Help!....My son wants a dog!

[furbabymum]

I would have to agree with you on this. I worked for years as a vet tech during the Cocker Spaniel fad, when every other client had one, and it was the one breed of dog I could count on to snap when we tried to handle it. At our clinic, we had an unwritten policy that all Cocker Spaniels were muzzled before we handled them, to avoid injury to the staff. There was the occasional nice one but most were a nightmare. I do think it had a lot to do with poor breeding though. Because they were SUCH a popular breed at the time, there was no consideration given to breeding for the best traits, and instead anyone with a female would pair it with any male they could find, just to reap the economic benefits.

They were also breeding for head size weren't they? Smaller heads that weren't quite big enough for their brains. I dunno, saw it on animal planet once. lol

I grew up with cockers. We did have to rehome a couple because they would bite faces. Ended up with a female when I was older that was wonderful. Might have been because we were older though.

 

[furbabymum]

The only negative thing I have to say about Pitt and Pitt mixes is how strong they are. I know quite a few of them that are sweet as anything but if not taught manners will knock you over and yank your arm off when you're walking them. None of them that I know have been taught manners. More of an owner issue than a dog issue I suppose. After all, my St Bernard is probably just as strong or stronger but I never worry about him yanking on me.

 

[canesisters]

I'm sorry if this has already been suggested or doesn't apply - I read the first page but only skimmed the rest....

Would it be possible for him to volunteer at a local shelter or rescue group for a month or so??? That way, he'd have a chance to spend a little time with several dogs and it would become clear if one was also becoming attached to him. You would, of course, have to make it CLEAR before hand that there would be NO adopting until the agreed upon time had passed and that ONLY one would be coming home.

 

[shadow rabbit10]

How about a Golden Retriever? They are great dogs. I used to have one, but he died when I was little and we never got a new dog since. They are prone to certain health issues, but are very gentle dogs for children. They are pretty easy on kids too.

 

[gg706]

Sorry I havent been on in awhile. I appreciate all the advice! We are going to start looking this weekend. We have definetly decided that we ARE going to get a shelter dog. So I am going to look for one with short hair, will be a medium size when grown, so our weim. doesn't play too rough and trample it if the dog is too small. I am ruling out cockers as I have also had past experience with them biting. I am also ruling out lab and lab/mixes. I know they can be great family dogs....but alot I have come in contact with have been NIGHTMARES! I will let yall know what happens! Thanks!

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Just because this breed fits into your criteria (or at least, certain mixes are common in some areas that will have short hair), and because they are an easy breed to fall in love with, I just want to issue a lesser known warning about Australian shepherds. They are a geat breed. They can be some of the most loyal and child-devoted dogs around. But, they have a high rate of epilepsy. Typically, this is a manageable medical issue, however, sometimes, this includes an epileptic condition that leads to something very similar to how 'rage syndrome' expresses in breeds like cockers. I adopted a beautiful male Aussie/cattle dog mix who was just over three years of age (3 years is typically when this starts expressing...I am sure it is why he was in the shelter). It is degenerative, and he progressively got worse. Medication helped his grand mals, but it did not help his petite mal seizures tha altered his behavior. In a blink of an eye he would go from happy and waggy to literally trying to tear off your face.

Basically, petite mal seizures are not the convulsive seizures most think of, and may never even be noticed as they may only present as something like staring off or blinking oddly. In his case, the petite mals effected a region of his brain that caused intense fear and aggression that was npredictable and rapid. He was a sweet, loving, intelligent, wonderful dog. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do to eventually euthanize him once treatments failed. I would be particularly wary of Australian shepherds who are three years of age in shelters. I have unfortunately since heard the same story from many an Aussie owner. There may be breeders out there carefully breeding aay from this, or unaffected lines if you do fall for the breed. An older Aussie (probably at least five or older) should be in the clear for this particular problem. I just wish I had known about this before we adopted. It took months to figure out what the problem was when aggression began appearing more and more frequently.

That said, our other shelter dog is the best dog I've ever known or owned (pure ACD). Don't mean to scare, just to inform. I think a shelter dog is a great, maybe the best, option for finding a dog hat will bond strongly to your son. . It is especially helpful when trial periods are allowed by the shelter or rescue.

 

[Chicken Tamer]

You should get him a great dane or a goldendoodle they are great dogs and we have a goldendoodle who is amazing!!!
His name is Scout and he is the best dog that anyone could have!!!

 

[Nicole01]

I have a Golden and Aussie. Both protect the property and yard. I have to put both away when company arrives. They both have the potential to bite.:/. I have muzzles for both, but I somehow misplaced them. They can be around company with muzzles.

One thing is they both like the chickens. I'm going to train both to fox hunt. My Aussie is a better hunter then the golden.

The Golden retriever does NOT like kids. I keep an eye on her around my own children. They are old enough to respect dogs otherwise I'd rehome her or put to sleep. Both dogs are fear biters. It's such a huge responsibility.

I bought my Aussie from a shelter and my Golden from a backyard breeder. Next time I'll buy from the humane society or buy from a better breeder even if it means paying 1000 for the dog.

My Aussie

My Golden

 

[Ally Rose]

Yay it is so good you are getting a shelter dog... as long a s its nice its a good choice

 

[gg706]

Just because this breed fits into your criteria (or at least, certain mixes are common in some areas that will have short hair), and because they are an easy breed to fall in love with, I just want to issue a lesser known warning about Australian shepherds. They are a geat breed. They can be some of the most loyal and child-devoted dogs around. But, they have a high rate of epilepsy. Typically, this is a manageable medical issue, however, sometimes, this includes an epileptic condition that leads to something very similar to how 'rage syndrome' expresses in breeds like cockers. I adopted a beautiful male Aussie/cattle dog mix who was just over three years of age (3 years is typically when this starts expressing...I am sure it is why he was in the shelter). It is degenerative, and he progressively got worse. Medication helped his grand mals, but it did not help his petite mal seizures tha altered his behavior. In a blink of an eye he would go from happy and waggy to literally trying to tear off your face.
Basically, petite mal seizures are not the convulsive seizures most think of, and may never even be noticed as they may only present as something like staring off or blinking oddly. In his case, the petite mals effected a region of his brain that caused intense fear and aggression that was npredictable and rapid. He was a sweet, loving, intelligent, wonderful dog. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do to eventually euthanize him once treatments failed. I would be particularly wary of Australian shepherds who are three years of age in shelters. I have unfortunately since heard the same story from many an Aussie owner. There may be breeders out there carefully breeding aay from this, or unaffected lines if you do fall for the breed. An older Aussie (probably at least five or older) should be in the clear for this particular problem. I just wish I had known about this before we adopted. It took months to figure out what the problem was when aggression began appearing more and more frequently.
That said, our other shelter dog is the best dog I've ever known or owned (pure ACD). Don't mean to scare, just to inform. I think a shelter dog is a great, maybe the best, option for finding a dog hat will bond strongly to your son.

. It is especially helpful when trial periods are allowed by the shelter or rescue.

Thank You for the info...I was not aware of that problem. How scary! I definetly would not want to expose my son to the random aggression or the fact that we would HAVE to euthanize the dog. That would be heartbreaking!