Help me decide about a puppy

[happy2bamom]

I know that this is a very individual taste kind of question but I would love to get some feedback. We have a 4 year old Golden Retriever. I have been begging DH for a puppy for a year. I have had my heart set on a French bulldog or maybe a Boston terrier (neither of us wants another big dog in the house). I honestly never thought that he would allow me to get another dog. Long story short, our friends got a silky poo (silky terrier x poodle) this weekend and now hubby says that I can finally get a puppy. He assumed that I wanted a silky poo because I made such a fuss over it. The SP is MUCH cheaper than the other two I had been looking at. Its actually cheaper than most rescue dogs bc its the last of the litter. I don't think that I would ever pay what they are asking for French bulldogs. So.... Does anyone have experience with SP? Full grown it is supposed to be 7 pounds. I have never had a dog that small. Our GR weighs 80 lbs. I honestly worry about one of the kids falling on it and killing it. How delicate are these dogs? Can they play tug? They are super adorable but I don't know how to figure out if it will work in our family. I have to meet this lady an hour away so if we go to meet her we would need to make our decision on the spot. Thoughts? Experience?

[Tondi G]

I would be afraid to get a silky-poo ... they are just too small for me. I would want a puppy/dog that could play with my larger dog and my kids without worrying. I would go for a Boston Terrier from the dogs you listed. If you get a Frenchie I would recommend a female.

[crl]

How old are your kids? I would not want a really small dog with kids under six or so both because the kid might inadvertently hurt the dog and because I think small dogs tend to get defensive around little kids and potentially bite because they feel insecure.

Catherine

[hellokitty]

IDK if I'd want a french bulldog or boston, b/c of some of the issues they have from the pushed in face (I know there is a term for this, but it escapes me at the moment). My kids originally wanted a teacup yorkie, but I am so glad we did not get one. They are just too small. Instead we ended up adopting a dorkie (yorkie/dachshund) pup from the dog warden. He is almost full grown and probably close to 12 lbs. He is sturdy as hell, he is very stout. Our min pin that passed away over 3 yrs ago was about 10-11 yrs old and she was so delicate. DH and I are amazed that there is such a difference, just due to body shape/size/breed, even when the wt was so similar. My dorkie LOVES big dogs, he prefers to hang out with the big guys (he could play tug with your GR), and I'm not worried about him being too delicate, but he is small enough that he can snuggle with us and is manageable due to his size. DH just mentioned the other day that our dorkie is the perfect sized dog for our family. I really did not want a dog any bigger than 15 lbs max, but even though our dorkie is 12 lbs, he reminds me more of a 20 lb dog. My 3 yr old is NOT the most gentle with him, I cringe to think what would have happened if we went with a breed smaller than 10 lbs.

[anonomom]

I grew up with tiny dogs -- we got our first teacup poodle when I was 7. They make good, if yappy, pets. I wouldn't worry much about it getting hurt unless your house is extremely chaotic. I think most kids older than 5 or 6 are able to understand not to hurt a small dog, but of course it will depend on your kids' age maturity level.

[happy2bamom]

IDK if I'd want a french bulldog or boston, b/c of some of the issues they have from the pushed in face (I know there is a term for this, but it escapes me at the moment). My kids originally wanted a teacup yorkie, but I am so glad we did not get one. They are just too small. Instead we ended up adopting a dorkie (yorkie/dachshund) pup from the dog warden. He is almost full grown and probably close to 12 lbs. He is sturdy as hell, he is very stout. Our min pin that passed away over 3 yrs ago was about 10-11 yrs old and she was so delicate. DH and I are amazed that there is such a difference, just due to body shape/size/breed, even when the wt was so similar. My dorkie LOVES big dogs, he prefers to hang out with the big guys (he could play tug with your GR), and I'm not worried about him being too delicate, but he is small enough that he can snuggle with us and is manageable due to his size. DH just mentioned the other day that our dorkie is the perfect sized dog for our family. I really did not want a dog any bigger than 15 lbs max, but even though our dorkie is 12 lbs, he reminds me more of a 20 lb dog. My 3 yr old is NOT the most gentle with him, I cringe to think what would have happened if we went with a breed smaller than 10 lbs.

