Spec me a dog?

Gilly said:
They're utility dogs and used to be ratters. Not sure how they'd be with a baby.



Your parent's dogs are awesome. Are they larger than the norm? I think I've only really known miniatures and never seen them as large as those two.
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They are Standard Poodles but thats a bit misleading because Standards are the largest of the recognised breeds. Slightly taller than a Lab but about the same body mass.

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Note the fact they don't have a bloody stupid clip like a show dog, they do need clipping though because they no not shed at all, which is ideal for allergy sufferers but the poncey cut is not mandatory. Contrary to popular belief a Puli is not a Poodle who hasn't had a clip but they probably would look similar without a regular trip to the groomers, all Pulis are of course named Marley!

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MB
 
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I would say a staff. Loyal and solid dog's mines great with kids.

RoFL at that last dog. We have 1 next door his name is Rasta Dave ;D
 
Personally, as lovely as Labs are they are not a dog I would recommend to a first time dog owner with a kid.

I would suggest that you have a look here:

http://www.bordercollierescue.org/about_bcr/Content/how_we_work.html

There is an old guy down the road who has been taking border collies from a rescue centre in london for years. He is pushing 80 now and isn't as mobile as he was however his 2 dogs will stop outside his gate and wait for him to come out and then walk by his side without leads. As much as I want a boxer this will probably be my next dog.

I would also suggest you watch something like the dog whisperer on sky and maybe buy his book. There are several good dog training and dog psychologu books out there, I would suggest buying at least one of each.

When you get the dog home for the first time, stop it in front of the house, open the door and make it wait while you step inside first. You are letting it know that you are in charge in here. Then walk the dog around the house on its lead to start with making it sit while you enter each room first.

You will get more of an understanding if you do some reading first :D
 
howdydoody said:
Personally, as lovely as Labs are they are not a dog I would recommend to a first time dog owner with a kid.

I would suggest that you have a look here:

http://www.bordercollierescue.org/about_bcr/Content/how_we_work.html

There is an old guy down the road who has been taking border collies from a rescue centre in london for years. He is pushing 80 now and isn't as mobile as he was however his 2 dogs will stop outside his gate and wait for him to come out and then walk by his side without leads. As much as I want a boxer this will probably be my next dog.

I would also suggest you watch something like the dog whisperer on sky and maybe buy his book. There are several good dog training and dog psychologu books out there, I would suggest buying at least one of each.

When you get the dog home for the first time, stop it in front of the house, open the door and make it wait while you step inside first. You are letting it know that you are in charge in here. Then walk the dog around the house on its lead to start with making it sit while you enter each room first.

You will get more of an understanding if you do some reading first :D
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Why is a Lab not a good choice?

I make our Lab sit before doing most things, he's very clever now :D
 
howdydoody said:
Personally, as lovely as Labs are they are not a dog I would recommend to a first time dog owner with a kid.

I would suggest that you have a look here:

http://www.bordercollierescue.org/about_bcr/Content/how_we_work.html

There is an old guy down the road who has been taking border collies from a rescue centre in london for years. He is pushing 80 now and isn't as mobile as he was however his 2 dogs will stop outside his gate and wait for him to come out and then walk by his side without leads. As much as I want a boxer this will probably be my next dog.

I would also suggest you watch something like the dog whisperer on sky and maybe buy his book. There are several good dog training and dog psychologu books out there, I would suggest buying at least one of each.

When you get the dog home for the first time, stop it in front of the house, open the door and make it wait while you step inside first. You are letting it know that you are in charge in here. Then walk the dog around the house on its lead to start with making it sit while you enter each room first.

You will get more of an understanding if you do some reading first :D
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I'm not sure a working bread which needs a huge quantity of exercise is what the OP wants though? One of the reasons I didn't suggest the Poodles, despite the fact they are pretty trainable and well behaved they do need a lot of exercise.

MB
 
Dog rescue is your best bet; http://www.dogstrust.org.uk/ relatively cheap, usually a good description/character guide posted on the enclosure, you can walk/meet the dog before you decide and you are giving some poor animal a second chance.

Advice:

Do some research and get at least a little knowledge about dogs (as a noob to the dog world).
Get insurance.
Socialise the dog with people and animals.
Don't leave dog and child alone EVER but equally, don't remove dog whenever the child is around either; teach them both where the boundaries are.
You must become the Alpha/leader if you want an obedient and loyal dog that you can be proud of. (Discipline should NOT be the same as punishment)

The world and his wife has opinions about different breeds, so I won't try to influence you; do the research and use some common sense and you should be fine.

