What kind of puppy would you get for a 7 year old boy?

[ptots]

I've always been partial to Lab's, but most a my favorite dogs have been mutts! Try you're local rescue and maybe a pup will pick your son!

 

[Sootsie]

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research is the key to getting the right dog for your family and training once you get one.

ive had border collies for 25 years and im totally sold on them VERY intelligent, loyal, affectionate, protective great with kids BUT they need occupying mind and body, training is essential what ever dog you get but a collie is time consuming that said very rewarding.

this is my day with Shadow (1yr old bc) up 8am, walk and obedience training/play 1hr minimum twice a day rain or shine. Toys a kong was the best buy ever, ropes to chew, indoor/in garden clicker training (tricks like roll over, find the toy) 10 min when ever i get chance, chill out in front of the fire, the more you do the more they want. if you dont provide activities they will find one.
flyball, agility training are perfect for dogs like bc's all that said they are my first choice mine have all but 1 been rescue dogs around a year old when i got them.

http://www.allbordercollies.com/forums/index.php this is a great forum for bc's with some great folk with loads of experience.

 

[Sootsie]

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ummm, golden retrievers and labs are hunting dogs, too. they are much bigger than a beagle.

labs and retrievers are not so much hunters they are retrievers of game already killed, i grew up with goldens and although not a small dog they are when trained lovely family dogs with little or no prey drive.

 

[coffeelady3]

I'm chuckling about all the recommendations to get a beagle. As I'm writing this mine is in the other room barking away for no particular reason...and has been for the last 45 minutes for no good reason. I will NEVER own another one!!!!

 

[maizey]

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i bet the beagle has a reason. "Aroooorooorooo!"...I miss my beagle

 

[MsPony]

I apologize if this has been said. Labs come in all shapes, sizes and colors. I have a american dudley, lean, 95#er. My first lab was english white standard, round and 110#. I would go for an english, as they *tend* to be medium sized dogs. Only black or white, chocolate (unless mix) tend to be WAY bonkers. You're already going to have a bonkers dog from being outside, you don't need a crazy head thrown in.

Sheba Inus are amazing "small" dogs, they don't bark/bite/go huper and are highly in tune with your family. My friends mom has two, ones a therapy dog, and the other lays with her boys all day long if they are sick. I love shebas as a small familly dog.

 

[MsPony]

Also on the subject of labs being "hunting dog", as posted they are more retrievers. When my puppy was super small I did have issues with him bringing me bantees, alive, LOL. A dog trainer quickly helped me fix that issue, they are now "his" flock to love, cherish and protect and he takes that seriously. He now only brings me their eggs, mostly uncracked.

 

[drdoolittle]

I took my son to our local shelter 3 years ago to pick out a foster dog for the summer (I'm a school bus driver and off work all summer). He picked out a beagle-mix (we think with Aussie), and he was such a wonderful dog, that he's still here! Yes, he loves food. Yes, he barks a lot if he hears someone outside. Yes, he would take off after a scent if given a chance. But he is such a loveable, sweet boy, I wouldn't give him up for anything! Here he is with our boxer.

And by himself:

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

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i bet the beagle has a reason. "Aroooorooorooo!"...I miss my beagle

Ha! My boxer mutts like to bark at "invisible things that only they can see" also.

 

[juliechick]

I have read all the posts. I can't respond to all of you, but thanks for posting. It will be awhile before we get a dog. I am not going to just rush out and get one. For one thing, we have to make sure the fence is secure, get a doghouse, and so on.

I do have one question for the person (or persons) who keep saying an outside dog will be crazy. When I was growing up our dogs were always outside (our trailer was way too small for pets and people, too). None of the dogs we had were crazy or attention starved. Maybe this is because we always had more than one dog?

My favorite dog of all time was a German Shepherd, Border Collie mix. My grandpa's Border Collie had a litter of pups one Summer. She was a biter, so no one played much with the pups and they were kind of wild. One day while we were visiting my Grandpa I was sitting in the yard, looking at the puppies from a safe distance. One of the male puppies saw me and ambled over and crawled up in my lap. I begged Grandpa to let me have him. Mom said that since the pup had picked me, he should be mine. I was about 8 then and that dog was my constant companion until I went to college. We named him Poe. Every school day about 3:00, Poe would sit up, prick his ears, and start looking down the road, anticipating my arrival from school. One morning he followed me to the bus stop, which was about a mile from our house. It was a warm morning, so I hung my jacket in the woods instead of taking it to school. When the bus dropped me off that afternoon, Poe was still there, guarding my jacket. He knew how to get home and could have gone at any time. I guess it was my scent that kept him there. He used to lay his head on my leg and grin when he wanted affection. He is a fixture in almost all my memories of growing up out there in the boondocks. That's the kind of dog experience I wish my boy could have.