Thinking about a dog (puppy)...maybe, suggestions?

[SuperWade2]

My Kids (recently turned 4) have been bugging me pretty much since they could talk for a puppy. I've been VERY resistant in the past and always said that we wouldn't even talk about a dog until they were old enough to take care of it. I understand that is probably never going to happen and I'm going end up doing most of the work. For some reason, I'm warming up to the idea a little more recently, so am kind of starting the process of thinking about breeds and sizes and all of that stuff. I haven't personally owned a dog (any animal actually) as an adult living on my own. My folks always had at least one dog and a cat or two when I was growing up.

 

So far, I am thinking about Small/Medium sized dogs...I really like Golder Retrievers and Yellow Labs (and similar), but I think they are both bigger than what I'm thinking... we have yard, not huge, and I expect the dog to be mostly an indoor/house dog. A Cocker Spaniel is one alternative. I don't know that I care (or really understand the importance of) having a pure-bred with AKC papers and all of that. I just want a nice family dog that is going to be healthy, it's not going to the Westminster Dog Show or anything...

 

I've looked at the animal rescue websites and SPCA and I'm OK with adopting that way, but I want a puppy and not a adult. I'm also OK with paying $$$ to get something I want too... I'm not hardcore for or against acquiring an animal either way.

 

So does anyone have any suggestions, or want to talk me out of it... Please discuss...

 

Wade

[dfreeman616]

Basset Hounds make good indoor dogs because they are often happy to lie around. Many think they are dumb, but it's more that they only do what they are convinced they want to do. My family has had a few, and they always make great dogs. Not as active and playful, though.

 

I had an English Spring Spaniel. He was a good dog, they can be well trained. However, they (as with most spaniels) have a lot of energy. Mine was a field bread, and he was rather large for his bread, usually they're around 50-60 lbs I believe. http://www.autumnskye.com/ is a link to my aunt's site, she breed them but they aren't cheap.

 

I personally like boxers and bull terriers, which are breads people often label "pit bull". The thing about them is they make great, loyal family dogs when treated properly. Any dog, when mistreated, will lash out.

 

Honestly, though, I wouldn't worry about AKC papers too much. Often, "mutts" make the best dogs.

[djag12]

I've always had terriers. I currently have two Jack Russell Terriers. They train easy and love to play. Also, very loyal. However, they are very smart and you need to train them early that you are the boss. My dogs are active but they are great. My female is a hunter, no mice, moles, rabbits in the yard. While my male is the sports dog, loves to play ball and frisbee. As I was growing up my parent had a terrier-poodle mix. Great dog, well mannered very smart and didn't shed. I have also had a lab. Another good dog but if they get sick and you have to carry them in and out of the house like I did, 60 lbs gets heavy fast. With all that said the key to making owning a dog easy is a fenced yard and a doggie door. I had one installed by my builder and in my previous house I had one also. It makes your life a lot easier especially if you think you will be doing most of the work. That is just my experience and two cents. I'm sure whatever dog you get it will be spoiled and be part of the family.

[maddzz1]

I think the jack russels would make a good dog for the kids because they have lots of energy. The only dog I have ever owned on my own was an american staffordshire terrier (pit bull) and she was great with my daughter. I also like those wiemeraner (sp?) dogs and would consider one of them if i got another dog. Adopting is a great idea too, and like was already said, mutts sometimes make the best pets

[jeepdoggydogB]

My Kids (recently turned 4) have been bugging me pretty much since they could talk for a puppy. I've been VERY resistant in the past and always said that we wouldn't even talk about a dog until they were old enough to take care of it. I understand that is probably never going to happen and I'm going end up doing most of the work. For some reason, I'm warming up to the idea a little more recently, so am kind of starting the process of thinking about breeds and sizes and all of that stuff. I haven't personally owned a dog (any animal actually) as an adult living on my own. My folks always had at least one dog and a cat or two when I was growing up.

