Not logged inChampdogs Information Exchange
Forum Breeders Help Search Board Index Active Topics Login

Find your perfect puppy at Champdogs
The UK's leading pedigree dog breeder website for over 25 years

Topic Dog Boards / Visitors Questions / What kind of pupp?
- By guest [gb] Date 04.06.02 13:19 UTC
Hi there,
My daughter, partner and family are looking for a puppy and seem to have different ideas as to what their requirements are. My daughter has grown up with smallish dogs so is quite happy with them, whilst her partner would like a stylish, larger dog. The children 9 & 6 just want something to love. (I would point out that they are mature for their ages where animals are concerned, I know this because of the way they react to my two dogs). My daughter and the little girl have had a nasty experience with a Rottweiller which "was" my daughter's partners preferred breed. They know they have to compromise, but don't know what breeds to look at. They want something easy to train, good with children, not dominant that has an interesting character. There would be someone at home with the dog all day long and they are prepared to put a lot of time and effort into the dog. The children love my two mini schnauzers but the boyfriend thinks that they are too small.
Misty
- By Sharon McCrea [gb] Date 04.06.02 13:46 UTC
Hi Misty, everyone tends to plug their own breeds but if they have the space for a biggish dog they could think about one of the large sighthounds. Greyhounds, deerhounds and definitely wolfhounds are big enough to satisfy anyone's craving for size, but they are not aggressive and are very tolerant with kids of that sort of age (though if more babies are planned puppies and adolecent hounds can be too boisterous for toddlers). They aren't the easist breeds to train in formal obedience, but are usually very easy to turn into civilised companions. They don't need a vast amont of exercise, and will eat no more and probably less than a rottie. Wolfhounds are true giants who need space in car and home, but greyhounds and deerhounds will take up less houseroom than a rottie. Minuses are that they can be difficult to train to recall, vets bills can be high and they do chase rabbits etc. Another sighthound breed that would give a real compromise on size is the whippet. If you want more info, ask here or e-mail me.
- By Kash [gb] Date 04.06.02 15:54 UTC
Like Sharon says we all LOVE our own breed and they suit us and our lifestyles etc so therefore we are all going to have a somewhat biased opinion and many of our breeds may not suit your family personally:) In my situation I have two children aged 4 and 7, I work part time and own a German Shepherd bitch. She is quite large and that's only at 10 week old- I would say she reaches the top of my knee height wise already. I decided on a German Shepherd as it had been a childhood dream coupled with the elegance, beauty, nobility, intelligence, good with kids......to name a few;) Some of the bad points are the fact that they shed an awful lot of fur, their size isn't for everyone and once fully grown they need an awful lot of exercise and it costs a lot to feed them;) A KC reg GSD though will cost in the region of £350 to £450. We've also had to make many adjustments to accomodate her such as 6ft+ fencing etc. I've spent somewhere in the region of £800 buying bedding, securing garden, books, bowls etc (inc the dog) obviously this isn't something which I just had so it's taken months of preperation, researching kennels etc so be prepared for a long wait but this is also true with any breed;)

Have they considered any rescues/shelters as options?

Stacey x x x
- By philippa [gb] Date 04.06.02 17:08 UTC
Hi there, It sounds to me like a Golden Retriever would be an ideal family companion for your daughter and her family. Medium size, friendly, can be trained quite well, good life span, excellent companion, and in case you think I am biased, no, theyare not my breed :)
- By Kash [gb] Date 04.06.02 17:15 UTC
Phillipa you mean to tell me that with all those dogs there isn't even a goldie:D :D

Stacey x x x
- By philippa [gb] Date 04.06.02 18:31 UTC
Hi Stacey, ha ha funnny!! ;) No there isnt a goldie and isnt likely to be either. I am totally a hound/lurcher/scruffy dog kind of person. I love goldies ( before any goldie owners try to hang me up by my ears) just not the sort of dog for me. Having said that however.........hmmmmm I suppose they are a BIT scruffy lol
- By Sharon McCrea [gb] Date 04.06.02 18:59 UTC
Stacey, Phil says retrievers aren't her scence, but just try offereing her a needy one :D.
- By Sharon McCrea [gb] Date 04.06.02 18:57 UTC
Traitor :D!
- By eoghania [de] Date 04.06.02 17:37 UTC
Hi Misty,
Perhaps it might help if your daughter & her partner figure out some compromises before they try to determine any specific breed. The following considered:
Size of Dog
Personality --- what do they want: independent, needy, loving, working, companion, Instant obedience or just kind of in the ballfield type?

* Coat length --- Long - med- short
Hair or Fur? One needs regular trimming, the other sheds and can have more than a single coat.

* Activity level: How much exercise and participation are they really wanting to do?
--- Small [$ Giant breeds "Tend" to need less exercise than Med & Large breeds. (notice everyone, I said "tend" ]-) )

Some breeds are workers and need more than the average: for instance: Jack Russells are busy dogs and NEED to be busy, so are Border Collies. Sighthounds have reputations for being couch potatos, despite their size :D :D Labs, GSDs, & Rotties, do need more exercise and activity than other breeds. I'm just skimming. Obviously, she has to do some research on breed profiles. But this is one of those make/break categories. If they have a dog that is not getting the attention and activity it needs, that's where a lot of destruction begins to happen.

If they both work and are gone all day, perhaps they might consider looking into adopting a 10 month old and older dog. Personality and habits are easier to determine, plus it's much easier adapting a "mostly-grown" dog to a household, than a six week old puppy.

I hope this gives them some ideas on where to begin. Worse comes to worse, there are online questionaires that help to determine what type of dog is best suited to a household. Just do a search on Google. Just remember, they do tend to be limited on what breeds would fit (usually AKC), but it gives an idea on where to look and expand a search.
good luck,
toodles :cool:
- By riggs [gb] Date 05.06.02 12:51 UTC
Hi,If you go onto this site"pedigreedogs.co.uk"theres a search facility there where you can type in your requirements and they'll give you a list of suitable breeds matching your particular criteria.I found it really usefull when trying to find a new breed for my mother-inlaw who had some quite particular requirements.Hope this helps
Topic Dog Boards / Visitors Questions / What kind of pupp?

Powered by mwForum 2.29.6 © 1999-2015 Markus Wichitill

About Us - Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy