 | Home > Off Topic > its a dogs life! Your thoughts please? |
 
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) is allergic to almost everything! But not money being a student!
| AMBxx Member Since: 24 Jul 2016 Location: York Posts: 1035   
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Can't comment on your choice of dog (we have two Schnauzers), but be wary of the insurance. Once you've made a claim, the premiums shoot up, so becomes less useful. It also stops when the animal reaches a certain age.
Personally, we just setup a regular savings account to cover all the animal/applicance insurance needs. |
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31st May 2017 8:43am |
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| R1200GS Member Since: 12 Jul 2015 Location: Hampshire Posts: 265 
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It's your call on which breed of dog but we had Marks & Spencer dog insurance which was really good and also covered
stuff like a repeat injury which many other companies don't. Although once our spaniel got to 10 years old the premiums became so expensive that we just banked the money and paid cash. For the first 10 years though, we definitely got our monies worth ! Remember that vets these days treat dogs like people so physio, additional treatments,, specialists etc are always there to be paid for. It's quite easy to run a bill of thousands up, particularly if your dog loves chasing deer and is as accident prone as ours  |
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31st May 2017 8:48am |
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| stigomery Member Since: 10 May 2016 Location: Cambridge Posts: 277 
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I believe Schnauzers are non -shedding so you could add that to your list and also Labradoodles...
As regards insurance we pay 30-odd quid a month, but we have a Lab which can be prone to joint issues - that should show up within 2 years after which we'll probably downgrade the cover level. \ Bear in mind, if your dog runs in front of a car and causes a crash YOU are liable, the same is not true for cats. So if you live anywhere that an escaped dog could cause a problem you might be well placed to have at least 3rd party cover. Our last Lab got hit by a car - the vet bill for care/attempted resuss was nearly 1000 quid - we unfortunately lost him but were glad of the insurance. |
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31st May 2017 8:53am |
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| alpacaman Member Since: 07 Mar 2016 Location: Gloucestershire Posts: 160
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We have an 18 month old Patterdale x Lakeland, and have just taken delivery of a new pup – a Welsh Terrier. These apparently do not moult/shed, so might be worth adding to your list? Cute photo alert:
 Click image to enlarge Have always hated animal insurance as once they have you, it keeps going up and – unlike car insurance – as the dog gets older shopping around generally doesn't result in much cheaper premiums. |
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31st May 2017 8:55am |
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| Happyoldgit Member Since: 14 Sep 2007 Location: Norfolk Posts: 3471 
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Likewise no direct experience of the breeds you mention but I've had dogs around since I was born [quite a few decades ago] and the current pack consists of my two Lab and a Springer as working gundogs and a couple of terriers for close protection work
Insurance is a gamble. You may pay substantial premiums for years and not make a claim but on the other hand might need to claim right from the off as was the case with the Springer after it broke a back leg not long after I'd got her. Fortunately I was still within the freebie Kennel Club insurance that came with her and was able to extend thie to cover vet fees etc - thankfully the bitch healed quickly and is thriving aged 2. Vet fees and treatment if required can be eye watering but as has been said it is not always plain sailing with insurers! You need to bear in mind that if you need to claim they are likely to exclude the part of the animal concerned come renewal time and some companies will try their very hardest to wriggle out of coughing up if they possibly can. Personally I prefer to set aside a sum of money to cover potential emergencies and care but others prefer the warm glow that sometimes comes with paying for insurance - but do read and understand the small print before signing up and be prepared for them to huff and puff if you unfortunately need to claim. Steve. Owned numerous Land Rover vehicles of all shapes and sizes over the decades. Current Defender: A non tarts hand-bagged Puma 110 XS USW. [Insert something impressive here such as extensive list of previous Land Rovers or examples of your prestigeous and expensive items, trinkets, houses, bikes, vehicles etc] http://forums.lr4x4.com I used to be Miserable ...but now I'm ecstatic. |
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31st May 2017 9:01am |
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| X4SKP Member Since: 29 Nov 2013 Location: Berkshire Posts: 2295 
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Hello Rallymental
Decisions decisions... Your logic so far is sound, not leaving a dog for hours on end is a big plus (i'd say essential really), so if your circumstances permit, and you love them...life is just better with a dog. Your breed selection should also help, whilst only based on a single days experience, my wife and I recently went on a Truffle Hunting course, with our 8 month old Labrador, a mix of 8 different dogs, one of which was a Portuguese Water Dog (with Truffle Hunting in the blood line)...what a nice dog, clam and really good natured (I really liked him). Insurance...We have had dogs all our lives, and have currently follow a path of taking out insurance for the first year, maybe two, and there after (in my mind anyway) put our £25 / month into our 'dog fund' for if its needed. (some insurance can easily be nearer £50 / month). Insurance policies that are 'life' based claim to cover repeat / ongoing treatments, but this may not (will not in our experience) prevent the premiums for increasing dramatically. A serious condition to treat will be expensive, so it's about judging the risk, based on breed (known weaknesses) and your circumstances. I would also say that Vets costs and 'approaches' do vary, we swapped, with our new dog, and our current vet (also a farm vet) is use to seeing and expecting customers wanting good value for money...worth looking around to be sure you're happy. 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 8 months... Click image to enlarge Good Luck... SKIP https://www.defender2.net/forum/topic83242.html |
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31st May 2017 9:09am |
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| Mr Fox Member Since: 10 Sep 2011 Location: green & pleasant land Posts: 1038 
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We've had schnauzers in the past and they are excellent dogs; however, they do have the terrier gene and that, at times, can be challenging and frustrating. I also suffer/have suffered with pet allergies.