 

So far, I am thinking about Small/Medium sized dogs...I really like Golder Retrievers and Yellow Labs (and similar), but I think they are both bigger than what I'm thinking... we have yard, not huge, and I expect the dog to be mostly an indoor/house dog. A Cocker Spaniel is one alternative. I don't know that I care (or really understand the importance of) having a pure-bred with AKC papers and all of that. I just want a nice family dog that is going to be healthy, it's not going to the Westminster Dog Show or anything...

 

I've looked at the animal rescue websites and SPCA and I'm OK with adopting that way, but I want a puppy and not a adult. I'm also OK with paying $$$ to get something I want too... I'm not hardcore for or against acquiring an animal either way.

 

So does anyone have any suggestions, or want to talk me out of it... Please discuss...

 

Wade

I prefer the Cocker Spaniel or the King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, but you need to have references of the breeders. Some Cockers can be testy with small kids. Ours has a great temperament with kids (We got her from an excellent breeder in Kansas), hornbrod (Don) also has a Cocker Spaniel and from what I have seen is an excellent dog. The other dog in the picture is my favorite a miniature Dachshund that has really grown on us. She earned my admiration as her bravery has been unmatched in all the Dogs I have ever owned. I don't recommend Dachshunds for a family pet because they are stubborn and have a tendency to train us rather than the other way around but their bravery and loyalty have won my admiration.

 

I am not saying a Dachshund can't be a family pet but you have to understand their strengths and weaknesses. All the dogs I have mentioned are great in small areas and need average walks and excercise programs. Some of the coolest Spaniels I have ever owned are Springer and Brittany Spaniels but they need to exercised on a regular basis. Those Dogs can really hunt! My Cocker and Dachshund are great for hunting at Costco when we get some chicken or a steak to BBQ but I love them all the same! They all love to sit in the Jeep when I wrench.

Good luck,

Joe (JDD)

[Spokes]

i now have a black lab. he is about 120lbs and a big love. we got him from the pound over the summer for 90 bucks and he is a great dog. super friendly, smart, and protective. he is so loving i was late to school this morning cause he wouldnt let me get dressed cause he wanted to lick me to death and he half away did it. he knocked me over and stood over me like u not going anywhere! than stole my pants! :rotf: than he broke my heart cause when i left he was standing at the door wit a pull toy like lets go! so my vote is black lab. or golden retriever. ive had both and they are both great dogs!

 

here is Coal.

 

[bgred2]

Australian Cattle Dogs are real nice.

[jtdesigns]

House breaking dogs to use the potty outside is pretty easy.. Now getting puppies to not chew up everything in sight is a different story.. I love dogs.. They will alarm you of fire, smoke, visitors, and bad guys.. If you want a dog that will guard your girls and keep your fam safe I'd go with a larger German Sheppard. Large dogs but very smart, protective, and loving. Cocker Spaniel's in my eyes are one of the dumbest dogs Ive ever seen.. Its like they have trouble even remembering to breathe.. D@mn cute lil critters,, just not dog I prefer. Best dogs I've ever had were always mixes of Labs, and Retrievers, but still mutts.. Mutts are always the better choice to me. Dachshund's are pretty cool little dogs too.. Super sweet if trained right..

 

Get a German Shepperd. Might be a large dog breed, but you'll never have to worry about your girls getting snatched up by some freak while out in the back yard..

[TNT]

:agree:

 

My kids could do anything to our German Sheperd and he never c ared . They rode him jumped all over him it didn't matter. If a stranger got close to my kids he would stand his ground inbetween them with his teeth barred in attack mode. It was great to know my kids where protected. He never bit anyone. He wouldn't wag his tail in the house because he knew it would knock stuff over. At 125 pounds he was intimidating but a big sweet dog.

 

He was trained in german so he wouldn't listen to other people.

[jeepdoggydogB]

My God I hope we are man enough here to keep our recommendations to just that rather than belittling other breeds in order to make another look good.

