Thinking of getting a puppy...

Rela

Wannabe Lean!!!
Can I pick some brains please?:)

We're thinking of getting a puppy, we adore Blue Merle Collies, Beagles, Weimeraners and Chocolate Labradors, so they are the breeds we would be looking at first providing our research beforehand say they're ok. We have 2 young girls who adore animals of any kind and know how to behave around them (MiL and Godmother both have dogs) but I myself have always had cats (we still have 3 but they treat the place is it if were a hotel and we hardly see them, they just come home to eat and get a bit of fuss then b*gger off again LOL).
I know a puppy will be mega work, I will have a smelly newspaper covered house no doubt for a good few months, but I used to hand-rear kittens so am used to all the intricacies involved in caring for wee animals.
I need specifics really about raising and training, and if anyone knows anything about the breeds mentioned I'd be really grateful too. My friend (childrens godmother) will help gladly but obviously I need to feel confident I know what I'm doing too.
Any and all info welcomed!
 
hello:)
how old are your girls? its good that your going into this with an open mind and knowing that there is alot of work envolved with having a dog.
a collie will be alot of work, if you have the time to put in everyday then thats ok but they really are a hard breed to own they need stimulation both mind and physical.also weims can be hard too, and all the breeds you like will need alot of walking everyday when they are older.do/will you have the time to be walking them for so long each day?

labs do make great family pets,all depending on how old you children are? with having a bigger dog they can get knocked over very easy.
your cats shouldnt be a problem because your getting your dog from a pup they will learn to get along with him/her.
i have experience with all the breeds you mentioned in both working and pet homes so ask away any questions you have about them:D
 
Oh fab thanks you for your reply! My girls are 4 and 2 but it wouldn't be until they were 5 and 3 as I want to make sure I'm off Uni to spend time with the pup and get training off to a good start. I go walking in a morning before breakfast anyway, and again for nursery runs, and again on an evening too plus it would get me out of the house at other times and we're lucky to have a huge park just 10 minute walk from our house so exercise wouldn't be a problem. I've been walking a friends Labradoodle for a while now to get used to dogs a bit (always had a bit of a fear of them after being chased by a jack russel as a toddler!) and I feel confident around them now which is a huge breakthrough for me!
The kids adore dogs so much and my husband has always had them growing up and says there is nothing like having a dog to grow up with and he really wants one for the family. I REALLY love Blue Merles and I think thats the way we'll go to be honest as hubby had collie's and loves them.
 
thats ok:)
thats good so your dog will have some great walks then.what training are you going to do if you get a collie? they really do need somthing to keep their mind active a good just isnt good enough for them,we have so many collies that come into my work that people just cannot handle having them as pets, its all come down to them not giving them enough mental stimualtion.whatever you do please dont buy your collie from a farm bred/working bred parents! even if only one of them is a working dog its a really bad idea! try go for show bred ones its ok even if you dont want to show them you will just have a slightly calmer dog.

what training do you want to do with your dog? i compete in obedience and working trials with my GSD and my brothers collies and i also compete in agility with my little chihuahua and 2 of my brothers collies.your pup really will need training right from the start so you will need to find good classes too.
oh and remember to only get your pup from health tested parents, collies need to have a good hip score and a CEA (eye) testing done.
heres a link to a great breeder whose dogs are just amazing! my next collie will 100% be off them!
Bryning Border Collies
 
Thank you (again! LOL). Will deff have a look at the link. We're about a ten minute drive from an RAF base and on a sunday there are dog training classes there all day ranging from pups training up to quite intense show training and agility stuff, my friend takes her Labradoodles and they have both got certificates, she's thinking of doing agility with the youngest because he is very smart so that would be no problem! Thanks for the tips again!
 
Getting my black lab puppy was the best thing thats happened to me, I'm up early, and don't keep still all day, am losing weight, getting fitter, and am loved unconditionally...couldnt ask for more could I!
 
they are a joy arent they, we got a choc lab puppy last year, he's 14 months now and a little monkey lol! what did you call him/her? x
 
Her name is Bronte-Snorus
( I love literature and she snores her chops off)
I've just been up the forest with her, were both shattered and clarted in mud - brilliant :D

What's yours called?
 