I love that there is a dog breed called a Dorkie! That made me laugh :)

[khalloc]

I'm not sure I would want a dog that small. I've heard tiny dogs like that can be hard to train to go the bathroom outdoors - is that true?

I've only every had large dogs (black lab and a german shepherd) and although I expect accidents sometimes, it seems our neighbor's 2 year old havanese cannot be wandering around the house without having accidents. I dont know how normal that is. They have to have her in her crate almost always.

[k_null81]

I have 4 small dogs with the smallest weighing about 3.5lbs and the biggest being around 13lbs...My husband and I got these dogs prior to children. Small dogs are harder to potty train because if you can't let them out every 3-4 hours it maybe hard for them to hold it, seems like most small dogs are yappy, and the potential of the small dog being hurt on accident is far more likely with children. We work really hard with the boys to be gentle with the dogs but it takes consistency. The top reasons I will never own small dogs again is the barking and the lack of being potty trained, which if you work out of the home and can't let them out at least every 3-4 hours I think expecting them to hold it longer then that is crazy. My first two were potty trained and when I introduced the 3rd it went down the drain,

I really love Bostons and French bulldogs! I think I have heard Bostons make better pets with kids.

My next dogs which will be a VERY long time from now will most likely be a border collie or a mini australian shepherd.

Good luck! Puppies are so much fun!

[hellokitty]

I love that there is a dog breed called a Dorkie! That made me laugh :)

Lol, they are as fun as their name! We've really enjoyed him being a part of our family. As for small dogs, it does seem like they are harder to potty train than larger breeds. I was very diligent though with our dorkie and he was fully trained within 2 mo, just shy of 6 mo old. A lot of dog owners that I know who have the tiny breeds don't understand the concept of training their dogs, so sometimes I wonder if that plays into it too. Anyway, couldn't resist the opportunity to share a pic of our dorkie. He is often mistaken for a wired hair Doxie, but he definitely has the yorkie coloring and has a yorkie face, esp when his ears are up.
2858

[specialp]

Small dogs are harder to potty train because if you can't let them out every 3-4 hours it maybe hard for them to hold it, seems like most small dogs are yappy, and the potential of the small dog being hurt on accident is far more likely with children. We work really hard with the boys to be gentle with the dogs but it takes consistency.

Agree with this. Small dogs are very difficult to house train. We have a yorkie (pre baby) and he is such a good dog, but it was a lot of work. I was staying at home at the time and I think that is the only reason he is house trained and it took until he was 6 months old. He can hold it as long as any dog can now, but the beginning was difficult. I'm not sure how it will work when the baby is older, but he does well with all of the little kids in our family b/c they like to play fetch with him, but we don't let toddlers pick him up on their own. I also had a mini poodle growing up and was fine with her (she was 10 lbs., my yorkie is 6.) Another thing is the grooming can be too much for some people. I think given the size of your other dog, too, it might not be a good fit for you.

[maestramommy]

I cannot imagine getting a dog that weighs less than a newborn baby. They are adorable to look at, but it would be just like me to accidentally step on it, or one of the kids tripping and falling on it, or Shep in a moment of playfulness try to sideswipe, giving it a heart attack.

[sophiesmom03]

OMG the Dorkie is adorable!

Do you have friends with Bostons or Frenchies? I have not met many, but had friends with a Boston who was great with their kids (the dog was older and preceded the kids in the family). One of my friends is in a Frenchie rescue group and a lot of those dogs get surrendered. You may want to research more, if you haven't already.

But I think my vote goes for a Dorkie. LOL.

[boogiemom]

We have always had Yorkies. Current and previous ones were tiny, only 3-ish pounds. My crazy, all-boy boys absolutely adore Yorkies. We had a Yorkie and an Old English Bulldog at the same time at one point. They were fine together. My boys preferred the yorkie, actually. As long as your children are willing to play appropriately, no worries. Mine have never hurt one of our dogs.

I have also never had any trouble training our Yorkies. My son just said this morning, "Lola is the best dog in the world. She's cute. She's cuddly. And she's smart and well trained.". :-) He's right. She's super easy!

Every dog has quirks and needs different things. Just consider what works well for your family.

Good luck!

