Does anyone have any idea where I can get a puppy for a reasonable price?:confused:

Have you looked in pets?

which do you want? as two VERY different breeds. I have owned one and know a lot about the other (Malamute).
what do you want from your new dog?, just a pet, or do you want to do some sort of breed specific passtime.
Mals are overall, the healthier breed and I can point you in the direction of a few decent breeders, but be prepared to pay about £800 for one. you can get them cheaper unregistered, but i personally wouldn't touch them with someone elses bargepole. If you want any more info on either breed, just ask :thumbsup:

Does anyone have any idea where I can get a puppy for a reasonable price?:confused:

Reasonable price? Please be careful, some pups are cheap and have bad health. ;)

Thats what i ment by bargepole tatty. always better to go to someone reputable, or what you save on the purchase price, you will end up spending in vet bills on ill health, treating bad hips, bad eyesight, gut diseases etc. both breeds need to be bought from someone whos choosing carefully for temperament too, or youll end up with a load of heartache

Thats what i ment by bargepole tatty. always better to go to someone reputable, or what you save on the purchase price, you will end up spending in vet bills on ill health, treating bad hips, bad eyesight, gut diseases etc. both breeds need to be bought from someone whos choosing carefully for temperament too, or youll end up with a load of heartache

I know, I was backing you up ;) Reputable breeders are the best!

yes that would be realy helpful thank you. i want a dog which could be a guard dog but at the same time a family dog.

forget mals for guarding, they dont! they will wecome anyone with a bunch of licks, friend or foe. GSDs are a better bet and you will pick up a well bred one a lot cheaper than a Mal. Just be sure to buy from parents with good hip scores. GSD's are one of the worst breeds out for hip problems. i do know of a good GSD breeder who provides dogs to security firms etc if you want details. they run Rivos bording kennels, pond common, Oxspring
average hip score for a GSD is 12, try to aim for parents who score that or below.

do you know anything about dobermans or rottweilers? are they safe around kids?

If brought up correctly, but I'd say if you're inexperienced with the breed it'd be a risky thing to try and bring it up as a child's companion and guard dog. It is perfectly possible to do so - under experienced professional supervisation but I wouldn't want to leave it to someone inexperienced.

What sort of guarding do you mean? A dog that will bark when someone comes near the house but will allow you to let people in? Or full on guarding?

boxers came top for family dogs somewhere but if your just wanting something that barks our whippet x gives a mean bark hehe

Most dogs will bark at the door etc. it's just getting the right bark..

Takara's 'only' a dally not something I'd say was scary but one postman actually refused to deliver a parcel, giving it to the contractor working on our drive instead because 'they've got a big dog'. In truth, she's not at all aggressive (or big) and just doesn't like people on our property or things coming through the letter box and has learnt that barking works because she barks, the postman leaves (she doesn't know he was going to anyway!) but to be honest, if I was on the other side of the door and didn't know her, I'd be pretty concerned too!

i do not want a full on guarding no, just a family companion but at the same time a strong big clever dog

To be honest, any dog will learn to bark at the door, particularly if you reinforce that behaviour with praise or food etc.

If you can, try answering some of the questions below and maybe someone can help you choose a specific breed?
How old are your children?
How much shedding hair can you take?
How much grooming can you do per day?
How much exercise would the dog (when fully grown) get per day?
Do you wish to do any other activities? (obedience, agility, showing)

My mind's gone blank so I can't offer anymore questions but someone else might.

Remember also to look into the health problems associated with certain breeds - GSDs are prone to hip displaysia, some dogs have breathing problems, some are prone to skin conditions etc.

Also consider pet insurance - it is worth it as apparently your twice (if not more) likely to need to claim on pet insurance than on car insurance.

Also remember that certain breeds have typical bad habits (although obviously not all dogs belonging to the breed do it), stereotypically:
staffies chew, labs chew, collies are mad, some breeds take longer to housetrain etc. etc.

If you do not intend to do any extra activities with the dog and don't want to be out all day on walks, I'd steer clear of a highly strung working type dog such as border collies/dalmatians/working labs etc. who needs lots of physical and mental stimulation to be good household pets.

Hope this helps a little

I would like to re-iterate previous comments about good breeders :)

When I was a small child I grew up with a fantastic black Alsatian as my companion. He was like my big brother - incredibly protective of me, but the softest big lump ever! He would let me pull him about, try to ride him like a pony, play with is teeth etc! He was so well trained & obedient. He was a fierce guard dog though, and people were petrified of him (which was ironic because his teeth were completely blunt from chewing those indestructable bones all day :rolleyes:)

Then his hips started to go when he was only 7-8yrs old. It was so upsetting seeing such a beautiful big noble dog drag himself around in pain :cry: I was only 10 when M&D had to have him PTS & to this day it is still my saddest most painful memory ever. Please please don't skimp on the initial cost of the puppy because you may regret it in the long run :(