I just realised I'd said 'clarted' then, and no-one here in the Midlands understands it...I grew up in Hull.....I was about to apologise and then saw that you're in East Yorkshire, so I don't need to at all.
I was talking about 'ten-foots' the other day and not one person knew what I was on about lol
 
Rela if you've got a dog yet then please consider a rescue. We have a border collie that we got from a dog's home when he was 11 months.

They are often considering harder dogs to own because of their need for mental as well as physical stimulation like HevGsd said. As ours was 11 months we got to see what his personality was like. He's not quite as crazy as the other collie's I've had in the past (one of whom was a real handfull and took a lot of behavioural work).

You can get pure BC's from homes and there are plenty of unwanted ones. Do a search on Border collie rescue.

I take ours to agility which he loves and we do a lot of clicker training. We also have 4 cats and it can be hard with a BC as their natural instinct is to herd, which doesn't go down well with our male cat. The others just tell the dog off if he gets too much though.
 
Lol, yup I know what clarted means hehe, although I did have to ask what aten foot was (not from what you put, but someone mentioned one a few weeks ago and i was blank!) Im not far from Hull, bout half an hour ish, Im smack between Hull and York, which part of Hull did you live if you dont mind me asking? My OHs parents are from Willerby and Anlaby. Ours is called Bertie, he's asleep right now, (he often snores like a trooper too!) x
 
I have a little sausage dog, boo.. shes now just 6 months, but we were lucky to get her at 17 weeks and she was partially house trained and now .. she just lets us know when she needs to go in the garden and will hold it in untill she can go ( not anything i trained her to do- i think she has issues pooing outside the garden lol even on walks!) .. puppys are hard work but the joy is worth it all :)

go get one :D x
 
I'm from West Hull, County Road North, by The National pub, kind of off Anlaby Road. My Grandparents were from East Hull and West Hull. Now they're no longer alive, I kind of miss going up there to see them. Used to love going to Beverley and Spurn Head.

I wish Snorus had issues pooing!! She'll wait til she's out on a walk an do it in the most inappropriate places. I always bag it up, but it's embarrassing when it is on someones doorstep. Crazy hound :D

I've just given Snorus her first ever marrowbone - I had to travel 20 miles to the nearest butcher who keeps them for dogs - and she's making a delightful mess on the living room floor.....haven't heard a peep out of her for an hour now! only CRUNCH SLURP CRUNCH lol
 
Beverleys only bout 15 mins from me, my mum used to work there, lovely town. We've banned bert from having bones..... they dont agree with him!! x
 
Just come across this, Dogs are fab and if you are sure you want a collie then take the advice above good breeder/training/exercise etc but personally from what you've said i would've gone with a lab or something especially since its your first dog.
Don't get me wrong collies can make fab family pets too but with young children and cats coupled with the collies herding instincts and the fact its your first dog i think it may not be the best combination.
As i say if you've researched it and are sure its a breed compatible with your lifestyle and circumstances then good luck with finding a puppy i can't imagine not having a dog as i've always had them. Currently have a GSD who is a pain in the bum but so playful and affectionate can't help but love her to pieces, just acts the clown all the while guaranteed to put a smile on your face no matter what!
 
We took Snorus swimming today, in a local fishing pool (all the anglers were away for the day) she had a cracking time, couldn't get her out, wish I'd gone in too, bit of swimming would have been good for losing the pounds- I weighed in at Boots today, lost 4 lbs since Thursday! I'm having my first official weigh in with the doctor tomorrow, but at a different surgery on different scales, so if his scales don't match the ones i originaly got weighed in on, then I can show him my print outs from boots,,,,then he'll have to give me more Xenical - woo hoo ....and fingers crossed :D
 
We have had a springer spaniel for 12 years now shes a darling, and last year we got a little puppy, half springer spaniel, half jack russel. Hes very very intelligent and my little sister (shes 13) has him trained to do all these wee silly tricks (roll over, paw,dance,stay, etc etc )
It took a while to get him to stop nipping aswell, thats in his nature with the jack russel in him! hes very VERY active (bouncing off walls etc)
So after about 8 months now.... hes learnt every thing very well.. just one problem..
he refuses to pee outside! If hes out all day in his kennel he will save it up for when he gets in at night time to empty his bladder all over the kitchen floor lol!
lotsa work but very well worth it!!!!
 
English Springer Spaniels are great family dogs. Quite lively and boisterous if you don't train them but if your thinking of a pup then get him trained soon as. They are GORGEOUS puppiesssss. I have two and love them a bit too much :)
 
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