There are lots of pure breeds of dog really suitable for children.  Here are some of my top picks:

• Cavalier King Charles – No 1 on my list of child-friendly dogs.  These happy, enthusiastic little dogs are robust enough to withstand some rough play and handling.  They do well with children of all ages as they love to play and be entertained.
• Greyhound – usually placid and gentle, these dogs can be good for kids of all ages too despite their size.  Big males can be very laid back so don’t pick just based on size unless you have a very small house!
• The Newfoundland – a huge gentle giant which is superbly family-friendly
• Labrador Retriever – a superb child-friendly choice, loving to be at the centre of things.  However, watch them with small children as they can be very clumsy and bouncy.  Also only recommended for very active families!
• The Golden Retriever – placid, loving and gentle, these can be less frantic than a Labrador, but they still need a lot of exercise, especially when young.
• Large Munsterlander – a high energy dog for an active family.  Not as well known as many breeds but gentle with children.

Mixed breeds can also be very suitable, but you need to check what’s likely to be in there before you bring the dog home.

However, before you dash off to get a dog breed for your children, you need to make your kids safe for dogs first.

Which brings me back to the greyhound I met yesterday.  In the rescue centre’s own words:

Connie came back to the kennels from a home with young lad who would not give her her own space. She was only out a short time and the family had unrealistic expectations of having a hound in the house.

Basically, this child had been allowed by his parents to mess with the dog well past the dog’s tolerance level.  That’s not the child’s fault.  It’s lack of understanding of dog pyschology and a total lack of parental responsibility.

All dogs have a tolerance threshold – even the most gentle.  How would you feel if you wanted to go to bed and someone kept poking you in the ribs?  Not very pleased at all – especially if it went on for several days.

Lack of supervision of children and dogs, and lack of training of the children to respect the dog are the most common causes of dog bites.

If parents don’t or won’t step in to give the child some firm boundaries, then don’t blame the dog for asking for respect.

As dog owners, and parents, it’s vital that children are taught basic manners around dogs.  Most ethical dog breeders will NOT home a dog to a family where the children are obviously allowed to run amok without restraint.

We had a family come to visit us and the son was running up and down.  The parents did nothing to control him.  He stepped on one of the puppies and strained its paw.  Needless to say they went away without one -  Michelle Harvey, Breeder of Chinese Cresteds

This is something really important that any family must understand and apply.

Let me give you another important tip.  All families are different. What suits one family won’t necessarily suit you.

These are just 2 things to understand before you get a dog.  To make your family dog

• great with your kids,
• easy to live with, and
• happy, healthy and well-adjusted,

There’s much more to it than just picking a breed at random from a list like the one I gave you.  If you’re choosing a dog soon, make your choice one you’ll live to enjoy.  To guarantee getting the best dog breed for your children, click here.

The only problem with going to a rescue centre is there is always one forlorn creature that grabs you as you go in.  Today’s was a little black Irish girlie, who I’m having a hard time forgetting.  I keep reminding myself I already have 3 dogs!

Anyway, onto the webinar.

If you’ve read some of my posts, you might know that I’m a great believer in – and user of – herbal, natural, homeopathic and home remedies for dog problems.  That’s both dog sickness, and general dog care.

For example I’ve used all of these regularly over the years:

• bicarbonate of soda solution for removing unpleasant smells (cow poo, fox poo, horse poo) from the dog after it has been rolled in enthusiastically
• devils claw root powder to help Vinnie’s arthritis
• echinacea to boost dog immune systems after illness of any kind
• lavender oil on dog blankets to help soothe and calm nervousness (for a newly rescued dog)
• Bach flower remedies – all kinds – to treat and calm behavioural problems
• salt water for washing and cleaning wounds
• arnica to treat swelling and brusing after a fall or impact

I’ve also recommended these remedies and more to people I meet.   When they ask me ‘why hasn’t the vet told me about this‘ I wonder why too.  If I know about them why do most people’s vets seemingly not?

I find a lot of people whose vets have prescribed all kinds of expensive pills, potions and veterinary food – when natural remedies could have worked just as well, at lower cost.

