Hello again,

Well, we have still not decided on a breed... although I have eliminated Briards, TTs and Labradors :rolleyes:

In the meantime, I've been thinking about our car.  We are almost certainly getting a large or giant breed and we currently own a Skoda Fabia.  This is obviously not going to be suitable.  So... we need to buy a new car! 

We have been considering a Volvo V40.  Does this seem like a reasonable size?  Any other recommendations?  What cars have you had which worked out well with large breeds? We would have a collapsible crate for the dog - I'm not sure if it would be possible to transport the dog in the crate though.  Would a giant size crate fit into a large car like that assembled? 

Thanks again

Alice

I know someone with 2 giant bull mastiffs, 2 really large crates and a big white van You cold be white van woman, think of the fun you could have on the road. OK, if you don't want to drive a builders van many of the MPV's are really versatile. I owned a Toyota Verso for 2 months (don't ever buy their MMT transmission!) and it was perfect for a couple of large dogs. VW Touran is similar. Anything that lets you fold all the seats completely flat will do. That's what I would get for giant breeds.

Hi Alice,

Ive a Great Dane and im currently after an 02 onwards plate Vectra (the new shape) as my partners mum has one which is a hatchback and shes taken out the parcel shelf and put up a dog gate and her medium sized dogs go in there when they take them out with them! :)

Ive had a good look at her car and you could quite possibly fit 2 Danes quite nicely in the back of one of these (dont take my word for 2, but definately a great size for 1) which is why im now hunting for one :D

Hope this helps :)

Willis squishes nicely into the back of my Mondeo Estate. He can't stand up but it means theres no need for a dog gate :D (Big Dane). He would never fit in a hatchback - he absolutely fills the space in the Mondeo.

We have a Volvo 850 (T5) estate :D We manage 3 Malamutes with that :)

I'm a white van woman and have four medium sized dogs :d  Oh, yeah and it's a little Citreon Berlingo.

I have a Citroen Berlingo as well - great dog cars with loads of room - I can transport 3 large hairy Belgians plus all their show paraphanalia with no problems ( with the back seats folded down I hasten to add ;))

Yvonne

I can Vouch for the 3 Malumutes  I have seen them :D :D :D :D
Lea :)

My mum has a Fiat Doblo - tonnes of space - but it looks like a postman Pat van hee hee (don't tell her I said that)

I have a Vauxhall Astra Estate and that would fit 2 of my big girls in there.  It is economical as well.

At the moment I have a 405 estate (diesel) which 3 large leonbergers fit in nicely ;) tho only 2 can lie down :D
Hubby just in process of getting merc vito so there will be even more room soon ( time for more leos methinks :P )

We have a Mondeo Estate which is fine for one of my Leos but a bit tight for two.  We also have  a Vauxhall Zafira, i think this is great as there is no side carpets in the boot so less mess.  It is easy to clean and it takes my two big dogs easy.  We don't use the extra seats very often but it is useful to have them tucked away.

I drive a Doblo MPV type (Not van) too and I would be loathe to go back to a 'normal' car now.

Hi Alice,

I've just bought a Rhodesian Ridgeback and to ensure he travelled in comfort I've traded my previous car for a Peugeot 406 Estate (1999).  It's a diesel, which I've never had before, and am absolutely floored with the mpg I'm getting :-)

It's got tons of boot space for Earl, and lots of room for dd in her car seat at the back, and still loads of room for us at the front to have our seats all the way back.  Average price for this car is around the £3K mark.  I'm getting around 55mpg, insurance was the same as my RAV4 - can't think what else to say about it, except it's great!

Good luck with the doggie hunting! 

Helen

I have a Galaxy, fits 4 Goldens in the 'boot' area and the seats lift out so I can move things around.  I have actually had 6 Goldens, 3 adults and all the show gear in it before now (with some seats removed). Also the air conditioning is also piped through to the 'boot' area and dogs remain comfortable even on a very hot day!

