Sandra

Right First off I am not shipping a dog - I have been here two years and after being a cat person all my life have decided to give in to the other 3/4 of the family and allow a dog into our lives.

They are all gobsmacked and not as keen as they thought they would be in making any decisions so I need some advice.

Husky and Alaskan Malamute were the dogs of choice prior to moving to Aus. Now we are in Sydney I am worried about grooming, heat, ticks etc etc.

I would preferably like to choose a breed and then go to a rescue centre and let them know if they get a suitable dog we would be interested in them checking us out. Now before you all get up in arms about not just taking any dog - I want the dog to suit us as much as us suiting the dog as we will be getting another family member and not just a pet.

I am also interested in getting an older dog rather than a puppy - but not completely sure.

Anyway anyone got any advice -ve and +ve stories please.

Many thanks

Sandra

HUP

Hi Sandra

Personally I tend to stay away from pedigrees as they can often (not always I know) have a lot of inbred medical conditions. I'd go for a mutt everytime.

One question though would be where would the dog live? You don't have that much grass as I recall which will mean plenty of walks everyday (Ensure the other 3/4 fully understand this ).

Also with the rock you might want to get some form of mountain dog

MrsDagboy

Sandra, unless you have alot of time & effort to put into a dog (& no, you wont be able to rely on the kids to do it either, kids will always be kids & slope off from responsibilities if they can ), stay away from malamutes & huskies. Way wayyyyy too much grooming etc involved & they certainly arent your *average* family dog. Can I assume from your post that its your (families) first dog? If so I would recommend something that is easy to look after, doesnt require alot of care & is suitable for a family a. with limited knowledge & b. that will be amenable to training. Do you have any preconceived ideas about the type of dog you like? Are you interested in small dogs as well as big dogs? How much time do you have to put into grooming, exercising & training each day? How big is your yard & how long is the dog liable to be left to its own devices each day? many many questions to be answered, any half decent shelter or rescue service will ask you all those questions plus more, so its best to sit down as a family & discuss it in detail before looking for something.

As for the rescue/adult dog thing, there are pros & cons to each. If you get a dog from a shelter or rescue then theres a chance that the dog isnt there because it looked too cute & was easy to look after . Most good shelters will cull any animals that dont have excellent temperaments (sorry to anyone this offends, but dogs that are aggressive or not suitable for family pets, unless used by experienced dog handlers like police, security etc, should be put down IMO). But there is always a chance that a problem may only resurface when the dog is put in a stressful situation - fear biters are a prime example. Anyway, those are the chances you take. Similar with the adult vs puppy debate, if you get an older dog, theres a very good chance that it may have developed bad habits which may be something that you cant live with or have a dodgy temperament. A puppy may also develop problems, the difference being that if it does, then you have the chance of fixing it rather than taking on someone elses mistake or stopping it very early. Also if you pick a puppy of the *right* breed & from parents with exceptional temperaments then your chances of getting a good dog are far higher. However a puppy needs much much more work than an older dog, toilet training, obedience training, stopping it from digging holes & destroying everything in your yard - ahhhhh the joys . My personal preference is for a puppy, but then again, I am an experienced dog handler & owner & know what to expect & how to deal with it. But theres only one way to become experienced - and thats to do it .

As for your comment about not taking "just any dog", I agree with you 110%! You should NEVER take "just any dog", you're right, the dog will be a part of your family for the next 10-20 years & you need to pick the right one. Its like picking a spouse, most people wouldnt even dream of just taking the first one that came along . Or a house guest for 20 years - you had better pick one that you actually like!

I could suggest a few breeds for you that are generally good "family" dogs like Golden retreivers, Staffies, Labradors & some of the spaniels, but you really need to sit down & decide what parameters you have. This is an excellent site for info on dogs - breeds, types etc. (Pity their dog food is such cr@p LOL ) Pedigree pal

Specifically use their "Select-a-dog" tool to see what sort of dogs might suit your family & then have a look at the dog breed gallery to get an idea of what the breed you are interested in is like.

My only other suggestion is to find your local obedience club (if you let me know where in Sydney you are I can find the closest one for you) & go down & see them. Obedience clubs are an excellent source of information on doggy things, & you will be able to see lots of different breeds of dogs & get to interact with them.

Just remember, when you have kids, the most important thing that you can consider when choosing a dog (or breed of dog) is temperament. Looks are secondary!

Good luck, hope it helps & if you want more info, let me know

cadabra

Alaskans are known to be somewhat aloof and can also be aggressive, same with huskys. They are not the type of dogs for small children in my opinion. They also require rigid training form the get go. Although i would say that applies to all dogs.

i have a small cross breed. she is a happy and adorable dog. I hae had many different dogs over the years from very big to very small. I much prefer the smaller varieties now. They do not require hours of boisterous exercise, are easier to handle and are accepted more readily in public social situations.

Sandra

Hup - Agree with the pedigree thingy- I am more looking at a type of breed/cross whatever.

Dog will live outside during the day - with access to the back laundry inside. Yes there isn't that much grass, but if we connect up the front there is a fair bit of space including the rock. We will definetely need to think about exercise big time, both Andy and Tyler run! Yes I know that is hard to believe but they do exercise as a family

Do your dogs have short coats - do you have any issue with ticks etc?

Personally if I do all the checking on this and then we decide not to go ahead then I can never again be the one accused of not letting them have a dog! I actually think I am more keen than the rest of them now.

