Dog Owners HELP!!!!!!!!?

Question

I am trying to get my wife a small puppy for xmas she is bugging me for one and I totally oppose it but I did have a 140 lb mastiff and well they are tooooooo much work so i figure ok a small dog = small poop so I am doing my research on what small dog is good for not just my wife but for my 2 daughters ages 4 and will be 1 month old Please help and you will be rewarded with 10 pts thanks

Answer 1

I've said it before, but this totally applies to your situation...please read carefully! There sure is some scary ignorant 'advice' on this site. It scares the crap out of me to see it and think that people may actually follow it.

For the love of God, do NOT get a dog right now. LORD NO, especially NOT a small puppy and ESPECIALLY NOT AT CHRISTMASTIME, the busiest time of the year!!

Please read this next part carefully, it couldn't be more true. Your baby daughter at almost one month of age and even your 4 year old are so young that they demand so much attention that now is NOT a good time to be able to devote the needed attention/training/care to a new dog or puppy when it needs it most. You will end up with a MUCH better behaved and better adjusted dog if you WAIT until you'll be able to devote the time/attention/money/training that you'll need to in order to have the kind of dog that you want for your family.

Also, babies make high squeaky noises, don't know any better than to pull sensitive ears and pinch hard, are not seen by dogs as alpha leaders to be respected (because of NATURE, not because the dogs are "bad", etc)...even the best breed of dog with children will growl/snap if the child physically hurts them, and who is to blame them? And the child doesn't know any better when that young.

Wait until your littlest girl is a few years old at least and can be taught how to properly treat the pet and has the capacity to know to be very gentle, etc. This will help keep her from bites that are not the dog's fault...again, any dog in pain will nip out of sheer instinct of trying to get away from the source of the pain.

When you DO get a dog, you will still need to always be present when child/dog are together. It is irresponsible to leave a child alone with a pet until the child is well old enough that you can trust their behavior together.

When you DO get a dog, again, for the love of God, do NOT listen to some of these morons and get a tiny or toy breed like a chihuahua, pom, maltese, shih tzu, etc. A growing child can accidentally slip, fall upon, drop things, etc., on top of these breeds and seriously hurt or kill them!!!! Go for a medium sized breed that is known for being laid back and calm.

DO NOT buy from a pet store...those overpriced dogs are crap...idiots buy from them not realizing that for a MUCH lower price than what they are paying for those puppy mill dogs, they could have bought a dog from a REAL breeder with a lifetime health guarantee that the breeder has worked for generations upon to breed out genetic health problems and a lifetime of support from the breeder and an agreement to take the dog back at ANY time during its life if you cannot care for it any longer for ANY REASON. You cannot, I repeat CANNOT find a reputable breeder in a newspaper ad, either...you need to search them out by going to the breed club of the breed you think you're interested in and have them refer you...those breeders have signed a code of ethics with their clubs and are going to know everything about that breed and then some, they'll answer any and all questions about the breed, and want to make sure that the right dog for you gets to you. For example...if you're interested in a samoyed, you go the the Samoyed Club of America website and email them for a list of breeders in your state. Do NOT go to a pet store nor to a newspaper, those are ignorant money making backyard breeders that just put two dogs together that are the same breed, technically anyway, and don't know nor usually care about the generations back of careful breeding necessary to ensure good temperaments and lack of genetic problems....hell....most of them don't even have any idea WHICH genetic problems are specific to their breed~!!! Just having a pup that is 'vet checked' means nothing except that the puppy was healthy on the day it saw the vet...it can't tell you if the dog is at a high risk of developing hip dysplasia or progressive renal atrophy in five years...that will cost you megabucks and tears....your breeder will know not to have used any dogs in their program that passed that on and will guarantee against it, and if the dog DOES develop it will make it right with you, but again, has taken WAAAAAY more precautions for years to make sure that it DOES NOT happen to you...way more precautions than anyone else.

Hope this helps!!

Answer 2

I agree with Peachy, wait until your girls are a little bit older so that they can understand how to handle a puppy. It really doesen't matter what sort of dog you get they are all hard work, some more than others. You still need to feed,walk and wash them.

Your family needs to ask itself, will we have the time to give the dog the attention it needs.

Both you and your wife should sit down and write out what you do in a day, and from there work out where a dog will fit into your routine.

Answer 3

First I want to say,if you have a mastiff its not a good idea to get a small dog. Second I have a pug that I bought when she was a puppy. My son is 4 and my daughter is 9 they could not live without her. They can be kinda naughy but if you are consistent with them they are a lot of fun,hope this helps. BTW, they get about 15 lbs full grown.

Answer 4

Bichons are great with kids but with two small ones, the grooming may be too much to do. ShizTsus, Maltese, and Papillions, Cocker Spaniels are friendly too but the grooming can be a lot of work. So I would say, stay away from the dogs with high maintenance coats.