That’s why I wanted to tell you about the webinar.

I first came across Andrew’s work 2 years ago, or maybe more.  He developed an interest in ‘old wives tales’ about health and healing.  Alongside practicing as a vet, he started giving customers tips from his expanding library of natural remedies.

He’s now one of the biggest authorities in the field of natural and home care for dogs and cats.

On May 23rd Andrew is doing a 90 minute webinar on the easiest and quickest ways to treat your pet at home.

Things I know will be included are:

• what to give your dog to prevent cancer,
• a spice in your kitchen which can help an arthritic dog
• how to stop your dog scratching fast, and
• pet vaccines – what to give and what you might not, based on latest research.

If you register for the webinar, you’ll get the recording sent to you free of charge so it doesn’t matter if it’s too late (or too early) for you to be awake for it!

I’ve reserved my slot already.

To find out more and register, click here for Dr Andrew Jones ‘Veterinary Secrets Revealed’ webinar on 23rd May 2012

I’m making this site a lot simpler and easier to navigate so you get the tools and support you need more quickly.

I’d love to see more people join me here, so please tell people you know about me if they are a dog lover, a dog owner or a doggy business – especially anyone thinking of choosing a dog, people allergic to dogs, reputable dog breeders that you know, any and all dog rescues, dog charities and dog shelters!

I want to help people actually choose a dog that they can live with.  I see so many people suffering from their poor choices and dogs suffering as well.  The only people who benefit are the puppy farmers (damn them!).

I’m having a major revamp of the website at the moment.  Once that’s finished I’ll be offering all of you who are interested the chance to affiliate to the ‘how to choose a dog e-book’ and also any of my personally written ‘dog owners guides’ .

It will cost you NOTHING, and all you do is direct people to the relevant page on my site using your special affiliate links.  If they buy from me using your link, you will get a commission on each sale to help towards your projects, your business,  animal care or just for your bank balance!

I’ll help you with the setting up, and then all you have to do is tell people the books are there.

It’s the system I use MYSELF, put together from my own experiences, and it works for anyone, anywhere, however old or young they are, whether they work, have a family and far, far more -  and even if they have a dog allergy.  It works whether you are 16 or 65 (or even 95!)

I have just had a lady of 75 with a dog allergy write to me saying after buying my Ultimate Guide To Choosing A Dog, she has chosen an Australian Terrier and they are getting on brilliantly!

All I need is help from you to spread the word that there is finally some proper help out there – and hope for people who thought their dog allergy would mean they could never have a dog at all.  I want to start making sizeable donations to dog rescues across the world from the book sales, and that’s where you could really help me!

If you want to be part of the How To Choose Your Dog affiliate programme – and stamp out puppy farmers and bad breeders in the process – just get in touch or leave a comment in the box below!

As this article shows, not everyone who thinks about getting a puppy has the right home/life conditions for it to happen or be easy.  I’m grateful for the question though, as it means this lady really cares.  She is clearly thinking about getting a puppy and what this means, rather than just racing into it and making a mistake.

Here’s the question, and my answer below:

I am looking for a puppy, medium size, not to big not to small, non shedding – I have allergies. I am alone now, and lonely, I see so many people coming home to a loving dog and I think this may help me with the loss of my son and my husban.  I am 62 years old, I work, 5 days a week, some weekends, and some nights.  I’m unsure about leaving a dog alone for long periods of time. I leave my house about 7:30am and return 5:30pm, the nights I work are from 12pm to 10pm.  I don’t want the dog to feel lonely either.  I generally don’t go away for any lenght of time but I may in the furture and I’m already concerned about the welfare of the dog if I should get one.  I am just thinking about it at the present time. Thanks for you help. Patti

My answer is here:

Hi Patti,

Your situation does not suit a puppy.  Your working hours are too long for a puppy to be happy at home without you.  Puppies need a lot of care and attention and someone around most of the day.  They need to have many hours put into training, socialisation and more. Even if you had day-long puppy care it is still not a good idea as your puppy needs to bond properly with you and not a day-carer.  Most puppy sitters won’t puppy sit night time shifts, and this is a critical time if any accidents occur because there are far fewer people around to notice than in the day time.

