annnd at the risk of labouring a point look at the vid on youtube, of the streets "Dry Your Eyes", That is the real Stafford, not the press's version!

Most dogs even large ones don't really need a big garden if they get a decent walk. I have two large Airedales who come back from their walk and find a favourite spot to park themselves for the day.

Funny doesn't even come close, we live next to large fields that also have a some kind of horse school or something neighboring. I was walking her once and from no where a horse appeared, which she decided would be a good idea to square up to, i had to literally get in between the horse to drag her away, and im aware how incredibly lucky it was that it was a placid horse because it could of gone a totally different way! But a teeny tiny moth fly's into the room and shes instantly behind the sofa shaking and panting. Likewise for any small bugs and beetles! Shes currently hiding underneath the bed from fireworks, it only takes one to turn her into a wreck. But again, shes happy to attack the hoover and try and pull it from my mums hands even though its a million times louder and closer than the fireworks have ever been. You have to wonder!

LMAO! Yep, I too have a ruftytufty Stafford male of 8 years shivering beside me because a rocket went off 3 miles away lol!
Needs to be said too, this breed is highley rated by my hero and friend Mic Martin of Dog Borstal! Now if ever there was an endorsement of a breed theres one!

thanks for all the input. himself and i have discussed the opinions given, and as i've mentioned before, i wouldt be getting a staffie - nothing to do with the breed, my best friend has a staffie who is lovely, a big sook, and loves nothing more than to cuddle in, but they are just a bit to big for me. unfortunatly, i feel wary of larger dogs, and as im a wee titchy thing, i would class a staffie on the larger side of medium

the cavvie is an idea we keep coming back to, as we both adored his mums cavvie whilst he was with us, but the thought of all that hair ...

bulldogs, we have decided against, purely because we have a friend who once owned one, and the poor thing was never out the vets, and it cost her a fortune!

a greyhound would simply be too big for our modest home, so although i think they are lovely, we think no.

thanks everyone, keep the ideas coming, you're all helping a great deal!!!!

What about a sheltie ?? Theyre great little dogs, an ideal size and so loving and a very healthy breed.

whats their temprament? would have to be good with kids, as we have 2 young uns

edit: just googled to see what they look like, and they are very hairy :O i dont have the time for the upkeep of all that hair, although aren't they gorgeous?!
Last edited by jessica~rabbit : 06-11-2008 at 23:12

I was just wondering what the problem would be with the hair? My Cavalier is professionally groomed three or four times a year to keep her hair neat and apart from that she is just brushed now and again. Sometimes we spot little clumps of her hair that have fallen out but she moults a lot less than my cats.

If you google you should be able to get an idea of smaller dogs with short hair...

here are a few examples...

Pug,
french bull dog,
Dachshund,
Jack Russell Terrier,
Boston Terrier,
Miniature Pinscher
Cairn Terrier
West Highland Terrier

Sorry but are you really a vet nurse? ALL Cavaliers end up with heart murmurs so you won't get a line that is 100% clear. The other condition you mention is Syringomyelia and it is rare.

No potential owners should be put off by the 'heart defects' as you put it! They should do their research as they should with any breed and choose a puppy from adult dogs that have been tested and are clear.

I've owned a labrador, a Weimaraner, a Springer, a Westie and three Cavaliers. The Cavalier is the only breed I would have again, simply because of their good nature, you can take them anywhere, they love kids, they love people in general, they have a strong constitution, they can take as much or as little exercise as you can give them etc.

Also 2 x 20 minute walks a day would be fine for them as well as a small garden. Most dogs require mental stimulation as much or if not more than physical exercise and if there are children in the family then a small dog is going to be stimulated just by having the kids around.

i dont feel it would be fair, as i dont think i'd have the time for all that brushing! i dont know if my notion that long haired dogs require more frequent grooming - brushing to get rid of knots stop hair matting, more frequent baths to was long hair thats been trailed through mud etc - is a daft assumption or an accurate prediction, but im happy to be told otherwise!

you have to really think seriously whether you will cope with a dog all day it is like having another child that demands and needs attention, whether its the walks the feeding the gathering of poo and you have to constantly be watching them all the time with your kids.

