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Advice for getting a dog? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter wazoo11
- Start date
Uncle CornCob
Footballguy
Love my little buddy but don't buy a Jack Russell . They never stop
Ron Swanson
Footballguy
Rule #1. Don't shop for a dog.
Sabertooth
Footballguy
And be honest. If you are a slob who likes to stay home and watch netflix. No dog is going to get you off the couch. Y
Rushmore
Footballguy
Since you live in an apartment, be sure to get a dog that doesn't need as much open space for running/exercise. Boston Terrier, Bulldog. I've never been interested in them, but the people I know who have Pugs love them, and they seem to be pretty adaptive to apartment conditions. Perhaps Miniature Pinscher (would be my choice if I were in apt.).
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Don Quixote
Footballguy
I have pugs, which are good apartment dogs -- small, but not high energy. They shed and snore a lot though.
Limp Ditka
Footballguy
Let the dog shop for you?
Sabertooth
Footballguy
We got a cute little Shih Tzu. Great little guy. Love him to death. Absolutely murdered our sex life because he sleeps on the bed. No more waking up for a 4:00 am pound session. No more morning sex. Heck, I'm lucky if I get night sex. He barks now when he wants to come up on the bed.
Kennel training is on the docket. Wife doesn't know this yet.
Kennel training is on the docket. Wife doesn't know this yet.
Limp Ditka
Footballguy
Dezbelief
Footballguy
mozzy84
Footballguy
you sure that's the reason? seems like you could just knock that little sucker off the bed if it was time to pound.
Sabertooth
Footballguy
Rushmore
Footballguy
until it jumps back up and puts it's nose in your ### while you're trying to do the pounding.
wazoo11
Footballguy
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KCitons
Footballguy
sbonomo
Footballguy
Few do's and don'ts: Do - research the breed you are interested in. If you love labs understand that they have a lot of energy and it will be a huge time commitment on your part. If you have never owned a dog before ask your friends and family that have dogs their experiences with breeds. Go to a local dog park and talk to owners or anywhere that dogs and owners congregate. I have found that most dog owners are very friendly and willing to talk about their experiences. Check into the cost of having a dog before you get one. They are not cheap. You most likely will be charged additional rent, have vet expenses, boarding expense when you leave, etc.
Don't - Don't buy a dog from a mall or backyard breeder. thousands and thousands of dogs are euthanized every day that would love a good home. DO NOT support these a.holes! Don't get a dog because you think it will be fun. They are a commitment that you are taking responsibility for. Do your research.
Do - Find a local humane society, no kill shelter or breed specific rescue. There will often be a cost to adopt a dog from all of these locations but that typically covers the spay/neuter, shots, etc. As other posters mentioned, if you go to these facilities the dog may very well pick you.
I have a ton more to add as you work your way through your post. Good luck and you will not regret your decision to add a new family member IMO.
Don't - Don't buy a dog from a mall or backyard breeder. thousands and thousands of dogs are euthanized every day that would love a good home. DO NOT support these a.holes! Don't get a dog because you think it will be fun. They are a commitment that you are taking responsibility for. Do your research.
Do - Find a local humane society, no kill shelter or breed specific rescue. There will often be a cost to adopt a dog from all of these locations but that typically covers the spay/neuter, shots, etc. As other posters mentioned, if you go to these facilities the dog may very well pick you.
I have a ton more to add as you work your way through your post. Good luck and you will not regret your decision to add a new family member IMO.
Limp Ditka
Footballguy
Have one of those in the house too. She doesn't like sleeping and fornicating in animal filth either.
Brony
Footballguy
I'm also in the market for a dog (have house, middle school aged kids). How do you know that dogs from an adoption place are not going to be trainwrecks? I've heard mixed reviews on this approach. If not going adoption route, what is the best way to shop for a dog? I haven't come across a decent website yet (puppyfind.com and allpaws seem to be the best of the bad).
Mr. Ected
Footballguy
We have a Jack Russell/Beagle Mix (Something else thrown in there, we're not sure) and she is only crazy when she is defending her domain (delivery guy or other ring of the doorbell.) otherwise she sleeps most of the day and is an ease to live with. Agree with the 'what to do with my dog' point. We are able to take ours on some, but have to deal with finding a 'pet-friendly' hotel for longer drives.
We went to a 'show' at a local pet store (PetSmart or something like that) and saw our little girl and fell for her. We had been planning on a Australian Shepard, but I'm glad we got ours. Love the short hair, not having to comb or deal with stuff getting stuck in longer hair is wonderful!
Kraft...
Footballguy
If you do get a shelter dog, particularly one that isn't a puppy, know the dog may have anxiety. We have no idea what the dogs have endured before we get them. Our rescue dog has lots of anxiety and has trouble with strangers that come to the house. This could be a real problem in an apartment building with people walking in the hallway etc. Something to be mindful of when picking your dog(especially from a shelter/rescue). She's an awesome dog with our family(multiple kids), just strangers she doesn't like. FYI we got her at about a year old, she came to the shelter pregnant had her puppies and weaned them in a foster home, then she came to us so lots of jumping around and stress.
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ChiefD
Footballguy
I have picked all my dogs from the pound.
As I walk through, I pick the one that is the most chill in the midst of all the barking, chaos, etc. Have always ended up with a great dog this way. I figure if they can remain calm in all of that they have a good temperament for my chaotic home.
5-ish Finkle
Footballguy
How do you know that pure breed from a puppy mill won't be?
You don't in either case. You're playing the lottery. It's more about how you treat/train the dog anyway. Dogs, as mentioned, are pretty adaptable. Even ones that have been through the ####. Train them well and treat them right and you probably won't have issues that are related to where you got them from.