[brdhntr]

i'm a dog guy. i'm very active in 2 hunting dog clubs (you've probably heard me talk about being on the tractor at the club alot). i train dogs, i hunt with them, and i have alot. the best dog i have ever had was not a hunter or a purebred. he was a mutt. he was my best friend for 18 years. he went wheeling with me, skiing, running, mountain biking, you name it. so i don't think you need an expensive pure bred dog (though i have several of those). look at some and see if any hit your personality, not your heart strings like any puppy will do, but fit your personality and that of your family's.

 

if you don't hunt, or show dogs, there's no reason to be picky about breeds and breeding. go see the pups and sit with them a while. do it often and it will seam like a puppy will just pick you. we just had a litter of lab/cocker cross pups (spanadors) that have been great pups. seriously, if you wanted one, i would be happy to give you the last one we have. we've had 2 litters with the parents and everyone that has one of our pups has been thrilled. we kept 1 from the first litter for one of our daughters. the one we have left is a 15 week old that went to a great family. unfortunately, the mother ended up being alergic. rather than let the pup go to just anyone, we took him back. so now we are re-homing a puppy. if you wanted him, i would give him to you free after we talked a bit to make sure your family is a good deal for the puppy (i'm sure there wouldn't be a problem).

 

when you decide you want a dog, start looking and check out lots of puppies. don't bring the kids along to look at all of them because puppies and kids, well it's tuff to leave without a puppy once the kids have seen them. sit on the floor with the puppies and you'll find one that just clicks with you. after 20 minutes, that one puppy will stand out for you.

 

it doesn't matter what breed, it's the individual dog that matters. good luck. :D

[HOrnbrod]

Here's my red-eyed little helper buddy Gus. I've had many many breeds, Norwegian Elkhounds, Pointers, Dalmations, even Poodles (the ex liked them), but this guy is #1. Great with kids and toward other dogs (and cats). He's getting to know MJs pretty well too as he's starting to correct my mistakes. In fact, I think he knows more than JT does regarding MJs. :D

 

[fiatslug87]

I've had:

Irish Setter, when I was a kid,

Golden Retriever/Australian Cattle Dog mix from the Santa Cruz SPCA

Black Lab mix from the Santa Clara SPCA

Two Chocolate Labs, AKC registered

Chow mix found on the side of the freeway (still with us),

and a Lab/Pit mix from the guys down the street for a case of beer (still with us)

They were all great dogs and great companions, it's all in how you treat them and train them, I strongly recommend taking your dog to obedience training, it really builds a bond and more importantly trains the owner.

The Lab/Pit might be my favorite, she's a real sweetheart, not a mean bone in her body.

 

 

Hey, that's not an MJ. ;)

[64 Cheyenne]

I got "Mojo" about 8 yrs ago when he was just a little s**t. He is an australian shep. red heeler mix.AKA mutt.

Really enjoy heelers, super smart,but I can't say that we haven't had our go rounds a time or two. Main thing was when he was a puppy, it took him a while to learn that he was bottom dog in our "pack". He nipped my daughter a time or two.It was real funny when he realized that when she cried he was in trouble. Mojo is such a big part of our family/pack I couldn't have ever asked for a better dog.Yeah, heelers like to chase and run but Mojo has been a house dog his whole life,actually if i could read his mind he would just be happy to be with his pack no matter what or where he lived or was doing.

Far as other dogs go.......having a dog that can clear the tailgate on his own, and being able to show how happy he is

because he "gets to go".........Priceless!

 

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I'd suggest a heeler, Red/blue any day! :thumbsup:

[jtdesigns]

Here's my red-eyed little helper buddy Gus. I've had many many breeds, Norwegian Elkhounds, Pointers, Dalmations, even Poodles (the ex liked them), but this guy is #1. Great with kids and toward other dogs (and cats). He's getting to know MJs pretty well too as he's starting to correct my mistakes. In fact, I think he knows more than JT does regarding MJs. :D

 

Booooooo...

:teehee:

 

I think those pups are cute and sweet,, I've had two through the years,, one blond Cocker, I watched get hit by a car when I was about 9 or 10. His name was Biscuit and looked alot like your permed eared pooch.. The other was all black and was a OK dog. He was a terror to my brother (I think he used to tease him to much) There just dumb dogs in my eyes. Stubborn and duhhh.. I'm not knocking every single one in the world, just in general. :popcorn:

 

So...

