[xxbailliexx]

ok we have baillie our 10 month old staffie.

now i have a 10 year old (in september) daughter who loves baillie to bits but she is too young and skinny to hold the lead on walks and such. myself and hubby have been talking about getting another dog when baillie is fully settled (only had her 4 weeks) and when she's been spayed also as she has just started her 1st season.
now my daughter has asked if we are going to get another dog can she have a small dog as in yorkie/lhasa apso kind of breed/size and when she is at home she will train /feed etc. (obviously i would be main carer as i am the one at home but she will feed before and after school and walk the dog with me/husband when we are walking baillie.(obviously outside school hours)

we are thinking maybe next year for another dog so my daughter will be nearly 11. she is a very mature girl for her age and is dog daft lol at present she feeds baillie helps train her and plays with her but wants a smaller dog of her own. so here goes i need truthfull opinions good and bad what do you guys honestly think, will she be too young? do yous see any problems with her request? as i've said i will be main carer as i'm here all day.
thanks for reading x

 

[Emmily]

I think that would be a nice idea, if Ballie gets on okay with other dogs. Seeing a small breed out with a Staffie may even make owners of small breeds (like myself) feel more comfortable about Staffies...

And like you say, you will be the main carer so I don't see a problem with the new dogs being your daughters. :thumbup:

(Can't contine, bad time on my part, gotta run, late for work :lol

 

[Sam1309]

personally i think it is a great idea

it will give your daughter responsibilty which at her age she will very soon crave.....

she could be doing worse things than looking after a dog and training it, such as out with young boys.......

why don't you see if when you get a pup you can encourage your daughter to take it too training classes, or aglilty etc etc


or in the mean time, she has to earn the dog, ie wash up dishes for £1 towards the doggy pot

 

[xxbailliexx]

thanks for the replies

sam1309 i was'nt sure if there was things like agility for kids (well kids and dogs lol) it is something she mentioned she would love to do although not too sure if a small breed would be suitable then? i will defo look into seeing if there is something for her,she'd love that.

she allready has most of the money saved for her dog (pocket money and some money from x-mas and birthday) :scared: she has been saving for the last year poor soul she is sooo determined to have one just so happened we spotted the ad for baillie and could'nt risk someone else having her and possibly using her to breed from as she had'nt been spayed.

Emmily baillie is really good with other dogs and she has made a really good friend in an old rottweiller who lives behind us.

thanks again for replying xx

 

[Sam1309]

i'm sure if you ring around and expain and offer to accompany your daughter then someone will give you a chance. being honest, i'd like to think these clubs encourage new blood and someone who will bring life and bubblyness to the club

 

[Horse and Hound]

sam1309 i was'nt sure if there was things like agility for kids (well kids and dogs lol) it is something she mentioned she would love to do although not too sure if a small breed would be suitable then?

I don't know about anyone else but have you thought some sort of Terrier? Maybe a jack russell, westie or fox? They are not tiny breeds but they are big enough to do agility with, the dogs at our yard have been doing displays when we have horse shows for ages, and I'll be (hopefully) training Rupert to do the same when he is old enough.

They are not too strong for a young girl to handle either, and would probably be a similar size, height wise, to a staffy.

 

[kaisa624]

Get her to look into the YKC. They have activity weekends about 3 times a year, and teaches handling, agility, obedience etc.

Small dogs can do agility but I wouldn't be inclined to go for a very small dog if she wants to do that. My cavvie loves agility, she's not old enough for it, but we allow her to jump over like 5cm jumps and weave poles at the moment.

 

[xxbailliexx]

hi and thanks for the input everyone

Kaisa624 i would love her to get something like a ckc obviously would have to look into the breed as i dont know much about them but they are gorgeous there are quite a few puppy training classes here to start off with so i'm going to ask if they would allow my daughter to do the classes with a pup (with me there)

i want to make sure whatever breed we get is healthy and dont want to rush into anything. i'm trying not to look at puppy ads at the minute cause they're all so cute. also trying not to look at rescues because i feel quite guilty at the thought of buying a pup when so many are in rescue and if was another dog for me i would'nt hesitate but as my daughter will be doing the majority of the work i would really like to know what size it'll grow to and that they're healthy if you know what i mean

 

[JSR]

Personally I'd avoid another terrier type, get her a breed you pretty much know is chilled out and usually non dog aggressive. All 6 of my dogs are terrier of some type or other and none are suitable dogs for children to handle. I wouldn't allow a child of 10 to hold their leads, even if I was around because terriers are bred for a job and often their natures will reflect this and they can be reactive and unpredictable. If she wants a puppy a cav or something along those lines, or I'd recommend a slightly older rescue that has been full assessed as suitable for a young child and has a proven gentle quiet nature. :thumbup:

 

[xxbailliexx]

thanks JSR thats the reason we dont allow her to hold baillies lead as she's far to strong. i've had a quick (and i mean quick lol) look at the ckc they are lovely but i'm slightly concerened at all the health problems associated with them although we would have insurance for the pup.also would make sure we went to a breeder who health tested.

we did say we would rescue another dog when baillie had settled in properly and now she has started her 1st season so will have to wait anyway untill she gets spayed at least. i really feel for all those poor dogs in rescue but although baillie is good with other dogs i was'nt to sure if she would accept maybe an older dog coming into the house.

as i said it will be a while as we have only had baillie a short time but our lives have changed soo much since getting her we know this house is going to end up with AT LEAST 1 more dog!! hubby says 1 more but he's at work all day so its mostly down to me so if i say 3 more then there will be 3 more :thumbup: and i know he'd never make me get rid if they're allready in the house

thanks again for all advice

 

[kaisa624]

You should be allowed to take your daughter to puppy classes. We sometimes take our niece who's five, all we let her do is tell Holly to sit, but she likes it. Your 10, almost 11 year old would be able to do more. Yes, CKCS have a lot of health issues, but providing you go to a decent breeder and take out insurance it's all good. You find a few in rescue. If you want a certain breed, then go to a breed rescue centre