buying a puppy

Question
Hi, my husband and I are looking at buying our first puppy as a couple. However we both grew up with dogs as family pets. We currently don't have any children, but are thinking about starting a family within the next few years. We live in a quiet, low traffic neighborhood, and the puppy we be alone no moore than 3 hrs a day 4 days a week tops- I work part-time in evenings, husbands home at 5. I have been looking at the different breeds and terriers seem to a good breed for us. Plus we both have experience with some of smaller terriers- yorkies and westies. However, I was hoping to get more of a medium sized dog. 3 of the breeds we have looked at are the border terrier, the Irish terrier, and the Standard Schnauzer. What breed would you recommand, and could you give a general price range?

Thanks, Cassie


Answer
Cassie -

All three of those breeds are pretty uncommon so you should expect to be paying a premium price.  You may want to consider fox terriers (wire or smooth)or a Lakeland if you wanted to consider something a little more common.  Also know that jack russells come in a variety of sizes. Mine is 15" tall and almost 30 lbs.  Cairns can also be larger at about 20 lbs.

One factor in the breeds you already have experience in is that their prey instinct is much lower than it is in the larger or more "original" types of terriers. For instance, a jack russell or cairn is much more terrier-ish than most westies are.  That simply means that more focus on training is required and consistency is a must in order to not end up with a bossy, bratty dog.  They will tend to be dominant over everything if they can get away with it, and consistent positive expectations are required (not to mention a sense of humor).

Grooming requirements are about the same in all the breeds you mention. They all require regular clipping or hand stripping.   Health is about the same in all 3 - generally very good. One advantage to being rarer is that the breeding is more closely controlled than when a breed gets popular.

It sure sounds like you have the time necessary to commit, and it's a good plan to get the dog ahead of time so that you have a well trained and socialize adult dog when it comes time for children.

The only way to assess which of the breeds' temperments are best for you is to call a couple of breeders. I have only been around borders more than the others because they are small enough to participate in earthdog events. Most of them are smaller than my jack russell in fact.

Best wishes, and let me know what you decide !

-Beth