I am currently in the market for a puppy. I moved out of my parents house a few years ago and am desperately missing my labrador who lives with them.

It has to be a puppy because I have two full grown cats who have already shown their disgust for a rescue dog I tried to bring home. (the fact he constantly chased them round the house didnt help)

I have read several books. like dog breed encyclopedia but they are all so vague they're not much help.

I am at work nine till five but go hoime for lunch for an hour at midday.
I have a medium sized three bed house with a secure garden and a dog flap!

I prefer medium sized dogs rather than the smaller breeds.

Any advice or suggestions greatly appreciated.

Hi

If you are desperately missing your Lab at home why not go for a Lab again ? There are plenty of rescue Labs out there desperately needing a home especially at this time of year and there may be one out there who has been living with cats before so you wan't have the chasing to contend with ?

Just a thought !

Lucy

That was my exact plan.

Unfortunately my fiancee is not so keen.

My lab at home was very badly treated and as a result is very shy, nervous and extremely neurotic.

I know most labs are the exact opposite but it has really put him off!!!!!!

I'm also sure I could find a dog that has been brought up with cats but am more concerned my cats havent been brought up with dogs.
THought it would be better to introduce a puppy so they feel less initimidated.

My parents bought they're dog round who is the most cat friendly dog going and it took us 2 days to get my cat down off the wardrobe!!!

I would try and get him to change his mind as having a nervous Lab is normally the consequence of bad treatment or one that has had a bad experience of some sort. Your cats will take time to get used to a new addition even if it is a cat friendly dog ! Your cats will more likely get chased and hassled by a pup as it will wnat to play !

I am sure if you conatct Lab rescue explain your situation they will be able to match you up with an ideal girl or boy. It is worth a try! If you lived near me , which you might I could introduce my Labs and I am sure your fiancee would change his mind about Labs !! Not a nervous or shy bone in any of the girls ! :D

Lucy

Hi Rachael,
Have you considered a mini schnauzer, not as small as the name suggests. They shed no hair, are very loving and extremely good at making their own entertainment whilst your out. I have a 13 week old and he has by far exceeded our expectations with regards to training. I too work 9-5 with an hour at lunch, but this is causing no probs.
He is friendy, obedient and absolutley gorgeous! - people cross the street to take a closer look and ask questions..he is very popular with the local dog owners! ha ha
Let us know how you get on!
Louise

Hi

You may find that if you get a puppy and are away from home for the length of time you give (plus travelling, shopping, social life, etc) that you will not have a home to come back to :(

Just because you get a puppy does not mean that it will get on with your cats, or perhaps more accurately that your cats will get on with a puppy.

Why not wait a few years until you can cut your working hours down or stop work altogether. I had to wait 13 years before my lifestyle was suitable to share with a dog but have made up for it since. In the meantime you could perhaps help out at your local (rescue) kennels and learn about the different dog breeds, their needs, training requirments etc etc.

Christine

Couldn't agree more ! We waited until my youngest child was 13 before getting a dog, so that I could walk it properly without having to drag children out in all weathers. I also have arranged my work around the dogs - only working a few mornings a week, so that I can guarantee that they get plenty of exercise and mental stimulation. One of the reasons that many dogs are rehomed is because of the trouble they cause (understandably) when left alone for long periods of time. In some ways, having a dog is more of a handicap than having children and a similar amount of thought should be given before taking the plunge :)

Some people may not agree with this of course :)

Daisy

I do agree in theory as I am mad on animals.

My mum was exactly the same about not letting me have a rabbit because it was cruel to keep them in cages.

My arguement has always been though that peopoe arent going to stop breeding animals for sale (pedigree or otherwise) just because I'm sensible and wait.

So I would like to give one of those thousands of dogs a maybe not perfect home but a very very loving one.

Yes Rachael I agree. I have felt guilty when going to work and we spent an awful long time considering the pros and cons, but I know that when we are home Rufus have our complete attention and the time spent together is quality time.
Can you imagine if the only people who had dogs were unemployed or retired???
Our Mini s has everything he could ask for, lives in a lovely area with lots of fields, has loving parents and a fantastic standard of living...we could all spend our lives waiting for everything!

The point that I was trying to make is that you won't know whether you are going to have a problem with your puppy until you get it. If it doesn't work out there would have to be a difficult decision as to whether to rehome the puppy. Obviously, some people have no problem house-training a puppy and working full-time, and their puppy doesn't bark all day annoying the neighbours and doesn't ruin the house etc etc. But there are a lot of people (some find their way to this board) who have problems because they didn't consider carefully enough before making the decision.

Perhaps rehoming an older dog is a good compromise. Our older dog was about a year old when we got him - I was working three days a week and he was already house-trained and was not destructive. When we got our puppy, the timing was arranged so that both my teenagers were at home on holiday, so she wasn't left alone for several months.

Just my opinion.

Daisy

on petplanet.co.uk you can type in your requirements ie small/medium/large dog your size of house, other pets etc etc and it will give you a list of breeds, whom you can read about on the same site, which would be suited to you.
Goodluck!!!

My lifestyle is very similar to yours (except for the cats as my finance is allergic to them!) I have and Akita and a Labrador and they both live in a kennel and run in the garden when I am not at work. They recognise that it is their area and do not seem to want to wreck it. However leave them in the house for any period of time and all hell breaks loose if I am not around.

May not help you much on the breed - although the Akita is a wonderful dog although would suggest kenneling it when you are not around otherwise as with any large breed your cats may suffer.