Puppy or no puppy ?

onwarddownward

I think that if I wanted a certain breed of dog and I was over the age of majority, I would get the dog. If he wants a rottie, he can get a rottie and pick up rottie poop.

You sound like you want a snuggle bucket. Get your pooch. But look into a rescue that supports that breed of dog, rather than getting a puppy. I hate putting money into the hands of breeders who just keep pumping out the puppies.

PikaKnight

It would be very hard to train a puppy being gone all day with both of you working. Even though you have it in a crate a puppy can't hold it that long so you would be constantly cleaning up messes. Even if you got a dog that was already housebroken it wouldn't be very fair keeping the dog locked up in a crate for that long of a time. Also if you then decided to give it free range of your home then you would want to make sure you didn't get a very social dog so a Rottweiler may be a better choice. Either way since your ok with not getting a dog my thought is to hold off until your both 100% on board.

Wut????Rotties can be very social! In fact, you NEED to socialize your dog regardless of breed.

EmilyOfTheSun

ETA: Regardless of rescuing or buying from a breeder...doesn't sound like you're 100% sure so you should probably hold off.

PikaKnight

:drinker:

bella24xo

as much as i would like to say go get one, they are A LOT OF WORK!!! i have an 8 month old border collie pup and he is the love of my life, but training and time consuming...beyond imaginable. at this point, hes a great dog, but when i first got him...holy cow i had no idea what i was getting in to...its kinda one of those things you have to be 10000% into and commited. I am not home all day either but my grandma is with the dog....its hard for me to imagine leaving him in a crate all day.

1princesswarrior

A few things, I agree you are not ready for a dog. I have four.

As a dog trainer for 25 years I can say this. While puppies can be a big pain in the you know where, if you start them in training and on a schedule immediately it makes like a lot easier. My puppies usually do not have accidents after the first couple of days because I know they need to go out every 20 minutes under supervision and when I cannot supervise them I use what many of you think is an evil crate. My dogs LOVE their crates and while now they do not need to stay in them all day while I am at work they wait in them when I get ready in the mornings for their treat. I have one dog that panics if I close his crate door or heavan forbid try to take his crate away. My dogs travel in the car in crates so they don't stick their heads out the window since debris in the eye can be quite expensive and they don't block my driving view or distract me. And yes my dogs are alone while I work all day. Dogs in the wild would dig a den, sleep for 20 hours a day, come out to hunt, eat, and then go back into their den. They consider bedtime as 'pack time' and I use that term loosely.

My dogs sleep in bed with me. My dogs are trained in agility. I've trained one of my dogs as a service dog (he is sound asleep under my desk now). One of my dogs does run with me. All of my dogs' physical and behavioral needs are met.

If you can't provide that then you are not ready for a dog. And please do consider adoption. Sorry for the little crate rant.

Edited for grammar.

wolverine66

i can't believe the size of the excrement factors into the decision.

my advice is in line with the others. don't do it until you can handle it properly. that will be best for you and the pup.

Follow_me

I don't understand....

" Hubby says he does not want a dog. They chew stuff, pee and poop where they shouldn't and they are annoying when they bark. We both work full time, so the dog would have to be crated during the day. I wanted to get a Shiba Inu dog. They don't get very big. We don't have a large yard, so doggie turds would need to be picked up quite often."

Why would anyone want this?

CallMeCupcakeDammit

My thing is that i don't know if I really want a dog THAT bad.....

You know you're talking about taking responsibility for a living creature for like twenty years, right?



I vote no dog.

Go shopping, you need a new accessory, not a dog.

I you

Healingnutritionsolutions

Maybe consider adopting one together? If you intend to remain married, you'll have to come to some agreement regardless. We have rescue dogs mostly and they are all indoor, outdoor and crate trained. 2 beagles, a yorkie and a St.Weiler who loves our kids, but is just now 9 months old and 90+ pounds... he hasn't messed in the house since he was a few days home. The only purebred we have had recently was a Husky. All have done great in crates, and occasionally need to be locked in all day 8-9 hrs, but honestly only a few days a week. They go in their crates most of the time of their own accord and seem to think of them as their "dens". Ours are not allowed on the furniture or in certain rooms either, they know their boundaries, and seem to do well because they have them. We have cats, but I'm allergic, so they have moved outside. Every animal I own gets "fixed." We are in the country in a popular "dumping off" location. So I frequently take them in to the humane society and have had numerous females dumped who delivered pups or kittens that day or night, or were dumped with half grown pups or kittens. What ever you decide, it will take work. It is a responsibility - it is a commitment, and it is like raising a child, but very different. I have both animal children and human children, I know!

PikaKnight

Hubby says he does not want a dog. They chew stuff, pee and poop where they shouldn't and they are annoying when they bark. We both work full time, so the dog would have to be crated during the day. I wanted to get a Shiba Inu dog. They don't get very big. We don't have a large yard, so doggie turds would need to be picked up quite often."

Just caught this. OP, you NEED to pick up the dog's poop everyday regardless of size. Not only is that just nasty NOT to do...but it can be detrimental to your dog's health as well.

Tropical_Turtle

To be honest - it truly does not sound as if you are even remotely ready to have one, and your descriptors of dogs and their behaviours is based on that of who trains them. Dogs are like kids, they do things, especially as puppies before they are trained and grow. ADOPT if you do decide to get a dog, and DO RESEARCH on different breeds, do NOT get a dog based on what you like in appearance. Look at the traits, etc of the breeds and see which would work better for your lifestyle -IF YOU WERE TO GET A DOG.

But right now - DO NOT DO IT, save the dog from your torture

BarbellApprentice

I have 3 dogs. I will always have dogs. I love them. But they are work and an expense.

