new dog - any useful advice please

Hi Scotty

Good plan - what family would be complete without a dog?

My 2 cents ...

I would suggest avoiding a pedigree pup if you can.
Due to inbreeding they have far higher rates of illness & disease than cross-breeds.
A neighboring family has a female Schnauzer,
& they tell me she is fine with their 18 month & 6 year old children.
She certainly is a fine looking beast, & she plays nicely with our dog!
However our neighbors also have mentioned they find her rather highly-strung,
& have had quite a few visits to the vet.

There are many dogs in need of a new home so we got ours from the SSPCA.
In my & SWMTSIBOs experience female dogs are less smelly & aggressive than males so we decided on a bitch. She was 18 months old when we got her & appears to be a Labrador/Border Collie cross. She's brilliant with our little 'uns. We've had quite a few rescue dogs over the decades, all without problem.

I strongly recommend pet insurance.
Apart form paying unplanned massive vet bills in the event of an accident,
they also provide cover for public liability, advertising costs if lost, etc.
A friend of mine had a vets bill for approx' £2.5k after his dog broke a let a few years ago.
Since then we've always had pet insurance!
We went with Petplan (as recommended by our vet) & are very happy with them.

Good luck!

Cheers - John

Well Scotty, I gave in to the pleading of my daughter a couple of years ago and got a little cairn terrier (Toto, Wizard of Oz)at 12 weeks old.

My advice is don't buy into any of the so called toilet training 'aids' such as mats, newspapers and the like. They just slow down the learning process, discouraging them from actually doing the business outside.

Take them out to a spot in the garden to pee and give lots of encouragement (you will find unusual squeeky voices you never knew you had!).

Regular walks until the number two's are sorted - at least three walks a day will establish a routine.

In the meantime be prepared for some mess for 2-4 months and be patient as it does all sort itself out.

Sleeping is another issue - a utility space is best from day 1 and the smaller dog might like a large cage or enclosed space, mine does.

Then all the things my wife tells me not to do like feeding him at the table, letting him on the bed etc etc, but he's just to damn cute to refuse!

If I ever found him chewing my HiLine mind.....

Enjoy

Graeme

PS I'd get him electronically tagged and insured too.

Hi Scotty

Speaking from the perspective as a veterinary surgeon I would endorse the Min Schnauzer as quite a sound breed suited to Family pet ownership. I tend not to see any breed related health issues. Never seen one with PRA.

Some breeds have catalogues of heritable conditions, not this one.

Agree about insurance, Pet Plan one of the best companies out there, not the cheapest( but you do not want cheap!)you do get what you pay for.

Have always found them to be quite vet friendly. you can always get individual nervous dogs of any breed. I would recommend you see the Bitch and if possible Sire. Visit and meet other dogs they have bred to assess temperament. Do this before you go anywhere to collect a puppy. Do not fall for the shy timid pup that hides away from you.

Get the pup health checked by your own vet as soon as practicable. Nip any potential health issues in the bud this way.

Usefull site:

http://miniature-schnauzers.co.uk/caring-for-miniature-...zers-health-care.php

I'm with 555. I personally prefer to get a dog from a shelter. Apart from the potential health issues with pure-breds (which David informs are a non-issue for this breed), its just nice to give an unwanted dog a new home, rather than the alternative. Dogs don't care if they're pure-bred or not. To them, they're all just dogs.

The main advantage of having a pedigree dog is that they are more predictable as to what you are going to get with regard to health issues and temperament.

The dogs my parents had were all pedigree, the dogs I have owned have all been crossbred and rescue. You have to remember this is for 12 or more years and you have to go the distance.

So true David. A dog is for life not just for Christmas,
so be careful at the next office Christmas party.


Sorry everyone, including Jimmy Carr.

quote:

Originally posted by 555:

In my & SWMTSIBOs experience

Hi John

I'm with you all the way regarding pedigrees and Petplan.

We have a brilliant dogs home nearby and my wife and I often take their dogs for a "Sunday Walk" to help the over worked staff (if I can pull myself away from my Pioneer KRL-32V screen, but that's another forum and another topic...!)

Can I ask - what is SWMTSIBO? I'm sure I'll kick myself when I know.

Regards

Ian

Excellent points David. Is it perhaps true however, that some pedigree dogs are bought for appearance - that they are bought as fashion statements, rather than as pets? That is, the looks are considered above temperament and health?

Note: I am absolutely NOT suggesting that this is what you are doing Scotty.

quote:

what is SWMTSIBO?

She Who Must Think She Is Being Obeyed - so please don't tell her!

I've got the "she who must be obeyed" but I'm struggling with the other letters...!

Thanks

Ian

Bloody hell - of course!

Your answer came in as I asked my next bit by the way!

Sorry everyone - back to dogs and stuff.

Ian

Hi mate.
We bought a pedigree dog over a cross-breed/shelter dog, as we wanted to be as sure as we could about the dogs temperament & behaviour towards our young daughter. With a cross-breed, or unknown pedigree, you can never be sure that there isn't something in their heritage that doesn't suit your requirements. In our case, we didn't want any hidden aggression.
The kennel club is not a bad place to start the info gathering, including local breeders, etc. When you see a puppy, make sure you get to see the mother of the pups as well & the father too, ideally.
We have a friend who has a min. schnauzer for family friendly & allergy friendly reasons. They can be a bit "yappy" but are family & hifi friendly!
Cheers mate
Matt.

