Suggestion for 1st time dog owner? Breed?

[Mickey's Minion]

Mutts tend to have fewer breed-specific health problems

That is actually a huge fallacy, especially in today's world of purposefully creating mutts.

In todays world of breeding two breeds together, naming it a fancy name for extra money, without any concern to health issue is creating a huge pool of mutts with health problems. If you breed BreedA with hip dysplasia to BreedB with hip dysplasia, you are going to get a litter of puppies with a much higher chance of hip dysplasia even though they are mutts.

You are also introducing genetic diseases from two breeds instead of one.

I would much rather have a purebred dog from breeders that have done their research; ie: studied the pedigree for temperament and health compatibility and has done all the research.

Rescuing a dog is a wonderful thing and should be applauded, but don't do it because you think mutts will be healthier than a purebred.

 

[Mickey's Minion]

you guys are great! I would definately definately do a breeder simply b/c DD so wants a puppy. We have also rescued adult cats but DD really really wants a puppy. I plan to have her trained by a professional (I have a recommednation from a friend for this) but I am at a loss of what to look for. How do you know the breeder is good? are they registered somewhere that you can see their credentials? So if we don't opt for a "fancy bred" dog - but DO want a puppy - do you still go thru a breeder even for this?

Start with the breed clubs for your particular breed. They can give you recommendations for reputable breeders.

Don't worry about a "fancy bred" dog. Even in the "fanciest" of litters, there are pet quality puppies. These are the puppies that might have some little conformation glitch that will keep them out of the show ring. However, you still reap the benefits of the breeders work in breeding for temperament and health.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

I know other people won't agree with this, but if I was looking for a puppy from a breeder, I would ONLY buy from a breeder who shows their dogs. For example, if you did decide on a Cavalier (and that is a great choice!) I would start by searching both the AKC and the National Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club for breeders that are registered. Then, I would look only for a breeder close by (within driving distance for you) that performs genetic health screening on their dogs and shows all of their breeding dogs for breed conformation. This does not mean that you need to buy a show dog! What it does mean is that you are focusing your search on breeders who are looking to better their breed by producing healthy puppies who look and act like Cavaliers.

Every litter (even a litter between two champions) is going to produce some "pet quality puppies". These are puppies that are not the best of the litter and will not be shown and bred. Instead, they are sold as pets for a lower price than their show prospect dogs. There is nothing wrong with these dogs; they often just don't have the markings that the breeder was looking for, or are a little bit smaller or larger than the breeder is looking for.

I would not go through a backyard breeder, or a "friend of a friend". Backyard breeders do not do genetic screenings on their dogs and can often breed a health defect (like bad hips or elbows that require surgery, or heart problems) into their line without knowing better.

Like a PP said, you will often pay less in the long run by buying a puppy from a good breeder, than by paying for medical treatments for a badly bred puppy!

 

[kacaju]

I agree with everything micky's minion and Sarah Rose has said.
Also if you have a local 4-H in your area see if they have a dog club. That would be a great way of getting your dd involved.
My 14year old DD shows dogs. Going to dog shows have your daughter check out the Jr Showmanship, it is all kids showing.

 

[princessmom29]

I know other people won't agree with this, but if I was looking for a puppy from a breeder, I would ONLY buy from a breeder who shows their dogs. For example, if you did decide on a Cavalier (and that is a great choice!) I would start by searching both the AKC and the National Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club for breeders that are registered. Then, I would look only for a breeder close by (within driving distance for you) that performs genetic health screening on their dogs and shows all of their breeding dogs for breed conformation. This does not mean that you need to buy a show dog! What it does mean is that you are focusing your search on breeders who are looking to better their breed by producing healthy puppies who look and act like Cavaliers.

Every litter (even a litter between two champions) is going to produce some "pet quality puppies". These are puppies that are not the best of the litter and will not be shown and bred. Instead, they are sold as pets for a lower price than their show prospect dogs. There is nothing wrong with these dogs; they often just don't have the markings that the breeder was looking for, or are a little bit smaller or larger than the breeder is looking for.

