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Dogs

Suffolk Tony said:
You've not met ours yet. Borders are great dogs, quite feisty and full of character. We encounter loads of them when we're at our second home in the Lake District, and I've yet to meet one that's "Nasty, Snarly, and aggressive towards other dogs". We've a black lab also, which the Border gets on very well with. Highly recommended as a pet.
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Suffolk Tony said:
You've not met ours yet. Borders are great dogs, quite feisty and full of character. We encounter loads of them when we're at our second home in the Lake District, and I've yet to meet one that's "Nasty, Snarly, and aggressive towards other dogs". We've a black lab also, which the Border gets on very well with. Highly recommended as a pet.
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Right. So I’m imagining it that virtually every one I’ve ever encountered fits that description. I’m also imagining it when I read that in the breed temperament info. I suggest you google ‘border terrier aggressive towards other dogs’ and read some of the tales of woe.

Yours might be lovely. My experience is they’re almost universally nasty towards other dogs. As a lifelong dog owner and dog lover I have no agenda here. Just basing my comments on evidence and experience.
 
mandryka said:
I’d love to have a dog, and I could offer it a large secure garden, lots of walks, lots of love etc.

The problem is that it would need to be alone for about 6 or 7 hours for one day a week. And for 3 or 4 hours for another couple of days. I could afford some doggy daycare but I don’t want to have to rely on it. I’ve always assumed that that was a deal breaker.

Anyway I’d thought I’d post here just in case it wasn’t a deal breaker. Would a rehomed mature dog be happy with that regime?
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I really don’t think it’s a deal breaker at all. Our black lab is left for around 5-6 hours a day on many weekdays when mrs P-T and I are both at work. We chose Labradors as their solid temperament means they aren’t upset by this. We have dog walkers visit twice a week (£12 per day) to take her for a couple of hours each time with her buddies; and I try to work from home one day a week, with varying success - there is no evidence the dog, see avatar, is upset on the days neither of these things happens. She seems to kip quite contentedly for much of it, AFAICT.

I really don’t think it’s a problem, dogs get used to routines. If you want a dog, as long as you don’t get a highly strung or needy breed, I think you’d be absolutely fine. Especially as you seem to have some outdoor space they can use too.
 
mandryka said:
I’d love to have a dog, and I could offer it a large secure garden, lots of walks, lots of love etc.

The problem is that it would need to be alone for about 6 or 7 hours for one day a week. And for 3 or 4 hours for another couple of days. I could afford some doggy daycare but I don’t want to have to rely on it. I’ve always assumed that that was a deal breaker.

Anyway I’d thought I’d post here just in case it wasn’t a deal breaker. Would a rehomed mature dog be happy with that regime?
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richgilb said:
I really do not see how a large outdoor area with a kennel for day-time snoozes and some water is a problem with those hours you say you'd be apart. Unless it barks all day long. I'd get the dog. Particularly if you don't like your neighbours.
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I agree with Rich. The dog will see you in the morning, then it will just toss it off all day until you return. If it's reasonably well adjusted, and especially if it has an outdoor area where it can potter about, obviously access to water, it will be fine. When I was a kid we had a family dog who was left alone all day, she just went to sleep after we had left for work and school. 2 days a week the cleaner would come round, so there was something going on then and ISTR that the dog was put in the garden while the cleaner was going round, but other than that the dog just lounged about and went to sleep. This is easier for an older dog than a puppy, obviously.
 
HairyHaggis said:
watch where you place your feet, more like. i'm just back from my lunchtime amble, along what have quaintly become known as dogsh1t avenue and dogsh1t boulevard. i saw this thread before i popped out and made a mental note.

sooo... 5 landmines and 3 xmas decs. not bad, pretty much a typical day. and let's not forget the owners hurling balls for rover and fido to fetch, into the public drinking water supply, underneath the signs that read "please keep the muts nuts out of the drinking water", or words to that effect.i suppose i should be grateful that it's not humans that are defecating all over the place.

lovely :)

lolz
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Do you mean a reservoir or are in you some weird place that gets it drinking water untreated from a communal trough?
 
mandryka said:
I’d love to have a dog, and I could offer it a large secure garden, lots of walks, lots of love etc.

The problem is that it would need to be alone for about 6 or 7 hours for one day a week. And for 3 or 4 hours for another couple of days. I could afford some doggy daycare but I don’t want to have to rely on it. I’ve always assumed that that was a deal breaker.

Anyway I’d thought I’d post here just in case it wasn’t a deal breaker. Would a rehomed mature dog be happy with that regime?
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Some dogs suffer terribly from separation anxiety. Our current dog does. Despite us being retired and at home all the time and her coming on holiday with us for most holidays she tries to hide if we go out, to avoid being left in the kitchen. If she can she runs out and hides under the car or into the garden and hides in the most inaccessible part. We have tried all the recommended strategies but to no avail. Chris Packham’s dogs exhibited separation anxiety when he left the house so set up CCTV in his house to observe his dogs when he left and was so upset by their behaviour that he vowed never to leave them on their own again.

So it can be a factor.

Personally the hours you are describing wouldn’t be a deal breaker for me but be aware there could be behavioural issues with some dogs.
 