If you are adamant on getting one i would stay away from pastoral breeds as sometimes their natural herding instincts can be hard to deal with around children for a novice owner.

Also it is not as easy as just getting a dog to walk next to a pram, it takes training. Training and enforcing rules is also a big part of having a dog along with ongoing socialisation so you do not get problems.

Ok I'll tell you otherwise!

You could take your dog to the groomers and have it's hair cut as short as you like. Their hair doesn't really knot and they don't require brushing every day. My Cavalier is almost 14 months and has only ever been bathed twice (she's going to the groomer's this Sunday too) and she doesn't smell! I've never had a muddy Cavalier. They aren't keen on getting their feet wet, much less going into mud! The only instance I can think of where you might let their hair grow to its full potential length is if you wanted a show dog but you only want it as a pet.

You could also get your eldest child to take some responsibility with brushing etc and that would be good for the child and the dog.

Females in particular have a lovely disposition.

there would be no issues with socialisation, as himselfs mum has 2 dogs, and while im working he goes up about twice a week, and the dog would be going with them.

im quite keen not to lean towards a pastoral breed, as i understand it, they are incredibly intelligent, require ALOT of stimulation, and if they dont get it they end up hyperactive and a bit too energetic! although the herding thing could be handy lol (im kidding, of course )

anytime i take the dog out, it would be on the lead, and walking next to the buggy, so the dog would come to learn that this is normal, i would hope, and im also very good at one handed steering!!!

and of course, if we get a puppy, we will be attending puppy classes

as i mentioned before, and i cant stress it enough, iwe wont be getting a dog for the sake of it, and if we dont find the right dog for us, we wont be getting one at all

lol, himselfs mums cavvie was blimmin awful - any time we deviated from his usual route (once around the block, clockwise if youplease!) he would spread-eagle onto the ground, and be adamant he was NOT going to move lol. the walk ended up being a carry! and now that you mention it, he wouldnt walk on uneven,wet,snowy,muddy,warm,cold ground - anything that wasnt the path around the block in dry, not windy warm but not hot conditions!

tbh, i keep coming back to cavvies. as well as all the attributes we'd be looking for in a family dog, they are beautiful

Yea well males (of any species) can be stubborn!

Seriously though, I do have to drag mine to the car in the mornings if it is wet outside and she's been hauled out of her comfy bed! In fact when I get to work with her she is straight into her other comfy bed and so far today she's hardly been out of it! They can be lazy but that can work in your favour if you want a lie-in etc!

having a lie in in this house is something that doesnt happen often lol! thats the other reason i keep coming back to cavvies - they are so laid back and placid! as a family, we're pretty laid back. obv, when it comes to boundaries, im very clear and the three of them (himself included ) toe the line, and know that what mum says, goes! naturally, the dog would have to follow suit ... easier said than done, im sure you're all going to let me know lol!

socialisation is not just seeing the same dogs a couple times a week it is seeing new dogs of as many breeds as possible every day in different places.

As for one handed steering i am sure you can but can you when your dog is dragging you across the road to meet another dog, go see a kid or sees a ball and takes off running. Training a dog to walk next to a pushchair is not as simple as you make it sound.

You seem to have an idealistic view i am not being a pessimist but you need to be prepared for a lot of hard work when taking on any dog whether a rescue or a puppy.

Excuse me??? Please do not question my intergrety. For what it is worth, I am a Qualified Vet Nurse, of over 20 years, Ive been in the profession 24 years, I am a head nurse and a Qualified NQV D32/33 assessor.