I would not go through a backyard breeder, or a "friend of a friend". Backyard breeders do not do genetic screenings on their dogs and can often breed a health defect (like bad hips or elbows that require surgery, or heart problems) into their line without knowing better.

Like a PP said, you will often pay less in the long run by buying a puppy from a good breeder, than by paying for medical treatments for a badly bred puppy!

We just purchased a min doxie puppy from a "show litter" for a family pet. The breeder was breeding for longhaired English Cream stock for her show dogs, but 4 of the six puppies look at 4 months like they will be too small to carry a litter of pups so she is selling them as pets. She is a lovely girl nad we will be picking her up in 2 weeks when dance recital is over and i am out for the summer. We went to the breeder's home and saw all of the pups, thier living conditions and all of the parents as well as the owner's show dogs. They were all well kept and clean and had obviously been socialized. We spent a good bit of time with our chosen puppy holding, touching paws, ect and she seemed comfortable with being handled. My bil is a vet and these are the things he told us to look for, as well a breeder that gives a health gaurantee with purchase. We will be able to take her to our vet to be checked, and have a gurantee against hereditary dfects forund in the first year.

 

[Hillbeans]

I became a first time dog owner last year, at age 38 I've always had cats but I said when our youngest child was done with potty training we'd get a dog to go along with the cat. The boys would have probably preferred a puppy, but I didn't want to get a puppy as at the time we both worked FT out of the home. We adopted a 3 year old Labrador Retriever who we found on petfinder. She had some quirks as a grown dog, but pretty quickly adapted to our family. She loves being around kids, doesn't bark much and has a great personality.

I am not a dog-lover type but have grown to love my pup....it's a decision i've never regretted, she is definitely part of our family and it's hard to remember the days without her.

 

[PatsGirl]

I grew up with golden retrievers and my family bred them for many years. Personally, I don't think you can find a better family pet I've had several other breeds and loved them all, but none of the other (black lab, australian shepherd, mixed collie, amongst them) compared to the many (I'd say 8-10) goldens I've had part of my family for the last 45 years.

 

[scottmel]

I can't tell you how much this thread has helped. I am in such angst b/c I don't feel "qualified" to own a dog b/c I am clueless on dogs but you would not find anyone anywhere that is more willing to learn/do the right thing/investigate, etc. than my husband and I. We are serious pet owners! But this thread has really taken some of the mystery away.

For instance, I was on a site earlier today for King Charles Cavalier dogs and noticed price tags of $1500. Now I am guessing that is maybe that they are show dogs? Lord I hope so, I was hoping they weren't that much! That is Dd's top pick but I have printed out ALL info from this thread and will look up every breed recommended. We are open to anything as long as it isn't TOO ovewhelming. It took me 6 weeks to decide on a new car and I told DD it will take TIME and investigation to find the perfect type of dog for our family.

I feel EXCITED now b/c I now feel like I have a compass thanks to you guys...I don't mean to put a tag on a dog or animal in terms of cost - but in going to a breeder for a "pet" (i.e no show dog, etc) is it reasonable to expect to pay 500 or is the 1500 price more in line? I am not sure about that...

Thanks again for the help. Off to look up some information!

 

[Tink9721]

I know you want a small dog, but we have a golden retriever and she's great! She's so sweet and she loves everyone. But if I was getting a small dog I would get a Corgi! They're so cute and sweet!

 

[Duckyiam71]

I have a Jack Russell, small dog but would not recommend as a first dog. Terriers tend to be high energy high strung. We have a mutt rescue dog, great dog but when he does not get his way..he acts up..chewing things and he still has a tendancy to run from us. The last dog we had cam a friend who was not a breeder but happened to have 2 golden retrievers. I got a golden retriever for free..the most gentile dog we have ever owned. They do not really bark, they "talk" toyou. Growing up we had a King Charles Spaniel..great dog easily entertained. Good luck.

