advice on puppies (what to buy)

[LA62]

We are looking to getting a puppy for the children ( was a rabbit now we have changed our minds!:rolleyes: :laughing: )

what are the best puppies to have

we want a small dog..thinking Jack Russell, that wont shead hair and most importantly and child friendly:yes:

any advice on what type of puppy to get would be much appreciated

[Mum2Tyla]

Hi,
all depends on age of children and the amount of time you have to put into training and exericse. Jack russells are extremely active dogs and can be jumpy and nippy, I must admit I don't really like jack russells, all dogs except poodles will shed hair or you can try a poodle cross but a jack russell will shed hair not many breeds don't unfortunately. Make sure you train them well don't allow them to jump or nip, be consistent and you will end up with a good dog no matter what the breed, i am not the best person to give advice on small breeds as i don't really like them I have a 55kg Alaskan Malamute.
Kelly:)

[LA62]

Thanks for your reply kelly:thumbsup:

Yes i have been reserching on the internet most of the day and have decided against a jack russell

spoke to a lady at the pet shop as explained what we wanted and she adviseda maltese shihtzu, the dont shed a lot of hair are really good with kids and enjoy the outside for short but frequent walks

thats ideal as i walk the children to school each day and it not to far

we are off to see a puppy maltese shhihtzu 8 weeks old later this afternoon. i will have a good chat with the breeder and gain enough info and take it from there

so we will see:thumbsup:

[Lil X-men]

Hey there!!
I am getting a Shihtzu puppy in a few days, they are great famly dogs and they don't shed hair everywhere. They do need to be groomed and clipped though since their hair is a like human, they dont moult so they need haircuts!!
Good luck I hope you like them, your kids will love them:yes: !!

[shed]

LA62, maltese shih tzu is not a bad choice. Depend how maltesey it is, they can be a bit snappy.

I teach Puppy School so see quite a few puppies. I was thinking that a mini schnauzer might suit you, or one of the smaller "oodles", or possibly a Westie (I have a Westie so I am completely biased, but they don't shed and are GREAT with kids - very hard to come by and bloody expensive though).

and you can't go wrong with a Cavalier King Charles spaniel.

Its always exciting getting a puppy, good luck!!

[LA62]

He he it is exciting:smiliedance: even more so he we do buy him i cant wait to see the look on the childrens faces:D they have no idea where were going as my friends having them..so if we do come back empty handed they will be non the wiser

so I will go and have a look at him and have a chat to the owner and take it from there.

if i come back with him i will let you know....

[SailorMoon]

What about a Staffy?
They are known as the "nanny dog" as they were bred to protect children of the family. They are a great family dog, they are small to medium in size robust and have a very short coat. I would say the friendliest breed of dog in the world.
Smaller dogs tend to be less accepting and tolerant of children, and tend to snap. So I would be going for a medium to large breed.

Please whatever you do do not buy a puppy from a petshop. They are very over priced.They are not pure bred, they are most likely from Puppy Mills, and the dogs temprament and health will not be guaranteed. (all of this is guaranteed from a reg breeder, as well as full support from the breeder for the life of your dog)

If you do the proper research and find a dog you like, contact a few REGISTERED Breeders, and you will often find they are cheaper than Petshops.

Malt x Shi Have a long coat that does shed, and also they require professioanl grooming every 3-4 weeks. Look out for jaw problems in this breed also.

[LA62]

If you do the proper research and find a dog you like, contact a few REGISTERED Breeders, and you will often find they are cheaper than Petshops.[/quote]

Hi there:wave:
Yes it is a regisered breeder, they were 650 in the pet shops:eek: and i have been told not buy from there so not i wont be.

my friend has 2 maltese shhitzu and they are great dogs and great with children. altoughn i know not all dogs are like that regardless of size

i will be taking it to puppy training and make sure it is fully trained and house friendly

:thumbsup:

[niesl_bug]

Hi!
We have a 18 month old French Bulldog named Ruby. She has been the most wonderful dog from day one. She is only around 9kgs, very placid, friendly and so easy to take care of. She is happy to play with you, but she is fine if you don't walk her everyday. She has no tail (they are born without them) for kids to pull. She is wonderful with our nieces and nephews and even gets on with our grumpy pussycat!
There is a wonderful group called the French Bulldog Awareness Society who can give you more info if you are interested.
Of course I have lots of pics if you wanted to see what she looks like - pretty unusual looking, some people say they look like a cross between a pug (squished in face) and a staffy (strong, broad body).
Good luck :)

[reAllytee]

I say get a mini schnauzer but then im biased cause im dying to get one :p

Gorgeous gorgeous dogs as Shed said !

[LA62]

:smiliedance: What a beautiful little man!

he is called toby and hes soooo cute:D

the kids were stoked and i already love him:yes: and treat him like a baby:laughing:

Thanks guys let you know how we go over the next few days

[SailorMoon]

If you do the proper research and find a dog you like, contact a few REGISTERED Breeders, and you will often find they are cheaper than Petshops.

Hi there:wave:
Yes it is a regisered breeder, they were 650 in the pet shops:eek: and i have been told not buy from there so not i wont be.

my friend has 2 maltese shhitzu and they are great dogs and great with children. altoughn i know not all dogs are like that regardless of size

i will be taking it to puppy training and make sure it is fully trained and house friendly

:thumbsup:[/quote]


Sounds great, I hope your pup brings lots of joy to your family.

Just wanted to mention, that Registered breeders, only breed pure breed dogs. A maltese ****zu is a x breed dog:)

[LA62]

Sounds great, I hope your pup brings lots of joy to your family.

Just wanted to mention, that Registered breeders, only breed pure breed dogs. A maltese ****zu is a x breed dog:)[/quote]

LOL well just goes to show you i dont know much about dogs..i was just told to find a breeder who specialised in what we wanted .

he his very cute and the kids love him although DD wont leave him alone:rolleyes:

[Mum2Tyla]

Hi,
yes unfortunately anyone can call themselves a breeder and being a registered one doesn't make much difference form what I have seen in all my years of nursing, if the parents are healthy and the puppies are in nice clean conditions and they can prove that theyare all vaccinated and wormed and fed on a good quality food it does not matter if they are registered or not, i got my full breed malamute from a non registered breeder and I had a registered breeder ask if I had papers because he wanted to breed her, the people I got her from were fantastic even called to see how she was settling in and gave me a book on malamutes to borrow. I hope your nw pet gives you much happiness.
kelly:)

[LA62]

:thumbsup: Thanks kelly

The family who we bought him off were fab, they spent an hour going through all the information, gave us the vaccination form, when to worm him next etc and told me to call her anytime with any questions or concerns

so i was quite happy and pleased with the way they came accross. :fingerscrossed: he seems a good puppy so far

[Mikeswifey]

I have a poodle and a staffy.

They are FANTASTIC around my DD. I couldnt ask for better dogs.

[mythreelittlemonkeys]

good luck with your new puppy...jsut to let you know not all jack russells bad my parents have a parsons jack russell and he adorable about 5 years now and never bitten or growled or been yappy really...but yep they shed hair like mad...as does my beagle puppy who everyone siad wouldnt :)

[wa mum of 4]

Hi everyone,

I have 2 dogs, a pitbull x ridgeback (worlds sweetest dog) she is 10 and we have never had a problem with her. We have just got a ridgeback x bull mastiff 12 weeks old, she is the sweetest as well. She loves to cuddle and adores my baby girl(13 months).
I dont think you can judge a dog on others, all dogs are different just like people.
Mine are fab
Wouldn't be without them!
Sarah