We have a large breed (BIG rottie X) and a giant breed (Newfie) and we bought a Fiat Doblo MPV specifically to accommodate them :rolleyes:

The Fiat Doblo came highly recommended by another multiple dog owning CD member and having checked out various makes and models of cars/vans, it came out by far as the most versatile option for us. Both dogs fit easily in the boot space when we need the rear seats in place and the rear seats fold up neatly to give us the same load space as a van....meaning we won't need to upgrade when the next dog comes along ;) We look after a friend's Bernese Mountain Dog sometimes and there's still space to spare even with 3 huge dogs in. I'm pretty sure you could get an xtra large crate in the boot with the rear seats in place although we opted for a dog guard and tailgate guard. Also (and importantly), it is very economical, was cheap to buy (under £10K for a brand new 1.9 diesel with air con, CD player etc) and is cheap to insure :)

i am a white van woman also and it is a transit i drive 2.0 litre and i love it to bits, and the insurance for my van 03 plate is cheaper than my vauxhall astra estate i used to have
carol

We have a 13 month old English Mastiff and we bought an Audi A4 Estate for him, he didnt fit in our old Laguna hatch for very long. ;-) But now he is getting a bit cramped in the Audi and he still has loads of growing to do. So we are on the look out for a new Tyson-mobile soon too. :D

I really don't know why you just didn't buy the truck like I suggested ages ago, Zoe :D I'm not sure they've mad a car big enough to accommodate Tyson yet

>>I really don't know why you just didn't buy the truck like I suggested ages ago, Zoe   I'm not sure they've mad a car big enough to accommodate Tyson yet  >>

Hehehehe. :D Well someone did suggest a horsebox for him! lol
Might end up getting that truck yet. ;-) :D

isnt it madness how when we get a dog we get a sensible car, I used to have a nice BMW, got a dog and got a vauxhall astra estate, which i have to say is much more practical and economical. Fits one large dog with bags of room but his ears just touch the roof when he is sitting.

I have a rottie and she goes into the boot of a Ford Focus hatchback with no problem.

We had a Volvo V40 before we got the 306 estate which actually has more boot space than the Volvo due to the wheel arches being in the boot. We also found the volvo heavy on fuel it was the 2.0 turbo so if you can I would get a diesel.

snap Morgan, I used to have a nice BMW 3 series *mmm miss that car so much :rolleyes: * we then brought a Ford ranger thunder with a roof put on the back as it is a pick up truck with a now removable roof to keep shopping and dog etc dry, it is massive! can fit a 48" crate in there no problems, but it stays in situe as i have another in doors. (needed to take roof off to get it in there as not enough room to put up from flat!) it also is seperate from the car, so doesn't matter about wet and muddy paws etc as the interior where others will sit stays all nice * until sticky children get in there :rolleyes: :-D *
also has optional off road facilities too, so would highly recommend at about £20,000 brand new thats with leather they do have a cheaper option!!

You say you have eliminated briards - did you visit a breeder?  I still think they fit your criteria - unless you have changed your mind about the grooming.  Please be aware that most dogs are only as well behaved, etc as they have been trained to be, and that a dog of ANY breed COULD exhibit traits that are not wanted.

I have just looked back (and added to) your other thread and feel some of the comments made about briards are very misleading.  Like any breed they need to be brought up correctly to get the best out of them.

My briard fitted well in to my focus estate - plenty of room for her.

Good luck with your search.

Hi Alexanders,

Yes, we visited a Briard breeder last weekend.  They are ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS.  But - they were a bit too lively for our 4 year old.  The breeder we visited had 4 dogs in the room - a large male, a smaller bitch and two 5 month old puppies.  The male was much, much bigger than we remembered from Crufts - maybe it was seeing it in a residential kitchen rather than in the NEC!!  The puppies were very lively and enthusiastic about meeting us, which was great, but scared my 4 year old daughter.  She actually refused to stand on the floor, and screamed when they jumped up when she was in our arms.  They could easily put their paws on her shoulders, which was more than she could handle.  The adult male could put his paws on my husband's shoulders - I think we were all a bit surprised by how bouncy they were!