If you are not 100% sure you want one and your husband is not on board then forget it.

If you do get I dog I echo Gzus7freek and beg you to consider a dog from the shelter. No need to pay hundreds or thousands to a breeder. Shelter pups are the sweetest. And if people do not adopt them...well...:sad:

rpoupard99

Wow! A lot of responses! I would agree not to get one until you both want one. I love big dogs but I would also suggest - since you both work full-time - to rescue an adult dog that you would not have to house train, etc. Sitting in a crate all day is not a life for a dog, and a more mature one...once you can trust it...could be left without the crate...maybe consider a doggy door. Hopefully at some time you will both want a dog at the same time!

gzus7freek

OMG...No Puppy!
They need lots of time and attention.
They pee, poop, puke, chew, destroy, and mess up everything until they are trained.
They get you up at all hours of the night to go out.

Adopt a grown shelter dog. They are great!!

I have 3 dogs and wouldn't trade them for the world!!

Dogs shouldn't be crated all day, they need ppl interaction!
Dogs that are crated can tend to get anxiety issues.
They should also never be in a kennel or on a chain!!

Ummm... no. If your dog gets anxiety being crated you are doing something very wrong. I have raised and trained 3 German shepherds to be amazing family pets and we crate trained all of them. Might want to brush up on some training materials.

I guess anxiety was a poor word....Maybe mental....I have adopted a German shepherd mix that was crated approx. 20 out of 24 hours a day and she is mental.....Can't really express what she does, but she HATES the crate. I therefore do not crate her and let her run FREE.....My other 2 dogs were crate trained just fine.

PikaKnight

OMG...No Puppy!
They need lots of time and attention.
They pee, poop, puke, chew, destroy, and mess up everything until they are trained.
They get you up at all hours of the night to go out.

Adopt a grown shelter dog. They are great!!

I have 3 dogs and wouldn't trade them for the world!!

Dogs shouldn't be crated all day, they need ppl interaction!
Dogs that are crated can tend to get anxiety issues.
They should also never be in a kennel or on a chain!!

Ummm... no. If your dog gets anxiety being crated you are doing something very wrong. I have raised and trained 3 German shepherds to be amazing family pets and we crate trained all of them. Might want to brush up on some training materials.

I guess anxiety was a poor word....Maybe mental....I have adopted a German shepherd mix that was crated approx. 20 out of 24 hours a day and she is mental.....Can't really express what she does, but she HATES the crate. I therefore do not crate her and let her run FREE.....My other 2 dogs were crate trained just fine.

I'm sorry...did you say 20 out of 24 hours!!! Straight? Ummm...I think I know why your dog is mental. And are you even exercising her? How are you exercising her and how often/how long? holy crap.

ETA: Re-read that and realized I misinterpreted that she was crated that long but not by you. Still, I'm sure that you could work with getting over her anxiety or whatever word you want to use. What's going to happen if you ever have to crate her? Even though it'll take work, you can and should have her get over the issue.

suelegal

My thing is that i don't know if I really want a dog THAT bad.....

You know you're talking about taking responsibility for a living creature for like twenty years, right?



I vote no dog.

Go shopping, you need a new accessory, not a dog.

I agree 1000% I advocate for dogs dropped off at a KILL shelter. People turn in their unwanted pets (I suppose for some to assuage their guilt). They KILL 450 to 600 unwanted dogs monthly!

450 - 600 MONTHLY!!

If you are not committed to raising and caring for this pooch for his entire life, then don't do it!

Go buy a new pair of jeans instead.

gzus7freek

OMG...No Puppy!
They need lots of time and attention.
They pee, poop, puke, chew, destroy, and mess up everything until they are trained.
They get you up at all hours of the night to go out.

Adopt a grown shelter dog. They are great!!

I have 3 dogs and wouldn't trade them for the world!!

Dogs shouldn't be crated all day, they need ppl interaction!
Dogs that are crated can tend to get anxiety issues.
They should also never be in a kennel or on a chain!!

Ummm... no. If your dog gets anxiety being crated you are doing something very wrong. I have raised and trained 3 German shepherds to be amazing family pets and we crate trained all of them. Might want to brush up on some training materials.

I guess anxiety was a poor word....Maybe mental....I have adopted a German shepherd mix that was crated approx. 20 out of 24 hours a day and she is mental.....Can't really express what she does, but she HATES the crate. I therefore do not crate her and let her run FREE.....My other 2 dogs were crate trained just fine.

I'm sorry...did you say 20 out of 24 hours!!! Straight? Ummm...I think I know why your dog is mental. And are you even exercising her? How are you exercising her and how often/how long? holy crap.

ETA: Re-read that and realized I misinterpreted that she was crated that long but not by you. Still, I'm sure that you could work with getting over her anxiety or whatever word you want to use. What's going to happen if you ever have to crate her? Even though it'll take work, you can and should have her get over the issue.

I don't crate her at all any more. I either take her with me, or someone is home with her. I have not had her very long, so I know she will take time to work out her issues. All my dogs are rescues....Angel the border collie was beaten a lot by her previous owner, Rusty the Red Heeler was dropped in a corn field near my house and lived on road kill till I found him.....Sarah another German Shepard mix was tossed out a car window on a mountain road. I stopped and took her home.....The newest addition was the crated mix.....I guess that is why I prefer non-pure bred dogs. Some of them make the best kids!!

lripson28

I agree with other posters... neither of you really want one and would not be committed to taking care of it. Don't get one unless you really want one and will love it and take care of it as you should. And if you are going to get a dog, adopt a shelter dog, please do not go to a breeder. There are so many amazing dogs in the shelters just ready and waiting for a good home. They are truly the most loveable.

Prettymisssparkles

No puppy.