Hi there, i've just joined and thought i'd say hi. i've been reading all your postings for a while and i must say your all very informed about your dogs, i've got some good advise just reading you all. Anyway, i've had dogs my whole life untill i moved out of the family home 2 years ago and i have missed having them everyday since, however as a full time student and part time worker i've never been home enough to responsibly have a dog since then. But! i graduate this year and my boyfriend and i are moving in together and we are wanting to get a dog. with me then working ft and him doing a pt post grad at lest one of us will be in at different times for most of the day. Obviously we are going to wait a few months after moving in to make sure we live together fine, would hate if it didn't work and we'd taken a dog that might then need rehomed. so trying to think ahead and consider breeds. mine have always been bullmastiffs or a mastiff but i've family experience with rottweillers, french bulldogs, whippet (lol, bit of a mix) and OH has had GSD's etc, but we're in a flat (big but still a flat). due to money it'll be a rescue. so far i'm starting looking into staffys or bulldogs (though i appreciate theres not to many bulldogs rescues about). does anyone have any other suggestions? thanks

First of all welcome!!
Good idea to settle in first before getting a 4 legged companion, its never easy when you first live with someone and getting used to their bad habbits!! As you are in a flat, I would go for a smaller breed than some that you have described above, does the flat have a garden area? I would imagine that something along the lines of a westie or scottie would be great!!

thanks!, yeah we would get used to each other before rushing in, though we practically live together now we have the option of escape if we need it lol. there is a fully enclosed garden for the block, a few other people in the block have dogs and as long as everyone cleans up it works fine. we are up a few stairs but we're willing to run up and down so i figure its just more excercise for the dog (and me!), we know its a commitment of time and effort. i think westies etc are very cute but i'm used to something a bit chunkier lol, big change to have a little one. also terriers are one of the few groups i've absolutely no history with. i actually found a stray staffie the other day and he was with us for a bit before the dog warden came, such a sweetheart! goingt o check out if they are generally like that and if so its a possibility. there seem to be a lot in rescue. i'm getting treated to a trip to crufts by the OH this year (never been, so excited!) so hopefully get a look at some breeds at discover dogs and see if there are any that suit.

Hello and welcome to the forum.
Just a thought if you have lots of stairs and the need to use them every time you take the dog out, make sure you are carefull about joints with a pup. Many breeds need carrying up and down stairs to protect them in the early months. Don't know much about Staffy's so maybe someone else would give some advice?

hi merlot, thought of this, wouldn't want to risk damaging them. we're thinking of an adult rescue of some kind largely because of this.

I would also say go for a quiet breed, so the whippet would be a great choice.  Not only are they not particularly vocal but also they are not thumping heavy dogs that would perhaps drive a downstairs neighbour to distraction if they ran around in the flat.

For this reason I would think a French bulldog a better bet then a staff which are livelier and play hard.

Hi astarte - if you are that excited about the Discover Dogs section you will need willpower!!!!  Each year I see at least another 3 breeds that I would love to own!!

i'd love a frenchy, my aunt and uncle used to breed them when i was little and i think they would be perfect for us, big dog brain but small dog body, but very very expensive. due to money issues we'd be going for a rescue and i don't think you'd get many...though i'd probably contact the breed clubs about it-they must get some that need rehomed occasionally? my sis has a whippet and shes lovely but OH isn't to keen. Thankfully noise isn't to much of an issue as my neighbours are elderly and quite deaf.

Thing is that neighbours can change, and you might be talking a few years by which time anything could happen. 

With a dog you really have to be realistically thinking of 12 years ahead.

It is worth contacting the breed club and breeders re rescues as someone.

yeah of course but i very much doubt i'll still be in that flat in 12 years. probably just a year or so after graduation till i can afford to get somewhere new. I'd like to try and get one through a breed club as i think they would probably have a better history for the dog as well. does that seem likely?

