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

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I was going to suggest that you have your son take care of your current dog for a while, just to teach him the responcibilities of dog ownership, but I see you stated that you were having him care for the existing dog for two weeks. Hopefully, this will also improve his relationship with your existing dog. Does he go outside and play with the weim much?

Two weeks is not a very long time frame to see if your son has the stamina for dog ownership. Is there training you can have him take with the wiem - even a basic obedience class would help him to learn to speak dog. And especially if he can take a trained, well behaved dog and do well in the class, what an ego booster! A good "Dog Training" class is more for teaching the owner than for teaching the dog anyway. Call it training for when he gets is own pooch, if he does well, he will be able to get a puppy.

If you really don't want another dog, and feel it would complicate your life, maybe getting another at this time is not a good idea. Will dog duties be set aside for homework, sports and other things come school time? How responsible is your son about other chores - keeping his room clean, doing dishes, putting away his laundry and cleaning up the yard? You say his is sensitive and kind, but is he mature enough to disipline, train and control a dog?

I would suggest a milder temperment, calmer energy, less willful type of dog for a 9 year old who wants a dog to sleep at the foot of his bed to protect him. I wouldn't get anything that would mature at over 50 pounds - 30 pounds would be more his size.

I'm sorry if this sounds kinda preachy, I don't mean it to be. Just my opinions. You sound like you are a very reasonable person and want what is best for your family - son and dogs all included. Good luck with your decision!
 
One word:

Beagle

thumbsup.gif
 
Ally Rose said:
Getting a pitbull as a childs pet can be very dangerous! pitbulls are extremely aggressive, thats just the way they are although some can be nice, but i have had bad experiences with pitbulls. Rescuing a dog is a wonderful thing but a rescue pitbull will be VERY scared and want to defend itself so it will be more aggressive. This is what a rescue dog could do:
I am just warning you! The dog could also attack other dogs. There is a pitbull in my neighborhood who attacked my neighbors dog and bit a piece from his ear :( It also tried to attack my poor blind dog but luckily my dad was there to save her!! Pick a dog that is friendly and that likes children. Golden retrievers are a good choice. They LOVE kids!
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Please don't spread misinformation like this, ignorance is extremely dangerous.

I had my ear nearly torn off when I was a kid from a golden retriever. Any dog can be dangerous in the wrong hands.
 
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You know what dog is dangerous? Cocker spaniels. I've heard of tons of cases where children had their face ripped into because they're touchy dogs and children love shoving their faces into dogs. Now, would I really say never get a cocker spaniel for child? No, just get the RIGHT one. Any breed will do, but as you said, you have to take certain things into account like climate, energy level for outings, ease of care, and so forth. It really sounds like you have your head on straight, and I think choosing a dog will be a lot easier than you're thinking it out to be. Basically, let him interact with the dogs at the shelter, and see which one clicks with him. Some dogs just LOVE children, others don't. Pick the one that loves kids, and fits in with the rest of your criteria. It really sounds like he'd be more comfortable with an affable small-medium dog. Having him take that dog to obedience classes would be an excellent way for them to bond and for him to learn how to take control as well.
 
I don't believe this to be misinformation at all...maybe some of the facts but, the video was important. It serves to remind us that we all can make mistakes. Children especially love to stick their faces in others faces, people and animals, alike. Some breeds don't mind this. Fighting dogs take it as a threat/challenge...especially if you meet them eye to eye. I raise/train/show Akitas...one of the first things I teach people is to Never get down to an Akitas level and never look it in the eye!
Paigej said:
Please don't spread misinformation like this, ignorance is extremely dangerous.

I had my ear nearly torn off when I was a kid from a golden retriever. Any dog can be dangerous in the wrong hands.
Click to expand...
 
Gryphon said:
You know what dog is dangerous? Cocker spaniels.
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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.
 
This also happened with dalmations and many other breeds that were shown as 'cute' in movies. Improper breeding has ruined many a dog breed :(
HEChicken said:
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.
Click to expand...
 
This is what happened with Cavaliers -- they used to be the best kind of family dog --- not a one-person dog but a dog who made every single one in the family think he/she was the dog's best-friend-in-the-whole-world --- a lap, sofa, bed -- and they were happy --- waggy tail and a happy grin were the standard ---

we have had Cavaliers for 25 plus years and the change in temperament is discouraging -- when they became 'popular' back-yard breeders cashed in -- ugh --
so many in our rescue programs --- very, very sad ---

temperament as well as so many health issues -- :-(
 

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