Advice needed - dog novice

Hi!

I find myself posting here after years of my other half pestering me about owning a dog. She grew up with labradors and had a border colly herself for a few years. Myself, I've never owned a dog and had a frightening experience as a young lad of my friends dog suddenly showing aggression and chasing me. That put me off dogs completely but my other halfs parents have a lovely labrador that always comes to me for fuss and I'm in my 30's now so plenty of time has passed and I feel much more at ease around dogs to the point of where I would secretly like one myself. I guess that's the real reason I've ended up here rather than the constant "no we can't have a dog" replies to my other half.

I'm the sensible one of the 2 of us so I want to do my research into whether we a) have the time and space required and b) can afford to keep a dog.

So, I'll start with some info.

We live in private rent (long term). I spoke to our landlord this morning and he's quite happy for us to have a dog provided we put right any damage it may cause to the house.

The garden isn't huge by any means and I've reduced it by digging a pond and building an outdoor tortoise enclosure. What's left is some grass, a large decking area, a paved path to the gate at the back and front of the house and some borders with plants and shrubs in. The garden is fenced off with your standard 6'? high fencing and 5'5" down the side of the house. The pond is for wildlife and the deepest part is 18". both front and back gates can be bolted but the back is usually left unbolted for delivery men.

We live in a 3 bed ex council semi with open plan lounge / dining area downstairs covering front to back of the house which makes a good sized room. A few of the neighbours have dogs but the side we are attached to do not but we do get on very well with them.

We have 2 kids, aged 10 and 12. My partner is disabled and I stay home full time to care for her so we are home practically all day long which means giving a dog attention or walking it would not be an issue. We've got various parks and playing fields very close by for exercise.

We do have a house cat that gets on with my inlaws labrador when they bring it over. We also have various other pets but all are caged up aside from a raised indoor turtle pond in the lounge/dining area.

Aside from the cost of buying the dog itself I am unsure of what other costs are involved. The vet we use for our cat offers plans that are paid for monthly and cover illness, vaccinations etc so I can look into a quote from them to cover that side of things for a dog. We already have the cat on one of their plans.

I guess we would primarily be looking at a labrador puppy but open to other breeds.

So what do people think and can you offer me any advice? I'm not going to agree to a dog without having weighed everything up. I know how much of a commitment owning a dog is, I watch enough of those animal rescue programmes on discovery!

Hello Simon, and welcome to Dogsey.

You do sound like an ideal couple for a dog.

However, a labrador puppy will require untold amounts of attention, morning, noon and yes at night too, although the use of a crate may help during the dark hours....

Have you considered a rescue dog rather than a puppy?

There are so many dogs waiting for loving homes, through no fault of their own, it seems to me that it's a shame to buy when others die.....

You may also be able to get a young dog that is already used to cats, be housetrained, be past the chewing stage.

Rescue dogs have so much to offer, I do hope you will consider thie suggestion.

Good luck!

Welcome to the forum and well done on putting so much thought into getting a dog. Sadly too many people just decide they want a dog then go get one before really thinking it through.

I agree with Vicki that you sound like a lovely home for a dog, the kids are old enough that they will be able to join in on the day to day care/training of the dog and it will make a real change to all your lives.

A few points:

- Get it in writing that you can have a dog, dont just trust a verbal agreement

- If you are looking at a larger/heavy breed then look into pet insurence (sp?) as everything costs more with a bigger dog!

- Make sure a puppy is from health tested parents esp a Lab but again as Vicki has said a rescue is a great place to look as well. Dogs blog have many dogs looking for new homes from across the UK and you can select a breed.

Where abouts in the westmidlands are you?

Welcome to Dogsey

Just a few things for you to consider.
- How much exercise each day are you able/prepared to give a dog?
- How much grooming are you prepared to do?

I've got a 10 month old Labrador and he is bloody hard work in some ways. He picks up anything and everything he can get in his mouth. He has endless amounts of energy and is highly intelligent which leads him to find ways of entertaining himself. Usually by doing things I would much prefer he didn't do! He's also highly destructive, apparently a breed trait. And oh my god, the hair! I've had dogs before and know they shed but Spencer is something else entirely!

I wouldn't let a fairly small garden put you off, I live in a flat with no garden and Spencer is fine with that. As long as the dogs needs are met it's probably not going to care whether you live in a one room shack or a 20 bedroom mansion.

As for costs, the initial outlay is a fair bit but after that it's not so much if you don't constantly buy new things. Food, toys, treats and insurance are the main monthly things for me. £30 a month insurance, about the same for a good quality food, around £20 a month on toys and barely anything on treats as I tend to use things I have in for myself anyway.

