Advice on purchasing a puppy

[52milk]

Hi Everyone

We as a family are thinking of buying a puppy.

Can anyone offer any advice on this.

I have not owned a dog since my single days a some 22 years ago.I have 4 children and although I have been asked many times if we can have a dog I have always said no.This being because with work and children I have not felt we could look after a dog as well.

My oldest daughter is now 21 and the youngest child 11 so we have discussed all the pros and cons of taking on a dog and everyone understands the commitment.

So my questions are ....

what kind of family friendly dog should I be looking at ,it must be a small breed.

Where is the best palce to buy from and where to avoid.

Which company to use for pet insurance/vet care.

Any thing else I should think about.

Thank you for any help you can offer.

[silver_sisters]

Unless you consider getting one from a rescue then the advice from the Dogs Trust is spot on

Good luck, you'll have a friend for life soon!

http://www.dogstrust.org.uk/az/b/buyingadog/#.U0Zru9xg8ig

[leoleoleo123]

Firstly, be sure you have 12 years plus of time... Be sure you can afford all the requirements a dog needs, from love to vets bills.. Then, avoid breeders and go to a rescue centre and look, several times, and speak to the people there to assess the type of dog that you need, and the one that needs you!

[52milk]

Thank you I will have a look and a good read on there

[52milk]

Thank you.

Yes we have considered all the commitment which is why I have never agreed to have one before .

I consider taking on a dog no different to having another child...commitment for life.. but I am aware that vet bills can be a concern and must be able to take him/her for checks and complete care.Can you offer any advise on the best plans to look at or are they much all the same.I might infact pop in to my local vets for a chat.

[ed_blackadder_1]

There are a number of rescue charities, that specialise in specific breads, if you are prepared to wait you can put your name down and when a puppy comes up they will contact you, be prepared for robust checking on your circumstances and home life as rescue centres like to make sure you can afford to keep a dog, someone will be at home most of the time (not necessarily the same person), and that you have an enclosed garden.  Buying from a breeder can be a nightmare, and not always the best way as a lot of people bread dogs as a way of making money and have no interest in the dogs welfare.  These are my personal opinions and some people might have a different experience.

Please don't be sucked in by the fashion dogs, ie cockerpoos and labradoodles to name but 2, they are after all mongrels crossbreeds and not worth the £500 - £600 people want for them Dogs Trust have hundreds like that and it will cost you £90 donation, which includes spaying, injected, worming, fleeing, a collar and lead. they have been fully vetted and wonderfully well looked after.

You could of course adopt an older dog who needs a loving home, we had one at 7 months, hard work to begin with but well worth it in the end.

Insurance is a minefield, a lot of insurers only cover the dog for the first ailment, as in if your dog gets the same illness or it is ongoing a lot of the cheaper insurers will only pay out once, so you have to cover anything else.  Read the policy very carefully before you take it out as there can sometimes be a lot of exclusions.  We are with P** P**n who insure for the life of the pet and if the dog has a recurring ailment will pay it all after an initial excess, be aware though they are costly and the amount depends on whether the dog is pedigree, mongrel big or small,  we pay for 2 dogs both mongrels, one 11 and one 2 1/2  £48.00 per month.

The cost of boosters is approx £50 depending on the size of dog,  worming tablets approx £6 every 3 months and flea treatment £25 for 6 treatments.  Our younger dog a spaniel/collie has to have flea treatment that includes lungworm, as she eats anything and everything and lungworm can be a killer, these are more expensive than normal flea killers.

I wish you luck in your quest, a dog is a wonderful addition to any family they are warm and loving, help to keep you fit, good guard dogs and make great stories.

[ed_blackadder_1]

I did mean to say also, please go to visit the vets or talk to Dogs Trust as they can give loads of advice regarding what sort of dog to get, it is nice to get to know your vet they can be wonderfull caring people ours a fabulous and nothing is too much trouble always on hand for advice and they love our Poppy to pieces as she is such a character, and our older dog who is 11 is welcomed everytime we go even though he only has to go for boosters and is in the rudest of health. It is nice to take the dogs with you if you need to go for tablets or flea treatment as they then feel secure when visiting the vets in the future. Our Poppy is known to all the vets and nurses and usually stops them working everytime she goes, even if she is just visiting.

Don't forget walking can take up to 2 hours a day or more depending on the size and breed of dog, lovely in the summer but rubbish in the winter when it is raining and blowing a gale.

[ilove2patch]

Please consider a rescue dog as there are so many needing homes. A lot of breeders are only in it for the money where as a rescue has the best interests of the dog as thier first priority. Good luck & enjoy your new furry friend. I will never regret getting my beautiful quiet & calm greyhound Damson. Greyhounds only need a 20 minute walk once or twice a day which is ideal if you have dodgy joints like me.

This is her with her best friend Milo.

[carolyorkie2010]

I am allergic to pet hair, which is why I have Yorkies (plus the fact that I love Yorkies and have had them since I was 16) as their fur is as close to human hair as you can get, plus they don't moult. Also Poodles don't moult and I think Bedlingtons are the same. All worth a consideration.