Regards.
 
Lab for me. I think though that regardless of what breed you get you should consider a rescue of about a year old. All puppies are very hard work and are almost like having another child. On the other hand, the puppy will grow with the baby and they will learn to get on well.

Definately get to Discover Dogs at Crufts. Experienced owners and breeders of almost every breed imaginable.

Dallys can be a bit loopy, as can spaniels (especially Springers), Weimaraners and Collies.
 
Matblack said:
I personally like the Giant Schnauzer an unusual and majestic dog

MB
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I wanted a Giant Schnauzer, but cant have one till my little girl is old enough to look down to one.
We used to have a Standard Schnauzer, he was awesome. No trouble with kids at all. Can remember the day the wife came home from hospital after having ben, we put ben down in the lounge in his car seat, the dog came up sniffed him then lay down next to the car seat.
 
Andybtsn said:
Why is a Lab not a good choice?

I make our Lab sit before doing most things, he's very clever now :D
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labs are lovely dogs but can grow to be quite big and bulky, can be very energetic and with one running around the house any children stand a good chance of being knocked over.

Matblack said:
I'm not sure a working bread which needs a huge quantity of exercise is what the OP wants though? One of the reasons I didn't suggest the Poodles, despite the fact they are pretty trainable and well behaved they do need a lot of exercise.
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The fact that they are a working breed makes no difference and they only really need a good 30 min walk a day, which is what every dog should be getting anyway. If the OP can't give any dog he gets 30 mins a day then tbh he shouldn't get a dog. It will lead the dog to develop bad behaviour including obsessive behaviour that can turn any do dangerous!

One mroe thing I will say, is that no matter the breed, each dog has an individual energy level. low, medium and high. If you would class yourself as a medium energy person then only get a low or medium energy dog. It sounds daft but I have spoken to several people that went out and get a high energy dog despite the fact that the most exercise that person gets is walking to and from the car. It is bad for the dog and will end up a problem for you.
 
I'm not a big fan of dogs but have a soft spot for Boxers. My friend had one and it was such an utterly comical and friendly dog you just had to smile. It was so enthusiastic, that when it was happy it wagged its whole body rather than just its tail. Maybe they are a little bit too full of beans for what the OP wants though.
 
Jumping straight in with a knee high size dog is NOT a good idea. Seriously.

I'd suggest either a jack Russell or a beagle.

Ive actually got a beagle/jack cross myself and the cross seems to bring out the best natures from both breeds.
 
mulpsmebeauty said:
I'm not a big fan of dogs but have a soft spot for Boxers. My friend had one and it was such an utterly comical and friendly dog you just had to smile. It was so enthusiastic, that when it was happy it wagged its whole body rather than just its tail. Maybe they are a little bit too full of beans for what the OP wants though.
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Boxers are my fav dog of all time, although there is a pitbull on 'The Dog Whisperer' that is very similar to a boxer and is absolutely lovely.

However, in all the reading I have done it is the general concensus that a dog that wags its whole body has a problem. Dogs should never get over excited as it causes imbalances in their behaviour.

Although it is easy to say things like that and I would guess that either the dog doesn't get enough exercise or the owner doesn't correct the dogs behaviour it is a lot harder to fix when it is your own dog. I have help several people with minor problems with their dogs yet I still can't get mine to stop barking when the front door goes :(
 
Alsatian - Had one as a kid, was a very loyal dog and was always protective of me, when I used to walk down the shops to get some bread my dad used to let me take him so the big teenage boys wouldn't give me bother :D
 
mulpsmebeauty said:
I'm not a big fan of dogs but have a soft spot for Boxers. My friend had one and it was such an utterly comical and friendly dog you just had to smile. It was so enthusiastic, that when it was happy it wagged its whole body rather than just its tail. Maybe they are a little bit too full of beans for what the OP wants though.
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Yeah they are, plus they were hunting dogs, and have very powerful jaws and shoulders.

Don't think they suit this scenario, even though they're awesome :D

They all wag their whole bodies, it is a trait of the breed. They do a thing called kidney-beaning where they almost fold themselves in two :)
Makunouchi said:
Jumping straight in with a knee high size dog is NOT a good idea. Seriously.

I'd suggest either a jack Russell or a beagle.
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A Jack Russell will bite.
 
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