Owning a dog

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Deleted member 11679

Deleted member 11679

Hello,

It's been somewhat of a lifelong thought that one day I'd like to own a dog. My girlfriend and I moved into our first house around 4 - 5 months ago, and, now settled, the thoughts of getting one has resurfaced. My family aren't pet people but I have always wanted a dog deep down.

I am just beginning my research into the type of dog I should be looking for and all the associated costs, risks, positives and drawbacks. It's not something I want to jump into lightly.

Initially looking around the information out there every breed and also every dog has it's own unique characteristics (obviously). I wanted to gather some general opinion on what different kinds of breed people on the forum owned, and, based around my 'current situation', what people thought might be a good potential breed I can look into more.

The other question I had was around rescue homes and breeders. Does anyone have experiences they could share about each please? Would like a dog from quite young, so it can be trained to our lifestyle a bit more effectively?

Our current situation:

- My girlfriend and I own the house we are in. House has been decorated, but furniture is not brand new and wouldn't be too worried about a little mess.
- No plans to have children for a fair while (2+ years?)
- Stable income
- Out the house for the majority of the day but could go for a walk before work and immediately after work. Would therefore be looking at a breed of dog happy in it's own company?
- Don't mind walking, but not fussed on huge walks.
- Would want to train the dog for basic obedience and possibly some simple tricks.
- Quite an easy going pair of people.

Any advice?

Thanks,

Tom
 
I know you said you want a young dog, but if you're out of the house for most of the day, it might be an idea to get an older dog, as they tend to be more docile and need less attention than a puppy.
 
I know nothing about dogs / pets but Maltese dogs look awesome. Suppose to be playful dogs but they crave attention.
 
Robbie G said:
Agree whose dog it is or pay for it yourself, so that when you split up, it doesn't become all the more painful as you fight for the only remaining thing that you love :p.
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Cheers for that, been together five years, best friends for 10. Don't think it's likely to happen :)
 
Newfoundland, saw one outside Tescos the other day, and thought it was a bear.

newfoundland-thumb-334xauto-155.jpg
 
Get a cross breed terrier, I had a bitsa terrier for 18 years it just dropped dead one day, pedigree dogs tend to get ill and die a nasty death, labradors get hip problems blindness and stomach problems, family have had many and they die very badly from 7 onwards

Dads got two patterdale terriers which are nice, easy to look after but hard work when your walking them as soon as they get wind of a rabbit they are off and coming back covered in blood, they don't need feeding much!!
 
Dogs are a lot of work.
Please don't listen to anyone who says they will be fine on their own for 10 hours a day, 5 days a week.
They are sociable creatures - when bored they can be miserable / destructive.

We have a 10month old Lab who we've had since 7 weeks old.

If you get a dog my advice would be:

Crate train him/her from a young age - they love having their own 'safe' space that they can hide in, and it does mean if you leave them alone for a few hours / at night they wont be causing mischief / injuring themselves.

Pet insurance - you cannot prevent injuries, and £90 excess is a lot more affordable than £500 for anaesthetic / stitches for an unavoidable injury!

Decent dog food - avoid most 'supermarket' brands and go for something vet / breeder recommended.

Be aware that they are a full time commitment. Going away for the night / staying out all day isn't really a kind option unless you have kind / close friends and relatives who will dog sit!

We got our pup the month after we bought our house - your house will never be clean again!! Serously even with a short haired dog I have to sweep about twice a day! Muddy paw prints will get everywhere!

Saying that - he is wonderful and we wouldnt swap him for the world. He's so loving and sweet, he's a companion / bouncer / cuddle machine!

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Will think of anything else...
 
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1) Forget 'tricks' .... train the dog to do what it is commanded to do and reward it when it does, not beat it when it doesn't..
2) If you are out (gonna laeave it) for more than 3 to 4 hours, get a cat. Boredome = destructive and possibly very anxious, which in turn = problems.
3) Think a lot more about the life that 'it' will have and what you can give ...... not what you will get in return.

Breed will not make much difference unless you go for extremes ..... I'd recommend a rescue greyhound for docile and not needing loads of exercise but they all need your quality time ... not something that comes last on the agenda for the day.

Don't want to **** on your parade but I feel strongly that too many people get a dog without thinking it through sufficiently; best of luck, and good wishes.
 
Megahurtz400 said:
Newfoundland, saw one outside Tescos the other day, and thought it was a bear.

newfoundland-thumb-334xauto-155.jpg
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Disgusting smelly drooling dogs, I didn't think that much slobber was possible. And if you're small and they want to mate, you'd better get ready to mate.

They're very 'friendly' though, and by friendly I mean will jump / lean / drool / fart / bark / knock / rape you at every opportunity.
 
There's so much I could say here, but to summarise it in two points

1) Do not get a rescue dog for your first. They often come with hidden problems due to their past, and require experience and knowledge to retrain.

2) If you're leaving it alone for such a lot of time every day, then I would get two dogs, not one. The fact it would be alone such a lot of the time, and "you're not that fussed about huge walks" makes me wonder if a dog is the right choice for you?
 
i think given the ops circumstances ie work etc a cat may be a better option, or a pair of dogs ?
 
Cheers for some of the later advice. The angle I want to come at is what life would the dog have, I know the benefits we would get from it. We are both at work, but could give it time in the mornings and after work. There is also the posibility of having someone drop in a couple of times during the week to give the dog some attention.

Having been on a few 'dog selector' websites these are the sort of breeds that have come up:

Welsh Corgi

West Highland Terrier

English Cocker Spaniel

Norwich Terrier
 
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