Getting a Dog!

If you are a "dog person" who has just had to manage without one due to life situation and are ready now... you will become "whole" once you have one

I agree with keeping both of the 4 yr old sister dogs if you can.... They will be quite lonely and depressed for awhile without each other, and it might make their adjustment to your home very difficult for both you and the dog if you only take one.

Some people are just NOT "dog people" and those are the people who are telling you "nay" - if you are prepared to love and care for a dog the way you would a child for the next decade (or more) and the idea of dog sitters, vets, chewed shoes or furniture possibly, getting up at night, cleaning poop and pee up for awhile doesn't bother you.... then you'll be fine, you will be amazed at how much love and happiness they can and will add to your home!

:flowerforyou:

I have an almost 11 yr old mixed breed.... he's pretty lazy and moves from the bed, to the food bowl, to the couch and occasionally outside to potty.
Last summer, we got another mixed breed puppy. She's half Corgi & half Shih-Tzu and goes walking AND jogging with me!! So long as the weather isn't too humid, she can easily keep up with me for 2-3 miles (even with her little short legs) and I enjoy having someone to go along too - she even "talks me into it" sometimes when I'm feeling lazy.

This year, I have jogged / walked 277 miles so far! (The year before we got her, my most lazy year since losing 60 pounds in 2006 - I only jogged / walked 139 ALL YEAR) so you can see, she is definitely helping me along!

i have a puppy we got from the shelter here on post. he was only 3months old when we got him and we were very lucky... he was potty trained within a week of being in our home and he's seriously awesome! i never wanted a dog before. i don't "hate" animals, but i'm not generally an animal person. i clean a lot so the idea of having hair all over the house kind of freaks me out still and i have my days that i'm like... "gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" and i go psycho moving furniture and sweeping LOL but i love having Walker (my pup) around. he's my snuggle buddy. i even let him on the furniture which i said "ABSOLUTELY NOT!" to when we first brought him home. haha!

I have had dog for pretty much most of my life. Most of my adult life has been with two (or three - husband's police drug GSD) at a time. I have had a couple of dogs that I seriously regretted. One was a rescue (collie mix) and my son was extremely allergic to its dander. We had to return it to the humane society. That is the only dog breed that he has ever had any allergies too. We also rescued a mutt puppy from a friend's neighbor that was going to drop them all off at a pound (a killer shelter). That dog refused to be trained and was the most evil dog ever!! She ate everything and bit everyone and when we found out we were having a baby we tried everything to get it to behave and quit being so mean and nothing worked. So, we gave her to the humane society because we could not risk the baby getting bitten and hurt. She never even made it onto the adoption floor she was so bad. I am hoping they found some special foster home to take her and not have to put her down. I currently have a cocker spaniel (english field line). She is short haired which is awesome! I had an american cocker spaniel many years ago that was the traditional long, curly, thick hair and boy was it work and a lot of trips to the groomer. Cocker's are great family pets and very loyal, friendly, playful dogs. There only downfall is that they are very difficult to housebreak (females are the worst). Dogs are a lot of fun and great companionship (and great exercise/walking buddies). I think it is great that you are looking at adoption/buying. I hope they pick your family and you will have many rewarding years with your new cockers.

Personally I'm against the idea of buying a puppy. There's plenty of abandoned dogs or unwanted mongrel puppies that need good homes. Mongrels are actually more often healthier, more intelligent, have less personality disorders, less genetic defects than pure breeds. Just worth bearing in mind anyway.

THIS! I would strongly urge rescuing from a local shelter, letting a dog choose you in the instance that the two you are going to see don't work out. We adopted a dog that had been transported from puerto rico, a sato rescue, and she has been the most trainable, fun, intelligent dog anyone could ask for. Just took her on a week long vacation to Maine and she was awesome, on and off leash...

Very excited for you! If these two don't work out, please do not buy a puppy! There are millions of fantastic dogs waiting to be adopted.

I would have to agree. I’ve had non-sheltered and sheltered dogs. The sheltered dogs were more loyal. Puppies are cute but they are a lot of work. There are too many homeless dogs.

Hi!