 

[LSURyan]

WE've had a Corgi, LOTS and lots of hair!! Shed's profusely. Very gooofy, fun loving dog in his younger years, but ours also got really aggressive as he got older. That's not typical of the breed though. Did I mention the shedding? double coat. Hair everywhere.

We currently have two Boston Terriers. Wonderful dogs. Great with kids and all people. A bath and nail clipping is the only grooming. Easy to train.

We've loved all our dogs through the years, but the Bostons are the greatest dogs we've ever had.

Good luck.

 

[Bunnyfeather]

1. If your DD has been dreaming of a dog for a long time...make her a part of the process. There are several online programs where you answer a set of questions about the amount of grooming/training/exercise you are willing to do and then it gives you a list of possible breeds. Take your DD to some dog shows to meet those breeds and ask about them. Do some online and even library research about those breeds. Find out if there is a breed-specific rescue in the area (we love aussies and you can get a rescued aussie puppy from a rescue and it will have some basic training and a full report on its temperement. you could probably find something similar for many other breeds). Petfinder.org is an awesome tool. You can search for puppies specifically and search by breed, so if you are not in a rush to get a dog today, you might well find a rescue that is just what you wanted.

Sorry, but $1500 may well be the price of a pet-quality puppy from a good breeder in the breed you are looking for. It varies by breed a lot. A healthy pet-quality aussie is about $400-$500, but a standard poodle is more like $2500! I think elbow problems and heart problems and eye problems are all common in the King Charles breed AND it isn't super-popular so there aren't as many of them. That makes breeding more expensive and therefore puppies more expensive. There may be other breeds that meet your family's needs that are much less expensive, so make sure you do your reasearch if you must have a well-bred purchased puppy!

2. Please don't have someone else train your dog. Find a program where your daughter can work with a trainer to train the dog. Training is more about training the owner than the dog. Look for positve reinforcement training, as it works better and is easier for a child to do well. Read "The Culture Clash" and "Don't Shoot the Dog" about training. Really awesome books to help with basic understanding of dog behavior and make sure you have realistic expectations and approach before the dog ever comes home, which can save you countless headaches and heartaches.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Don't get a herding breed for a first dog ever.

They're what we always get, and they're great dogs, but they are a LOT of work and require a LOT of stimulation if you don't want your furniture ruined. (I am not joking. Last week, the Border Collie mix chewed a hole in a rattan chest. I still do NOT know why. I presume she was bored and thought it was a good idea. She has a GSD, a full toy chest, a big backyard with a tree-alley in back full of interesting animals, run of the house and a nice little den that only she can fit into during the day to keep her occupied. . .I guess she just got bored. I think I need to start running her again - haven't done that in a couple weeks, so my fault entirely - and our BC mix is very low energy/only mildly neurotic for a BC!)

Border Collies are just very weird dogs. High enery, high neuroses, smarter than any dog has a right to be.

As for the rest - GSD's, Rough and Slick Collies and Aussies are the only ones I have experience with - they require an owner who respects their need to learn things, to give them a highly stimulating environment, and who will step up to the plate and be the master of the house. You have to give them a job or they WILL find a job, and it will likely NOT be a job you would want them to have. (This is actually why we got the BC mix. . .she was needy enough, neurotic enough and submissive enough that we figured she'd be a good job for the GSD, and it's worked beautifully! We call the BC mix our "dog's dog", because the GSD is responsible for her housetraining, her barking, her behavior when she's excited or scared, etc. BC is convinced that their jobs are to guard the house and GSD doesn't tell her the truth. )

Of course, our dogs are really low maintenance for what they are; if we ever got another BC, Assies or GSD and the dog was higher energy, I'm prepared to have to do more work, like running the dog 4 or 5 miles every day


So, unless you're prepared for that. . avoid herding dogs.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

And I seem to be double posting today. Hurray.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

So, unless you're prepared for that. . avoid herding dogs.