Cheers Sandra

MrsDagboy

HUP, if you buy a puppy from a reputable dealer with good sound parents then you shouldnt have this problem.

"mutts" have their own specific problems, usually ones with temperament when you cant assess what a pup will turn out like because of the mix of genes.

Ive owned plenty of both, both have their pros & cons .

Pollster

If you are after a family dog, as opposed to one you want to do High level obedience competitions or sheep dog trialling or other specialisms with, I would say a mutt from the pound would be ideal.

If you are set on a pedigree, something like a labrador or a collie type dog would be good. Spaniels also make great family pets. I am assuming you want a big one given your preferences in your post - Great Danes are lovely but ginormous and eat a lot! Ypu will find that most mutts have collie in them somewhere - if you could get a lab/collie cross you have the perfect recipe for a family dog.

Personally, I think Husky type dogs are too much for an average family. They can take LOTS of training and can't be reliably let off the lead after about 6 months old as they head for the hills (their instinct is to run AWAY from you not towards you because they orginate as sled dogs). Their coats take a lot of care and are not ideal for hot climates. They are also notorious escape artists.

At the end of the day, the type of dog is practically immaterial because you have to consider the walks, the feeding, the training (absolutely essential), the responsibility - you will never be able to just disappear off agin- you have to consider what to do with the dog. What about vets bills? (to date my little bitch who is just over 1 yr has cost about £2,500 in vets bills and there hasn't been anything too major wrong with her)

If you are not 100% about getting a dog, don't get one because you will be the one that does the most with it. The kids will play with it - but they are at school all day, Hubby might walk it of an evening but again he is at work. Do you work? If so, what are you going to with the dog during the day? How long would it be on its own?

You said in your post that they are not 'as keen as they thought they would be in making any decisions'- does that mean they are not as keen as they thought about getting a dog?

Sorry if this is turning into a lecture but it drives me nuts when people get dogs and then just leave them in the yard all day or don't really bother with them. A dog is a pack animal - it has to be part of your pack and if the pack are already 'not as keen as they thought' what happens to the poor old dog?

I love my dog to bits but she does take up a large part of my leisure time. I don't mind because I love being out with her on one of her three walks a day (four in summer), taking her to training even if it is raining and making sure she is as happy and healthy as I can make her.

If all these questions are answered with a YES! then go for it and I hope you have a fantastic pet that brings you as much enjoyment and laughter as my various pooches have bought me.

HUP

Yeah they have short coats and we havn't hay fleas or ticks yet. We do give them regular treatments though.

Leah does spend a lot of time with the animals. She feeds them everyday and walks them several times a week. She also spends a lot of time training them.

callé

hi I have two dogs. Small doxie/ beagle mix. They were both 'rescue' dogs. one when he was only 4 weeks old (abandoned on the highway). the other when she was a year old. (dropped off at the pound, just not wanted anymore). both are like children to me. very much a part of the family. I say this because there are so many lovable pets at your local shelter needing homes. you are able to spend time with the animal at the shelter to check his temperment. also the workers there will be happy to lead you to good prospects. just let them know of the space you have and the fact that you have children. I am an active member of our local shelter and the humane society of the U.S. and i have been in contact with the humane society in Oz. They seem to be very helpful and caring. good luck. If you get the right one, a dog can be a wonderful companion for you and your children.

Don

There is a lot of good advice in this thread from Pollster and Mrs Dagboy in particular. However, I disagree a bit with the comment by Pollster above, ie I think the type of dog DOES matter a lot, both for temperament and practical reasons.

Certain dogs are known for their temperament types and the cliches do tend to be generally true.

I posted recently in The Lounge http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...hreadid=226588 that we are taking delivery of Little Don #3 in about 10 days' time. I've always been into spaniels and they can't be beaten as loving, friendly, all-round super family pets who will take a hell of a lot of teasing from the under-fives before even thinking about a slight growl.

Practical reasons: whereas I actually prefer Welsh Springer Spaniels (a REAL dog!), they have twice the energy and need twice the exercise of Cocker Spaniels (which is what we're going to get). Size does matter and so does dog type/ disposition. Certain dogs are inherently healthier than others, eg spaniels come with ear problems, dachsunds come with back problems etc.

Pollster

Hi Don - yes I agree with you wholeheartedly - I wasn't counting out the breed at all but in this case I felt that that decision was the very last one Sandra needed to make - I felt there were a lot more pertinent questions she needed to ask herself first.

Cute Cocker! I am feeling all broody for another pup now!

Don

Never one to lie! That's not ours just a twin, our digi camera is bust, will post a piccie when we get a new camera, probably this weekend.

Ours is just 6 weeks old nright now, we collect at 8 weeks when she's had another couple of injections.

Pollster

And then let the general destruction of your home commence!

Don

Also, choice of male or female dog is particularly important. Males are more aggressive/ protective of you & your family, larger, probably a bit more alert and playful. Females are more docile, madder, less barky, smaller, don't go round peeing on urine markers, trouble twice a year when they come into season.

MrsDagboy

Good point Don & very true, sex of the dog is very important. Bitches are usually *softer* & alot better when there are kids involved, dogs are often much too dominant which can lead to big problems. But regardless of male or female - get it desexed!! Unless you are a breeder or want it for show theres absolutely no reason not to desex either a male or female dog. They make much better pets when they are desexed.