[SuperWade2]

I've had:

Irish Setter, when I was a kid,

Golden Retriever/Australian Cattle Dog mix from the Santa Cruz SPCA

Black Lab mix from the Santa Clara SPCA

Two Chocolate Labs, AKC registered

Chow mix found on the side of the freeway (still with us),

and a Lab/Pit mix from the guys down the street for a case of beer (still with us)

They were all great dogs and great companions, it's all in how you treat them and train them, I strongly recommend taking your dog to obedience training, it really builds a bond and more importantly trains the owner.

The Lab/Pit might be my favorite, she's a real sweetheart, not a mean bone in her body.

 

Thanks for the advice guys.... I wish I could find a mix that was Golden Retriever, but smaller...I know they have a Cocker Retriver mix and some are cute and some are fugly as all get out... I think we could have a larger Dog, and I'm not dead set against it... Our house is pretty good sized (~3000 sq ft), but the back yard is only medium sized I would say...There is a school/park about 2 blocks away where a lot of people their dogs to really run em, and there is another dog park not too far away either...and I think another one in the planning phase walking distance from home.

 

My sister-in-law has a Taco Bell dog that kind of annoys me, so maybe a Medium/Medium Large dog might be a better fit...

 

I guess we watch the SPCA and rescue sites...I think I just want a puppy that my kids can work with from small and grow up with them....Many of the dogs I see on the SPCA site are older more mature dogs.

 

Wade

[64 Cheyenne]

Just couldn't help but to comment again,one of those "cute and sweet" little dogs would shore look funny riding around in the back of my MJ.......Not going to happen! A pickup truck needs a pickup truck kind of dog. Heelers Rule!

[WahooSteeler]

I, too, have been around dogs all my life. My dad used to bird hunt a lot so we had English Setters. The best house/family dog I've ever been around were Springer Spaniels. Somebody mentioned they were high energy. From my experience the males were very high energy but the females were always low key. Very low key actually. We had 4 of the females at our house over the years, all extremely loyal and loving. Right now my parents have a Jack Russell that does nothing but bark and lick, and golden retriever/chow mix that is the prettiest dog I've ever seen. We have a black lab/sharpei we got the kids 2yrs ago at the SPCA, other than being a little "spirited" so far, he's starting to settle down (IIRC Labs don't "mature" until after 2+ years). We did what brdhntr suggested and took different puppies in to a back room at the SPCA and just sat with different ones for a little while each, and like he said, Jake just kinda picked us out. He seemed the most comfortable around US, so the little fella walked out the door with us a little while afte that. :thumbsup:

 

Good luck!

[jeepdoggydogB]

Here's my red-eyed little helper buddy Gus. I've had many many breeds, Norwegian Elkhounds, Pointers, Dalmations, even Poodles (the ex liked them), but this guy is #1. Great with kids and toward other dogs (and cats). He's getting to know MJs pretty well too as he's starting to correct my mistakes. In fact, I think he knows more than JT does regarding MJs. :D

 

Booooooo...

:teehee:

 

I think those pups are cute and sweet,, I've had two through the years,, one blond Cocker, I watched get hit by a car when I was about 9 or 10. His name was Biscuit and looked alot like your permed eared pooch.. The other was all black and was a OK dog. He was a terror to my brother (I think he used to tease him to much) There just dumb dogs in my eyes. Stubborn and duhhh.. I'm not knocking every single one in the world, just in general. :popcorn:

 

So...

:cheers: I understand now Have a beer on me, no kid should have to see what you saw happen to their pooch.

[TNT]

Teaching comands in a different language works great.

 

My wife doesn't like dogs so I haven't had one in 21 years.

 

She decided she doesn't like Jeeps or me much anymore either... So it's time for her to hit the road .

 

One of mans best friends will be replacing her.