All the years in my work has enabled me to see past the pomp and circumstance of many breeds so I can identify and help point out any flaws they may have for potential owners.
It is EXTREMELY biased and unfair, not to make people aware of the cons of a breed, even if they are outweighed by pros.
Ive never shied from telling people that my breed of choice has some issues, such as they can be funny with strange dogs, and that the heavily show bred dogs have breathing issues. We also have a neurolgical disease L2, which affects our dogs, mostly again heavy show bred lines, and it is rare, but I would always warn potential buyers to look for clears tested stock only. going so far as to avoid any dogs that have carriers, as well as affected dogs.ig up the Stafford again to our OP, the breed is by no means large, my male is 35lbs in weight, 17" at the shoulder, they vary a lot in size though, from 14-15" at the shoulder at about 25lbs weight, to 18-19" and 60lbs! Its all about researching your dogs first.
Incidently, to b

i dont think we have an idealistic view - we know what we want from a dog, ultimatley a loving and much loved family pet, but having a busy household, we have certain standards that we wont compromise as its not fair on the dog or us.

anyhoo, visited the dogs trust today, and we found a dog that is just lovely, and yes, i'd love to bring her home. we need to discuss it tonight once the kids are in bed, and by tomorrow afternoon, we'll have a decision.

she's an old girl, 8 years so not ancient, but certainly not young. she's a german shephard x breed, and is so placid and friendly. we took her on a good long walk, with the buggy, and although she was curious and wanted to wonder off to explore, she was very well behaved. she's strong, but not so strong that she'll pull me off my feet!

we took her into one of the wee summer houses too, to let the baby out the buggy to see how he would be with a dog the same height as him, and he wasnt fased at all. she was great with the kids too, and loved himself. my daughter adores her also.

she's so placid and docile, and although she jumped up on himself, and tried to french kiss me (lol!) one firm 'no' is enough to discourage her. she was given up by a loving owner as the owners health is not great. and she's a very pretty dog, if a bit fat, so she'll need plenty of exercise, which im looking forward to!

oh, and she's hairy, and im covered in her hair, but i dont care, she's lovely! if we decide to home her, then i know she'll be adored by all of us!

sorry for the long post

No bother Jessica hope you find the right dog for you- and a much loved addition to your family.

Lets face it though, a certain poster doesnt really want anyone elses views and has came on here with an attitude now to two people on a three page topic..

as this is an internet forum, im taking everones advice (well intended or otherwise) with a healthy dose of salt ultimately, its our decision, and we know in ourselves whats right for us. and the dogs trust wont place a dog with a family who dont suit the dog, and will put us right on any misconceptions we may have

I got my terrier mongrel from battersea dog's home when he was about two years old. They had no idea on his history but said he was friendly and had a good temperament. When I told them my daughter was three years old they advised that I should bring her in to meet him first.

We did that and he was good with her.

We had two more children since then and he was perfect with them. He kept his distance and when they were babies only went near them when he was invited to by me or my wife.

We had him for 17 years before old age finally got to grips with him and several ailments meant that we sadly had to have him put to sleep earlier this year.

He was a wonderful dog. He never once showed any signs of being aggressive or any other behavioural problems and it was only in the last year of his life that he went to the toilet in the house (he lost control of his bladder and bowels). Other than that he was always spotlessly clean.

So I'd thoroughly reccomend getting a mongrel from a decent rescue centre like the RSPCA or Battersea.

The dog you found at the Dog's Trust today sounds adorable Jessica, I love to hear about people taking on an 'older' dog too because they're so often overlooked. I hope everything falls into place and you're able to welcome her home very soon.

It's funny how you go with one thing in mind (small, short haired) and end up with something totally different. When we got Barney I said the one thing I didn't want was another collie, not that I don't love the breed, I was just worried about comparing him to our last dog... guess what we ended up with? I'm not complaining though, he's hard work but worth every minute.

well, we've decided that if they'll let us, we'd be happy to have her! the only small hurdle now is that an old couple also want her, and got in there first. however, one of the girls mentioned they have been turned down for many dogs, cos they keep oicking docile and calm ones, but they're too strong for them! and fudge - thats her name - is strong. and fat lol, she needs a few good walks ... she's not the only one though lol. this'll probably sound really mean, but i really hope they dont get her we're going back down tomorrow to see what happens, and if she goes to someone else, we'll need to see who they've got coming in, cos today it was only fudge that was suitable.

im so nervous!!!