I left thinking, "One day I want one of those... but not yet".  I think we could handle the grooming, but the puppies were more lively than I was expecting.  Even after 20 minutes (when the adults had laid down on the floor) they were still very excitable.  Absolutely beautiful dogs though, and if I didn't have a child, I would have no hesitation whatsoever.

We have since learned that the TT's really can't be left alone for more than a few hours, and we can't commit to that for their lifespan as they are a long-lived breed.  So ... we are back to the Estrela Mountain Dog.  We all love them.  We're going to go to the National Dog Show in Stafford next month, they have 16 Estrelas registered so we will get a chance to meet the dogs  and see how my daughter reacts.   There will also be Briards there... so we shall see :)

It's a minefield!  I'm still thinking about dogs all day every day, and its still 6 months before we can even think about getting a puppy.  Buying a new car is just the first step!

Thanks again for your advice, I really appreciate it.

Alice

Alice, I think you'll find that all puppies are lively and bouncy, not just Briards - in fact if a puppy wasn't like that I'd take it to the vet because I'd think it was ill. I'm concerned that your daughter's reaction will be the same for all puppies, especially the larger breeds. :( Also, no dogs should be left for more than a few hours, not just TTs. I always tell people that, once housetrained, an adult dog shouldn't be expected to 'hold it' for longer than you or I would last between visits to the lavatory. Before they're housetrained, one or two hours at a time is the longest.

I have to agree with JG with regard to your daughter and puppies.

My niece (almost 4) loves dogs and lives with a Yorkshire Terrier who she is very good with. She also spends a lot of time with their neighbours two small crossbreeds. However, she is petrified of my two large dogs. She seems to want to like them as she is always asking to come to visit them but when she gets here, she is overwhelmed by their size and the fact that my Newfie pup (now 12 months old) wants to lick her actually makes her cry :( She likes to look at the dogs through the window when they are out in the garden but cannot cope with being in the same room as them at all :( I also find a lot of children we meet out walking are frightened by the size of my dogs and hide behind their parents if they stop to chat...and that is with the dogs on a lead and sitting nicely at my feet, not even bouncing around like lunatics which they are known to do on occasions too.

I agree JG.  This is exactly why I suggested small breed dogs in the OP other thread.  Having a 4 year old son myself and experiencing what he was like with a medium breed 12 week old puppy I would definately recommend the smaller breeds for people with young children who are not used to living with dogs/pups.  All puppies are lively and bouncy but a small breed will not knock a child over or be overpowering.  Our 10 month old Sheltie girl (who was 6 months old when we first saw her and my son still 3yrs old) isn't quite as tall as my son when stood on her back legs and couldn't knock him over even if she tried.  This was an essential criteria for us when choosing a new dog.  If my son had shown any fear or been intimidated at all we wouldn't have said 'yes' to the breeder.  As it transpired despite our girl being bouncy, licky and following my son around left right and centre he loved her and she him :)  She does 'hang' off his clothes on occasions cos she thinks he's her puppy play mate which upsets him a bit but its only when they both get over excited and the situation is quickly calmed down.  Despite this and the occasional 'nip' (which is nothing more than mouthing) they get on really well - unless he goes off in a sulk in which case poor pup isn't allowed anywhere near him :rolleyes:

Regarding cars - we've got an Astra estate and it has a lot of boot space (good height, width & depth)

Hello again!

Hmm - that is a concern.  I would describe my daughter as being a confident child - I think she was just a bit overwhelmed.  I thought it was because four big bouncy dogs at once was too much for her.  You could be right though - even one big bouncy dog might be overwhelming.

Having said that, LOTS of people with children have dogs, and the children do adapt.  I would expect my dd to adapt although it may take time.  We've restricted ourselves to breeds that are affectionate with children.    However, I don't want to end up in a situation where she is terrified of the dog.  I suppose the only way to be absolutely sure is to either wait until she's older, or get an older dog who will be less bouncy from the start.