We currently have two GSDs and as a kid my family always had shelties. Herding dogs are another beast altogether. I LOL-ed at your statement that you got your BC for your GSD - we did the exact same thing with our second GSD. Adopted a submissive, neurotic, 6 year old female GSD to give our male GSD a "sense of responsibility". It worked brilliantly, and whenever our female GSD does something naughty while we're out (and she is the naughty one - our male GSD seems to have a strange pride in never doing anything wrong) our male GSD greets us at the door with a stressed, "I tried to stop her!" whine.

I also started endurance running when we adopted our first herding dog. Our male GSD can easily run 45-50 miles a week and still have enough energy for fetch. He's been going a bit nuts now that I'm in my third trimester and can't go as far or fast as I used to be able to.

Herding dogs are not a pet, but a way of life.

 

[samshane]

We are a mutt kind of family... we currently have a shepard mix and a corgi/pom mix (which has to be the cutest mix I have ever seen - he looks like a small corgi - about 22lbs - with a curled tail). The shepard mix was free as a puppy and the corgi mix was $5 at our city pound. We do have a chihuahua we got from a rescue and I do NOT recommend Chis for kids (I am sure there are Chis out there good with children - but on the whole I don't recommend it). Ours has attached himself to DD11.... and had a ton of "issues" (he had bee through 2 "forever" homes and 5 fosters by the time he was 3). He's been with us for 2 yrs now - and it has been a lot of work, but he is a million times better.

My mutts are fantastic dogs - the Shepard is super protective of the family. But Buddy, the corgi/pom, is just an awesome dog. He loves children, is friendly, well-behaved, and just an all-around great dog. He was found wandering the streets in Pensacola and we found him at a high kill city pound. Okay - I love them all, but I admit he's my favorite

I should note though - the mutts shed like crazy and the Chi barely sheds at all.

 

[Aisling]

deleted for personal reasons

 

[robinb]

Sorry, but $1500 may well be the price of a pet-quality puppy from a good breeder in the breed you are looking for. It varies by breed a lot. A healthy pet-quality aussie is about $400-$500, but a standard poodle is more like $2500! I think elbow problems and heart problems and eye problems are all common in the King Charles breed AND it isn't super-popular so there aren't as many of them. That makes breeding more expensive and therefore puppies more expensive.

I was going to say the same thing. We have a standard poodle and when we were looking for a puppy the price range for pet quality puppies was about $700-$2500. The $700 was from backyard breeders who churn out puppies and do no testing and care nothing for genetics and the $2500 was from breeders of quality dogs of rarer colors (chocolate brown, IIRC). Our puppy's price was in the middle and both her parents were thoroughly tested for genetic disorders (hips, eyes, SA, etc).

 

[goofy4tink]

The first thing I would do is find a local AKC sanctioned dog show and just wander around and see what breed appeals to you.

Different breeds are shown throughout the day, so you might want to check the schedule and see what time breeds you are interested in show.

Then ask questions of the breeders there. But quick hint - do not ask while they are waiting to go in the ring. Always wait until they are done showing. Most handlers and breeders will be willing to talk to you, but some are snippy. A dog show is a lot like the DIS. Most are willing to help, but some are cranky with newbies. Don't let it bother you. Just move on to another breeder.

You can find out about local shows by contacting a local all breed club. You can start by looking on the AKC site. Click on the Events Tab on the home page. Then click on "Events and Awards". Click on your state to find things that might interest you.

If you are interested in finding a good breeder, and that is the best way to find out about the breed, you can also use the www.akc.org site. Click on breeds, click on King Charles Cavalier Spaniel and then click on breed club. This will take you to the national breed club and you can go from there.