In fact your working hours out of the house are even too long for most adult dogs.  My advice would be to adopt an old dog from a non-working breed and/or a breed which has low energy levels and exercise needs.  Age-wise something 8 years old or older, and probably from the toy or companion breed type.  Terriers might be small but they need a lot more exercise than people think because they are working dogs by breeding and can be a big nuisance if not properly exercised and stimulated.

Funnily enough ex-racing greyhounds can be tolerated by people with mild to moderate dog allergies.  Old greyhounds can be happy at home for longish periods and they don’t need as much exercise as people think.

However even if you try and adopt an adult dog, most rescue organisations would consider your working hours far too long for rehoming. They would question your ability to walk the dog in a routine and for the length of time it should be exercised – plus they would certainly grill you about spending the time with it that it needs.

The only way around that would be if you committed to paying a professional dog sitter to come in and take your dog for a walk and spend an hour with it twice a day in between you leaving home and returning – or 2 hours at one go.  That’s not only because the dog needs company but because it will need to go out and toilet.  And then the rescue centre would need to be convinced you were doing your share of the hard work with the daily exercise.  Dogs need human company and when I was working full time I had a regular dog walker who came in every day to take my dogs for a walk at lunchtime. (I also walked my dogs in the morning and evening on top of this).

You also need to make arrangements for a good boarding kennels or if you only have one dog, a live-in dog sitter is best, when you go away.

Thanks for asking the question and I hope the advice has helped.  It might not be what you wanted to hear but not everyone has the right set up for a dog.  However should your working hours reduce then you might well make an excellent home.

Cats need much less in the way of ‘full on’ human contact but give a lot of love.  I recently rehomed a 15 year old cat who does almost nothing apart from purr, stretch and eat.  If I could not have a dog, I’d certainly have a cat instead.  Maybe that would be a better option for you all round.  I did not know if you were allergic to cats as well as dogs.  Some people are, some aren’t when it comes to pet allergies.

Thanks again Patti for your question!

Bev

In a recent post about bringing a new puppy home I talked about how puppies are cute but very hard work.  I just received an e-mail from another lady who had been looking for a non-shedding puppy or dog.  3 weeks ago she took on an Australian Terrier puppy.

They are doing fine but as she said “he’s a lot more work than if I had been able to find the adult female for which I was originally searching!”

Making sure you have the right environment for a dog is the first thing anyone should do.  That’s true whether you want a non-shedding puppy or not.  Both these ladies above have really thought about what that means.  Sadly most people don’t. That’s why we have overflowing rescue centres and ever-higher cases of animal neglect.

I devote a whole chapter of my e-book to assessing if you have the right home environment for a dog.  This one chapter covers all the questions which you need to answer successfully before you even think about getting a dog, and shows you how to assess what needs to change.  As I said above, most people never do this.  That’s why they fail with their first dog, and continue failing with any other dogs they try afterwards.  They never do what’s required to plan for a dog, and they never learn from their mistakes.   To protect yourself from the same mistakes, click here.

P.S.

If you haven’t yet claimed your 3 Free Guides to choosing a dog, click here to get them e-mailed today.

I have seen this collie with its owner several times, and with the owner’s daughter.  Yesterday I saw it with the owner and his wife.

The collie is probably about 18 months old.  It is full of energy and borderline aggressive.  The owners are probably both well into their sixties and both walk slowly (and not very far) with the aid of sticks.  The dog is never off the lead and with owners who can’t take it for the walks it really needs, no wonder the poor thing is borderline aggressive!

It made me wonder this:

What on earth was the rescue centre thinking, giving an energetic young collie a home with people clearly unsuited to its needs, and it to theirs?

The next question is whether the rescue centre was actually thinking at all.  My guess is that they were so in a rush to offload a dog into a home to make space that they never questioned the end result.

