I am really thinking about getting a new puppy for the family; my wife and I got a small yappy dog (rescue) before we had kids and needless to say that ended poorly - she was consistently aggressive with the kids (once we had them), I was told that she was untrainable by several professionals, and we finally had to give her up when we had our third child almost two years ago as the aggressiveness just got out of hand.
I love dogs and grew up with a dog that was a big positive in my life, and my children have all expressed an interest in adding one to our family. We are done having kids and I am most interested in a friendly medium-sized breed (up to about 80 pounds or so as an adult would work for me). I would prefer pure-bred but would be flexible depending on temperament. Less shedding is always better but I know some shedding is inevitable.
Right now in terms of breed we are looking at huskies and yellow labs. I have a fenced yard and this is a single-family home. Any experience with those two breeds (or other recommendations)? Definitely want a puppy that can grow with the family. Kids are two boys and one girl - lots of love and fun in this home. TIA!
Huskies are said to be great dogs, but they have a pretty high jump so fencing needs to be adequate in height. There are lots of sled dogs that require rescue as well, with a fair number of Husky/Husky mixes.
Friends of mine had a yellow lab/golden cross. Super sweet dog. My inlaws always had black labs. Love em. Only problem might be health issues due to popularity and over breeding.
Larger dog breeds can require a bit more work at the start with training, etc.
My recommendation is off board. We have a Coton de Tulear and she's the sweetest dog. Super family dog. Very affectionate and playful. Awesome with kids. Hypo. But they require proper grooming as their hair can get quite long. They can also be hard to find and pricey.
Huskies are fantastic dogs, but they are very high energy and independent, but the biggest thing is that you only have a tolerance for "less shedding", I would definitely look elsewhere.
I'm more of a mutt dog owner and have had several rescues of varying and questionable bloodlines, but if I were to look at purebreds, the tops on my list would be a Rottweiler or a Bernese Mountain Dog.
Having said that, It's been my experience that purebreds have, by and large, far more health issues than mutts even when "sourced" from reputable breeders. Don't discount a "mutt puppy" from the SPCA or elsewhere. If you get a good mix at a young age and are prepared to put in the effort, you can still raise it into the best family puppy ever, purebred or not.
My current dog is a roughly three year old husky cross from the SPCA and she is fantastic, but good Lord does that dog shed! The ONLY thing I don't like about her! My last dog that I had to put down at around 15 after having him for 14 years was also a husky cross. Great size, great temperament, perfect in every way except same thing: the shedding!
We had an Olde English Bulldogge, he was beyond amazing.
It doesnt get much better for a family dog, especially a family with young kids, as they are super docile, and have patience for days. I'm not sure how active your family is, but with 3 young ones I assume you tend to stay busy. A Bulldogge can handle long walks, but doesnt require them, 15-20 minutes and they'll be completely content. If you're hikers, this is a breed you'd want to leave at home though, lol.
Purebred, you're looking at 9-12 year life span, and though many of the breathing issues you see in smaller bulldogs are not as common, the rear hips and knees can require surgeries starting at a pretty young age. Our boy had his first ruptured cruciate done at age 2, and the other at age 3. Insurance is highly recommended.
I would steer away from the purebreds simply because of the health issues. They are cute when young and middle aged, but can be a handful if they get genetic arthritis or something 7 years in, on a dog that has a lifespan of appox. 12.
I would recommend picking a breed (yellow lab is a good one) that is the right temperament, and then spending some time looking at the Humane Society in Calgary and surrounding communities for a dog that is a primary mix of the breed that you like.
We recently got a dog for my parents, which is the most docile and friendly dog that I've ever met. Doesn't bark and is great all humans although a little defensive around other dogs. It looks like it's a Tasmanian Devil. No one can figure out what it is.
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Was this a plan for you pre-quarantine? If not you might want to wait until after to do it to see if the desire remains. Lots of people seem to be adding animals as something to do right now so I worry about them after.
If this was in the plans before quarantine is probably an excellent time to train a puppy.
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I'd get a lab again. My Labrador Retriever (black) is nearly two and still very much a puppy in behaviour but immensely better than he was a year ago. Labs are high energy as pups and require lots of training and attention but once they begin to calm down they're the best dog ever.
They fit somewhat in your weight range. 70-90 lbs and have an awesome temperament.
As a former Husky owner I can chime in. First of all they can be amazing family members.
They are amazingly clean and because of their “fur” (not hair) they can seemingly make mud disappear within 1/2 hour.
They are escapists and can scale a 6 foot wood fence easily. You must dog proof your yard!
Shedding is unbelievable however you will have every bird in your yard collecting fur for nesting.
Usually cat killers.
Husky's are diggers and there will most likely be a hole (often in the middle of your yard) where it likes to lay in to keep cool.