I particularly wanted to get a puppy around the time my daughter started school because then she will grow up with it and it will fit in well with my part time hours.  It's highly likely that at some point in my life I'll go back to working full time - but probably not for at least 10 years.  If I wait several years before we get a dog, I can no longer guarantee that I'll be around for the dog when it gets older, and that's not fair on the dog!  I'll only be leaving the dog for 3.5 hours a day, whatever breed we get.  However, emergencies do happen, and I would prefer a dog that can be left in an emergency for longer without becoming distressed.  (We will take 6-8 weeks off work when we first get the puppy to housetrain/socialise it).

We could get an older dog, but my concern was that an older dog = a rescue dog.  I have nothing against rescue dogs - in fact both the dogs I previously owned were rescues - but I do have worries about getting a rescue with a young child around, because you just don't know their history.

I've been waiting for the right moment to get a puppy for most of my adult life.  I can't postpone it indefinitely, it'll break my heart :(

We went through something similar.  My son too is a 'confident child'.  He was born into a house with 2 dogs and has always had a lot of contact with my Grandad's dog, various dogs in our street, the dog in the pet shop etc etc all differing breeds and sizes.  Up until my son was 2.5yrs old he lived with two old Shelties.  They weren't particularly interested in him and would take themselves out of the room if the crying, crawling etc got too much for them.  We were originally looking for a medium to large breed puppy (hence the 12 week old puppy I mentioned earlier) but found that it simply was unsuitable with my young son.  He became absolutely terrified of the pup who was just very lively and playful like any puppy is.  She was a delight and would have grown into a lovely dog but due to my son becoming more and more scared of her I had to make a decision - keep her and persevere with my son shutting himself away in a room to keep out of the pups way or return her to the rescue centre to be rehomed to a family with older children who would be brilliant playmates and companions for her.  We only had her for 2.5 weeks :(

We wanted a puppy puppy for the plain and simple reason that it would grow up in our family with our lifestyle. However, after the rescue puppy we realised that a puppy puppy would be unsuitable for us so started looking for a rescue older pup/young adult and searched for 5 months solid.  But, like you said you never truly know the background of the dog which is extremely important with young children.  We then started to look for an older pup/young adult which had been run on by a breeder.  That way we would know exaclty what we were getting temperament wise, what it had been exposed to (children, cats etc), know the size etc etc.  The adults we met, no matter how young were quite timid around my young son whereas the 6 month old pup was confident but quite gentle hence us getting her.  She's now 10 months old, still very lively, bouncy and playful but is the 'perfect' dog for us :)

Please don't feel like you are destined to not have a dog - you just need to look at different breeds which you'd previously 'written off'.  Small dogs are full of character and make great companions for small children cos they're 'a good size' for them.  I know exactly where you are coming from wanting a large breed as personally I love the 'bigger dogs' but you've got to get something that is going to suit your family now and for the next 10-15 years.  Many of the smaller breeds are described as 'big dogs in small bodies' and that is very true - they have big personalities to make up for their small stature :)

"Having said that, LOTS of people with children have dogs, and the children do adapt."

Some children are more sensible around dogs than others.  Some are more confident around dogs than others.  Some dogs are good around children.  Some dogs don't like 'small people.  Do you get what I'm trying to say?  Yes lots of people with young children have dogs and they live in perfect harmony but it doesn't work out for all.

"We've restricted ourselves to breeds that are affectionate with children."

Any breed can be affectionate with children if brought up around them :)  I know that some breeds are 'renound' for their affection to children but again thats only if they're brought up around them otherwise they're like some strange being from another planet ;)

"I suppose the only way to be absolutely sure is to either wait until she's older, or get an older dog who will be less bouncy from the start."

An older dog may be much slower/less able to adapt to living with a young child unless brought up in a house with young children/youngsters who very regularly visit.

"I've been waiting for the right moment to get a puppy for most of my adult life.  I can't postpone it indefinitely, it'll break my heart"

There's no reason why you should - you just need to choose a) the right breed and b) the right pup :)

surely an estrella is as big if not bigger than a briard?

my niece(6) immediately starts screaming when she sees my big dog because she has learnt that it gets her atttention from her mum, and my dog has never shown any interest in her because she doesnt control the biscuit tin.

