My brother is going to get a puppy!

JES72

JES72

Location
SW London UK
This post is way too premature but I’m soo excited!
I had a long chat with him and he was asking lots of questions.
He’s not quite sure what breed yet, he said he’s going to find the right dog from the right family rather than a specific breed. He’ll even be considering a cross breed although Labradors are high on the list, along with golden retrievers, Vizla or Rottweiler.
Any top tips I can pass on?
 
Ashley

Ashley

If he’s choosing between breeds, a huge consideration are any grooming requirements- many people I know have chosen non shedding dogs without considering the cost of grooming ($100+ every couple of months) and brushing needs. Golden retrievers need to be brushed often (one of the reasons I ruled them out, but at some point in my life I would like one). Although labs shed, they dry off fairly easily whereas my friend with a labradoodle has to bathe off mud and it takes ages for him to dry completely. Tell him to chat to many breeders!
 
M

M.F.

If were to get a dog again, I’d get one I can pick up. When Snowie had back issues, there was nothing I could do to help him move. And now, I worry about him in old age—how will he get up the steps when he’s much older? And in and out of the car?

My friend has a morky (Maltese x yorkie). Lovely little dog. Goes everywhere in a bag, even into shops and places where no dogs are allowed—she sits quietly in the bag, not a peep from her. So easy. And just as loving as a big dog.
 
Oberon

Oberon

Location
Canberra, Australia
Exciting!

Vizslas are very high energy.

How much time and energy does your brother have for training, walking, grooming? Does he want a people oriented dog or a more independent soul (training would be harder but it might not follow you into the toilet 😁)?
 
MellowYellow

MellowYellow

Ashley said:
If he’s choosing between breeds, a huge consideration are any grooming requirements- many people I know have chosen non shedding dogs without considering the cost of grooming ($100+ every couple of months) and brushing needs. Golden retrievers need to be brushed often (one of the reasons I ruled them out, but at some point in my life I would like one). Although labs shed, they dry off fairly easily whereas my friend with a labradoodle has to bathe off mud and it takes ages for him to dry completely. Tell him to chat to many breeders!
Click to expand...
Oh my word yes - the three people I know well who have doodles spend ages and a fortune keeping their fur in order. Two of them have given up going to the groomer and do it themselves... with mixed results. Also they are CONTINUALLY cleaning them - my sister lives by the river and her lovely goldendoodle is always filthy and smelly. Always. Doesn't help that he is white... And friends who live down our road with a gorgeous labradoodle have to either put her in the shower after a walk, or pick ice out of the fur around her feet, or (horrors) pick endless ticks out of her fur. I kid you not - they stopped outside our gate to chat after a walk in the woods the other day, and while they were standing there they picked FIFTEEN ticks out of her fur. Shudder. Of course, I am jealous when Poppy is moulting and we have mounds of dog hair in the house... but no, I would never go for one of the doodle versions, despite their lovely natures (all of the doodles that I know have great temperaments); the grooming requirements are just too much for a lazy person like me. All we do is give the labs a quick toweling off when we get back from a walk, and a brush once a day when moulting.

If I were to look for a puppy, I think I would look for a labrador breeder with quite small dogs, where the parents don't have very thick fur, and I'd get a female. (Except of course I'd probably end up with another huge male lab like Merlin, who I love and adore). I'm also quite partial to jack russells... and border terriers get my vote. As you can tell, we talk about this quite a lot!

Rottweilers are actually much maligned dogs; if well-socialized they are lovely. But you do face a lot of prejudice and that could be quite unpleasant, especially for a first-time owner. Golden Retrievers are lovely dogs, a little more soft-natured than labs, but quite large.

So exciting!!!!!
 
Oberon

Oberon

Location
Canberra, Australia
This is an Australian site but it’s got an index of breeds and each entry has info about that breed. The content is written by breed clubs.

www.dogzonline.com.au

Dog Breeds - Dogz Online

Discover the perfect dog breeds At Dogz Online. Explore breed information, find reputable breeders, and browse puppies for sale.
www.dogzonline.com.au www.dogzonline.com.au
 
JES72

JES72

Location
SW London UK
Knowing my brother I think he'd prefer a medium to larger bread. We grew up with a mix of different types, mostly Airedales (who never got as much grooming as they needed) My brother's own dog as a young teenager was a staff cross, as soft as apple pie. Then as we were older my dad had stefoie the staff GSD cross and Bobby the cattle dog sheep dog cross. His wife had golden relievers growing up. I think they are aware of the shedding and grooming, and would probably go for the shedding rather than grooming option.
And then to put it this way, a dog that needs longer walks would probably be a good thing :wink: My brother is quite active but needs a reason to be active. They have two girls now aged six and four, so as a family I think they are ready and the girls are old enough to be involved and will become old enough to take on some responsibilities.

