Puppies. Totally irresistible
But if you're thinking of buying one you really need to engage your head as well as your heart. If you jump in without doing your research
you could end up with a dog that just doesn't suit your lifestyle. That's why so many dogs end up in rescue centers being rehomed
Pip and Steve live in Sheffield and giving serious thought to buying their first pup - but
don't want to make any mistakes. I always had dogs when I was growing up, but my mum and dad looked after them
I've never looked after one by myself before I
Want something to drink?
My parents weren't pet people
We had a rabbit that thought it was a dog . I used to dig in the garden, but my experience is nil
Pip and Steve haven't been responsible for a dog before so they're calling in a puppy buying expert to help them make the right choice
Bill Lambert is the manager of the Kennel Club's Assured Breeders Scheme for breeders
who've agreed to make the health and welfare of their pups a top priority
He knows all about the joys and potential pitfalls of buying a pup
To start with he's less interested in what dog would be right for Pip and Steve
but whether they are right for a dog. I work from nine till five every day and
all the weekdays, so I
probably get home. I'd say about six o'clock if I'm not working late, but
and
We started to look at it now because hopefully Steve will have and a lot more time at home
So if you're at home, and you're working from home, then that should work out quite. We like to keep the house quite tidy
So I was I think something I was considering as well was dogs that molt a lot and you know
Looking at specific breeds that perhaps don't lose their hair all over the house, and then it gets everywhere else
But of course the other thing is exercise. Don't necessarily think that if it's big
It needs more exercise and if it's small it needs less. It does depend on the temperament of the dog, and its lifestyle
So you need to pick a dog that's going to find into your lifestyle. Bill's pleased
They're prepared to spend time training a puppy
and considering signing up to one of the two thousand classes in the Kennel Club's good citizen training scheme
But have they really thought about the cost of owning a dog? Food bills , essential accessories, vets fees, insurance costs
There have been some studies that show that the cost of an average dog throughout its lifetime is around 15,000 pounds
So it is something to consider now. I would suggest it's money well spent
But you should actually go into that with your eyes open
But which type of dog will suit them best?
Bills invited three contrasting canines along to show the choice is enormous
This is Emmy. A Saint Bernard - Britain's biggest dog breed
At the other end of the scale - Danny a long-haired Chihuahua - the smallest breed
And representing the middle ground - Rossi - a Labrador Retriever. Labradors are Britain's most popular breed
Steve's daughter Ella is 11 and stays most weekends so any dog they choose needs to be good with children, too
first up, Danny
Now the first obvious thing is that chihuahuas are small and but they are actually a big dog in a small package
They're all dog. They are a toy dog, but they're not a toy
They're a real dog and one of the things that we try and emphasize is that they're not
necessarily the ideal dog for children. Children tend to want to pick them up, and they may not although Danny's quite
happy here being held. They don't necessarily like being mauled. Chihuahua's don't have to eat a fantastic
they're a small dog so its terms of economy
They're not necessarily going to eat you out of house and home so karen. Thank you very much for that now
We're going to go from the smallest to the largest breed of dog
You can clearly see a St Bernard is a much bigger dog than a Chihuahua but in actual fact, in terms of its temperament
It's probably a bit quieter and calmer.
They are actually fantastic dogs with children because they are pretty reliable pretty steady dogs, and you can see Emmy here is sitting quite quietly
One thing I must say about St Bernards is you will find that they do slobber quite a lot they have these
Heavy jowells so so they have a certain amount of drool that will get on your clothes also
They do have do require a certain degree of grooming. So certainly a couple of times a week
You are going to need to bring her out and get a really good brush to it
Obviously big dogs eat more so Emmy here
Probably is probably going to cost you something between five and ten pounds a week to feed. Emmy
probably only needs about an hour or so
Exercise a day. So, that's a St Bernard. Thank you very much for bringing Emmy along Kate. Now
we're going to actually move to somewhere between the two the most popular dog which is the labrador retriever.
They are a very gregarious dog. They're very good with people. They love people they like other dogs providing
They're socialized and well mixed from a very early age
The our
They are a dog that will actually live quite happily with other dogs and other animals and they are very active boisterous dog
They are very bright, but you do need to channel
that intelligence into doing some activity, so
certainly a labrador is not a dog that you'd want to leave for long periods of time there are dog that needs a
Certain amount of exercise and activity to keep it stimulated
but of course that's only three of the
211 breeds that you can actually choose from
And I was actually really surprised about the larger dog, and I thought that I would have my reservations
But it appeared to be the friendliest quite placid. I like the Chihuahua best
But I don't know whether with me being in the house
And I don't know whether it would be the best dog for the environment
I think I really like the mall, but I'm surprised how much I like the bigger dogs as well
And I have listened to what you've said about the costs and feeding them and things well
And that they don't need as much exercise as I thought
There's a massive choice there and this choices aren't quite as easy as you might think of first. So, Bill's checklist so far
Can you afford a dog?
Have you time to exercise ,groom and train it?
Would it fit your lifestyle for up to 15 years?
Pip and steve think they can tick all the boxes and so next video
Bill's introducing them to all seven main dog groups so they can start to narrow down their choice
Barking!
you