said if we get a dog he would happily drop over each day, make sure he is fed and take him for a walk etc. He is retired so has the time to do this.

So my questions are as follows:

- With our work arrangements should we be considering a dog/pup at all?
- If so what types of breeds would be best for the scenario outlined (our only preference is for a medium sized dog, nothing too small or too big)
- Any other factors we should take into consideration?

Thanks for any advice in advance...

Hi

I don't think a house is a home without some kind of pet!

Are you looking at adopting or buying from a breeder?

I think that most pet owners aren't at home all day to have dogs and some rescue centres wouldn't consider this to be suitable at all. Personally I disagree with this! Although puppies shouldn't be left more than four hours on their own but with your dad being able to drop over, this is ideal really.

Things to consider would be your 1 year old and getting a young jumpy dog that might knock her/him over and they can be bitey because puppies go through teething too and have sharp teeth.

Breeds I would consider - King Charles are excellent kids pets, Labs and Retrievers are brilliant all rounders who adore to play, then there's always the mixed breeds who can offer different traits from breeds. I'm a terrier fan myself and my parents terrier adores kids. My terrier not so much but my beagle x adores my 7 month old. I also have a collie pup who just never ever stops!

Have you anything in mind yourself?

There will be good and bad points to which ever dog you chose, but there are plenty of training classes and socialisation classes around these days.

Cherry Blossom

Hi OP,

I have a friend who has an 8yr old with Aspergers and his bichon is his best (and sometimes only) friend. He is an only child though and it's definitely not the breed I would have recommended. In your case you have 3 kids so I would definitely go with something more able to tolerate rough play. You haven't really said much about how the dog is to be kept (how much exercise, will it live indoors or outdoors etc.)

The Staffordshire bull terrier is a great all round dog known particularly well for their tendency to attach themselves to the kids in the family. They do need to live indoors as they have a very short coat and are quite thin skinned despite their build. It's also important that they are very well socialised with other dogs.

The down-side is that they are included in the Restricted Breeds act which does mean that a little extra vigilance is required on the part of people who own them. You may find they have a bit of a stigma attached and some people will have them stereotyped and you may see people cross the road, look at you funny etc. out walking. It wouldn't bother me too much as I'm not too annoyed about what strangers think of me . It is something to consider though.

Springer spaniels are another breed that comes to mind, but these are very high energy gun dogs and will literally need hours of walking every day.

You could also go for a cross-breed from a dog rescue that will be able to match your needs to the right dog.

As for age, if you are getting a puppy I would advise you take two weeks off work to help settling in and get the pup used to being left alone for gradually longer periods during the day. It would help if your OH can do the same so basicly the pup can have a week to settle in then 3 weeks of building up the time it's left alone. This does a lot to avoid a pup getting separation anxiety which may be hard to cure once it has developed.

Good luck with your search and keep us updated.

markc

Hi all,

Thanks for responses so far. Should have mentioned that the dog will be mostly outdoors. Will get a proper kennel for them etc. As for exercise there is plenty of room in the garden for a mid sized dog to run around. My Dad would walk mid day ish and from approx 6pm to 8pm each evening the dog would either be playing with the kids or brought for a walk.

Keep the responses up! (don't think I'll be going with the bull terrier thoughm their tendency to attach themselves to the kids might put me off LOL)

Cherry Blossom

OP leaving a dog alone for 8 hours during the day when everyone is out is one thing, but if I've read your last post correctly it looks like the dog is going to be essentially left on its own for 21 hours a day which isn't going to work for any breed I'm afraid. I did have a lab for 14 years who lived outdoors but he had human company outside with him from 6am till 11pm every single day. He slept in the stables at night and he was content enough with equine company over night. I think to be honest if you bring a dog into circumstances like this you are going to end up with a dog that has severe psychological problems, develops severe separation anxiety, becomes a problem barker and possibly may become aggressive. No matter what the breed dogs are essentially extremely social animals that need to be completely integrated as part of the family and can't cope with this level of alone time, they essentially become what you make them.

Unless you are willing to drastically re-think how much time the dog will have human company and get two dogs that can provide companionship for each other the rest of the time your going to have a disaster on your hands. Anything under a year old is off the cards completely I'm afraid.

markc

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

OP leaving a dog alone for 8 hours during the day when everyone is out is one thing, but if I've read your last post correctly it looks like the dog is going to be essentially left on its own for 21 hours a day which isn't going to work for any breed I'm afraid. I did have a lab for 14 years who lived outdoors but he had human company outside with him from 6am till 11pm every single day. He slept in the stables at night and he was content enough with equine company over night. I think to be honest if you bring a dog into circumstances like this you are going to end up with a dog that has severe psychological problems, develops severe separation anxiety, becomes a problem barker and possibly may become aggressive. No matter what the breed dogs are essentially extremely social animals that need to be completely integrated as part of the family and can't cope with this level of alone time, they essentially become what you make them.

Unless you are willing to drastically re-think how much time the dog will have human company and get two dogs that can provide companionship for each other the rest of the time your going to have a disaster on your hands. Anything under a year old is off the cards completely I'm afraid.

Understood. What I meant was that the dog would be left alone from 9am until noon when he would be brought for a walk. He would then be left alone from around 1 until around 6 when we would all return. He would receive plenty of attention from 6 to say 10pm (but the kids would be in bed by 8.30 ish). At weekends he would be fully in the thick of everything.

I echo your fears on this one. I do not want to get a dog if our circumstances are not right. I am interested in peoples opinions as to whether we can make this work. If not we will not do anything until we can provide the kind of home a dog deserves.. Also - if it is right for us to get a dog but not a pup we are more than willing to consider that. We are not simply puppy shopping. Also prepared to consider 2 Dogs if that would be appropriate here.

