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Which dog suits me

Which dog suits me? This is what we thought about before we got a dog.

Which dog is right for me?

Foto: Image of Morten

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Last updated 2023-02-09

Which dog suits me?

I myself grew up with a dog, where for a large part of my childhood I had a dog lying at the end of the bed or under the desk in the bedroom. The safety, the joy, the play, the companionship and the care are something I wish my children to grow up with, so now it is time to get our family a dog. Then comes the question of which dog suits me and my family. We will find the answer to that now.

My name is Morten, I am the founder and general manager of Lilbit, which develops Lildog. Starting a business takes a lot of time and requires long evenings away from home, which has meant that we have put off getting a dog. Now that our eldest son has turned 9, our eldest daughter has turned 6 and our youngest daughter will soon be 3, it fits perfectly with child number 4. So soon our newest family member will finally arrive, namely the dog Nano Cacao.

Choice of dog breed

Image of cockapoo puppies — Which dog suits me

The first thing we had to decide on was which breed of dog to choose. Both myself and my eldest daughter have tendencies towards allergies, so we wanted a hypoallergenic dogs. We have both been tested by a doctor and are not allergic to dogs, but we still wanted a dog that sheds little and gives off fewer allergens. We think that such a dog suits us best.

It is often mixed breeds of poodles that are often referred to as "Hypoallergenic dogs", where we quickly looked into several mixed breeds. Initially, we did not want a mixed breed, because many designer dogs are bred with great suffering. It was therefore important to us that the breed we chose was well documented and had no disorders. In addition, we had a list of things we took into account.

Activity level. We are a relatively active family who enjoy traveling with the children. We live in an apartment at Lade in Trondheim, so there is not much space inside or outside where the dog can run freely. In addition, I work a lot, so the dog has to endure lying on the sofa for an afternoon. We therefore want a moderately active dog.
Child-friendly dog. Since we have children who are friends with many other children, our dog must be fond of people and children.
It must also be a social dog, as we will take our dog with us everywhere. Nano will also be in the office where both colleagues and customers bring their dogs.
Easy to learn. Finally, we wanted it to be easy to learn and smart, since I plan to take it to tests with the other dogs in the Lildog office. Then it goes much faster if the dog is obedient to learn what it is supposed to.

We therefore ended up with a Cockapoo.

Preparatory puppy training:

When I was little, I had to read dog training books before my parents got the dog. I remember that this made me extra excited, as I spent the evenings of the last few weeks reading about dogs and imagining what it would be like when the dog finally came home to us. This also gave me self-confidence and a good insight into what I could expect from the dog. Back then, I didn't show much about which dog was right for me, as it was my parents who chose the dog breed.

Today, many of the books have been replaced by YouTube, Instagram and Google, where the children have access to all information, pictures and puppy courses. In the time before we get Nano, the family has gathered in the excitement of getting a puppy in the house, where learning about dogs and upbringing has been nice and unifying for the whole family.

We spent a lot of time reflecting on how the puppy feels and wants to experience the world. We discuss all the amazing things the kids are learning about dogs on their channels, as well as what we learned at the puppy class.

Our 3 dog vet rules for children

The children must not raise Nano or be alone with him. They will still be a large part of the environment that helps shape the puppy now in its upbringing, so some rules come in handy. What is important to know about children and dogs

Treat Nano like a baby. Don't yell, get angry, push or yell loudly at Nano, as they would never do to a small baby. Please be kind and guide Nano away from what he shouldn't do and get an adult if needed. With such an attitude, they are helping to create a safe environment for Nano.
Wait for the Nano. The children must let Nano come to them. They can call him, but don't go up to him and start a game or feed him. If the children follow this rule, we prevent the children from disturbing the dog when he eats, sleeps or is in a situation/mood where he does not come when called.
Cuddling is a reward. The children should not cuddle with Nano when he does things we don't like. We do not give cuddles if he jumps up and greets us, even though it is the time to cuddle with someone who is so happy to see us. Then we wait until he has stopped jumping, we can also feed him. Anything we don't want to be associated with something good should not contain a treat.

What do you need in terms of dog equipment?

We have bought dog equipment such as cages for the car and a puppy pen with a dog bed to keep in the living room. We have a blanket and some bite toys from the breeder with the smell the dog knows from before, which are placed in the cage and bed. We have also bought a dog harness, leash, food bowl, drinking bowl and a couple of bite toys, as well as some treats. We plan to start small with puppy training so that Nano recognizes his name and becomes dry, where positive reinforcement through treats becomes an important part of the upbringing.

We have also put up a fence at the back of the house, so that Nano has an area in the backyard where he can run around freely for the first time. This is also in preparation for taking Nano out in the evening and early in the morning after the last evening ride and before the morning ride. All in all, this didn't cost us very much, as we got most of what we needed at first from the breeder. A tip might be to buy a gate and fence at Christmas instead of at a pet store, then you only pay a fraction of the price.

Other tips for puppy protection:

Remove or replace houseplants that may be toxic to the dog.
Insert a gate in front of stairs and set up an obstacle in front of light pits outdoors so that the dog does not fall down.
Make toxic foods such as chocolate, coffee, grapes etc inaccessible to the dog.
Lock cabinets containing toxic chemicals and medicines.
Put away sharp objects and toys that the dog could injure itself on or swallow.

The puppy's first month in our home.

We are lucky enough that my wife can take a few weeks off completely after we have picked up the dog, so that we have plenty of time without work and other worries in the first few days with Nano. We plan to not receive any visitors for the first week so that Nano can become comfortable in his new surroundings before he meets many new unknown people. We see the first time as our maternity period, where it is just us and the newborn (puppy) for the first week. This will be our little maternity bubble.

For the entire first week, I will be in the home office with Nano, where the time will be used to create a secure bond between Nano and his closest family. After this week, I will gradually go back to the office, where I take the Nano with me on the days my wife works.

Follow Nano Cacao and watch him grow up!

In addition to sharing experiences here at Lildog.com, we will share photos and videos of Nano Cacao and our life together with him on social media. This is so that others can experience a bit of the joy of having a dog, see what it's like to live with a Cockapoo and learn from our experiences.

You can follow Nano on social media here:

Nano Cacao Instagram