We have been thinking about buying a dog for quite a while now and the only reason that we have not done is because we could not decide what breed of dog would be best for us and also because we both work full time and so were worried about leaving a puppy on its own during the day.

Recently due to changes in the way I work I can now work from home and so we now feel a bit more content about actually buying one.

After attending some dog shows recently we have settled on a Bedlington Terrier breed and are now looking for a puppy to bring home.

Has anybody any advice on buying a puppy and things to look out for when doing so?

Cheers.

Instead of "settling on a breed", have you considered visiting a dog rescue centre and seeing what they have to offer?

Yeah we have considered visiting a rescue centre but we have also settled on wanting a Bedlington now and I think its unlikely I will find one at the local rescue centre.

Would not rule it out mind.

Have a look at your local rlDogs Trustrl, I agree that you'll be lucky to find a Bedlington there but you never know and you can search on line for their current "residents" - and they do have an awful lot of terriers of all shapes and sizes.

Advantage of rehoming from Dogs Trust - lets not beat about the bush, cost, it'll cost you around £80 to adopt a dog compared to several hundred for a breed, but putting that aside you're also buying into their help and assistance, they have already health checked the dog, they've neutered it and they have assessed it for behavioural problems before they release it into kennels for adoption, they also offer lifelong dog behaviourist consultations for free - and of course you are "rescuing" a dog.

As for your question on buying a puppy - its difficult, you need local knowledge of your breed and you've picked a not-so-common breed, there are factories that sell puppies, literally warehouses that stock "pedigree" breeds and you can find them with a google search, we have one in Leeds and they turn over an impressive number of unregistered puppies, they don't use the Kennel Club because they don't approve, instead you get a certificate (wow), and if you're lucky you might find out who the breeder was (but probably not) and if you're luckier still when that dog gets to be a teenager it might not have any in-bred problems - throw a dice if you want to deal with one of those places.

If you've been to dog shows then I'd suggest that is the best place to start asking around, and ask lots of people, you're going to invest a substantial amount of money on a true pedigree Bedlington so make sure that you're totally happy with the home that it comes from and that its still with at least one of its parents when you go to see it (preferably both parents) and that it lives in a domestic situation and not in a barn in a field somewhere.

Most importantly is what you put into the dog when you bring it home, 99% of dogs need a leader and they are happy to not have to take that role themselves, they need consistency from you and your family, they need to know their boundaries, whats acceptable and what isn't, they need a regular routine for feeding, walking etc, and if you let them down then you'll screw their minds up - two years on I'm still dealing with the effects of a bad owner on my current dog and he will probably not ever get over that trauma.

Good luck, and one last thing - if you want a portrait of him/her doing for a small donation to Dogs Trust, then rlclick hererl.

LOL - was that advert subtle enough ?

I have phone numbers for beddy rescues if you want?? Please consider a rescue Bedlington. Most of them are there through no fault of their own ie relationship breakups, owners going into rental properties etc.

PM if you are interested

My advice, for what it's worth:

Calls to consider a rescue dog are all well and good if you don't have young children. Rescue dogs can be unpredictable (any dog can, but this is never more true than when they have been mistreated) and I'd think carefully before having one around a very young child.

More generally, if you are going to buy a pedigree dog, look into the breed thoroughly. Too many people buy a dog because "they're cute" or "my nan had one", when they have little idea what owning a dog of that breed entails (not saying this applies to you, by the way). Look into exercise requirements, how well they cope with being left, suitability to children/other animals and known health problems associated with the breed. Labradors, for example, are known to be susceptible to hip dysplasia, so it's a good idea to make sure both parents have a good hip score before committing to a purchase. Whilst we're on the subject of labs, they kind of underline the point I was making above. People buy them because they look nice and have a good temperament, but few realise how much exercise they need. This is one of the reasons you see so many fat/overweight labs. Know your breed.

Never, ever use a puppy farm.

When you're looking for a breeder, try to go on a recommendation from someone you know and trust. If you don't know anyone with the breed you're looking for, try to contact any owners' clubs that may be about to see if they know any reputable breeders. Speak to the breeder before you visit to see if you can ascertain whether they know what they're talking about. You should never visit a breeder to view puppies until you are ready to commit - once you see a litter of puppies, it's very hard to walk away. A good breeder will never tire of you asking questions and will never try to avoid giving you the information you request. If they're being evasive, there's probably a reason for that. Insist on seeing where the puppies are kept, insist on seeing the mother, and make sure you get to look at the pedigree. If the same names appear more than once on the pedigree documents, walk away.

A lot of breeders will prepare a puppy pack for you including the dog's pedigree/KC registration, details of any injections it might have had, its feeding requirements and a sample of the food they've been using. Everything else you will be need to have prepared for when your puppy comes home. Prepare a check list of things you'll need and discuss (with reference to the Chicken's point above) what the puppy's boundaries will be (will it be allowed on the furniture, for example). Also agree on what commands you will give for any given scenario. For example, if the puppy tries to get onto the furniture, will you say "down" or "off"? Agree this in advance and stick to it.

Buy a crate. If your puppy is going to be left for any length of time (including overnight), a crate is invaluable. Essential, almost. Make sure it's kept warm and dry, in an area free from draughts and make it as inviting as possible for your puppy. Put toys in there and hide treats about the place so that it associates its crate with positive things. never use the crate as a punishment. Puppies are taught by their mothers at a very early age not to sh#t where they sleep, so it's very rare that a dog will soil its crate. This makes it a really useful tool for toilet training, as well as preventing your puppy from damaging your house when it's unsupervised. Both of my dogs were out of their crates within a few months, but I wouldn't be without one in the early stages.