I am a firm supporter of dog rescue and adoption.  I believe that anyone who wants a dog should first go to a good rescue centre (or several).  Most people can find a dog or puppy that will suit them this way, especially if they take the time to look properly.  That’s because dog rescue centres don’t just cater for mixed breeds and random crosses.  If you are looking for a pure breed dog, most of these also have a rescue operation run by enthusiasts for that breed.

So to help you get going, here are 12 tips for successful dog rescue and adoption:

1. Before you visit or start your search, make sure that you know exactly what kind of household you are – especially if you are busy or quiet, what time you will set aside dog exercise each day, how much time someone is home, and how much money you have available to care for a dog
2. The rescue centre or group should be easy to contact by phone, e-mail or even via social networks.  Do they answer the phone promptly? Do they answer e-mails or ring you back if you leave a message?
3. Is the person you speak to friendly and welcoming yet also organised and efficient?
4. At a rescue centre, is the reception area clean, tidy, welcoming and well-organised?  Are you clear what’s expected of you and where to report?
5. Are the kennels and dogs relatively clean and tidy?  It’s difficult for all kennels to be clean at all times, but your impression should be of a good standard of care overall
6. If it’s a foster home you visit, are they clean, tidy, welcoming and also well-organised?  Are they ready for your appointment?
7. Are the staff or person you are seeing knowledgeable about the dogs in their care?  Do they know each one’s personality, needs, likes and dislikes?  If you don’t get quality information about the dogs, maybe this isn’t the rescue for you as they obviously don’t know enough to match you properly.
8. Do they talk to you and grill you closely about your home circumstances?  They should spend time finding out what kind of home you are so they know which dogs they should match you with.
9. Do they actively suggest dogs to you, and tell you why these are a good fit?  Do they also tell you why dogs you might have thought of are not a good fit?  Do they not allow you to adopt if they think you are making the wrong choice?
10. Do they require a homing contract and for you to pass a personal home check (even if they don’t ask for a donation)?  These dogs are on their second, third, fourth home or even more so it’s vital that if one comes home to you it is finally going to the right place.
11. Do they provide ongoing help and support after adoption?  A good dog rescue centre will be able to provide help after you bring your dog or puppy home for common issues and problems.  Bigger centres might be able to offer ‘new dog owner courses’ courses for a fee.  I’ve been to some of these with my own rescued dogs and they are well worth the cost and time.
12. Don’t rush things!  You need to take your time over the decision.  Visit lots of different dog rescue and adoption centres or groups first.  Most of the dogs you’re seeing were because someone before you didn’t think either.

If the rescue centre or organisation isn’t doing these things, then you want to find one that does.  Not all rescue centres are equal.  If you go to one which just asks you to fill in the paperwork for a dog you choose without asking any awkward questions about whether you and that dog are suited, that’s a big red flag.  And if you go to one where you are unhappy about what you see or hear, please contact your local or national animal welfare societies.

Successful dog rescue and adoption is all about partnership.  It’s a partnership between you and the rescue centre which matches you with a dog you’ll adore.   I had an ongoing relationship with the rescue centres my dogs came from.  I used to take the dogs back so staff could see how well they were doing, and they would send me regular newsletters too.

You want to have the same relationship with your rescue centre, and you can.  If you want to know how to get started with your dog, get 16 keys to success and more by claiming your three free guides here.

P.S.

I have a whole chapter devoted to finding an excellent rescue centre in the Ultimate Guide To Choosing A Dog – click here

Puppy mills or puppy farms are all about quantity and profits.  They are not about responsible breeding.  So here are signs that you could be dealing with a puppy mill:

