Getting a new puppy

[Nepal_AU]

Hi , I am looking for a mid size active dog, looking to buy or adopt a puppy . Even if we adopt wanted to adopt small puppy. thinking of beagles, Portuguese waterdog or Australian cattle dog.

Any other suggestion, something that mid size,shed less, active and friendly.

 

Our biggest concern is, what we do when we away for work during weekdays ? Me and my partner leave house around 7 am 4, 5 days a week and home by 6. wondering if we setup right and do properly can we leave puppies at home or do we need to be there all day ?  if we get slightly older puppies will that be easy or are there any place that we can drop off during the day and pick later while they are puppies.

 

thanks  !!

 

 

[persephone]

Welcome
I will just drop this off for you to read now ... it will give you lots of discussion  on the bonding with pups/leaving pups alone ..and stuff in between  
Enjoy ... 

CLICK HERE

EXCERPT /introduction :   

Quote

 

Lots of pups settle in well, and adjust to being left home ...and families blend beautifully 

.

BUT...

On reading peoples' posts on housetraining, puppies crying when alone, puppies being clingy, puppies being destructive when alone, or not using toys...

One thought has been tumbling around in my brain .

Are we maybe making puppies too dependent on us humans from the minute we bring them home, and so not allowing them to learn to cope , to be confident , to stretch out, in those early weeks/months?

Is it ideal to take time away from employment , and wait on the new bundle of gorgeousness hand & foot ...then suffer guilt and stress when returning to work, with a puppy who is suddenly bereft, without the skills to cope with being alone ?

Is it being kind to a puppy longterm keeping it with us constantly , lavishing it with affection ..then leaving it in a pen when we go off ?

Do we need to start as we mean to go on ..and ensure pup has independent playtime/outside time from day one ?

Do we need to hold off on admiring and praising and adoring at all?

Do we need to do MORE things together, and have more time to praise and cuddle puppies?

What do you think? I am aware that there is no absolute - each situation is unique , so ... add your ideas to the mix 

 

 

[Dogsfevr]

Plenty of people work and raise successful dogs but it comes down to picking the right dog for the effort you want to put in each day .

 

The 3 breeds you have listed are the polar opposites so what is attracting you to them so far .

Are you happy to do the weekly brushing and grooming salon visits for the P water dog ,keeping in mind the added costs and the dedicated training you need to put in for brushing manners .

 

 

What exactly do you want from your dog .

inside/outside

brushing/ no brushing

regular grooming salon visits to budget for or no grooming expense .

Regular walks or preferably happy to sit in backyard and amuse itself .

This is a good starting point in thinking what you can live with for the ne t potentially 15 years not what is for example pretty or totally unpractical 

[persephone]

Portugese water dog isn't listed ..but the Beagle & Cattle Dog are .

What attracted you to these dogs, as they are all so very different ? All are 'working' , active breeds , too. 

Info on them both   

Aust Cattle Dog .  

Beagle     

  

 

[Tassie]

Quote

Portuguese water dog isn't listed ..but the Beagle & Cattle Dog are .
 

I read the PWD in between the other 2, @persephone.    I believe they are nice, and quite smart ldogs .. but don't know anything much about them.

 

To the OP … that's quite a long work day/alone day for a dog  .. and too long for a wee pup IMHO.  I would be wanting someone to come in at least in the middle of the day while a pup was young, to toilet pup and feed lunch.

 

Beagles are fun .. but I would have thought a beagle left alone could be quite unhappy, and likely to be noisy.  (When you think about the background, they were bred to work in packs.so being alone is not a breed characteristic.

Cattle dogs IMHO are not a dog suited to beginner owners.   They are very strong, and very strong minded, and need probably more training than you will be able to give.

 

I would second going through  @Dogsfevr's list of questions, and maybe then looking through some dog breed pages, and then maybe going to a dog show to see some of the breeds on the shortlist, and talk to some breeders.       While it's nice to have a baby puppy when you have time to spend raising it and showing it the ways of the household, it might be more practical to try to get an older puppy who has been used to spending some time alone.

[Nepal_AU]

Thanks everyone for your response.

 

@persephone  I went through your response earlier and I do agree, I do love animals but I don't like to have that over attachments. Gave me a hope if I do get slightly grown up puppy (older) we should be fine. 