My suggestion--You and Rover should go to obedience classes. I've known too many people who thought it was cute that their dogs jumped up, poked their noses into people's crotches, ad wouldn't obey.

Rant over. Enjoy your new addition!

1. spoil them rotten.

2. keep them in check.

2 being most important.

all the funny aside. You are getting it for kids which in turn means you have all the responsibility maybe the wife as well. Get a dog that is easily trained. "most mutts" are pretty good but you can never be certain where the lines come from. Labs and golden retrievers are great family dogs but they shed like crazy. Big dogs are also great family dogs but the bigger the dog the more stubborn they are to train.(most cases) IE. I have Cane Corso (Italian Mastiff). Not a good starter dog. They are great family dogs but the are big and are very stubborn. They are for the seasoned Alpha dog owner.

Pet Insurance!!!!!!!!!!

Obedience training.

And some sort of everyday activity. Ie. walk, play, All dogs need a job. If the mind is bored they will chew your shit.

Have fun and love them.

The Dog Whisperer
Most useful advice on owning a dog I've ever seen.
Enjoy, your life won't be the same, and you'll not know what you did before the dog joined the family.
David

I also heartily endorse TDW. My whippet-loving girlfriend thinks it is the best show on TV. We have been trying the ideas on her dogs over the past month-or-so and they really seem to work.

Why dont you follow Barack Obama's example and get a MUTT.

Mutts generally are brighter , fitter , healthier, better natured longer lived more loyal etc etc.

Many pedigrees have terrible problems and can cause tousands at your local vet and much heartache for your family.

Go to your local rescue centre tell them what you are looking for in a dog and they will be able to help.

I had a beautiful Lurcher Cross she was kind loving obedient very very quickand could leap a 6 ft fence. Great on a walk through the forest or on the beach.
She had a long and happy healthy life.

So get a MUTT.

regards David

I would get a rescue dog again .

Thousands of healthy beautiful dogs are put down each year by the RSPCA etc etc due to not being able to find suitable homes.

regards David

quote:

I would get a rescue dog again .

I'm now firmly in the Mutt camp Scotty.
I had a couple of Springers for 17 years and promised never to have another dog (they always break your heart in the end). However I quickly discovered that I missed my daily walks! i.e. No DOG = No INCENTIVE.

So off we traipsed to the local pound with the intention of re homing a mutt.
Our local pound allow you a week to come in and interact with the dog (and also take it out for walks). This way gives the (future) owner an opportunity to asses the dogs temperament in many situations. If you decide the dogs for you another week passes whilst the dog is neutered or spayed Then off you jolly well go.

Consequently we are the proud servants of a cross Cairn/Staffy that I tell everyone who asks is a miniature Irish Wolfhound (presumably bred to chase miniature Irish Wolves )

Good luck with your dog and always remember that it is a dog and will be happier if you treat it as such . i.e. pack position etc.
Charlie

Why not consider Puppy Parenting for one of the Assistance Dog charities, this way you get all the trials and tribulations of puppy upbringing and then get a new one a year later as the puppy goes into the teenage rebellion stage.

See
http://www.caninepartners.co.uk/dog_partnerships/puppy_parents.htm

My two dogs came from my neighbour Mike who happens to train gun dogs as a hobby. He's always got twenty-five or so, many of which are from people who turn up on his doorstep with badly-behaved dogs. If he tries to tell them he can't take any more dogs the owners will often threaten to have the dogs put down!

Our two boys, Jimmy the pedigree Labrador & Archie the Patterdale/Border Terrier cross,which we had as puppies before Mike could work his magic, are not particularly well trained (as you know Scotty!) But Mike's given me several little tips which I've found very useful -

1. Never let your dog get away with anything! If you tell them to do something, make sure they do it, and praise them like mad. Similarly if they're bad make sure they know it, don't ignore bad behaviour.

2. If you need to go out and leave them, don't make a fuss of them either before you go or when you return. It helps to give them a treat before you go, that way they won't get upset when it looks like they're going to be left alone for a bit.

3. It only takes about ten minutes of training a day to make them obedient.

4. Give them clear, consistent commands, and when they do something well, praise them to the skies in a squeaky little voice!

(Tried thinking of you doing this last bit Scotty, but I failed! )

Anyway, good luck. Dogs are great!

If you have a video player Canine Partners sell a very instructive video on training puppies see

http://www.caninepartners.co.uk/shop/

bottom of the page.

quote:

Originally posted by Howlinhounddog:
I'm now firmly in the Mutt camp Scotty.

From the dogs mouth.

Wow! what can i say guys many thanks for the very useful info alround.
I feel that i must give you all a bit more background info to this new adventure.
Firstly, we would rather get a brand new bundle of joy direct from mummy dogs family (who we are building a good relationship with) its not a case of pedigree snobbery or anything of that nature. secondly we really do want a Schnauzer dog (boy) as we do not want the lawn ruined.
we have some friends who have had schnauzers all their lives and highly recommend them.
Anyway we are going to see the litter soon to meet them all and i will post some pics accordingly. Many thanks again. Scotty.

Train it to be obedient, come to your call and behave on the lead - essential.
There is a real problem with pet insurance, when the dog is six or seven (and you are reaching the stage when you are likely to be stung for heafty vet bills) the premiums become very expensive.