Buying the right puppy

If you follow me on social media you will probably know that we had to have one of our dogs put to sleep last week. I had a feeling it was coming and he was far more my mum’s dog than my own, but I still found the whole thing really hard. 14 years is a long time to have a pooch, and it now leaves our 10 year old chihuahua without her friend.

Our older westie was very much the old man and was never good at doing his business in the right place, he would frequently pee in the kitchen, which just didn’t fly once I had the kids, so we bought the dogs a kennel and for the last 5 years they have lived outside, coming in and out during the day. Of course this worked fine and we had two happy dogs (especially with both of them wondering why there was an ever increasing invasion of small people who wanted to give them “big loves) but you can’t leave one small dog outside on her own. So in comes the dog! She has a new bed, a new collar and is enjoying the life of a pampered pooch, but I still get the feeling that she isn’t entirely happy. She has never been a singular dog, and she spends a lot of time looking for Domino, who is nowhere to be seen.

This has got us thinking: do we get a puppy?

There are so many things to consider when buying a new puppy. Which one is right for you? Which one will settle well with your older dog? What are the costs? At the moment, we’re going away in September and this raises further questions; do we buy a pup soon so she won’t be alone in the kennels, or do we wait until we come home and start afresh?

There are a lot of unanswered questions for us, but one of the biggest things I’m struggling with is narrowing down breed of dog for a family. There is more to consider than size and temperament when your trying to please kids. Here are a few thoughts:

1.) What size?

Well, according to Kennel Club, a medium to large breed of dog is better than a small. I guess you have to factor in how you would feel if someone was SO much bigger than you, and constantly interested in petting you, cuddling you and just generally being in your face. I’m not saying a small dog isn’t a good idea at all, ours is a chihuahua and wonderful with the kids, but you can see she is nervous when Toby wants to sit with her. Its also a training curve for the kids too.

2.) Temperament?

Each breed has it’s merits, but by and large I’ve found that the recommendations are for energetic and intelligent dogs. Dalmatians and Labradors come under this category, both are full of boundless energy and are easy to train. On the flip side, Mastiffs or Saint Bernards are often considered good family dogs because they are gentle giants, who will ensure hours upon hours of play, without ever really tiring. The question to ask yourself again with one of those suggestions is; do you have the time required to burn their energy of the kids don’t? It’s always advised that you avoid dogs that are known to be highly strung – Akitas, hounds and poodles are supposedly in this category BUT I often think the way a dog is reared is more important than breed temperament. NEVER buy a dog advertised as a guard dog. Ever. If they are being bred for that purpose they are NOT a family pet.

3.) Life span

This is one that really frustrated me as it isn’t mentioned anywhere is “what dog?” Guides. I added a Dogue du Bordeau to our list of potential breeds because they are beautiful, gentle and will need lots of exercise which sounds great to me for long weekend walks out in the forest. Unfortunately the more I researched the breed, the more I discovered about their shockingly short life span. On average this breed will live for 6 years, and it is almost unheard of for them to live to 10 years. I can’t see how anyone could say that is a “good” dog for a child – I want a dog that will last a good portion, if not all of my child’s childhood. We had two border X labs when I was a child, one lived to 15 the other 19. They were a staple part of my childhood and I have some wonderful memories with them – I can’t imagine my kids becoming so attached to a dog, for it to die after only 6 years. Incidentally small breeds like chihuahuas have really “long” lives of around 15 years.

4.) Time

What time can you dedicate to training, walking and being with this dog? If you work 9-5, 5 days a week and have no time at all to walk the dog, then you really shouldn’t be getting one, especially not a lone dog. I do think that different breeds react differently to being alone, some will become very destructive which isn’t helpful to anyone, others won’t be bothered by being left with another dog for long periods – our chihuahua wouldn’t be bothered by being left for a short time with a doggie companion, but alone sucks. She also isn’t a fan of going for walks, unless they are short. A big dog will need lots of walks and attention, something that you have to factor in to your schedule OR get a dog walker.

Some food for thought on things you need to consider before buying the right puppy. At the moment we are currently hooked on the idea of getting a Shar Pei, though we have a A LOT more research to do before we make our decision.

H x