 

@Dogsfevr thanks again, we live a active life, we go biking not like 60 or 100 kms  but just a short distance usually mtb and wanted to take dogs with us . Someone at my work told me

• Blue Heelers : are  active and run with you when you go for a bike ride or something, very loyal and easy to train and stronger
• Beagles : because they are active and easy to train, heard they are hyperactive and leaving them alone is not so good.
• PWD : is sort of size I was looking for still active dog.

I want mid size dog ( I live in suburban area) , active , friendly, good with kids and other dogs, prefer shed less and easy to train. I do want them inside but not always so need dogs  that I can leave  outside in yard for a period of time. what are other dog breed should I consider ? any suggestion would be good .

 

@Tassie thanks I am planning to visit some dog show in Melbourne, I have been asking dog owners.  Setting up my backyard , sides with dog on my mind . As said I maybe able to get someone to check puppy during the day for first month or two. Also thinking of getting a older puppy, would that be hard to train ?

 

 

 

 

Edited August 13, 2019 by Nepal_AU

[jemappelle]

Training a dog is for life, even though they know how to do something it doesn't mean they will do it.  lol  I had a trainer tell me that basically, dogs live to please themselves so you have to make the training enjoyable for them.

 

I've adopted older dogs and have been able to train them, however, different breeds are easier to train than others.  I've also owned 2 cattle dogs - both awesome dogs.  The second one required two long walks (at least an hour) every day and he was from show lines, not working lines.  My first one was a rescue dog and an older puppy.  She was a more sedate version of the breed which is pretty rare, I believe.  

 

Good luck in whatever you decide. 

[persephone]

One important thing ..> This may involve a long wait - finding the dog who 'fits' , and building up your knowledge base /confidence  so that you will be ready ! 

28 minutes ago, Nepal_AU said:

heard they are hyperactive

 and that should have raised a red flag  !! 
A breed which someone said is hyperactive  is NOT ideally

for a first-timer. 
Beagle puppies are way tooo cute !!
They are clowns
They are independent ( recall may not happen in some cases) 
they are not the easiest to train 
they make a loud noise
they sniff ..a LOT 
they are very keen to be doing stuff 


NONE of the dogs you get will be able to go biking any distance  for about 12 months ..growing young bones need care .

Great news that you're going to shows to see dogs ! Reading about them is one thing ...seeing them is another. 
Another thing ..do you have friends who take dogs to  obedience classes, or dog parks ? I strongly recommend you regularly visit both of these as well , so you can watch different dog breeds/ages  in action. 

If you are a first timer ... I would NOT recommend a Cattle Dog . They are agile,loyal, strong, wonderfully smart/trainable and seek a lot of input from experienced leaders. .They are originally bred to 'nip'/bite..and herd. this instinct can often come out around quick movements etc ..such as when kids are running and playing . Inexperienced owners may not see what's happening , and these dogs are built like a tank! 

I cannot speak of your other choice ..I don't know them at all .

[persephone]

4 minutes ago, jemappelle said:

a more sedate version of the breed which is pretty rare, I believe.  

I knew one of these..bought on the assumption he would be a noisy, alert watchdog like the rest of his family ...he was an affable couch potato LOL   ( but dog aggressive  ), Gorgeous boy ... absolutely kid-proof, too. One in a million. 

[Dogsfevr]

Also when you say puppies are you meaning 1 puppy or are you looking at getting 2 puppies ??


Personally we sell to people who work all day just like the people who sold us puppies when my parents worked all day .If people didn't sell to working families no one would own dogs ,what we do factor with working homes is the lifestyle one has after work & if people live a very busy social life & sporting life on weekends then one needs to access where a dog will fit in .

It can be done with some effort working & puppies .
We have also homed older puppies but important factors to keep in mind.
In our situation we work from home ,we have other dogs so getting an older puppy does not mean it will be easier or the best fit as an older puppy may already be use to having some form of company around thus making retraining to your home just as much work an effort .Older puppy does not mean easier in all cases so if you do consider this option ask questions of its current lifestyle .

As a breeder we make this very clear & pick the type of home we may potentially sell an older puppy/dog to due knowing what its currently use to & how easily it may adapt .Whether exposed to kids etc etc
Puppies don't need 3 meals for a long time & you can switch it too 4 with working .

[sheena]

Greyhound? Maybe too big, but a Whippet maybe??

 

[persephone]

1 hour ago, sheena said:

but a Whippet maybe??

Can they cope with biking ? 

[Dogsfevr]

Beagles aren’t hyperactive but there a scenthound so they view the world differently .