Not much else to say, other than to reiterate what the Chicken said above. Dogs are pack animals and they need to know their place in the pack. That place should always be right at the bottom. A dog needs clear boundaries and it needs to know that every other living thing in your home is above it in the pecking order. This can be achieved by giving clear, consistent commands, and by making sure that all of the people in your house have an opportunity to give those commands. I made the mistake with our first dog of bailing the wife out every time the puppy chose to ignore her. This lead to the dog believing he only had to do as he was told once I stepped in. It takes a while to break this habit, so it's best not to allow it to develop in the first place.

Good luck, and let me know if I can be of any further assistance.

This theory is outdated now. A group of captive wolves were studied in the 1960's and observed but they were bred captive and bear no relevance to the wild wolf. This has been scientifically proved. The behaviours shown in the study were completely different to wild wolves. A dog may be a pack animal but they do not need to know their place in the pack. Dogs do not need to be at the bottom. I do not wish to dominate my dogs. I guide them, show them with training, boundaries and whats acceptable and what isn't using positive reinforcement methods.

A good read is "In Defence of Dogs" by John Bradshaw. It explains it far better than I ever could.

More reading : "The Culture Clash" by Jean Donaldson, "The Other End of the Leash" by Patricia B McConnell and "Bones Would Rain from the Sky" by Suzanne Clothier, for anyone interested in dog behaviour. For training I would recommend "Don't Shoot the Dog" clicker training by Karen Pryor.

Without wishing to divert down a different road I'd be a bit wary of giving a dog any sort of leeway outside of the traditional "pack animal" approach and I'd agree with RGX that the puppy has to know that everyone else in the house takes priority - this is definitely not done by physical punishment but by voice level and intonation - the dog will read and understand every inflection of your voice as they are incredibly perceptive of this and of facial expressions (I'm sure you know this anyway) and also subtle things like the dog being fed after your family eat (with its own food), or you not allowing it to push past you when entering a room, or stopping barking when you tell it to - you've assessed what its perceives to be danger and you are telling it that its ok.

The point needs to be made too that the dog is happy with this, in any pack there is only one leader and the rest will quite happily follow it and many dogs will become anxious if there is not a leader to follow, I'm on my third German Shepherd now and they incredibly loyal and very sociable dogs but they need strong leadership, give them those guidelines and they will never be a problem to your family or to other families, too many of them are bought to bark at strangers and even show aggression, that's just plain wrong and is a fault in the ownership.

I have 3 cats, ideal for a busy lifestyle, leave water and food down and they look after themselves.
Cats are the way forward

Quote: JerryChicken "Without wishing to divert down a different road www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues ... 416-1.html www.dogwelfarecampaign.org/why-not-dominance.php www.k9magazine.com/understand-pa ... -stilwell/ www.apbc.org.uk/articles/why-wont-dominance-die Just a few articles to back up my claim Whilst I agree with going out the door first, I only agree because the dog will be calmer and therefore safter. As for eating first, its been proved nonsense. Why would I eat before my dogs? This is where people go wrong if the dog is allowed to watch you eat first on an empty stomach. My dogs get fed before us and whilst we are eating they lay down as, sleepy, happy, satisfied, fully fed dogs. There is nothing wrong with showing dogs boundaries, its good etiquette and polite, but its now been proved nonsense to claim that you should be dominant over your dog(s).

Quote: JerryChicken "Without wishing to divert down a different road www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues ... 416-1.html www.dogwelfarecampaign.org/why-not-dominance.php www.k9magazine.com/understand-pa ... -stilwell/ www.apbc.org.uk/articles/why-wont-dominance-die Just a few articles to back up my claim Whilst I agree with going out the door first, I only agree because the dog will be calmer and therefore safter. As for eating first, its been proved nonsense. Why would I eat before my dogs? This is where people go wrong if the dog is allowed to watch you eat first on an empty stomach. My dogs get fed before us and whilst we are eating they lay down as, sleepy, happy, satisfied, fully fed dogs. There is nothing wrong with showing dogs boundaries, its good etiquette and polite, but its now been proved nonsense to claim that you should be dominant over your dog(s).

I've taught mine to look at me in certain situations like if there is a dog coming up on lead or passing an area I don't want them to go in, that sort of thing (diversion technique). Now all they have to see is a dog on lead and they are looking at me waiting for the treat and when I am passing the park area that I don't want them to go in, they stop and wait for me without direction from me to put their leads on. As soon as leads are off they are looking at me again waiting for me to say "off you go then" before they go off doing their own thing again.

As you probably know I have Karens dog (Sully) sometimes (its going to be Tilly next time, yay!) and I can watch Sully and my lurcher Molly play for hours on end. Its fascinating watching their body language and behaviour, for me anyways

With respect, this is nonsense. A dog that thinks it is above any of the people in its household is a potentially dangerous dog. It needs to know who is in charge.



And? Where did I say any other? You are guiding them, giving them boundaries and showing them what's acceptable - that ought to include that it must obey all of the humans in your household. If it feels it is 'above' any of the humans in your household, it will choose not to obey them if it sees fit. You don't have to 'dominate' a dog for it to know its place.

Read my links. The Association of Pet Behaviour Councillors and Victoria Stillwell amongst others disagree with you.