FWIW - I have always found that a puppy from a reputable breeder will cost you far less than a pet shop or backyard breeder. Reputable breeders are into it for bettering the breed and not for as much profit as possible. If you breed correctly, such as doing all the health screenings and all the prenatal care, it is pretty much impossible to make a profit off a litter.

Breed club rescues are great as is the previously mentioned Petfinder if you want to go the rescue route.

I would stay away from the designer dogs as these are usually two puppy mill / backyard breeder dogs being bred together for profit. No reputable breeder would allow their carefully researched and bred dog be used to create mutts for profit. So, they only place the designer dog breeders can get dogs without a spay/neuter contract is from a puppy mill. So, buying a designer dog is just really buying a puppy mill dog.

Good Luck in your search!

Thank-you for posting this!! You took the words right out of my mouth. The only way to find a reputable breeder is either through word of mouth or at a dog show. As soon as you see a 'breeder' who lists several breeds, you know you need to run away. Find a breeder who shows their dogs and you will find someone who will have a quality dog. They are breeding for the betterment of the breed...in most cases anyway. A good breeder will interview you as you are interviewing them. They will not allow their pups to go to any home that they do not feel will offer them a quality life.

I can't tell you how much this thread has helped. I am in such angst b/c I don't feel "qualified" to own a dog b/c I am clueless on dogs but you would not find anyone anywhere that is more willing to learn/do the right thing/investigate, etc. than my husband and I. We are serious pet owners! But this thread has really taken some of the mystery away.

For instance, I was on a site earlier today for King Charles Cavalier dogs and noticed price tags of $1500. Now I am guessing that is maybe that they are show dogs? Lord I hope so, I was hoping they weren't that much! That is Dd's top pick but I have printed out ALL info from this thread and will look up every breed recommended. We are open to anything as long as it isn't TOO ovewhelming. It took me 6 weeks to decide on a new car and I told DD it will take TIME and investigation to find the perfect type of dog for our family.

I feel EXCITED now b/c I now feel like I have a compass thanks to you guys...I don't mean to put a tag on a dog or animal in terms of cost - but in going to a breeder for a "pet" (i.e no show dog, etc) is it reasonable to expect to pay 500 or is the 1500 price more in line? I am not sure about that...

Thanks again for the help. Off to look up some information!

That price is not just for show dog quality...it is for the vast majority of the pups!!! You are paying for a quality dog..one who's parents have been checked for medical issues, one who has been treated like family as a pup. Sure, you can find a dog for a couple hundred in the newspaper...and they will say the dog is AKC....but you aren't getting the quality dog you think you are getting. That is going to be a backyard breeder. They aren't as bad as a petstore, but you have no sure way to know if the dog is going to be healthy.

Check out the various temperments with different breeds. Terriers are high strung and can get 'assertive'. I prefer a larger dog simply because they tend to be a bit more mellow. If you are hooked on a small dog, stay away from the working/herding dogs. They need to 'work' otherwise they get nudgy. Check out the various toy breeds. There was a site that asked you questions about your needs and then it gave you a bunch of breeds that would work for you. I'll try to find it for you..it is a very helpful site.

 

[Jane-in-PA]

I have to Shih Tzus!!! LOVE THEM! They are my boys. I work at home so I am with them 24/7 and whatever room I am in, they are right there with me. They are great. I would have more if I had the room, lol!! I have had then for 8 years and my girls were 4 and 6 when I got them. They are great with kids! I will never own another breed of dog! Good luck in your search.

Not speaking from first-hand experience (I have a cat), but I second this! My sister has a Shih Tzu and absolutely loves him! Her first one died at the old age of 15, and she missed him so much that she got another puppy last summer. He is so sweet and such a good dog. She clips his hair fairly short instead of the long coat you typically see on Shih Tzus, which I think makes him look even cuter! And best of all - he doesn't shed! He's also not a yippy-yappy hyper dog. As a cat lover, a Shih Tzu is the only breed that I would convert for!