# Thinking about getting a dog...need advice?



## kitten77 (Nov 15, 2006)

Hi there

me and DH are thinking about getting a dog, we always said we wouldnt have one as to much hassle, but now...well we are thinking about it, we want a very small dog, like a size of a yorkshire terrier or smaller, but we dont know anything there is to know about dogs!?!?  

we do have a fur baby cat, who is my life, and would hate to upset him in anyway, do cats and dogs get on? by the way my cat is massive and will be bigger than the dog by miles! (not fat, just BIG!)

anyone have any websites i can look at, or offer me any advice!?!?


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## dancingqueen (Jan 12, 2006)

Hi i have a shih tzu and she is no trouble at all.They are small and loving and as lap dogs they like their rest, they dont need a lot of walking,just shorter walks to the park or wherever. They like a lot of attention and a big fuss made of them when u come home tho lol

dq xx


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## kitten77 (Nov 15, 2006)

Hi and thanks DQ

i wanted a small dog as we have a massive garden and it would be like a field to them to run around in so wanted small dog who doesnt require massive walks. 

do they sleep alot then? sounds kinda perfect for me. would love a dog but also worry that my cat wont get on with it either


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## dancingqueen (Jan 12, 2006)

Yes they do like to sleep lol. they certainly like to rest. They also have a great personality and temprement

dq xx


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## AmandaB1971 (Feb 19, 2006)

Hi Kitten

I have a Golden Retriever so MUCH bigger than you're after but up until recently I also had 4 cats and they all got on fine.  Now we're down to 1 cat after a string of bereavements but Charley (cat) and Teddy (dog) sleep together, eat together and play together.  They're best friends!  Dogs are pack animals hun, so in a domestic setting they form a pack with whoever else is there whether it's other dogs, cats or kids!

Axxxxxxxx


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## saphy75 (Mar 15, 2004)

I've got a cavalier king charles spaniel and she is gorgeous, it's the second ckcs i have had and they are such a lovely breed and are happy to sleep all day but if you do want to go out on long walks they love that too. both my ckcs have been such placid freindly dogs, my ds can do anything to mine and she just takes it (although i do stop him as i would hate for him to hurt her) the only thing is they are quite greedy and can get rather fat if you are not carefull but they are very easily trained as highly inteligent dogs and very very loving cuddly babies (i hold mine like a baby and rock her to sleep coz she loves it) 

as you can probably tell i really love my dogs    and i'm very enthusiastic about this breed   

pam xx

here's some pics of my babies the black and white one is jeannie and she's the one i have now and the black and tan one is my baby Lady who sadly passed away in april


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## Greeneyed (Apr 12, 2006)

Hi honey, 

A cavalier king charles spaniel sounds ideal (I so want one). Do your research as all dogs need walks hon - even very small ones. It is good for their physical and mental health, they need to get out and sniff around and meet other doggies. Some need more exercise than others and just because a dog is small don't assume it doesn't need much. a Jack Russel will go for miles and they can be tiny. 

A dog will take so much more time and commitment than a cat. Training takes an awful lot of time and when they are little they want you to be interacting with them all the time. My pup 7 months old, takes up at least three hours a day with 3 walks and training, then the rest of the time he just wants to be with me and plays up if he doesn't get attention. - Hard work but very rewarding though. 

Best of luck I hope you find what you are looking for xx


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## Nicola-Kate (Apr 22, 2008)

Hi Kitten and ladies,

Try going on the kennal club website hun and looking for the discover dogs page. 
That will help you choose what breed you fancy. 
Ive grown up with st bernards as parents are top breeders but they will be way too big for you. 
I have 2 Lhaso apsos they are nice dogs but they do need brushing and clipping alot. Butthey have made lovely pets for us and they get on with my cats. 
When i chose them this time last year it was down to them and a cavalier king charles spaniel if you want somthing small stick to them i think. Also makesure you buy from a breeder and get a pedigree too many people buy from puppy farmers and have terrible problems with the dogs. Its also worht checking out breed problems that the dog you choose could have ie in st bernards hip displacia can be a problem so mum has all her dogs hip scored so she can try to eradicate the breed problem. My 2 girls (lhasa apsos) have or can have nasal problems lucky all my girlsdo is sneeze. 
It really is worth paying that bit more for a dog from a breeder and stay clear of mix stuff like labradoodle labrador mixed with poodle they can have genetic faults. 
Ifyou want any other help or details of good breeders pm me my parents know alot of people in alot of breeds hun.


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## sallyanne1 (Oct 23, 2006)

I got puppies for sale the due to leave on the 20th sept they are shih poo's so very small n none shedding


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## AmandaB1971 (Feb 19, 2006)

Hi

I agree with everything Nicola-Kate has said.  Always make sure you buy from a reputable breeder, make sure you know about breed "issues" such as hips and then ask the breeder about those issues.  An experienced breeder will be able to answer your concerns honestly.

My first dog I bought from a pet shop (I was only 24 he was my first dog and I didn't know any different) I loved that dog with all my heart and he idolised me (border collie) but he cost me thousands over 10 years.  He had chronic mental health problems, separation anxiety and was very destructive if he wasn't near me.  He also had physical health problems such as anal gland problems, ear problems and allergic skin conditions.  He was my absolute world for 10 years and i wouldn't change a thing about his personality but he was a tormented soul and he did cost £k's!

Now I have a Golden Retriever he cost over £800 his mother was best of breed at Crufts and his dad was the french trialing champion.  My breeder was very experienced and all pups were hip-scored and had been dealt with by her from day 1 to cause minimum trouble when they left their mum etc.  Worth every penny as he's no trouble at all!

I would really urge waiting until you can afford to pay for a really good breeder as it makes all the difference once you're at home with the dog.



