Help Me Make the Case

....and THIS site might be useful, if you want to read up on various breeds.

http://www.petplanet.co.uk/petplanet/breeds/Labradoodle.htm

This breed is still my all time favourite, though....

http://www.petplanet.co.uk/petplanet/breeds/Flat-Coated_Retriever.htm

I had never heard of the flat-coated retriever! They seem a bit Irish Setterish -- says that they prefer country living to town dwelling, requires a lot of attention, etc. Beautiful, though.

In the Irish Setterish category I have a very, very soft spot for Gordon Setters.

Brilliant, lovely dogs.

But you don't get the poodle benefits as far as allergies go.

Poodles are very smart and wonderful dogs.

As are many of the -- oodle mixes.

Because of Mo's recent health things I will definately be looking towards the -- oodle suffix next time dog ownership comes up.

I keep going back and looking at the Labradoodle puppy pic.

There are fingerprints on the screen from sozlet and I tickling photographic chins and ears and paws.

I'm in lurrrrrve...

(But, man, what a pricetag! )

If you're buying the dog for sozlet I would suggest you go with a pomeranian. A pefect dog for a kid.

Trust me on this one.

Soz, I'm sorry, but I have to make a case for older dogs here. I am a sucker for older dogs, and find them to be just as good an addition to a family with kids as a puppy. Maybe an older guy/girl won't be a fit for you, but it's a good option to think of. I used to be a foster mum through the local Humane Soceity, housing and taking care of all sorts of pets while good homes were found (or just to give them a break/extra training away from the shelter).

Benefits to an older dog:
* They are fully trained.
* Older dogs do bond well, if they have been properly readied for a new home, and are equally happy as puppies for love, attention, etc.
* *Their personalities are clearly established, so you know exactly what you are getting, and if he/she fits in well with what you are looking for. With puppies, you can *guess* how they will be based on their breed, background, etc. but you never can tell until they are grown who they will be!

I'm biased, but whatever.

Yeah, I am definitely seriously considering that.

If it was just us, that's probably what we'd do.

With sozlet involved, I'm not so sure. What do you think of the hairbrush scenario? (Or hose, or whatever other random thing might set the dog off?) And the part about the relative difficulty of establishing pack leadership with a puppy vs. a grown-up dog?

It's that IF part in your second bullet point that gets me. How can we be sure?

One more Labradoodle puppy pic:



(Repeating to self -- $1,900... $1,900...)

ok, just ignore me, soz. I can deal with that.

Those Labradoodles sure are cute lil buggers! aww...
I don't understand that nutso prices though. Professional breeder?

You do make good points. The hairbrush scenario: I think a lot of that would have to do with the shelter or place you were getting the dog from, IHO. Some of the people are honest; and will tell you straight out every single possible problem the dog may have. In my experience though, some of the people working at shelters 'gloss over' the truth a bit, in their zeal to find homes for the animals. That's the biggest problem, because while some dogs do have behavioral problems, if the dog has been sent to a foster home, the problems will have become clear and they will be able to tell you that. So, you tecnically should be able to find a dog that suits your needs.

There is a lot of work involved in finding the right older dog, no question about it. But the work in finding him/her, is the trade-off you would make for the work of training/teaching a puppy.

I admit I am clueless when it comes to pack dominance regarding young or older dogs. I've never dealt with establishing a child as a pack leader. I've only introduced dogs already trained and ready to kids. Sorry. I'd like to know that as well, now that you bring it up.

Really just wanted to throw in a voice for older guys. Pups seem to snag everyone's hearts first, and their minds get made up once they see that cute puppy face.....yeah.

I'm figuring out more about the prices. Evidently the first generation ones are cheaper -- one lab parent, one standard poodle parent. It's just a bit of a crapshoot in terms of how non-allergenic they'll be, how much they'll shed, etc. Could be more poodly, could be more labby.

Then the next generation ones are more reliably non-allergenic et al and more expensive.

Yeah, I'm not sure of the pack dynamic stuff either, maybe I'll try to get Kuvasz to stop by and see what he has to say. (Oooh, a Kuvasz!)

I've definitely experienced the glossing-over thing too -- heck, I've done it myself, but not in a professional capacity. (Walking a Humane Society dog, someone says "oh how cute", I'd say "And he's available!" and start my pitch, and since I was genuinely in love with all of 'em...)

Gus, sorry, really. Pomeranian, eh? Maybe. Not the kind of personality I'm most interested in.

I wasn't thinking of you. I'm looking at what would be best for sozlet.

Well, that I'm most interested in for her then.

If you're serious (I know I know you're always serious), I'd be interested in hearing more about why you think that would be a good choice...

(The other aspect of this is that I have to convince E.G., and big friendly smart non-allergenic dog is much more convincing than tiny yappy girly sheddy dog...)

Ok. Go with the lab.

No no lay it on me. What's your thinking here?

I think Beth and Set own pomeranians. You could ask them about it.

A friend of mine had a daughter about sozlet's age and she had a pomeranian and they appeared to be inseparable.

That's why I brought it up, but maybe, in hindsight, I shouldn't have.

I'm far from an expert on pomeranians.

Let's just pretend I never entered this thread. Good Lord, the damage I have caused will be hard to undo.

<raised eyebrow>

Uh-huh...

I think those doggies are mixes, and slightly different mixes from each other, can't remember everything involved -- Spitz, maybe?

It's true, I bet sozlet would like one. The dog she's liked best so far when we've gone and played with puppies at the pet store is a chihuahua -- but that's not a direction we're going, I don't think.

Ya know what, I bet at the end of all of this, if I convince E.G. in general that we should get a dog, we'll end up with some random mutt from a shelter or a local family... but the more I know before I get to that point, the better.

Pomeranians, to the best of my knowledge, are not a mix.

Seems to me they were a Russian breed originally, and were "downsized" for one reason or another.

They are quite expensive if they're purebred.

Oh, right, I meant ehBeth's doggies. I think they're mixes -- slightly different mixes -- but I don't remember what's in 'em.

Here we go, you're right that there is probably some Pom in 'em:



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