Hi Alice, a bit off topic here but I just wanted to say my friends 4 year old daughter had the same reaction to my Goldie puppy at Christmas. It didn't help when she came over in her fairy costume complete with wings and lots of fluttery scarves. She was a dog toy. :-D She spent the afternoon on someday's lap eyeing him suspiciously. Well, two visits later and she walks around with him singing "I love Milo, Milo loves me" songs, tells me she loves all dogs now, and sits very nicely with him to give strokes and cuddles. Every child is different and my dog is very gentle and very calm for his age but I just wanted to tell you that story.

Just wanted to say:

Its all fair and good judging how 'adaptable' young children are when visiting dog owners homes but you have to keep in mind the fact that any dog which a person gets will be in their home 24/7.  Its then and only then that you can truly judge how any child will be around a dog...

:)

Quite true, my daughter (2 yo) followed EVERY dog, no matter what size or shape, around friends houses when we visited.  She was completely smitten and they could do practically anything to her and she just brushed it off.

Now we have our 9 week old RR puppy she is a little more 'concerned'.  When he is in a playful mood she is a little more clingy to us and asks to be picked up a lot, but if we sit on the floor with them both she's soon playing with him happily.  Once he is asleep she's all over him and we have to take her away so the poor lad can rest!  She's learning now that his crate is out of bounds to her. 

We just take care to always be with them when they're together and to teach them both respect for each other. 

i have two labs, and they fit in my C4 Coupe with room to spare. The only downside is that the boot's quite high.

I have a suzuki grand vitara XL7 & my 2 dogs fit in the back quite comfortably. I've got one large breed & one medium. We went for the 'jeep' instead of estate so we would have more height for our dogs. Also the back is quite low compared to other 4x4's we looked at with no lip so my elderly dog can jump in ok. Hubby has a chevrolet pick-up with solid canopy so the dogs have their own separate enclosed area, great when they're wet & smelly. We have had 4 dogs in the back quite comfortably - my two plus dalmation & labrador. Best bit is you can swill it out if you need to. Only thing we added was a rubber mat so the dogs had something to grip onto as the floor is ridged.

Hi, off topic of cars (although I have a Vauxall Zafia - perfect car IMO).

My daughter is 5 and was very frightened of dogs (because a large dog knocked her over once, wanted to play and was all over her). My mother brought a Leonberger and although quite quiet as puppy she soon became a mad teen! Que daughter going hysterical when Saffy (leonberger) visited.

However we wanted a dog and she was keen also. We spent a long time looking into breeds and decided on a TT. Best choice we made! Daughter adores her, and it has helped her become better with dogs in general. Tatty is just big enough - I didn't want a small get under your feet dog but also didn't want a big one. She is easy to train - they are very bright.

The thing about large breed puppies is that they grow so fast. At 12 months old my Newfie weighs in excess of 50kg (8 stone) Newfies are renowned for being excellent with children and indeed my girl is typical of that. However, she is still a young and boisterous puppy so I don't allow her off lead around children, even those we know well, as I am afraid that she would inadvertantly hurt them :( At 6 months of age, she was strong enough to pull my OH (not small by any means) off his feet, causing a nasty back injury....I dread to think what she could do to a child by knocking them over :( If I were in the OPs position, I think I would wait for a couple of years until the child is older to introduce a large/giant breed.

I've had a Briard in the boot of my Galaxy (rear 2 seats taken out so just the 5 seats and big boot space) with plenty of room to turn round and lie down. I still think you might be better off with a medium size breed like the labrador and retriever type - of course the perfect breed is a small one - the Cavalier!! :-)

Hi Alicey,

If you like your Fabia, why not consider getting a diesel Octavia estate?  I'm on my second one now, and they are brilliant :D  I've got 3 Spins, and there's plenty of room for them in the boot.  We had a Volvo V40 before our first Octavia and it was a lovely car, but the Octavia beats it hands down and has much more room in the boot.

