I’m inching ever closer to making a decision on getting a puppy. I’ve been mulling it over for some time now, and the positives are finally beginning to outweigh the negatives.
I’ve always been a dog lover and I’d like my children to grow up around animals. Although I like to moan about the untidiness of my home, in reality I’m never going to be the kind of person to have pristine minimalism. I’d like the boys to grow up in a lived-in house with a dog pottering about.
Dog-sitting for a few days earlier in the summer was a great chance to remind myself how much I love having a canine companion around.
We haven’t had a dog since my eldest son was a baby. But now the boys are growing up, things would be easier than they were back then. There’s still plenty of chaos, but it’s a bit more manageable and there’s definitely a little dog-shaped hole in our lives.
For me it really has to be a puppy, rather than a rescue dog. After a traumatic experience with one of our boys, I don’t want to have a dog in our house with an unknown history. I also really hope that being a parent will make me a better dog owner – more firm, patient and consistent.
Clearly, there are plenty of downsides. Do we want to curtail our freedom just when we’re starting to get it back? Will I really enjoy the mess and upheaval of a puppy? What about when we go away on holiday?
I’ve found answers to most of those questions now, and the plus sides are enough to outweigh any niggling doubts. Now seems like a perfect time to get a dog. With both the boys at school full-time this September, I’ll have the extra time to walk and train a puppy.
Now I just need to decide on what kind of dog to get. And that’s where I need your help. We’d like a calm, gentle breed that will (with the right training) fit in well with our lives. I don’t like small yappy dogs, who jump and nip. A labrador is an obvious choice, but I’ve never owned one, and I worry about their size. I’ve also only ever owned male dogs, but feel more drawn to the idea of female this time round. I know any dog (especially a puppy) is an unknown quantity, but I really want to avoid breeds with a tendency towards aggression, or nervousness – especially around children.
I don’t want to over-think it, but this is such a big decision for our family and I don’t want to get it wrong. This is really difficult post for me to write, for various reasons, and I’d be so grateful for your advice, lovely blogger friends.
Lizzie x
Hi Lizzie, Just a few thoughts on dogs- Over 47 years our family have had 3 dogs. The first when I had young children was a Labrador, Dougal was lovely but very energetic and hard work not a good choice for us at the time, think large muddy paws and wet fur!
The next dog was a West Highland terrier, a lovely little dog always ready for some fun and good choice for children.
After Hamish died who we had for 14 years we have the most beautiful miniature black poodle, she has been the best of all, clever, easy to house train, gentle and soft as a lamb, loveable, great with children and non allergenic, no dog hair on the furniture, Geoff and I are totally in love with Florence, just the best dog. They do need a bit of grooming but have small paws so the house keeps clean, hope this helps Lizzie, sending love Marie x
Thanks so much Marie – that is all really helpful. I really appreciate it! I’ve heard good things about miniature poodles too. I’m also thinking about Border Terriers x
Hi, Lizzie, you’re clearly thinking hard about a dog. For what it’s worth, here are my thoughts.
Remember Felix? He was an ordinary, pure-bred Labrador retriever, bright, and easy to train, but totally fixated on catching, killing, and carrying prey items (mostly rabbits, live or dead, but also birds). With prey in his mouth, he obeyed no one, and was uncatchable and utterly infuriating. It ended very badly with me having to re-home him on the day he took a friend’s favourite pet chicken. He wasn’t affectionate either – just enjoyed living his own life., and being a dog. Maybe we were just unlucky, but labs are working dogs whose whole breeding has been about retrieving injured and dead birds. Sorry if this is discouraging…
My other cautious thought is just to raise the question of what you want to do over the years ahead. If you have any plans to go back to work, a dog can be a real problem, but if you’re going to be at home, I can see how attractive the idea of having a companionable little being around.
Anyway, whatever you decide, you will always have our support.
Love from Ruth XXXXX
Thanks Ruth – I only met Felix once, but you’re experiences with him have always put me off thinking about gun dogs in the past – my main worries are size, energy etc. Having dog-sat an (admittedly older, female) labrador I feel a little different to how I did before – but I can still see that a young labrador could be very overwhelming choice. It’s such a hard decision, as you know…. x
Oh gosh how exciting but also such a tough decision! All I can say is that you’ll generally find people are loyal to one breed or another. My grandad had Springers, we had one when I was growing up and so it was no question that our dog would also be a Springer. Personally I would always get a female dog, they’re more affectionate and naturally caring towards a family (I know people with male dogs would probably argue the same, again it’s a personal choice!) Working dogs need more exercise and stimulation but owing to a higher intellect are much easier to train. On the whole though, so long as you choose a reputable breeder, make sure you see the puppies with Mum and ideally Dad if possible (Mum is an absolute must though!), and put in the crucial work and hours between 8 and 16 weeks old, you should end up with an obedient and loving family pet with most breeds X
Thanks Lins – I just need to be brave now and take the plunge! x