Brony
Footballguy
You're not wrong and I initially thought that an older dog from a pound would be less difficult than a puppy. Someone warned me that at least with a puppy, you can train them to your house versus un-doing whatever was done before. It's good to know that a lot of people have success with rescues.
-OZ-
Footballguy
Not only your lifestyle but what you'll do with the dog. We're pretty active but I don't like to take my dog for runs most mornings. I will on occasion but not enough to get a dog who needs to run. My mutt is perfect. We went online, found a puppy and "interviewed" him. He passed with flying colors. But that's rare and I wouldn't advise that method. Interview yes, but do so in person before you decide you want the dog.
Best thing you can do is volunteer to walk shelter dogs or foster if you can. If not, go to the shelter with the "understanding" that you won't adopt that day.
Our beagle was great, but when she got older she basically became a cat. We had a beagle/lab mix when I was growing up, she was ideal for me. I'd take her to the baseball field and hit racquetballs with a bat, she'd fetch, for hours.
mr. furley
Footballguy
mr. furley
Footballguy
we did this
####### dog is allergic to everything, snores like a grizzly bear and eats anything that isn't nailed down
5-ish Finkle
Footballguy
tl;dr: You can train/untrain pretty much any dog into/out of almost any behavior if you have enough patience. It's mostly about establishing boundaries/structure/etc. It's just how dogs, even "problem" dogs, work. Generally, it almost always boils down to each dog and the owner's patience level though.
The bolded is pretty much a fallacy in my/my circle's experience. It can be just as difficult to train a "non-rescue" puppy as it can be to train an older dog that may have dealt with abuse/etc. It really depends on the dog, and you can't know in advance how they'll react to the new environment. Just a couple examples:
One of my siblings rescued a 12 week old terrier mix that was the lone survivor of his litter (the owner of his mother dropped kicked all of the pups because "they couldn't take care of them all." Hope that guy roasts, at some point >:-[ ). He had behavioral issues related to that, as you would expect (was terrified of men at first, separation anxiety, etc). They stuck with a training regimen and within a few months he was as well adjusted as any dog I've been around. Got over the fears, etc. Was a really good dog for 14 years before he gave it up.
Conversely, I had a friend adopt a 4 year old pure bred Catahoula that had been raised by the individual who had got her directly from the breeder. Never treated bad, etc, but owner was an older woman who wasn't exactly giving the dog what it needed (exercise, discipline, etc). Treated it like a (lazy) kid. First few years for them after adoption were frustrating. Had to practically re-house train her, was a constant battle with stubbornness in general, etc, etc. She's a pretty good dog now(at age 8 or 9), but it took them probably a full year and a half to be able to trust her alone/those sorts of things. They were pretty lax on doing any sort of training, because they thought it was a pain in the ###....but when they finally started applying some structure/routine is when she finally started shaping up. She is still headstrong, but that's more because the owners don't always stay consistent with praise/consequences cycle.
My doofus is a rescue that they found in some drain pipe someplace with his siblings/mom. Was super sick (unbeknownst) when we adopted, wound up spending a week in "puppy ICU" when he was 12 weeks old, and would repeatedly attempt to eat my wife's ankles as a show of dominance after coming home. After he got over the health issues, we were borderline OCD with the training (obedience and agility) and within a month or so it was like a switch flipped. He isn't perfect by any stretch, now at 4.5 years, but for an energetic/excitable dude he is pretty good at doing what he's told, especially if he thinks he has a job to do(walks/"go find that thing"/etc).
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5-ish Finkle
Footballguy
In relation to the eating stuff(assume you are talking furniture/etc): How much training have you attempted, Furls?we did this
####### dog is allergic to everything, snores like a grizzly bear and eats anything that isn't nailed down
You may have went to the pound and picked up the chillest dog there....who up to a week prior had been living in a dumpster and eating every scrap of trash available.
If you adopt a trash dogTM, but never really teach them to stop being a trash dogTM then you will always own a trash dogTM.
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msudaisy26
Footballguy
Just post pictures if you get a puppy, especially if he is cute!!!
5-ish Finkle
Footballguy
Not the worst idea, even if it's just a "cheap" yearly plan sort of thing. One that just covers the costs of office visits/vaccines and boosters/that sort of thing typically pays for itself, even if your dog doesn't need anything over and above that.
OrtonToOlsen
Footballguy
Don't get a purebred. Get a small mixed breed.
rustycolts
Footballguy
5-ish Finkle
Footballguy
Those can be cool pets(albeit a little derpy), and are certainly a good size for an apt.
Unsolicited advice, since I'm here and it's the internet: Keep in mind they're herders, so you'll want to make sure you work out that energy somehow. You'll both be happier.
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wazoo11
Footballguy
squidrope
Footballguy
Wrong answer. Nothing in life is free and pound dogs usually have issues that'll cost much more than buying from a reputable breeder.
Bring on the "We need to save those poor animals" crowd.
sbonomo
Footballguy
I have been associated with a Boxer rescue for years. I am not speaking for all rescues, but we fully disclose all of the problems associated with the dogs that we adopt. Make sure you ask a ton of questions and check out who you are adopting from. you are right that some rescue dogs have serious issues. However, there are many owner turns ins, unwanted litters, etc. that are just normal dogs in need of assistance. Most reputable rescues will actually offer support and generally have the first right of refusal if you want to turn the dog back in (we make all adopters sign a contract that they will return our dogs no questions asked). We have a million success stories. As with anything though, do your home work.
sbonomo
Footballguy
Corgi's are cool dogs with ton's of personality. Make sure you do research on the upkeep and are cognizant of the shedding. other than that, a Corgi seems like a great fit!
Here is an example of a breed specific rescue. they can be a PIA but typically are good at matching you with a dog that will be a good fit - http://www.mayflowercorgiclub.org/rescue-introduction.html
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Dedfin
Footballguy
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