Puppy for a lodger...

[minkee]

Well! This is an exciting development. Our lodger is considering getting a puppy. I don't think he has any breeds in particular in mind - he has always gravitated towards 'cool' looking dogs, like Ridgebacks and Tervurens. However, his main need is that it would have to be an office dog (I am NOT raising another puppy any time soon!! ) So, something small that he could take back and forth every day, keep with him easily, and not intrude on work too badly (I'm thinking about Breeze and his telescopic neck in an office )

I suggested chihuahua and he's actually quite smitten with them I think He's not after status, he enjoys training with Breeze and Scout, and would really enjoy having an animal with him all the time. He also enjoys taking Scout for a long walk from our house down to the beach. Clare has always said that Ted goes on surprisingly long walks with her. I think chihuahua fits in with all his needs quite well.

The one thing I'm concerned about is, say, if we all went out together for a dog walk, would that EVER be practical. Breeze flying along could quite easily kill a chihuahua I would think. And Scout, when she plays, plays like a terrier. In other words, ROUGH! Do you think this could ever work out? Or is it just too risky? Or is it manageable?

Or are there any other breeds that fit the bill better?

[Nettle]

Those are significant concerns. Maybe something mellow in a bigger size, e.g. Cavvy King Charles (carefully sourced, but you would anyway) Shetland sheepdog, miniature poodle, miniature schnauzer (not all that mellow though) or maybe one of the small oodles/poos but not one with terrier in it. And I think another male dog would be better than a b itch.

[bendog]

I wouldn't trust a terrier or sighthound with a chi!
Pops has met Ted and Ella, but wasn't totally convinced Ella wasn't lunch when she was zooming around. Ted is a cool dude and so she was fine with him, but start a small furry thing moving very fast and I wouldn't like to bet on the outcome. Like Scout, Pops plays ROUGH when she plays, so even by accident could do serious damage.
Also no disrespect to Ted, but a long walk for a Chi is more likely measured in time taken than distance travelled. I walk a couple of lapdog breeds (shih tzu, and llhasa apso) and although both will happily stay out for well over an hours walk, they don't get very far!

My first thought was cocker spaniel. But you would have to instill a good "off" switch!
A Shih Tzu is a pretty much perfect dog if you can get over the looks! Funny, friendly, playful, but easy on lead and will settle when needed. Or a Bichon?
The doodles I know tend to be a bit scatty. Cavalier KC might be a good choice, but too "boring" for me, and I suspect for Lodger too?
What about a Westie? Or even a Bendog? More chilled than a typical "terrier" but enough fun to not be boring?

[Ari_RR]

Does an "office" dog have to necessarily be small? Just thinking.... There ought to be larger breeds who will be more than happy to sleep all day or just be big cuddly lazy bums, given a good energetic walk in the morning...

[emmabeth]

If the office comes with a sofa then a Deerhound would be the IDEAL dog!

This would also fit in with the dogs you already live with, so Im not just pimping 'my' breed... but he is looking for a dog who is happy to laze around all day, is neither guardy or reactive, nor so utterly friendly they have to fling themselves at people they don't know, and probably one that doesn't shed a ton of hair everywhere or have a habit of barking at things...

Sounds like a Deerhound to me!

The downsides (see im not all about the good news) - Deerhounds are unlikely to be interested in training much, baby deerhounds can be a bit spooky and silly, though as baby sighthounds go, not all that dreadful (put it this way id have a HERD of baby deerhounds in exchange for one Wombler!), not good at stairs when young and yes they do need a decent amount of room in a car, though it does depend on how long the journey is, they do squash up quite small ifnecessary (ive had mine in a Skoda Fabia!)

[minkee]

Thanks for the input, guys! It turns out that we thought it would be fine to have a puppy in the office because one of the other guys had one once. HOWEVER he let it wee everywhere, so they're not 100% convinced about letting it happen again. And I am NOT prepared to look after a new puppy again all day just yet! My hair has gone grey enough for now!

It's not a definite no but it's certainly a stumbling block. Sadly it's not a huge office, so if it did happen it would have to be something that would fit into a basket under his desk.

One that I wondered about (and we can blame Erica for this) is a miniature poodle (not a cross!) Any thoughts? Or if we were looking at oodley things, what should we look at?

Plus, ClareMarsh wants us to meet her breeders 35 chihuahuas, so I can't rule them out completely yet because that sounds like a sight that must be seen

[JudyN]

Does it need to be a puppy? If he could find a suitable adult dog it could overcome the problem of widdling in the office.

A sighthound could fit in well with your two - I'm guessing that Breeze likes other sighthounds because most are very drawn to their own kind. Plus Scout is used to sighthound play, and a sighthound wouldn't be so intimidated by her terrier ways - he could run away and will probably love her to chase him. One with whippet in would be fairly petite and they do fold into small places. Personality would, of course, be largely dependent on the breed/cross

[emmabeth]

Whilst Im obviously not averse to crossbreeds bred for a purpose, and I think 'brilliant pet' IS a valid purpose, I have yet to see any breeder of oodleydoodley things fit into my classification of Reputable Breeder unfortunately - thats not to say they don't exist but ... Ive not seen one yet (and a friend and i did have a fairly lengthy search for one not that long back).

