Well the time is drawing near.

When Daisy started to live with me, she was untrained, rude and generally uninterested.

Now, 2 weeks before she is due to move out of my place and in with her rightful owner. She is well behaved, polite and very human orientated. Not as much as id like but still, a big improvement. Shes not even eating dog food anymore but raw meaty bones.

IM not claiming to be some amazing dog guru, infact most of her success can be put down to the advice found on this forum but i am feeling pretty pleased with myself.

Anyway, onwards.

I like owning a dog and definately want my own once Daisy leaves. Dont really want a puppy but argh, will have to deal with it. I find i cant fully engadge with a dog untill about 1 year old....dont know why. Puppys just seem useless and stupid. ANYWAY !! Point being is that i am going to get my own soon.

I think ill most likely go with a Labrador as they seem to be the standard "first dog". My question to you guys is.

What kind of questions do i need to be asking the breeders i visit?
and
What kind of answers and i looking for ?

Are there any specific FAQ's that should be avoided in an attempt to try and seem a little more experienced and thus responsible than i actually am (having all of 2months dog ownership under my belt) ?

Is a male likely to be noticeably more difficult / stubbon to train or does it depend on the individual dog more than its sex ?

Am i stupid toying with the idea of getting a GSD instead ? It is of my understanding that GSD and Lab exercise requirements are much the same. Am i wrong ? I feel Daisy could do with just a tad more exercise than she gets but just a tad. So i think the exercise req's of a 14month lab is about my limit. I originally wanted a Collie but after research saw that this simply was not going to happen.

Are there any other breeds i am overlooking ? I LOVE the look of those Northern Inuit dogs but they look big and energetic beyond the point of them being left alone most of some days. (Does happen if work goes bad)

I found Daisy (Lab)....frustrating to train at times and so i would not really like a dog that is going to be much tougher to train in basic obedience. A little more maybe but i read that breeds such as Dalmations and Beagles are damn hard to train.....this is not for me, not just yet, i dont have the experience or patience yet.

A lab is about the biggest size dog i could handle aswell. I am not made of money atall and as a result do not have large places to live. It is one day my dream to actually live in a house. oooh to have stairs INSIDE the property. To not be able to see all your property by simply turning round in a circle in the hallway. Point being i live in small places.

So yea, advice on breeds and questions to ask breeders, things to look for, things to avoid would be much appreciated.

P.S - For you raw feeders out there. Assuming it would be absolutely free. Would u feel a computer programme that plotted out the best weekly menu for your dog based on desired nutrient level and variety of food would be useful. Would you use it ? Rely on it ? Trust it ?

If you cant be bothered to put in alot of walking and training then i wouldnt say a lab is your 'standard' dog (sorry if im wrong, just the impression i got).. just cause alot of people have them it doesnt mean that alot of them are happy and exersised enough...

If you dont like puppies.. dont get one, there are plenty of dogs out there that need to be rescued..

Have you thought about contacting various Breed Clubs of different Breeds and talking to Breeders of different breeds and asking about training,exercise requirements,how stubborn the breed can be,good breeders will give you a good honest opinion of their chosen breed and tell you the downside as well as the good side.

It's good to see that you are taking dog ownership responsibily and doing research and you know your limits with regard to exercise etc,so many people take on totally unsuitable breeds for their requirements then struggle and end up rehoming.

I will also admit I hate the puppy stage,they are extremely hard work,infact I had quite a shock not having pups for such a long time,Tyler was pretty easy as a puppy,my O/H must take alot of the credit as he did put an awful lot of time and effort in,but Meg she was the puppy from hell.

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YOU ARE NO LONGER MY FELLOW DJ

Lots of dogs looking for homes here - Dog Rescue Pages - UK rescue centre and shelter guide

Sorry I know I am picking out a very small part of a long post, but as a Dalmatian owner that sort of comment really pi$$es me off Dalmatians are not hard to train. They are extremely intellegent and learn things very easily. They just get bored extremely quickly and if not stimulated both in mind and physically they can become little buggers (like a lot of breeds) and find their own fun such as digging for australia or ripping your cushions to shreds .

Anyway, now I've got that off my chest I'll get off my soap box

You are doing the right thing and are being completely up front with your limits and what you are willing to do or not to do. Like other members have said, if a puppy is not for you try rehoming a rescue dog. On the what sex front, I have a boy and a girl and while both are fantastic the bitch is much calmer and more focused on me when it comes to training wheras my boy wants to gambole with his mates

Good luck, sounds like you had a great time with Daisy. Keep us posted on what you decide

Yes i have been to a few rescue places and never had much luck with them.