As for non-allergenic dogs, I've done a fair bit of reading on this topic and spoken with a family friend who is a vet and the jury is still out on how 'non-allergenic' certain breeds actually are. The issue seems to stem from the fact that all animals shed skin/dander, like we do; it is more often than not the dander that actually triggers the allergies. Fine haired dogs can irritate the nose but the shedding skin would seem to be the root of allergic reactions. Non-shedding dogs don't leave hair all over your house when they are shedding BUT be slightly wary of the claim that you won't have any allergies. I now have two large GSDs and they shed like mad in the Spring and Autumn - when I got the first one, I suffered for about a month but then seemed to build up an immunity (a bit like your cats, which I also have and mine don't bother me either) and now I have zero issues. Just something to consider. |
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31st May 2017 9:22am |
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| Huttopia Member Since: 23 Feb 2016 Location: West Midlands Posts: 1977
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I've stopped insuring the dogs. It is better to put the premium in a pot and that way everything is covered, you're not at the mercy of a loophole or making a claim only to see the premium rocket. A top tip is simply to keep the dog in good shape i.e. lean.
It's an exciting time, best of luck!! |
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31st May 2017 9:37am |
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| Mr Fox Member Since: 10 Sep 2011 Location: green & pleasant land Posts: 1038
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PS - as we often talk about security on here... this is an excellent layer
Click image to enlarge Admin note: this post has had its images recovered from a money grabbing photo hosting site and reinstated |
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31st May 2017 9:53am |
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| Rallymental Member Since: 17 Aug 2015 Location: The Garden of England Posts: 468 
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Thank you all for your replies so far, it's interesting what you all think of insurance, this is very similar to what we did with the cats, first few years we insured them when they were young and daft and now we don't cos all they seem to do is sleep in the sun. Would'nt that be nice?!
Thanks also for your thoughts on different makes and models we'll check them out. I like the sound of a truffle hunting course! Does anyone have any thoughts on dogs vs bitches? The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results. Solihull, 1948 - "If we paint the chassis, it will last for years" Solihull, 2015 - "If we paint the chassis............................. |
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31st May 2017 10:01am |
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| X4SKP Member Since: 29 Nov 2013 Location: Berkshire Posts: 2295
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31st May 2017 10:18am |
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| Rallymental Member Since: 17 Aug 2015 Location: The Garden of England Posts: 468
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 The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.
Solihull, 1948 - "If we paint the chassis, it will last for years" Solihull, 2015 - "If we paint the chassis............................. |
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31st May 2017 10:31am |
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| davew Member Since: 02 Jan 2012 Location: North Yorkshire Posts: 888  
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Regarding insurance, having previously had cats and not bothered, we went with PetPlan for our first dog and then did the same when number 2 arrived. We've not had any issues (so far) with premiums going up after a claim and not had any issues with claims. We just gave the vet the pet plan info, paid the fee and a couple of weeks later got a refund from PetPlan. It does mean you have to pay for the fees up front though. Our youngest/newest developed a slight click in his left leg at 6 months and, given that we were starting agility training with him, we asked the vet to check it out to make sure it wasn't something that might be a long term issue. As a result he was x-rayed and the x-rays passed onto a specialist which didn't come cheap. PetPlan covered the cost without any issue though which, to be honest, came as a pleasant surprise. It all came to nothing in the end and was just a passing thing while he grew but with the breeder having him marked down as a potential stud dog for the future and us wanting to run him in agility competitions later on it was better to make sure. Dogs versus Bitches ? I prefer dogs, it may be because we have Border Collies and much though I love our first BC (a bitch), all the bitches I know are far less "stable" than the dogs. The dogs tend to be calmer and have less of a tendency towards being psychotic ! That said you get what you get so you just have to be prepared to work with your dogs character and quirks. Some breeds are more prone to "being a knob" than others and the BC is pretty high on that list I'd say so the bitches being more likely to show that tendency probably stands out more. I have a friend who is allergic to most dogs, she has two poodle crosses as a result. A Cocker Spaniel / Poodle cross and a Border Collie / Poodle cross (CockerPoo and ColliePoo, as they like to be termed). Neither of them have caused her allergy problems but before buying she spent time with them at the breeder to make sure. They are both bitches and the CockerPoo is generally a very biddable dog, the ColliePoo does exhibit "being a knob" tendencies, which i suspect comes from her Collie side ! http://www.yorkshireoffroadclub.net/ |
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31st May 2017 11:26am |
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| scotty38 Member Since: 21 May 2011 Location: Lincolnshire Posts: 571 
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Can't beat a good "lookout" dog...
Click image to enlarge |
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31st May 2017 11:27am |
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