[kellij]

My mom accidentally stepped on one of their shih tzu puppies and killed it. Traumatizing for all. I'd be a little nervous about a 80lb dog playing to roughly with a teeny dog; just not understanding how small it is. Also, most small dogs are really hard to potty train. It took me 9 months with my shih tzu, but he is also extremely terrified of a crate so we couldn't use that. Poodles are very smart though, so it's possible it might not be as bad as a regular small dog. I think you should really look around and pick the dog that you think will be the best fit for your family. Dogs cost so much over time if you factor in vet visits, grooming, lodging while you're gone, the initial outlay seems like the least of it, so I think it's best to spend more upfront and really get the right dog than wish you had made a different choice for the next 15 years.

[arivecchi]

2858 No advice to the OP, but holy cuteness! What a cute face!

Some of the comments here ring true though. My family has had a shih tzu for a long time now and they have basically given up on potty training her. She pees inside the house a lot which drives my mom crazy.

I have read some posts in a giant breed dog forum though where gentle large dogs have lashed out at small dogs that were constantly bugging them, so that is one thing I'd keep in mind since you have a large dog.

[happy2bamom]

That Dorkie is adorable! Thanks for the picture. I appreciate all of the comments, it really helped me process some of my own thoughts. I think that we are leaning toward a BT at this point. It's a sturdier dog, but not huge like our GR. Most of the research I've done says that they are great family dogs. Wish us luck. Thanks again ladies. I appreciate you!

[hellokitty]

No advice to the OP, but holy cuteness! What a cute face!

Some of the comments here ring true though. My family has had a shih tzu for a long time now and they have basically given up on potty training her. She pees inside the house a lot which drives my mom crazy.

I have read some posts in a giant breed dog forum though where gentle large dogs have lashed out at small dogs that were constantly bugging them, so that is one thing I'd keep in mind since you have a large dog.

Thanks, we got our pupp around the same time you got your dog too, except that there is a vast difference in size btwn our dogs, lol. Yeah, my parents shih tzu was never completely PT'd, either. My sil has a teacup yorkie that is poorly potty trained and another friend has a maltese that never got full trained either. My min pin was not only full trained, but we also litter box trained her when she was about 6 yrs old. Ppl are always amazed, I never realized how lucky we got with her. Our dorkie was pretty easy to train, but I was nervous about that part, knowing that so many ppl have had issues with small breeds and PTing.

OP, I think a boston would be good in your situation. They aren't that small and like you said, are more sturdy and are pretty kid friendly. DH has a co-worker whose chi was mauled to death by her son's dog (can't remember what kind of dog it was). It was something food related and it happened with the co-worker present and she couldn't do anything to stop the bigger dog. They put down the bigger dog. It was really sad and dh's co-worker was just shocked at what happened. It does make me more aware when I'm out with my dog, to watch the bigger dogs. Even in our yard, there are coyotes around, so I never let him out there by himself.

[Melbel]

If you are open to other suggestions, we have been thrilled with our labradoodle. We brought her home at about 12 weeks and only had 2 or 3 accidents ever. She weighs in at under 30 pounds, has been easy to train and is great with the kids. We have had absolutely no shedding. Our pup was a 5th generation cross, which made it more reliable for size and shedding. DD1 has exhibited some allergy issues, so we were very careful in selecting our dog and exposing her in advance to make sure she did not have a reaction. Many hypoallergenic dogs are small breeds. In our experience as well as many other PPs, the small breeds tend to be harder to house train, which was a big negative for us. I did not want a larger breed due to back/knee problems. We were thrilled to find a happy medium.

That Dorkie is ADORABLE by the way!

Good luck in your search.

[kellij]

If you are open to other suggestions, we have been thrilled with our labradoodle. We brought her home at about 12 weeks and only had 2 or 3 accidents ever. She weighs in at under 30 pounds, has been easy to train and is great with the kids. We have had absolutely no shedding. Our pup was a 5th generation cross, which made it more reliable for size and shedding. DD1 has exhibited some allergy issues, so we were very careful in selecting our dog and exposing her in advance to make sure she did not have a reaction. Many hypoallergenic dogs are small breeds. In our experience as well as many other PPs, the small breeds tend to be harder to house train, which was a big negative for us. I did not want a larger breed due to back/knee problems. We were thrilled to find a happy medium.

That Dorkie is ADORABLE by the way!

Good luck in your search.

Who did you get your puppy from? We're going to get either a labradoodle or a goldendoodle the next time around.