Thank you for the replies.

In answer to a few questions.

We're in Cannock, Staffordshire.

We would consider a rescue dog but I know rescues are more picky on who the dog goes to, which I can understand. I had a look at the RSPCA form for taking on a dog and they want garden measurements and want to know whether you own your own home etc all of which would go against us I'm sure. Not sure how much info other rescues want before deciding but yes a rescue dog would be perfectly fine.

If we did go for puppy age we'd be looking for one with some sort of toilet training already.

I would have to be the one to provide the exercise which I'm fine with. I could do with getting out a bit more and losing some weight. I realise this means that come rain or shine I would still be going out. The advantage of being at home most of the time is that I could pop out for walks at various time of the day.

I have no experience of grooming so I don't know what's involved?

I've experienced labrador hair. Whenever the inlaws bring their labrador over it leaves black hair everywhere but our cat is a long haired and that leaves white hair everywhere so something we're unfortunately used to. The first time I woke up in the night with cat hair up my nose and in my mouth I wasn't impressed but it's something you get used to

There was a recent thread on here about how much people's dogs cost them per month..I'll have a look when I get home. Just as a rough idea (and mine was one of the cheaper ones as she only weighs 13kg and I'm a tight shopper!)
£21 insurance per month
£9 food p/m
£1 worming p/m
£5-8 treats and chews p/m
£4 vaccinations p/m
Miscellaneous £5-20 - this includes training, books, toys etc.
Plus any extra vet fees below claiming cost.

Initial outlay is always pretty costly although I'm sure careful shopping could bring it down - for me;
£550 dog
£80 crate and play pen
£70 training classes
£30 collars and leads
£70 various toys
£30 bed
£130 spay
£50 vaccinations


Puppies are incredibly demanding and hard work. I am currently house sitting for a 6month old gsd and it is tiring!
Labradors are energetic and although generally biddable they do have loads of energy which needs channeling in to acceptable things to do.
Having said this you sound like you are putting loads of thought in to it, and have the necessary time to train a pup. Patience and persistence is key with puppies

Have a read of the culture clash by jean Donaldson, this is a great book and will give you valuable info on how to get things right from the start.

Also if possible attend an event such as a show (shame you missed crusts). They are a great chance to meet breeds and chat to owners and you may see dogs you hadn't considered before.

Costs depend on the size of dog you buy. For example, Sarah pays out £30 a month to feed her Lab, I pay around £14 a month for my Border Terrier (fed on Butchers Tripe) . Other costs also tend to reduce for the smaller dog.

One cost that I would advise to factor in is the price of a good training class as it appears you would be the main carer and you have little experience. A bit of guidance can help you to overcome and avoid many problems that may otherwise arise.

It's going to be a big commitment for you as you already care for you wife and her needs. If you feel you can also commit the time needed to having a dog share your lives - go for it. It is so rewarding, but only if you really want the dog and that you won't resent the time you need to spend with it

Good luck in making your decision - whatever that may be

I'm afraid I have little time for the RSPCA for a variety of reasons.

You will find your local rescue centres much more amenable.... give them a try

I also wouldn't be put off by the RSPCA form. They will probably want an assurance that you're landlord is ok with you having a dog and that you are prepared to exercise the dog outside the garden if the garden is small, but most reputable rescues will want to know that sort of thing. It's nothing to worry about.

Hello

Labs are usually easy laid back adults, however they can be testing as puppies. They can be mouthy, bouncy, destructive and have a lot of energy until they grow up. Living in rented accommodation would worry me a little and you might have to prepare for a bit of damage, although this can obviously be minimized through your vigilance. It sounds like you have a good landlord though which helps massively.

Getting the right puppy is important with Labs. Most families (especially if it is their first time dog) probably don't want a full on working bred Labrador as they are usually a bit more lively than their show type counterparts. So it might be worth looking at the show types first and foremost, or even a dog that is a mix of the two types (working x show). Both the sire and dam of the puppies should be hip and elbowed scored and have a yearly eye test as a bare minimum.

With regards to your garden pond, you would probably have to block it off from a Lab pup because they love to swim. The wildlife in the pond won't love your Lab, though...

As for costs, the pup itself will probably set you back roughly £500-600 depending on lines and whereabouts in the country you are.

Insurance: roughly £20 a month which will slowly increase with age.

Food: £20-50 a month.

Yearly preventative treatments: £50-80.

Other stuff (treats, bones, toys, beds, etc.): £100 a year?

One off stuff (crates, dog guards for cars, bowls, etc.): £200?

So I guess you'd be looking at roughly £500 a year for a Lab.