I think so as breeders who ahve their own pups back will know their breedign and heredity plays a biggest part in character.

hmmm...wondering if i should start contacting them now. bf not moving in till about june and we want to be settled so we're thinking august time- time to settle and have the dog settle before OH back at uni. i assume there will be quite a wait. might be sensible to wait till i can get liam to meet a frenchy though. i know he'd love the personality and look etc but best to defo check i think...sorry, musing out loud. i might have a look for breeders around here and see if i can visit. pity my aunt doesn't have them any more.

I lived with my staff in a flat for a few years before moving to a house and they are perfect city or country dogs.  If you have been used to bigger dogs they are definitely a good choice as they are chunky enough to feel 'real' rather than a lapdog but small enough to to live compactly.  give a staff a home!

lol, they are certainly sweet and i do like the chunkyness of them, i feel weird playing with little dogs, i worry i'll break them arfter being used to wrestling with bullmastiffs...thing is for x mas and stuff the dog may occasionally need to be around the 3 bullys at my mums, or my sis's whippet. obviously behaviour (in this case my concern is aggression) can exist in any breed, but with their history did you find it an issue with your staffy? won't be a problem most of the time and if i got one we'd carefully try and socialise it with them etc but just thought i'd ask

Even more likely to be an issue with a rescue one as the largest proportion of these are poorly bred ones where aggression has been bred for or at best temperament ignored when choosing mates.  Also many are in rescue because they have shown behaviour that the owners can't or wont deal with.

If I was wanting to visit dog owning relatives, and the experience of these rescues at our training classes sadly I would not go for the average rescue staff from an all breed rescue.  A re-home from a breeder depending on the reasons maybe.

Also it isn't fair, but something to consider if you are renting is that some breeds have not got the best press at teh moment along with other bull breeds adn soem guarding breeds and the landlord and the neighbours may not be happy with having one living there. 

i think your right about the rescue for that, but if i was to go down that route i would go to a breedd specific rescue rather than a general one (would like assistance from experts) and specify thats what i was looking for. try and take time to see the dog interact with other dogs before the decision was made etc. if it came to it we could just not go away for xmas etc. as to the attitude of others about it i would take time to explain and try and reeducate people. I really hate the assumptions people make about certain breeds, there is no such thing as a bad breed, just a bad owner. don't get me started though...

been trying to find frenchie breed clubs, there are none in scotland that i can find! from what i can see on the internet we only have 2 breeders up in scotland. i know they are not the most common breed but surely that can't be right! frenchies are so sweet and practical i thought they'd be much more popular.

There are two breed clubs listed here http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/159 .  The registrations at the kennel club for last year were 526 (five times that of my own breed who also have two breed clubs).

wow, thats a small group for yours. actually i had a look at your ones out of curiosity, absolutely gorgeous. the bf thinks they are beautiful but we defo don't have the room yet... they really are beautiful though. thanks for the link btw

Hi kim, I have had some problems with aggression with my staff and she is well bred and came from a good breeder etc.  she will never start a fight but if other dogs start on her she will finish anything with no fear.  If you check back using the search facility on the board you will be able to see some of the issues i have had with mine.  She is great with other bull breeds though and her favourite playmates are rotties and an EBT.  I see you are also in Dundee and there are always lots of staffs in the local authority care.  there are pics of some of the dogs available each week at www.dundeecity.gov.uk/kennels
I can't do links but theres always loads of cuties on there tugging on my heartstrings!

AHH! no can't look yet! it'll be months before i can have one and it'll break my heart. hmmm. my concern with the aggression then would be that Tio, Kismet and Keeper play rough...also are all MUCH bigger (especially Tio) than a staff would be. i'd be concerned that it might feel a bit threatened. though they play nice enough with Bindi (sis's whippet)- lol mum calls her the skinny bully when shes up. another thing is i might be wanting a dog not a bitch...Tio is complete and while a big soft lump if he got any hint of aggression he'd defend his territory. big decisions. oh well, taking my time. i really fancy a frenchie actually but we shall see...