James's work has told them that they see working from home being their new normal so the dog will have my brother around and both sets of grandparents and dog walkers locally if necessary.

Are there any good articles about the positives on using a crate I can send him? He knows Homer has a crate but was asking about how that worked so giving him more in depth information may help him explain his reasoning.

And any good on line dog training websites too.
 
Atemas

Atemas

UK Tour Guide
Location
North Cambridgeshire
JES72 said:
And any good on line dog training websites too.
Click to expand...

Online Dog and Puppy Training | The Dog House Academy

thedoghouseacademy.com thedoghouseacademy.com

Shelly is the lady I went to for Red’s first puppy training. She now does it online. I do rate her although not done any of her online training as this came in last year cos of covid.

Puppy Training — First Class Dog Training

firstclassdogtraining.org firstclassdogtraining.org

I went to Lee for the scent work/trick training. He does puppy training and now an online worldwide package. He is very good.

I learnt loads from these two people
 
Emily_Babbelhund

Emily_Babbelhund

Mama Red HOT Pepper
Location
Regensburg, Germany
I love my Señor Carbon, but I'm pleased that your brother is looking at Rottweilers. With my admittedly limited experience (the aforementioned Señor Carbon is my first Labrador), Rottweilers are WAY WAY WAY WAY easier dogs to live with. Really the only downsides are public opinion/legal ramifications and shorter life expectancy, though that is true of all the giant breeds. BUT the legal thing is a big darn deal, and something to really understand before adopting a Rottie.

Of course it depends on the individual, but here is why I think they are easier than Labs or the other breeds you mentioned:
  • More chilled out and lower energy: you can take a very long walk with a Rottie, but they are also ok if you don't
  • Easier training: they aren't as fast learners as Labs and in fact (for me) this makes them easier to train and work with
  • They don't eat every bloody thing that looks like it may be even slightly edible: oh god, I really, really hate this about Carbon ( I love Carbon, hate this about him)
  • While socialisation is super, super important, training can be as much or as little as you want. Because they are herders/flock guardians, they generally want to stay with their flock (ie their person/family) so recall is just kind of part of the package, as is being happy just to hang out next to you. (I never fully appreciated this until I had Carbon! 😂)

Some other stuff:
  • They are clowns, especially the males
  • Not usually barkers - both of mine gave out a low growl as a warning that they thought something was up, but very rarely barked at anything
  • They are herders - if you have kids or a multi-person household, they will try to herd you together
  • Excellent visual deterrent - people will be less likely to mess with you, your house or your stuff
  • You will get attention - some bad (see below) - but also they are simply very striking dogs and the people who aren't afraid will stop you on the street to say how gorgeous your dog is. I got a lot of love (in addition to a lot of hate) with Brogan and Duncan from strangers, where it is very rare for someone to notice Carbon or say anything about him.

And some minuses:
  • Their reputation means that people may be afraid, cross the street to avoid you, or worse case scenario, yell at you or try to harm your dog
  • Prime target for theft (though in the UK the same is true of Labs)
  • Absolutely must avoid breeders who breed for Schutzhund work or a dog with a lot of drive - while Schutzhund is a legit dog sport, a family Rottie should be solid with low prey drive and these can be hard to find. Luckily the UK is one of the last places in Europe with any breeders still aiming for a well-rounded traditional Rottie.
  • Life span - 13 is ancient for a Rottie and many dogs (more prevalently males) die of cancer around the 7-9 year mark.
Finally, I wouldn't be me if I didn't make a plea for the BODEGUEROS! If he's looking at JRTs please please please look at Bods. There are so many who need rescuing - all ages and situations including puppies - and they are both fierce and funny terriers and the biggest love sponges of the dog world. If I could have a second dog, it would be a Bod in a heartbeat. Plus they are hearty and can live forever - I met ones in Spain who where 16-18 years old that you would think were at most 8. Really amazing little doggie dudes. 😁
 
Candy

Candy

Biscuit Tin Guardian
Location
West Yorkshire, UK
GGJ and I have recently made friends with two gorgeous female Rotties. Given Joy's natural caution around dogs who are bigger than her, she has trusted and befriended them really quickly. She frequently steals a ball from one of them, to no doggy reprimand whatsoever, just a kind of 'Ah well....there goes another ball, never mind ' sort of attitude. Dear sweet and misrepresented dogs indeed. :heart:
 
Emily_Babbelhund

Emily_Babbelhund

Mama Red HOT Pepper
Location
Regensburg, Germany
Selina27 said:
He really played to the gallery that boy!
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Heh, heh...very typical. Both Brogan and Duncan were enthusiastic people watchers and very aware of how those humans reacted to them. Whereas I'd call Carbon a "food watcher" and happily oblivious to most humans except as a source of food. BTW, I do realise that Carbon may be an "11" on the food motivation scale, even compared to the average Lab! :rolleyes:
 
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