An easy and smart breed with a short easy coat to take care of is a Boston Terrier. They are very smart and playful. You can teach them lots of tricks.

Corgi's are nice and are a bit bigger than a Boston Terrier.
They are happy go lucky dogs.

In my opinion, with two small children, a Yorkie or a poodle would not be a wise choice -- they are usually one person people and don't like any competition.

Answer 5

I would totally allow my dog to donate blood. One of my dogs had to have an emergency transfusion to save her life and if one of the vet techs at the vet hadn't offered up her dog that was already there, mine may have died because we didn't have time to go home and get our other dog. It's a great thing to do, it doesn't hurt the donor and it could very well save another dog's life. As long as care is taken to keep the donor comfortable, then why not? I wouldn't do it excessively, but here and there to help out, absolutely. Edit: To Sunny, you mentioned that it could bother your dog. I watched them take the blood from the donor before putting it in my dog and he was fine. They gave him a mild sedative and he just laid there calmly. They all stroked him and comforted him and afterward he just sat up like nothing had happened. He wasn't traumatized at all. If it were distressing for the individual dog, then that dog obviously isn't a candidate, but I think most dogs would do just fine.

Answer 6

I personally suggest either a Scottish Terrier aka a scottie or a West Highland Terrier aka a westie. These two breeds are great with kids of any age as well as with their owners. Also, most women love combing hair whether its theirs, their kids, and even small dogs. Regardless on what you decide, check out www.AKC.org for the definition of the perfect specimen. Also, check out www.dogbreedinfo.com and look under purebreeds and then under the name of any dog breed. This site is great because it gives descriptions, temperments, sizes, living space, etc. Oh yeah, one of the best things about the scottie or westie is the fact that they are quiet 90% of the time and only bark towards danger or intruders. They are great for this when young children are part of the equation.

Answer 7

Why not check out your local dogpound? They have many breeds to choose from. Recently I was looking for a small dog, as I have a small house. We ended up with an adorable pug mix. True its a mix, but you know what? Mixed, or mutts tend to be a bit smarter than purebreds...( i know all you akc people are going to disagree, but it has been proven). Plus its a chance to save a puppy from death, and will give you an awesome dog. These are dogs that have been thrown away, and need a chance to be loved, and show their love.

Answer 8

My answer to this question is ALWAYS a Pug. They are WONDERFUL family pets. They are the largest of the AKC Toy breeds and average from about 14 to 20 pounds. From the beginning of time they were bred to be companion animals owned strictly by the Royalty of China. They are sturdy, handsome and friendly. They love children and adults, get along with other pets and just love to be with you. They don't need allot of exercise and do great with a small yard or even as an apartment pet that only gets walks. They will play ball, romp with the kids, be a couch potato with you, whatever, as long as they get to be with you. I love the breed and have several. I recommend them to ANYONE looking for a small family dog. They have short hair but they do shed. They are not suitable to be an 24/7 outside dog as they can have some difficulty breathing in extremely hot and humid weather or frigid cold. I live in the Central U.S. where we have extremes in temps. My pugs do fine, I simply limit their time outside when we have those extreme temps.

But beware...Pugs are like tater chips...its hard to stop at just one. I have 5!

Good luck and Goddess Bless!

Answer 9

if you both work i would suggest getting an older dog, adoption is always a good idea because the dogs are usually potty trained and very appreciative. there are millions of animals that need homes, and a huge percentage of them are put down due to lack of funding and space. petfinder.com is a good site to find local rescue groups.puppies poop ALOT-on the floor! they need to be taken out about once an hour, especially small dogs=small bladder/small intestinal tract=cant hold it. they usually do temperment testing on dogs that are up for adoption, and can usually tell which ones would be good with kids. however if you have to time to devote to a puppy then you could raise it with your kids. some breeds to avoid with children are border collies, jack russell terriers,pekinese.chihuahas,dalmation, and chow mixes. all can be snappy if pushed. training your kids is a big issue, you have to teach them not to pull, pinch, poke the dog etc..and supervise them. small dogs need their teeth cleaned annually esp. when they get old. which cost about $150 and up. alot of breeds need to be groomed ever 4-6 weeks which usually costs about $40 each time. i would do alot of research before deciding. some dogs i would suggest with kids are standard poodles, beagle,bichon, amer. eskimo, pugs,golden retreiver. alot of dogs such as labs, goldens, terriers have alot of energy and need evercise regulary, whether its playing fetch, going on walks everyday etc...theres alot of things that need to be considered before deciding, heres a good website for temperment with kids:
http://dogbreedinfo.com/children.htm

Answer 10

I have found that pomerians are very good with children. Especially getting a puppy and are easy to house train and are most friendly and protective of the family than other dogs.