1. It’s a puppy from a pet store.  Pet stores buy from puppy mills and dealers who source cheaply from puppy mills.
2. The advert is posted on a general puppies for sale website like ‘Puppyfind.com’
3. The advert is otherwise cheap or free eg free ads, notices in vets etc
4. The breeder does not give a residential address or landline phone number for contact
5. The web photo is of a single puppy only and no other photos are available of the mother and litter with your puppy clearly in it
6. They offer cheap deals eg ‘buy two at discount‘ or ‘last one, must go, reduced due to time wasters‘ – no breeder I know ever does that, no matter how long a puppy might be with them.  They wait for the right home to come along, however long that takes.
7. They will ship a puppy direct to you without you ever seeing it
8. They will offer to bring the puppy to a convenient location somewhere in the middle for you to view
9. Puppies are sold at less than 12 weeks old so they don’t have to spend money on vaccinations.
10. Vaccination and vet check papers aren’t offered / aren’t available
11. Genetic testing  is not offered / not available
12. Pedigree certificates are not available or ‘will be sent with your puppy’ and never arrive
13. They do not ask you any questions about your home circumstances or suitability for the dog
14. There are a lot of complaints about that breed with animal control/animal health/animal rescue organisations in the locality where your puppy is bred
15. You cannot simply drop into the breeders if you are in the area – if at home, breeders I know are happy to welcome unannounced visitors
16. You’re not allowed to view the whole ‘facility’
17. You feel rushed or pressurised into a quick decision
18. You are rushed into handing over money – the breeder asks about the cash to buy/wants a downpayment to secure one almost as soon as you make contact
19. There’s no puppy pack (food, lead and collar, papers, toys etc)
20. The ‘breeder’ will find as many ways as possible to prevent you visiting under the guise of ‘making it easier for you’.

Believe me, these days it is getting harder to spot a puppy mill operating independently as they are getting very clever about how they conduct business.  They will even go as far as to rent houses kitted out to look like a nice family home where you can visit.  They will then often present you with a single puppy without mother and litter mates (‘the rest have all gone‘).

However even if you do see what appears to be a puppy with mother and litter mates, there should be enough other early warning signs from this list so that you never buy from a puppy mill.

In fact, using these 20 ways to spot a puppy mill you’ll hopefully not even get close to buying from one.

If you want to know what steps you should be taking to secure your puppy, and make sure you get an ethical dog breeder instead of a puppy mill, then click here for your free guides

P.S.

If you’ve claimed your free guides get even more help here

Robin called this photo ‘Dreaming Of Spam’ after the cooked meat made by Hormel Foods.   That’s because I have always described the dog’s tongues as ‘spam’, especially when they’ve just come back from a hard run with their tongues lolling.

Here’s the photo – click to enlarge!

Share the fun below!

First I wanted to cover the question “What is a puppy mill?”

My definition of a puppy mill is:

Any place, run by any single person, group of people or organisation, where dogs are kept and bred from purely for the money and income they generate, and for no other reason“

Most people think a puppy mill has to be a big operation which has dogs in extremely poor conditions.  But it isn’t always that way.

A puppy mill is any breeding which is done purely for money and for no other reason.  A single person breeding their dogs can be a puppy mill just as much as a group of people who have warehouses and land full of hundreds of dogs.

A puppy mill usually has extremely poor (and often illegal) conditions for the dogs, and does not provide the dogs with medical care, decent food, warmth, adequate bedding or any form of decent socialisation and human contact.  However, someone who overbreeds their house dog for money is also a puppy mill, even if the dog is comfortably off.

Let me give you a real-life example:

“I knew this woman with a bull terrier.  It was a lovely dog – happy and friendly.  But the poor thing was always pregnant.  I told the woman ‘give it a rest for god’s sake’ but she wasn’t interested.  All she wanted was the money from the puppies.  That’s all the dog was to her.”  Ray Clements, Kendal, Cumbria

This type of breeder is known as a backyard breeder or amateur breeder.  This is the third type you need to avoid.

A backyard breeder is the woman with the bull terrier.  They have one or two dogs, and breed for money.  Some backyard breeders are those with accidental litters but the majority have a couple of pedigree dogs which they intentionally breed from.  They are usually totally ignorant of  the dog’s breed standard, genetics, behaviour, temperament and good health practices.  Dogs from backyard breeders often have the same kinds of health and temperament issues as you would find with a full-blown puppy mill.  They can also depart significantly from what the breed should look like – too skinny, too chunky, too big, too small, head too wide and so on.

