currently considering a dog

Oh wow, I'd never heard of that before! Poor lil hammie! Fortunately our Oreo is pretty used to loud outbursts, and has already had my sister's lab-mix sniffle him & seemed to be no worse for the wear. I'm thinking a small dog shouldn't phase him... so long as it doesn't try to attack him. And no, I wouldn't trust a ball either.

As for vacations, we were hoping to take the dog with us most places. Obviously we wouldn't bring him/her with to tour the museums in Chicago, but my parents have already been informed that we'll be getting a dog and have INSISTED on puppy-sitting for us if we do go out of town without the dog. My mom loves pets but Dad is happier without them, so my mom looks forward to our family & my baby sis going on vacation & leaving our pets with her. We haven't gone on any trips without the kids yet, but my mom has already started hinting that we ought to as well. I think she's reveling in this grandparenthood "thing" just a bit.
love,
mom

 

I think you may profit more from preparing yourself and your family socially for dog ownership, rather than worrying too much about genetics. Yes, bad genes can sometimes result in a bad dog, but bad human leadership will always result in a bad dog, regardless of genetics. Training a dog is easy. Training yourself and your kids to dominate (yes, they must) is not so easy.

Small dogs are no less dog than large dogs, and if not properly dominated will become problems to themselves and to others. I would really suggest doing some reading on pack mentality, and approach it from that angle. Small dogs suffer because they are forgiven by their owners for all kinds of dominant behavior that is detrimental to the dog and the owner. I am guilty as anyone. My lab/pit mix, rescued from the dog park and rehabilitated through many hours of work, is an angel. I would have no problem letting him guard a group of toddlers. My jack russel is, well, a jack russel. He is not to be trusted. His fault? I doubt it.

Remember, whatever you do, that dogs are the only animals that take all their cues from humans. The question is not if you are telling the dog what to do, but rather what are you telling the dog to do. If you invite a dog to become the leader, it will become the leader. Then, it will fall to pieces because it is not equipped for the task. Always make sure your dog is working for food and water, and your dog will be happy. It is a really great thing for a kid to learn that looking, touching, talking are all forms of communication, and they have to be in control of the communication.

Have you considered borrowing a well adjusted dog from a responsible owner? That's a good place to start. I hate to jump on a bandwagon, but sometimes I stay somewhere that has cable, and I have seen a show called "dog whisperer". This guy gets it. If you can find some literature or videos by this guy, it's worth it. Watch it with the kids.

 

Oh my yes, we watched the Dog Whisperer quite a bit before we dropped Satellite TV. The kids loved it, and we've since borrowed a few books & DVDS from the library to catch up on specifics. We have also pet-sat for a few different dogs, but it's a bit different to be watching someone else's dog than it is to have our own & be in control 24/7.

The one thing we've decided for sure, is that no matter what we'll be going through obedience training as a family... not so much for the dog, but for our own sake.

We managed to have a bit of a "windfall" with selling things on Craigslist, and we are suddenly VERY close to making a choice. My son just sold $500 worth of outgrown toy trains, and we have enough to adopt whichever dog we choose. We are down to two right now:

KIKI - a chihuahua-pug mix with plenty of energy, who enjoys lap-snuggles.

or ICE - a quieter eskie who would be a bit better suited for MN winters.

Our problem is that every time we think we've got it decided, we come up with another reason that the OTHER dog would be better for our family. Unfortunately one dog is an hour away, but the other is about 5 hours away... so going to visit them both before deciding would be a bit tough.

Does anyone have any opinions one way or another? We are in the middle of rearranging our entertainment center (so the x-box isn't 2" off the floor) and my daughter's bedroom (so her beloved dolls aren't 2" off the floor) over the next 2 weeks while we think this over, and would LOVE some outside input! We're a fairly quiet family, and are home pretty much all the time - and whatever dog we decide to adopt WILL be going with us on most family vacations & to Gramma's house, and the park, and just about everywhere else we go other than the grocery store so we really are looking for a full-time companion.
love,
mom

 

yorkies are the best dogs, imo. but, if you get a yorkie you may have to train him not to hunt your guinea pig, since yorkies are bred to hunt small animals out of small places.

 

I have a good feeling about Kiki. Any dog can adjust to cold winters, especially with the right attire. Ice looks a little hyper, possibly (from body language when pic was taken).

 

I would go with ICE, but I am partial to huggable dogs.