HarryB said:
Right. So I’m imagining it that virtually every one I’ve ever encountered fits that description. I’m also imagining it when I read that in the breed temperament info. I suggest you google ‘border terrier aggressive towards other dogs’ and read some of the tales of woe.

Yours might be lovely. My experience is they’re almost universally nasty towards other dogs. As a lifelong dog owner and dog lover I have no agenda here. Just basing my comments on evidence and experience.
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Rubbish.
https://www.pets4homes.co.uk/pet-advice/is-the-border-terrier-a-good-choice-of-pet.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_Terrier

Any dog, no matter what the breed, can be aggressive if it's not treated well, as I'm sure you know, but aggression's not in their character. Our current Border comes from a neighbour who's been a breeder of Borders all his life, and a very good friend, so I'm pretty familiar with the breed. There are loads in the Lake District, we meet them every day we're there. As I previously posted, they're great pets.
 
richgilb said:
We are in the process of choosing a medium-sized dog.

In the shortlist are:
1. Jack Russel
2. Whippet
3. Mutt from dog home
Posh breeds, trendy mixed breeds are all out.
Any other cheapish dog we should consider, please? Retired greyhounds are too big.
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Westie maybe ? We've had two, a bitch - now gone at aged 9, but the other chap still pottering about aged 14. Small enough to fit in the footwell of a car, good traveller, and well socialised with humans. Big difference in the characters of the two - the bitch could have bought and sold the dog, but he is much more affectionate towards humans (or 'needy' as my eldest son puts it). Temperament - imho - seems to vary almost as much across individual dogs within a litter or breed as it does across breeds as a whole.

In terms of cost btw - if you're going to keep one for 10 years or so, you'll probably spend multiples of the initial outlay on food/vets bills over the years. I think it's well worth spending a bit more time and effort - and money if needs be - on making sure to get the right mutt up front, as you're going to live with him/her for a big enough part of your life.
 
HarryB said:
So, you didn't Google search.
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Sorry about that, didn't realise we weren't allowed to.

Perhaps Borders just don't like you Harry, and the merest glimpse of you approaching antagonises them? Here's a border, savagely attacking and mercilessly mauling a well-known fellow pfm member -
tonyamparchie-1.jpg
 
Well this it how it goes
agree with partner or etc to 'think' about a dog.
find the next morning 72 dog items purchased on amazon.
sigh.
make up a long list of research on 'suitable' dogs and agree it...
refine list and set in concrete.
visit local dogs home and enquire about suitable mutts...
meanwhile, partner can be seen kneeling in front of random dog cage making gooey noises...
Point out to partner that tall, thin, short haired, bouncy and slightly insane were not on your shortlist...
be told 'he/she 'looked' at me...
sigh.
walk away with a dog you'll come to love anyway.

Top stuff...well done in advance.
 
Mongrel , i was 12 i convinced my parents that my mate at school had pedigree sheltie puppies , i chose one called pippa . Lived to the grand old age of 16 , only bit my cousin on the face because he was teasing her. My mothe has moles on her legs which pippa thought were flies so used to lunge at her legs. Also once we were all in front room eating our tea and the phone wrong, dad got up to answer and placed his plate on a pouffe, pippa thought well its mine now and started eating it. We did laugh heartilly.
 
We have been chain smoking German Shepherds with the odd Collie in the mix for over thirty years but now the missis isn't so well we needed a dog that made less of a mess and demanded less of our time and fitness. The GSD will always be our only 'proper dog'.

However we have now got Islay an Australian Labradoodle (5 breeds- google it) and bloody expensive! However she is hyper allergenic and dead clean so the house has never been cleaner and for the first time in out lives the dog is on the furniture, bed etc. But the big thing is her levels of affection and fun, what a thing!

So in your shoes I'd get a rescue or one of these. The only downside is you really need a pro-groomer every couple of months.

http://www.burnbrae-australianlabradoodles.co.uk/index.html
 
MVV said:
...an Australian Labradoodle (5 breeds- google it) and bloody expensive!
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Lovely dogs but I have never understood why people part with silly money for what a couple of years ago would have been considered a mutt.
 
Sister has a JR, I didn't care much for them as a breed until she got this one, it's slightly longer in the leg and a bit leaner than regular JRs so I'm not sure if it's a Parsons but she's a right character, cracking dog even if she won't tolerate other dogs and is a nightmare to walk. Around the house and garden she's brilliant.
 
MVV said:
We have been chain smoking German Shepherds with the odd Collie in the mix for over thirty years but now the missis isn't so well we needed a dog that made less of a mess and demanded less of our time and fitness. The GSD will always be our only 'proper dog'.

However we have now got Islay an Australian Labradoodle (5 breeds- google it) and bloody expensive! However she is hyper allergenic and dead clean so the house has never been cleaner and for the first time in out lives the dog is on the furniture, bed etc. But the big thing is her levels of affection and fun, what a thing!

So in your shoes I'd get a rescue or one of these. The only downside is you really need a pro-groomer every couple of months.

http://www.burnbrae-australianlabradoodles.co.uk/index.html
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Fabulous dogs. I saw my first one this year and was besotted.
 
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