So there are three types of breeder you should avoid:

1. The backyard or amateur breeder – described above as a small breeder that still breeds for profit and no other reason.  Their bitches (females) might have a litter every time they come into season and be bred from well after the Kennel Club’s upper age limit if there is one.  As a season occurs once every 6 months, the season lasts 3-4 weeks and puppies are produced 8 weeks afterwards, you can see how a female might have 2 litters per year even with a backyard breeder!
2. The ‘show winning only’ breeder – these breeders breed for looks and winning in the show ring because they want the prestige of the prizes.  What matters to them is whether the dog looks right and impresses the judges during its show career.  They are less concerned about whether the dog will have long term health problems as it gets older because by that time it’s been retired from the show ring.
3. The puppy mill – a commercial operation that breeds on a large scale and for profit.  These commercial operations might have acceptable living conditions or they might not.  In most cases they will not screen for genetic diseases, and the breeding stock may not be breed standard or good temperament.  There will be no socialisation or decent human contact on a day to day basis and dogs will normally live in cages or crates.  In any case the definition is ‘profit before everything’.

Here’s an example of the ‘show winning breeder’:

We got George from a breeder full grown.  Dog was lovely – breeder not so.  George was kept for show but didn’t make the grade so she just wanted him gone – Jon Brown, Derbyshire.

Bellini was kept for show but grew too tall.  He’s a beautiful dog with a lovely temperament typical of whippets but he’s at least one inch too big for the show standard – Fleur White, Sutton Coldfield

Hopefully you now understand the answer to “what is a puppy mill?“.  It’s a place where profit always comes first, no matter what size the operation is.

I want you to get a dog from a proper breeder.  Breeders like the ones I know where the dogs always come first.  Where  each litter is raised with so much loving care you wonder how the breeder can let the puppies go at the end.  Where the money for the puppies is less important than preserving the breed, and the home you provide.

That’s the path to happiness with your dog.

Make sure you avoid the backyard breeder, the puppy mill and the ‘show winning only’ breeder by claiming your free guides here

P.S.

If you’ve already got your free guides, click here for even more help

Remember, if you want a delightful life with YOUR dog, pick up your 3 Free Guides here!

I took these photos when Vinnie was having all his bad teeth removed (which was most of them).  The girls and I went for one of our favourite walks along the River Esk while we he was being treated.  And what a treat it was to find these photos yesterday – which I’d totally forgotten about.

Click on the photos to make them bigger!

Arwen in the woods near Forge Bridge, Eskdale.  I just loved the big, gnarly old tree and Arwen stayed still long enough for me to take this shot.

A quiet pond in Milkingstead Wood, Eskdale.  I just loved the reflections in the water and all the trees framing the view.

The River Esk near Boot.  This is a lovely spot which is a favourite for kids playing on a sunny day.

This is a ‘tarn’ – a Cumbrian term for a small mountain lake.  This one is a little bit hidden.  I walked past it several times without knowing it was there.  You have to walk up hill through a strip of woodland and then it suddenly appears.

I caught both girls when they weren’t moving this time!  Crossing a wooden bridge over a small mountain stream, they both stopped  to look at the view.

A view from the footpath across Eskdale.  Lovely, unspoiled Eel Tarn is hidden just over the far right horizon.

Now THIS is idyllic!  Typical stone and render Lakeland cottages.  These get lots of sun in the summer evenings as they face west towards the coast.

In this photo we are looking north-east.  You can just see the Woolpack Inn nestling under the hillside.

Kylah and Arwen at Doctor Bridge.  This is the halfway point of the walk, which takes about 2.5 hours.  A better view of the bridge is below!

This is a lovely view of Doctor Bridge.  I didn’t realise there was a reflection in the river so that was an added bonus to an already pretty picture.

For many years this beautiful Lakeland farmhouse was a mouldering pile, falling ever more into disrepair.  Thakfully someone rescued it!  It is my dream type of home.  However to buy this and restore it will have cost the present owner well over £500,000.

I’ll probably post these up as a small photo slideshow too.  Hope you enjoyed them!

P.S.

I love my dog walks, as you can tell, and so do the dogs.  It makes my day to be out with them seeing how much they enjoy life.  If you get my free guides, you’ll get a great start to your dog, and to enjoying your future dog walking just as much as we do.

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