Axxxxx


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## Mummytoone (Mar 23, 2002)

Just wondered if any of you doggy Mummys watched the BBC programme the other night about pedigree dogs/ breeders the other night?

Food for thought hey!

Get yourselves to that rescue centre for a x breed!  

xx


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## sallyanne1 (Oct 23, 2006)

I watched it   im glad i bread my shih tzu with a poodle


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## Mummytoone (Mar 23, 2002)

I have to say Rich's face was a picture when that witch of a woman made the comment about 'younger vets' seeing everything in black and white and not understanding why a perfectly healthy ridgeless puppy should be put to sleep for being cosmetically incorrect! 

And as for the poor CKCS, that breed is just being destroyed. I have not know one yet to get to old age without a heart problem. Pam your babies are gorgeous  

I too have a westie that too has an allergy problem.

Those GSD's at Crufts were the most shocking, they were pretty much crippled.

Ban Crufts!

Actually dont get me started.


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## *laura* (Oct 7, 2007)

Oh I couldn't agree more it was so upsetting     it should be banned!  I just can't get my head around the attitude these 'dog lovers' had, it was shocking!     Getting angry again the more I think about it, how could so many people turn a blind eye to the pain they're causing these dogs?


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## Nicola-Kate (Apr 22, 2008)

hey,

Not all breeders are like that i would like to point out. My parents are very responsible breeders. when i was looking for a dog i went intogreat detailabout possible problems the dog might have. I also looked at what was behind my dog ie on the pedigree and the parents g parent gg parents so on so i knew what i was getting.
The show was i feel showing upsome of the older breeders and as for that woman with the king charles she should be struck of. They did mention the accredited dog breeders register this is a crock of smelly ..... you can go on that soon as you buy a dog never mind having bred one. My parents have had probs with the kennal club around breeding bans. My mum puts a ban on every dog she sells so people cant just go of and breed my mum insists that if they want to breed they must have there dog hip scored and heart tested. Last summer a person she had sold a ***** to his dog ,anaged to get caught by the other family dog (thank god this was the same breed) the person asked for the ban to be lifted but my parents said NO. The kennal club went ahead and let the chapregister the dogs even with the ban. They did this for the money he would have to pay to register the 16 puppies. He made a packed sold them for 1500 per dog how is this possible when mums are all tested and she sells for less. This breeds puppy farmers which i feel currently the kennal club endorse. Lets just hope this tv show makes the kennal club stand up to the issues in breeding and kick of any breeders who are not adering to the supposedtight kennalclub rules.
As you can prob tell my feeling run very high on this and i still feel you should only buy from a reputable breeder who you can investigate to prove they are responsible.


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## kitten77 (Nov 15, 2006)

Thanks for all the replies, we are thinking again wether a dog is right for us at the moment, so will put this on hold for the time being.

i didnt see the programe...was it horrible?


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## saphy75 (Mar 15, 2004)

thanks Lulu, i think my babies are gorgeous too   my ckcs i have got now came from someone who had been breeding from her and she was a sorry looking skinny thing when we got her with veruy bad dry skin and she was ravenous so i don't beleive she was being fed properly    but she is a healthy girl now this is her 3rd home in 4 years  i have told her she is here to stay and i wont be making her have any puppies so she can just get on with being my lovely happy baby  

i would deffo get another ckcs as they are such a lovely breed but i would  look at the recue centres first

pam xx


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## Mummytoone (Mar 23, 2002)

aww Pam thats fab, she sounds adorable.

Nicola, thats fab your parents are good breeders, what do they breed?   Your parents must have been furious with the Kennel Club when they are so responsible themselves.

I think the point of the programme was more about the Kennel Club and the 'breed standards' as opposed to bad breeders. That was the point I was trying to make. I mean Basset Hounds who are now bred so there tummys drag on the ground and have the most ridiculous folds of skin causing continuous pyoderma, Pug dogs who can barely breath as there chest cavities almost contain their abdominal contents and Bull dogs who are physically incapable of mating or giving birth to their puppies just cant be good, can they? There is no way I dont think that anyone can disagree that the way the GSD is being bred and shown at Crufts is a true example of how a GSD should be!

That was the point really.

It was very intersting to see how these breeds of dog looked several decades ago.

Lou x


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## NuttyJo (Jun 29, 2007)

hi

just wanted to agree with nicola-kate, if you're going to buy a dog from a breeder please make sure they're a recommended breeder and that they answer all your questions properly. also most top breeders will insist on doing home checks and may make you sign a contract for their dog. expect a waiting list for their puppies too. with our first dog we made the mistake of going to a puppy farmer - not that we knew it at the time   and our dog was trouble from the start. he was lovely and we had fun with him but unfortunately i think the breeders had lied to us about his age due to various reasons and we paid lots of money for him without seeing the mothers supposed KC reg papers.... he destroyed our house and had seperation issues. we did see him with his mother but she looked extremely skinny and uncared for. we kept putting his issues down to him being a particular breed but in the end we couldnt cope with him and also the fact i was in and out of hospital didnt help as he didnt like being left alone, even for short periods of time. hes now living with an experienced owner and is very happy as he has 2 other dogs the same to play with and keep him in line!

now we have a lovely JRTx from a rescue centre, we dont know much of her history as her and her sister were found abandoned at 6-7weeks old but i would say that this has been a much more pleasant experience so far. it may just be that shes a different breed as they're all different but you also get loads of support and advice too from the rescue centres and you're also saving a dog from an unhappy life too! 

just my opinions. i hope you figure out what to do soon. they do make excellent company but are very hard work in the early stages! 

jo xxx


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## wouldloveababycat (Mar 21, 2004)

*Just like to note that the opinions expressed on this thread are personal opinions and not opinions expressed by FF's  *


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