[jillyjingle]

Maybe spend an hour or two in the park & watch dogs interacting with their owners and see how the different breeds behave. Also you may have the opportunity to chat to the owners.

[**towery**]

can i ask why day a puppy

why not a slightly older dog

research dogs and their likely ailments these days

good luck

your family sounds like they are ready and full of love

[xtf70]

I had a rescue dog for 12 years from being a 1-yo but never took out insurance. In all that time my only expenses were the annual booster, kennel cough jab and the like but shortly before she died she was bitten by another dog which required two operations and constant visits to remedy. Total cost around £800

I worked out that if we had taken out insurance I would have paid around £15 per month = £180 per year = £2160 over her lifetime so my advice would be to put aside a set amount every month into a savings account and use that to meet any vets' bills - at the end of the dog's life there should still be something in the account to go towards the next pet (unless it's particularly accident prone!)

[xtf70]

I recently adopted a greyhound/lurcher cross, and everything they say about greyhounds is true - he'll enjoy two or three twenty minute walks every day but only once ot twice will he want to be let off the lead to go ballistic - and then for only five minutes or so until he's exhausted

[calibra101]

Rescue dogs all the way for me 🙂 There is some good advice given here. Good Luck.

[ilove2patch]

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@xtf70 wrote:

I recently adopted a greyhound/lurcher cross, and everything they say about greyhounds is true - he'll enjoy two or three twenty minute walks every day but only once ot twice will he want to be let off the lead to go ballistic - and then for only five minutes or so until he's exhausted

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I have nowhere safe to let Damson off for a run as her recall is non existant but she goes to kennels quite often & they let her run free in their field. She loves going there. She walks well on the lead and sniffs every blade of grass! lol When I first had her I did let her run on the beach but getting her back is a nightmare!

[ed_blackadder_1]

We have the same trouble with Poppy, being a spaniel/collie cross she is a nightmare to get back once she gets a sniff of something she is off, however obedient she is at home it all goes out the window outside, too many smells, it is hunt hunt hunt all the way.  We have got a huge long lead that OH uses in the field it is 75 feet long, so she can run and jump and sniff and play but she can't run off, reliably informed she will calm down at 4 years, so only another 18 months to go.

A great choice as a pet, loving and extremely smart, however will run and run and run, the more exercise she gets the more she wants.  She has one walk in the early hours of about hour and half then one for an hour at lunchtime and one at tea time, with a quick run around the garden before bed. She goes to gundog obedience classes on a Sunday morning where she works with dummies and she is doing great.

Our older dog is a superstar, he is 11 and sleeps about 20 hours a day only interrupted by walkies, food and playtime with the young one.  He is warm and friendly and makes a great electric blanket.  He is a collie cross German Shepherd so is quite large, he loves playing with Poppy and is quite rough, they work well together.  Both are rescues, we have had 7 rescue dogs, and only once did we have to take one back, that was because he didn't like men and wouldn't let any in the house including OH. we only had him for 2 weeks so returned him, all the others we have persevered with and they have turned out as wonderful pets.

I feel really strongly about rescuing dogs and cats, but not everyone feels the same, so if you do go for a puppy please be very careful where you get them from.

[myraandjim]

If you are planning a pedigree dog from a breeder research what health checks are recommended for that particular breed and make sure that both parents (and grandparents if possible) have had these health checks, don't just take the breeders word for it insist on seeing the certificates as proof. The Champdogs website is an excellent source of information with members willingly giving a huge amount of help and advice if you ask. Usually a breeder of good pups will have a waiting list, so be prepared to wait a while for your puppy.

I have had rescue Newfoundlands for a few years now, usually older ones and often with health problems, but I have never regretted taking on a rescue. Slightly older dogs will be past the chewing stage, possibly house trained, and very rewarding.

I use An.... Fr...... insurance company and have never had a problem with them, although I have read a lot of bad reports about them online (as well as a lot of good reports) and always go for a lifetime policy.

As you have probably guessed, I could go on about dogs for ever, I hope your new addition gives you as much joy as my dogs give me, be willing to teach them, but also be willing to learn from them, keep your sense of humour in the difficult times, and enjoy.

[ilove2patch]

I am with Animal Friends too & the premium has stayed the same this year which is great as they go up as a general rule. Not needed to claim though.

[myraandjim]

I had Skye, my dog who sadly died last year, insured with them, the premium was just under £35 a month, her monthly medication bill was £98 and they paid up every month for 18 months! just had to pay the excess once per year and they covered the rest. They paid my vet direct so I had no outlay at all - they were great, and sent a lovely letter when she died.

[52milk]

Thank you so much everyone for your advise.

I have had a look at all the sites mentioned and read everything I can find.

I have researched small dogs and we were thinking of a Shih Tzu or would a cross be better ?

We thought a puppy would be best as we could train it and to be honest we quite fancy the whole puppy training...the good and the bad bits.

I am under no illusion that although my children are older and most at college and university the bulk of care will be my job.

I am self employed so at home just about all day.

I have just looked at the pet plans available and the cost and I shall call in the local vets in the morning and get some advise there.

We are not in a hurry so will have a good look around and gather as much information as possible.

You are all so kind to take the time to offer help.