They can be destructive and are better as a pack breed .

Most of the Beagle brigade at the airports are pets that the owner could no longer live with ,In most cases people who brought a breed without being honest with themselves as the wrong breed for there lifestyle .

This applies to any dog cross or pure .

Every breed has there good and bad points as a breeder we make this very clear as a potential new owner you will also have your good and bad points and that should factor into the right dog .

 

If you want to live with a fur baby then don’t get a Cattle dog 

 

We board some lovely Cattle dogs but if you head down this path buy from a good breeder who health tests and hearing tests and is honest about you being the right fit for the breed and then able to assist in selecting the right pup .

 

PWD love waster for example .

 

Some breeds are built to be better suited.to biking or long walks so consider the terrain you plan to cover and factor that .

 

 

There are so many breeds that could suit heading to a show is the best starting place to see size,coats and general behaviour in public 

Edited August 14, 2019 by Dogsfevr

[persephone]

There are some excellent ideas here for you to make your own and act upon. 

CLICK HERE

here is an excerpt :   

Quote

 

History and the breeder – Are the pups health tested, structurally X rayed, DNA tested and other health tests that are relevant to the breed? Is the breeder experienced, ethical, honest and supportive?

Do they work with the pups through the 8 weeks they have them, or they at their day job leaving it all to the pups dam?

The above are not always deal breakers for me but they are points where I think caution should be exercised.

 

 

[Pjrt]

I’ve known 2 Porties for grooming. One was a tiny undersized female curly coat who was pretty much the shyest dog I’ve ever met in 30+ years of pet grooming. She wasn’t even truly relaxed in her own home. She was sweet and obliging, but consumed by anxiety and crazy shy. 

The other was a wavy coat male. A big solid boy. He destroyed his owners home and could escape Alcatraz! Once he got out over a 6 ft metal fence and survived getting hit by a truck! He was a lovely dog but quite stubborn and a bit of a nightmare of a puppy. 

 

To a large extent, breeding, rearing & training makes the dog what you want it to be. Breed selection is still important though.

 

one breed that popped into my head that you might take a look at is the Curly Coated Retriever.  They are medium/large dog with a biddable temperament. They are trainable and will take plenty of exercise. The coat is easy care and pretty low maintenance. If brushed regularly shedding can be kept to to a minimum, certainly no worse than the Beagle and Cattle Dog. 

 

Doggy Day Care is quite accessible in most areas these days, and is an option for working people. 

Edited August 14, 2019 by Scratch

[Nepal_AU]

Thanks all for your response.  I have met few people in park with different breeds , did some online quiz . from that I have narrowed down to

Brittany spaniel. They  are active something I was looking for but not too big, can be outdoor/indoor dog as well. I haven't met anyone with Brittany but from reading online will suits my lifestyles.  any suggestions or feedback please let me know.

would  like to know more .

 

thanks again all.

 

[Pjrt]

The next thing you should do is contact some breeders of Brittany Spaniel. Ask to meet their dogs. Brittany are nice dogs for sure, but I know some of them are VERY serious workers and have out of control activity levels! They need a balance of physically & mentally challenging activity. They are sort of the Kelpie of the Spaniel family. 

 Let  breeders guide you as to whether a Brittany is the right choice for you, and if so, let the experienced breeder match you with the right puppy. 

https://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/breeders/brittany.asp

Edited August 22, 2019 by Scratch

[Dogsfevr]

There are some good breeders in Melbourne .

 

There not the breed for everyone so a good breeder will be honest about the cons before the pros .

If you are a truly active person happy to train they are an awesome breed 

[Tassie]

Quote

c...They are sort of the Kelpie of the Spaniel family. ...

Perfect description from the ones I know.        And definitely … choose good breeders and rely on their assessments of a good fit.

 

ETA   @Nepal_AU   I have just sent you a message.

Edited August 23, 2019 by Tassie

[JRG]

4 hours ago, Scratch said:

The next thing you should do is contact some breeders of Brittany Spaniel. Ask to meet their dogs. Brittany are nice dogs for sure, but I know some of them are VERY serious workers and have out of control activity levels! They need a balance of physically & mentally challenging activity. They are sort of the Kelpie of the Spaniel family

 Let  breeders guide you as to whether a Brittany is the right choice for you, and if so, let the experienced breeder match you with the right puppy. 

https://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/breeders/brittany.asp

Except that they are NOT Spaniels !