I quite like Mini Poodles (not so much Toys) but prefer the Standards - I do wonder if a Mini poodle might be too busy a dog for an office though..

What about... thinking mainly on the 'being very amiable and friendly'... my favourite scent hound (and thus giving you almost a bobbery pack), the Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen. Sensibly sized, definitely fit under a desk, sensible coat and VERY amiable indeed both with other dogs and people, attractive to look at without requiring a ton of grooming...

The downside is that recall IS hard work, but not impossible, and they are a gregarious hound that doesn't like to be left alone - however knowing that in advance and not HAVING to leave it, it wouldn't be too hard to put in the work on that aspect too.

[minkee]

Thanks Emmabeth, that's one I never would have considered (and I doubt Lodger would even have heard of).

Judy I'm not sure about *not* getting a puppy. We just have to many requirements that I wonder if it's asking to much to expect it from a rescue. Must get on with / be safe with / ignore ideally cats. Especially one cat that just does not run away or have any evasion tactics at all. Plus Breeze has to get used to / learn to live with it (and it with Breeze). Plus must travel well, sleep in the day, get on with all sorts of people coming and going from the office... It just seems a lot more doable to teach a new puppy to like these things, rather than expect an older dog to be able to fit in.

I suppose on the other hand you have to teach an older dog all these things too, but puppy's are more malleable and hopefully Breeze extends them their puppy license!

Right now this is all a hypothetical exercise, because the office widdle situation hasn't been fully resolved. It's a fun hypothetical thought!

I think the major conflicts are that he'd LOVE a really smart dog that loves to train (like Scout, he loves doing stuff with her) but that is very much at odds with a dog that will snooze all day in the office. Actually, saying that, Scout snoozes all day when he takes her in! Maybe I should just loan him Scout for a bit

edit: actually I'm just assuming that the PBGV isn't a big fan of training, I could be wrong! More research needed

[Nettle]

A lady in the village I live in used to breed Petit Bassets, and they are great fun, fabulous natures, really endearing BUT real hounds! Doesn't mean they would be a bad choice, but the training would have to be scent-oriented and they don't do 'owt for nowt'. So - what kind of training does lodger want to do and maybe we can find a breed to fit the training

[minkee]

Okay! Well I just asked him specifics on this - it seems I might have been projecting with the 'training' part. He says "I'd probably go walking lots" as his primary thing (but think wandering down to the beach and back, not Amy-style trekking!) and re: trick training he's "Not too bothered, I'd do it if the dog seems to like it". It looks more like he enjoys the stuff with Scout because SHE enjoys it so much, which is nice! And thinking about that - he loves playing hide and seek with Breeze too, which is Breeze's Ultimate Favourite game. So very much enjoys doing what makes the dog happy rather than him - he's a good lodger to have, right??

[Sweetie's Human]

Older pug? I know Sweetie would be ecstatic to come to my office and snore in my lap all day. So would I, for that matter! Colleagues and clients - not so much. She would also suit his walking and training ideals. But I'm not sure how play time would go with your two... Sweetie avoids energetic dogs for the most part, but then she isn't exactly 'normal'.

One thing I've thought of - how certain is his employment at this place that (may) allow dogs? It would just be a shame if in two years time he had to move on to another job and had to start leaving the dog home alone if the dog is used to being with him all day. I'm sure he's thought about this, or else he wouldn't be considering a dog, but I'm just curious how it works.

He sounds like a thoughtful lodger to have and it's nice that he takes such an interest in your dogs too.

[minkee]

Yes, he was our friend before he was our lodger, so we knew what we were getting ourselves into

He is thinking about his future employment. It might not be 100% set in stone as the company is getting sold off later - but when this happens he expects a pay out and would more than likely try to go self employed. And even if not, I'm happy to look after a 1 or 2 year old dog, I just can't handle a 10 week old again! Not yet!

I think, however lovely they are, a pug may be a step too far into cutesville for him

Here's a question that he just asked me, that I honestly don't know the answer to.

"What about rescuing a staffy?"

Again, the rescue part worries me because there are SO many conditions it needs to fulfill - good with cats, other dogs, chilled out, likes people but not TOO much - but I know he has a real soft spot for staffies because his family pet (who still lives with his parents) is a staffy.

[ClareMarsh]

I have to say, regardless of breed, if I were ever going to get a rescue dog I'd go volunteer at the rescue and find my dog that way, I don't know if that's something he could do. I know for some people they'd feel the need to bring ALL the dogs home There would also be the danger that he fell in love with a dog that Breeze or Scout decided was the devil incarnate

If you didn't have dogs I'd already thought a staffy would be a great office dog. I haven't been to my rescue for ages but I know that the manageability of the huge range of staffs that they had varied greatly. There was one I'd have bought home in a heartbeat if I didn't already have Ted.

[JudyN]

Almost all the Staffies I meet round here are brilliant, and a great match for Jasper. They seem to be well balanced, calm, confident, and not at all dizzy. If they play with Jasper (not that that's happened for a long time as he rarely plays with other dogs now) they are in charge and won't stand for any nonsense, but don't get nippy and bolshie if he tries to rile them or plonks a paw on their back.

I know they're not all like that by any means, but there are so many Staffies in rescue that your lodger would have a very wide choice.