[jtdesigns]

Here's my red-eyed little helper buddy Gus. I've had many many breeds, Norwegian Elkhounds, Pointers, Dalmations, even Poodles (the ex liked them), but this guy is #1. Great with kids and toward other dogs (and cats). He's getting to know MJs pretty well too as he's starting to correct my mistakes. In fact, I think he knows more than JT does regarding MJs. :D

 

Booooooo...

:teehee:

 

I think those pups are cute and sweet,, I've had two through the years,, one blond Cocker, I watched get hit by a car when I was about 9 or 10. His name was Biscuit and looked alot like your permed eared pooch.. The other was all black and was a OK dog. He was a terror to my brother (I think he used to tease him to much) There just dumb dogs in my eyes. Stubborn and duhhh.. I'm not knocking every single one in the world, just in general. :popcorn:

 

So...

:cheers: I understand now Have a beer on me, no kid should have to see what you saw happen to their pooch.

 

Yeah I cried like a baby.. :oops: Stupid dang dog.. He never would listen...

[Drahcir495]

I love German Shepherds, but I have seen to many end up with hip problems. I considered getting a Belgian Shepherd, but worried about hip dysplasia in them too. The best family dog in my opinion is the Golden Retrievers, but they are too big for what you are looking for. With that said, the only option is to get an Australian Shepherd :D . Medium sized, smarter than 7th grader, very loyal, protective, easily trained, energetic (good and bad), can smile, a true blue USA breed! And yes, this is a biased opinion. :brows:

[SuperWade2]

I love German Shepherds, but I have seen to many end up with hip problems. I considered getting a Belgian Shepherd, but worried about hip dysplasia in them too. The best family dog in my opinion is the Golden Retrievers, but they are too big for what you are looking for. With that said, the only option is to get an Australian Shepherd :D . Medium sized, smarter than 7th grader, very loyal, protective, easily trained, energetic (good and bad), can smile, a true blue USA breed! And yes, this is a biased opinion. :brows:

 

There are a couple Australian Shepherd, Shepherd [Mix] puppies in San Jose...

 

 

I was surprised that most of the rescue/adoption places still want $250-$400 "Donation" in order to adopt the dog...even the SPCA wants $200...?

[reson46]

Rule #1 - do not buy a dog from a pet store. I don't care what those sh!theads tell you, I can almost guarantee their dogs came from a puppy mill. Find one at the SPCA, humane society, shelter, rescue, etc.

 

A few hundreds dollars can really be a bargain if you think about how much money they probably spend on each dog. They usually make sure the dog is spayed/neutered, checked out by a vet, current on shots, food, etc. That all adds up very quickly especially if a dog is not adopted immediately. I have no problem spending a few hundred dollars to adopt a dog if the money is going to the right place.

 

We are actually adopting a dog from a local rescue that I met with earlier today. We are going to pick him up Sunday and he is worth more than the $300 adoption fee. He is a 9 year old blue heeler who was abandoned by his family when the a$$holes had a kid. We don't even have to come up with a new name, his is perfect - Jeep. :yes:

 

 

 

He will join Moab and Axle.

 

 

Willy

[MrSimon]

Couple comments:

 

1. Rescuing an adult dog from a shelter/SPCA is a great idea. But remember, if you have kids at home, you don't know the dog's history or what might trigger it to hurt your kids. For me, I'm just not willing to take a risk with my kids. Sure, the majority of the time, the dog will be fine ..... but it only takes one second for a dog to really mess up a little kid.

 

2. Puppies are really cute and cuddly .... but we all forget what a PITA they are for about the first year. Its worth it, just be prepared!!!!!

 

4. If you haven't had a dog before (or in a long time), be warned that they are very dirty. They track mud in from outside, they leave dog hair all over everything, and they usually don't smell good. Again, its worth it, just be prepared.

 

3. I have a black lab, and she is GREAT! She weighs about 70 lbs so she isn't huge. I've watched my 1.5 year old grab her ear with both hands and pull as hard as she could .... the dog just layed there. I would highly recommend a lab (any color) ... especially if your family does outdoor things. We take our lab camping with us and I think she enjoys it more than we do. They have a lot of energy for the frist two years, then they just lay around for the next decade.