To get a dog, or not... Post Reply

[sarahjlevans]

Hi there, a lot of negative comments on this thread about owning a dog.

As someone who has a 8 month old border collie I would say yes! Get a dog, your children will love it.

Yes it's hard work in the 1st few weeks, but they're so worth it.

My top tips would be:
• research the breed & breeder thoroughly
• get your puppy as early as possible as they go through key socialisation
periods
• start crate training as soon as you get your puppy home, it won't easy in the 1st few few weeks but will get easier & will mean that you can leave your puppy alone without fear of chewing
• socialise your puppy with other dogs, I highly recommend te puppy classes at streatham hill vets
• get a dog walker & doggy daycare lined up. They are a god send when you need to go out for long periods

Yes dogs shouldn't be left alone for long periods, but if you exercise them we'll before hand there is no reason they can't be left for 4-6hours. Especially as they get older. Also as mentioned above we live in a very dog friendly area, most pubs & lots of cafés/ restaurants allow you to take them in
House training needn't take longer than 2 weeks of you're with the puppy all day.

Yes they require lots of attention but I think you'll find it a great addition to the family.

If you'd like any further info, please do pm me. X

[Mills1234]

If you do go for a springer keep in mind they are a working breed to hunt and retrieve. They are incredibly loyal, kind and generally keen to please but will come with an inbuilt desire to pick up and carry...be that pants left on the floor or children's toys. lots of people think they need hours of exercise, but what they actually need is mental stimulation. 15 mins twice a day of training exercises will take far more out of them than walking on the common not interacting with the dog for 1hr morning and night. They are also a good portable medium size, though there is huge variation within the breed so check out parents well and maybe avoid a pedigree with too many FTCHs, so there's less built in Ferrari! On the other hand it would also give more brains in some ways. We've had springers and cockers and they've been wonderful additions to the family.

Previous posters have mentioned things to consider about visitors and visiting those less keen on dogs as an issue, but if you've crate trained then you can always pop them out of the way. Also if you've taught your dog not to jump up on people, not to climb on furniture, not to go upstairs and to sit/leave when told, it actually won't be capable of offending anyone. Unfortunately there are lots of dogs that aren't super well behaved and it puts people off, but it is no different to unruly children in a pub wrecking everyone else's lunch versus being a pleasure to be around.

Bruce's doggy daycare is great if you need a regular cover for a week day. For longer stints away I would recommend looking at Mullenscote kennels near Andover if you want to keep your dog on the straight and narrow, or you could get a house sitter to come to you. There are lots of holiday cover options, just depending on what you want whether kennels to help with training or a home from home set up, and for peak summer cover you'll just need to be organised.

[Joe's Mum]

Yes, puppies are incredibly hard work. Please do consider getting a dog from a rescue centre. My last dog came to me as a young adult from the Pine Ridge Dog sanctuary. Already spayed, no house training required, no chewing up of furniture or slippers. Best dog ever.
I would now never go down any other route, especially considering that by buying a puppy from a breeder you are encouraging them to breed more when there are already so many lovely dogs out there just begging for a loving home.

[swan158]

Definitely get a dog! I got my first dog last August (having never had one as a child) and it was the best decision I ever made.

I work full time so either use Bruce's doggy day care or Duncan's doggy day care to look after her in the day, and they will also look after her if you go on holiday. They stay in their homes over night (and play in the day care during the day) so it's not like the horror stories you hear of dogs being lonely/bored in kennels.

I took 2 weeks off work to properly crate train her/toilet train her in her first 2 weeks at home and it was hard work for those 2 weeks but it was definitely worth it as she was pretty much fully toilet trained after those 2 weeks.

Yes, puppies chew/destroy things but after the first couple of weeks they calm down a bit and they tend to only chew/destroy things if they're bored. Plus if you crate train it you can leave it alone while you pop out to the supermarket etc for short periods of time without worrying about it.

Good luck!

[DomTheDogfather]

A springers are lots of fun but are very intelligent and need a lot of exercise and mental stimulation (they like to work). Maybe have a look at a cockerpoo or minature schnauzer..they are both good 'London' dogs and a could be good for your first experience. I would be more than happy for you to come on a dog walk with a few different breeds (all three of the above) so you can check them out and have a chat about becoming a dog owner.