Lesley 

I've been thinking about this all day (again) and reading all your responses, and my gut feeling is that we should go for it.  My daughter will adapt to having a big dog in the house, and if we have a few days/weeks of her hiding in her bedroom, so be it.  It will be worth it when she comes round to the idea and develops a love of dogs that lasts a lifetime.  She is an only child and the puppy will grow up with her and be her friend and playmate when there's nobody else around... and I honestly believe that that bond is so important that it's worth a bit of upset.

Just because it doesn't work out for everyone doesn't mean it won't work for us.  Both my husband and I want a large breed, even though we know it would be easier to get a smaller one.  In fact there are half a dozen smaller breeds that I'd consider - but he doesn't like any of them, and vice versa!  So - we will go to Stafford and meet the Estrelas and see how my daughter gets on.  At Crufts we all loved the Estrela.  Fingers crossed.

Thanks again,

Alice

I think there comes a point when you just have to say "go for it" because the alternative is going round and round in circles rehearsing what rapidly become conflicting arguments in your head! What I would say is that both your daughter and the puppy will need space away from each other - both being likely to get over-tired and over-excited and thus bring out the worst in each other! -  and it's worth organising your house around that need before you reach crisis point.

"both your daughter and the puppy will need space away from each other - both being likely to get over-tired and over-excited and thus bring out the worst in each other!"

We've had our pup for 4 months now and that happens on a daily basis.  Its not something that corrects itself within a few days/weeks it has to be constantly worked on.  My young son plays brilliantly with other dogs out of the house/in other people's houses but with our girl he feels that her toys are his toys and she can 'have a turn' as and when he dictates   Don't get me wrong they play nicely together for the most part and the pup loves her little playmate to bits :) but it does spiral out of control when they both become over excited.  Yes its something my son will grow out of as he learns how to 'play nicely' but its a work in progress.  Its a case of telling my son off for not giving the pup her toy back and telling the pup off for dangling off my sons clothes trying to get her toy back - its like "break it up guys!" :rolleyes: So Alicey be prepared for not only having to train a new pup but also training your young child ;)

im really excited for you, have a lovely time.

I have a Vauxhall Zafira and it fits everything from a Great Dane to my little cavalier in with no problems at all. I love it although it doesnt win many style awards :)

Just have to say i agree with Peewee because I have been there and got the t'shirt trying to get my children to 'like' big dogs. I thought i could make it work by keeping a close eye on them and seperating them etc etc but sometimes things just dont work out no matter how hard we try.
I love big dogs - but we have chosen to have a lovely little cavalier who suits our family at this time perfectly. He is a gorgeous dog and I wouldn't swap him - most importantly he plays with the kids nicely and gently. Sits on their knees etc and they aren't afraid of him one bit. They are getting a positive doggy experience by having him here in our home which will eventually lead to them accepting a big dog when they have grown up a bit more.

Hi

I think you have to remember it is not only big dogs that scare children.

My son hated my jack russell for a while because she was always nipping him and pulling at him. At one point she chased him up the garden and wrestled with him and managed to get his shorts of. There was a constant battle in the morning over socks and many a time she woud grab the end and pull them of his feet and leg it. I had to be firm with both of them. No way was I giving up my dog. My son had to learn how to treat her and tell her no and the dog had to learn to obey him.  They are now best of friends.

I also have a GDS whos biggest crime is knocking the kids over when he is pleased to see them.

As for a car. Hubby left  his job and the lovely big company car went back so he was driving my little Peugeot for a while. You can fit two adults two kids, a GSD and a Russell in no bother and still leave room for a picnic basket.

We know have a dirty great big estate and they feel like they are in Buckingham palace with all the space

Wendy

>She is an only child and the puppy will grow up with her and be her friend and playmate when there's nobody else around...

Not wanting to sound at all pessimistic here but there's actually no guarantee that this is how things will turn out. Only dogs and children can be unreliable about playing their part in making these wonderful dreams come true! I'm sure you will make a wise choice and put in all the work necessary to try and make this happen but be aware that your dog may develop the strongest attachment to another member of the family and that your daughter (who is very young) may not necessarily want the dog to take the place of human company.