I have been denied for the following reasons:

Not the right time of year - RSPCA
Under the age of 25 - Waggy Tails
Does not live in a house - Waggy Tails
Had no previous experience with dogs - Waggy Tails
Mainly concreted garden - Dorset aniamal rescue group

* damn thing wont come off bold type *

Owned a hampster

So to be honest, if theyd rather kill them than give them to a home that is ready and willing to try then i dont want to help them out with a donation

Plus, girlfriends brother rescued a dog and it was lovely, untill the kid patted his legs for her to jump up...after we peeled it off of his face, he took it back.

Step-dad rescued one when i was a kid, that was fine unless anyone in a duffel coat walked by (alot more fashinable back then) then it went mental.

I just cant be doing with the worry of what its going to do to some random triggers we have never known about.

Secondly, by standard i mean, not the largest, not the smallest breed. Easy to train, easy with humans and kids, generally submissive ect ect. Not like some breeds that are similar but has one or two random things thrown in. Like i read with GSD, good to train, good with humans/kids BUT can get very protective over property or one specific owner. I know all dogs are capeable of this but it was stated as a trend in GSD's. By standard i meant the best of most worlds and the bad points are mediocre.

I also have no idea what kind of exersice a lab should get. I try my best. Shes out for 45mins MINIMUM at 7am recently that has included about 35mins of manic running about but if the wrong dogs are about she just cant come off the lead so its a brisk walk. Then 1hr at 6pm after eating at 5pm. Again, i try and keep this to mostly off lead, fetch and run about stuff but sometimes the parks company just doesnt permit. Another 20-30min walk at about 10-11pm. This is rarely off-lead as shes impossible to spot more than 5meters away after about 8pm and she doesnt always come back to us !!!

She goes to training classes once a week for 1.30hr and there is this GSD there that just loves her for some reason. She expends ALOT of energy playing with her for alot of the class i know its only once a week but im trying to make me sound responsible

On the weekends she get atleast 1 2-4hour walk in the New Forest. This includes all of about 5mins on the lead. We generally dont leave untill when you tell her to sit, she chooses to lay down on her side....then we know shes done =)

I personally dont think she is challenged mentally enough. Id love to get her trained on the whistle and get into herding/retrieving but the cheapest class i have found for that is £750 and theres no promise that she will be excellent at graduation...so do you get your money back ? Or some of it ? Yea right !

Once i can get her to recall properly then i want to get her into some outside scent games. She is ALWAYS sniffing things you never see her face on a walk and so i thought id put an eager nose to good use, all in good time.

As for the dalmation comment, i knew nothing about Dalmations, i believe i got that impression from one of your other posts where you stated that they were difficult to train because of thier intelligence causing them to question everything...sorry if i misunderstood.

I am more than willing to put the time in to train a dog and look after it, all i think the issue is at the moment is that i am inexperienced and thus get frustrated easy. I feel it is this frustration Daisy is feeling and is not respecting me as a calm assertive leader. Thats all, i just need to get betteer at talking to dogs.

So, what should i be asking these breeders

I would say you need to talk to breeders about your lifestyle, and whether or not their breed would fit into it. They'll want to know the kinds of things you've mentioned here - ie what kind of experience you have with dogs, the kind of house and garden space you have, how long (if at all) you are out at work, the number of people in your family, whether or not there are children around, whether or not you have any other animals. They'll also want to know what your plans are for the dog - ie is it going to be just a pet, or are you wanting to show the dog, or work the dog (for example sheep dog trials). They'll want to know if you intend to breed from the dog and, if you do, whether or not you have any experience in this. With all this info, the breeders can then help you to decide whether or not their breed is right for you.

ok, done some research on other dogs.

Whippets - seem cool. Nice dogs but i really dont like the skinny build they hold

Beagles - A little to independant for my liking, i think id have real issues gaining respect / interest from it...

English / Manchester Terrier - Just too damn small !

Basenji - Looks brilliant !!! Apparently have horrible noise making habits and do NOT do well if left alone alot. Anyone own one of these ?

Had a look at a few other breeds and really, the only thing that struck me is im too picky !!! I dont think thats a bad thing to be honest, just inconvenient. My question to you is, where do all the cross-breed / mongrel breeders hide out ? I do some google searches, ask vets but no one seems to give two hoots if they are not purebred. I know that pedigree breeding is ultimately going to pull in more £££ but seriously, do i HAVE to get a pedigree if i dont want one from a shelter ?

Ideally id like the build of a Basenji, temprement of a whippet. Just something thats not too small and dinky. But not really stand anymore than 2ft off the ground when grown.

*sigh* - Maybe a fat whippet

I own ckc and a sbt carnt realy help you

why not ring a few breeders up and ask them what the dogs like also do reserch on health checks and you could go a show and speak to people that own and know the breed well

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