Dog advice please.

[di]

Hijack away Kirsty....no worries from me

Hilly,it's weird,I'm not that keen on the look of the pure bred Bedlingtons but mixed with whippet I think they're beautiful.
Another chap at the lottie has had them in the passed and he says the trick is to introduce them to chickens/cats etc from day one and they should soon understand they're not prey...although I don't think...know...I'd ever let it free range with the chooks regardless.
Cheers all for your input...I've still got to be brave and ask the landlord...they only live round the corner and their daughter goes to the same school as DD so don't think I'd be able to just kep it a secret
Fingers crossed for us.x

[Nicos]

Nicos...I've found several,so if she struggles finding any I can give you some numbers

Yes please- she'd love to have some more info!

I'll pm you!

ta!

[OverWyreGrower]

Sorry to hijack thread Di!!

OWG - its all these things that have to be taken into consideration which is why it won't happen for years. We are liklely to have Boo for at least another 4-5 and we won't get another dog straight away. Plenty of saving/research time.

I know... I love DDB's (and othe larger mastiff types) but the price of them terrifies me

[MrsC]

How exciting getting a new dog. My little dog Soo-Ki (Shih Tzu) is adorable and I'm so glad I got her now. It's been 5 years since I had my Yorkie put down and I always said I would never get another but it's not the same when you don't have one around the home. I like lots of different breeds but can only have non moulting dogs due to my son's allergies. Friends of mine who I bought her from have always bred Chocolate Labs and Staffies but reckon they won't go back to them and they adore the Shih Tzu breed. Soo-Ki is a bit of a nutter though, very entertaining!

[di]

I finally plucked up the courage to speak to our Landlords a couple or so weeks ago...their 'knee jerk reaction was no'...followed up with a grovelling letter assuring them that we'd not let the dog cause any damage to the property nor let it be a nuisance to neighbours.....got the letter of consent today!

Now for the search for the perfect pup.
We're not going to rush into getting the first one we find...although I think the kiddies are expecting to find the new addition to the family sat wagging it's tail to welcome them home tonight!

I still love the Bedlington/whippet cross and will try to hunt one down.
There was a Springer Spaniel pup being advertised which initially caught my eye...a family I nannied for years ago had one and it was a beautiful friendly dog but I've since read that they can suffer from a neurological thing which causes them to suddenly turn nasty for a few split seconds...not really what I want with the kiddies.

[Nicos]

Wooohoooo Di!!!
Fantastic news!

My daughter is thrilled to bits with her BT/W cross

...let us know how you get on!

[di]

I am really excited...after I spoke to them on the phone I'd resigned myself to the thought of no family dog ever...I even got so desperate as to look for another house but knew it would be stupid to throw away the stability we have here

But now I'm all nervous...I've never bought a dog...that was always my mum and dads responsibility.So I'm getting stuck into checking up on breeds/ailments and checks I should make.
I just got a call from a lady selling some cocker/springer spaniel crosses...I asked her about the rage syndrome and she said it only happens in the show bred ones and not working.

[kirsty b]

Yay, thats brilliant Di. Good luck finding the right pup for your family

[HeyWayne]

Reading this thread with much interest (and a little envy). I know exactly what you mean about the whole buying a dog for teh first time - I will be in the same boat too.

LW keeps saying things like "when we get a dog" and "are you going to take Hayden with you, or are you just going to turn up..."

Very prematurely excited, and our neighbours are definitely dog-sitters (folk turn up in th emorning to drop them off, and return later to collect).

Tick tock, tick tock.

Very excited for you Di - can't wait to see your new family member!

[OverWyreGrower]

.
I just got a call from a lady selling some cocker/springer spaniel crosses...I asked her about the rage syndrome and she said it only happens in the show bred ones and not working.

It tends to be Cocker Spaniels (not Springers) who have 'rage'...

Even if you're not buying a pure-breed, it's worth looking at the breed clubs etc for whatever cross you're buying, as they usually have info re specific health tests, common problems etc.

The Cocker Spaniel Club,Parent Club of the Breed in the UK

English Springer Spaniel Club

[jackie j]

My sister had a pure black cocker spaniel and the vet said it was schizo oh I cant spell it lol any way it used to turn very nasty when it got anything that was his. It then went for my niece who was 3ish at the time, they had it put down after that. They spent a lot of money trying to put the temper right, hormone treatment cost a lot of money.

[di]

Wayne...your time will come...are you waiting for the 'right time' or have you got a rough idea of when?
I felt sick and was in the worst mood when I thought the answer was going to be no...and we've spent the last week moaning about how rude they were to keep us waiting for an answer for so long...it would seem our answer machine doesn't work...apparently they left us a message last week

OWG,the 'Rage' thing is a bit scarey...apparently the most loving dog(mainly spaniel and like you say cocker but also Springer)can suddenly get a glazed look in it's eyes,turn nasty and then seconds later be back to normal.One report I read thinks it's a seizure.But having chatted to the lady earlier I think my mind is more at ease about it...she recomended if we want a spaniel to go for a working line and not show line as it's pretty much unheard of in the working ones....until now I didn't even know there was a difference...so much to learn and take in.

The other thing I can't believe is how 'in' mixed breeds are now...I always thought of them as Lovable mutts but some of the names...the poodle ones are best...cavapoo,Jackapoo(or Jackadoodle if you're American)...which are actually quite cute looking...schnoodle...also pretty cute...but the prices...they're often more expensive than the pure breeds.

Cheers Kirsty...the 'Sprocker' I found is all the way in Mildenhall...if we decided to go look we'll maybe pass you on the way home.

[jackie j]

The cutest breed I have seen recently is a Labradoodle its so teddy bear looking but the price omg well over £1000. My son has two Labradors one black 7 years old and a chocolate brown 18 months old, she is a nightmare but so lovely, she gets so excited when she sees you. He did pay over £650 for her though.

[HeyWayne]

Wayne...your time will come...are you waiting for the 'right time' or have you got a rough idea of when?

Well, LW's folks are aiming to move down saaf in March time of next year - so I'd guess sometime around then.

I can imagine how excited you must be - brilliant!

[di]

The Labradoodles are going for about £700 around here...but not only out of our price range also bigger than we want.
I'd like something about knee height...(not Wayne's knees).Andi and Daisy both love Jack Russels but I had a few bad experiences with them when I was little so not sure I'd be able to overlook that.(I know the saying 'there's no such thing as a bad dog' but experiences do count)