Mine was quite Alpha yet would get along great with other dogs once he established his role.
He lived for 11 years and was perfectly healthy until suddenly he he was on deaths doorstep.
I still miss him, as with most breeds there is good and bad , but if you are willing to be a responsible owner, you will be rewarded with a great family member.
Just make sure you change your furnace filter 1000 times a year.
We put a deposit down on a Labradoodle which was born this past week. I'm excited, its been over a years since our last furry friend crossed the rainbow bridge and we are all ready for another dog.
We went with a Larbadoodle as I need the hypoallergenic poodle but we wanted a lab so this was perfect... other than the cost. The new member of our family should be joining us sometime in June.
I have a Yellow Lab X Golden. He’s 6 months now and has been great. Never had a Lab before but very happy with him so far. Yes ... lots of energy but if you’re active it won’t be an issue. They require time and training but they are intelligent enough to pick things up very quickly. Just need to put in the effort.
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Of your two I’d pick the lab. Great dog and had one growing up.
Huskys are always the worst dogs I meet but might just be a ####ty anecdote. I do have a friend with a husky and they never get invited anywhere because the dog is just too aggressive. Same for all the husky’s at the dog park.
Was this a plan for you pre-quarantine? If not you might want to wait until after to do it to see if the desire remains. Lots of people seem to be adding animals as something to do right now so I worry about them after.
If this was in the plans before quarantine is probably an excellent time to train a puppy.
This is something I'm worried about with pups being adopted right now because people are lonely or bored.
Not with the posters here as they seem experience with dogs and know what they're getting into, but I think this will be a problem post isolation when people's schedules aren't open all of the sudden and the reality of a little dependent truly presents itself.
I got my first dog this time last year and really had no idea what I was in for. Absolutely love her and have no regrets but raising a puppy isn't easy.
To the OP, yellow lab sounds like a great family dog.
I love huskies too but have read they can be hard to put in line (want to be pack leaders), so not sure how that plays out with small kids.
Huskies and labs are probably the complete opposite of what you want in terms of shedding. I'm not too familiar with huskies, but from everyone I know (I've been involved in rescue and pet therapy for years) they are usually recommended mostly for people who are experienced with the breed.
I had a lab growing up and he was great, but he was a puppy until he was an old man. When I did pet therapy with my dog, in the before times, there were a lot of labs who were therapy dogs, because they tend to have people friendly personalities. I think you are looking for the right size for a family with young kids. In general, I usually tell people the younger the kids, the bigger the dog. A lot of Calgary based rescues tend to have puppies that are mixed breed similar to the size/type you want. I would recommend checking there first, to see if you can find what you want and if not, then go the breeder route.
I also echo the question about whether this was a pre-pandemic plan. I worry when I hear all these stories about people getting dogs now. On the one hand, it's great the dogs are getting homes. But on the other hand, adding a dog during a highly stressful time is usually something that's not recommended.
Most dogs have great pros and cons, just be sure you really love the pros and they significantly outweigh the cons for you. I recommend going on this site to help you choose: https://www.akc.org/dog-breed-selector/
When we did this year's ago we ended up with 3 choices that would be ideal for us and we never even knew about these dogs before doing this, let alone considered getting one:
We ended up selecting the PBGV and we couldn't be happier, and the image above is almost exactly what she looks like. Fairly clean having a double coat of "hair", not fur, that rarely is shed. Requires a brushing once a week and some ear cleaning since they drag on the ground a lot...and that's it. We have two kids under 5 and she is so incredibly good with them, has never even growled or snapped despite them jumping on her and crawling all over her. Very patient and good tempered, with both people and dogs. This dog LOVES people, can't get enough of them. They're even nicknamed "The Happy Breed".
I'll echo the others in saying that purebred dogs do tend to have genetic issues, so get some pet health insurance before you get any dog, just in case. Mutts are fine, but you know less about their history and the breeds can hard to be determine sometimes, so you might get some characteristics you weren't expecting and may not want.
But start with the breed selectors and answer the questions honestly. You'll likely end up with a dog you really love.
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We put a deposit down on a Labradoodle which was born this past week. I'm excited, its been over a years since our last furry friend crossed the rainbow bridge and we are all ready for another dog.
We went with a Larbadoodle as I need the hypoallergenic poodle but we wanted a lab so this was perfect... other than the cost. The new member of our family should be joining us sometime in June.
I've got a Labradoodle and he's really great. Truthfully, I didn't want a dog. I never had one growing up and wasn't sure about it. Clearly though, I was out voted and I needed the hypoallergenic breed, so at least got that part. That was three years ago.
Now, I've completely changed my tune. Ours is such a fantastic family member and he's my best buddy. He is by my side all the time and they really work their way into your heart! Out of everyone in the house, he definitely likes me best for some reason.
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Thinking about a puppy