Thanks for your post..

Taltos

I think with the times the dog will be alone - two dogs would be best here as well OP.

We have two and they are inseparable. From the same litter but so different in personalities.
Do careful research into what types of dogs are out there. If you get 2 - will your dad be able to walk them? Also depending on the breed you could be looking at anything say from 30min walk a day up to a couple of hours...

Finally - is your garden 100% secure? Dogs left alone all day outside could be the targets of criminals. Also - how close are you to your neighbours - will they be OK with dogs outside barking all day?

Spook_ie

would you consider an assistance dog ? we have been involved in puppy walking for the Irish Guide Dog's for the last 5 years and in fact are currently puppy walking a beautiful lab/retriever. I know that in one of my kid's classes there is a child with autism who had an assistance dog and apparently the family's lives have greatly improved since the arrival of their dog. Have a look at www.guidedogs.ie - I have no idea as regards waiting times or criteria, but its worth investigating.

DoneDL

Definitely get two dogs for company, it`s much better for their mental health and no dog should be left for prolonged periods consistently. There is a difference between bull terriers and Staffs are a lovely breed of dog that are good with kids as are Boxers. Training two dogs will take a bit of work but is well worth it. It is worth contacting the likes of the ISPCA or other animal shelters, great for advice and there are plenty of young dogs in care.

markc

Spook_ie wrote: »

would you consider an assistance dog ? we have been involved in puppy walking for the Irish Guide Dog's for the last 5 years and in fact are currently puppy walking a beautiful lab/retriever. I know that in one of my kid's classes there is a child with autism who had an assistance dog and apparently the family's lives have greatly improved since the arrival of their dog. Have a look at www.guidedogs.ie - I have no idea as regards waiting times or criteria, but its worth investigating.

Assistance Dogs are wonderful and can work miracles in the life of a child with Autism. Our boy is at the milder end of the scale and I know there are extensive waiting lists. I would not go that route as there are lots of kids who would have a much greater need than we do. Well done for being involved with IGD!

meoklmrk91

I think that whatever you do you should definitely have an indoor/outdoor dog as opposed to just an outdoor. When they live indoors with their owners they become a part of the family that is irreplaceable, and it will give your older boy a chance to bond with the dog that much better. I personally couldn't leave my fella live outside and a dog does better when they sleep indoors because they get a better nights rest.

I would rarely recommend that someone with the kind of lifestyle that your family has get a puppy, although I know that some people have their heart set on their kids and the dog growing up together, I find that mums and dads with young kids just don't have the time to put into a puppy and it all ends in tears. I think you would be better off getting an older dog personally, simply because they will have the vast majority of the growing pains out of their system.

As for breeds Labs are always a brilliant family companion, loyal, happy and usually laid back. Golden Retrievers too make great family dogs, although I am always weary of longer haired dogs around very young kids because I once saw a toddler grab a handful of fur and use it to pull themselves up which elicited a snap from the dog. As another poster mentioned Staffs, I know most people would balk at the idea of one of these ''killer dogs'' around their kids but the vast majority are excellent babysitters believe it or not. Finally a Boxer, sweethearts to the core and they love, love, love kids, I have one so I am a little biased but all I can say is that his whole back end starts to wiggle at the sound of children's voices.

Finally I would suggest that you pay a visit to Limerick Animal Welfare, they are a truly wonderful organisation and I know that they are very good a helping people to find the right dog for their situation. Even if you don't decide to adopt you should take your son along, if he loves dogs I am sure he will love it.

aisher

Owning a dog is a big undertaking. You have to make sure they get plenty of exercise or they get bored and can get destructive. Having someone walk the dog mid-day sounds great but I think you should understand that you should also be aiming to walk the dog yourself on your return from work - its a way of bonding with the dog and the dog seeing you as the 'pack' leader. If you just want to throw a ball around the garden after a long day in work a dog might be too much hassel. Also allowing the dog to live in doors is important if you want it to be a part of the family - shedding hair can be a big issue so you might want to look at breeds that shed little or none especially if its a housedog. I have ten yr olds who love the dog but at the end of the day it will be you doing all the practical work -so make sure you are committed before you go ahead. Good Luck!

Cherry Blossom

I know they are not to everyone's taste OP, but would you consider a pair of ex-racing greyhounds? The country is teaming with them and they need much less exercise than you would think. A young adult dog with this background would be well used to walking on a lead etc. and used to being left without human company for quite long periods. You would need to put in some work to make sure they are kept warm enough in cold weather but I think it would be quite easy to find a pair that would suit you, given that you would be looking for older dogs and would fall outside the requirements of a lot of rescues.

<ETA> Another option would be to keep an eye on the re-homing thread in this forum for dogs that might fit the bill.

moving_home

i think your home world definitely work for an older dog say 9mths plus. Them times are ok to leave a dog alone as long as u give the dog quality time when u are home and allow the dog indoors in the evening. Would the dog be sleeping inside or out? Personally i don't think it is responsible to advise getting 2dogs straight away. Even older dogs that are trained as the owner has to be trained aswell. Getting a dog is a big adjustment and requires a huge time and financial commitment. I got my first dog as an adult, always had dogs when i was a kid, and it's a big difference Having the full responsibility yourself. Didn't realise how much my parents did! Will u have time to groom the dog if needs be? Can u afford vets bills, annual injections, grooming fees, boarding fees for when you go on hols?

snowy two

yes i think it would be possible for you too have a dog possibly two would be better for company all day for each other it is best to exercise your dog before you leave it so before you go off in the morning so it will be tired before you leave then you say you would have someone walk it in the middle of the day and you would probably want to give some exercise in the evening. Labradors make excellent dogs for kids they also love to swim and play fetch i know where there is some puppies at the moment.