First off, I am a dog trainer and if you have any questions, feel free to PM me and I'll respond as best I can, or I will point you in the right direction for good resources.

In total, I have four dogs - three full grown, and one 14 week old puppy. My first dog, Tugs, is a terri/poo that came with my fiance when he moved out of his parent's home. She was an absolute terror. Patience and proper handling are key to training a new dog in your home. She is now 7 years old and happy as a clam.

My second dog I got from the humane society. Her name is Kira, and she was a nervous wreck. With proper care and discipline, she was able to figure out her place in our world pretty quickly and is now my most sophisticated speaker (dog language) and I use her when I'm training other dogs as an example of what dog language looks like,

My third is a two and a half year old german shepherd named Bear. He wandered into my yard as a pup and decided he didn't want to leave. He is my pride and joy - we raised him very strictly so he knew all of his boundaries and limitations, but he was also encouraged to be calm and excited given the situation. He is now everyone's favourite, and he can even have kids stick their hands in his massive jaws and he doesn't care. He's such a teddy bear, and only at two years old. (dogs mature fully at 3 years old, just so's you know)

My fourth we just took from the humane society three weeks ago. His name is Stetson and he's 14 weeks old. I'm remembering all of my puppy rules with him, so if you do decide to get a pup, feel free to ask me anything.

What I want to stress is that you do your research. You can adopt a puppy, but remember that the puppy will grow into a full-grown dog. What you think may be cute in a puppy (puppy barks, nipping at your ankles, jumping up for attention, cuddling on the bed, etc.) could lead to serious issues as an adult, if encouraged. Make sure that you find yourself a good trainer in your area (Petsmart runs an awesome program and humane societies typically offer obedience classes as well) and do your research on the breed. Don't just ask friends or family. Look the breed up online and read anything and everything you can about it. Don't listen to heresay. I can't even begin to tell you about how many people adopt a labrador after being told that they are wonderful family dogs, but don't know about how needy labs are. A lot of people think pit bulls are big, evil and scary when it actuality, they were THE family dog in the early 1900's in amercia. They still are great family dogs.

How your dog will grow up is how YOU train it. Do your research. Watch the Dog Whisperer, At the End of My Leash, order books online, go to Petsmart and talk to their trainers, go to local doggie daycares, etc.

You need to also figure out if you want to crate train or if you're going to allow the dog to roam around your house when you're not home. Both have their merits, but it is something you need to decide before you get your dog(s), and then do your research accordingly.

I guess, to sum this all up, I'm just saying do your research. Talk to professionals and get all the details you can before the dog even steps a paw into your home. You need to be ready for it.

And yes, it's a daunting task. Everything you do will need training - the dog will need stair manners so it's not knocking you over, door manners so it's not charging the door/running out the door whenever it's opened, and furniture manners as well as proper leash manners, social manners, etc.

Sorry about the rant, lol. You will NOT regret adopting a puppy or a rescue. Dogs bring so much joy to my life, and I'm sure they will with you as well. Just make sure you are prepared and ready with lots of patience (for that 3am wake-up-call to go outside, or the accidents that will happen in your home), understanding (that they can NOT understand a word you're saying, so being patient and consistent with training is important), and love (this ranges from giving them food, water, and shelter to the nightly snuggles during House). =D Good luck! :drinker:

I've had dogs my whole life.. My first dog *I* owned was a rescue poodle at 13. She was 18 months old, abused, neglected and just wanted someone to love her. At that point my mom was still helping with vet bills but i was responsible for training and care, grooming, bathing, feeding etc. Her name was Angel and she suited her name. She and i really had a connection that can never be replaced. I moved with her during university and lived off campus because i would not give up my dog. She stayed at my side until she was 15 and died in my arms. Saddest moment of my whole life but it was the best death I could give my sweet Angel girl.

i took a break from owning dogs for a few months while i grieved, then decided I needed another dog. a "Not Angel" dog. I had missed the whole puppy experience with Angel, and so i went looking for a puppy. I know, i'm gonna catch crap on here for getting a puppy from a breeder, but i did my due diligence in sourcing a dog who was not from a breeding mill. I visited the breeder 3 times other than picking the dog up. She showed poodles and was taking a year off of the confirmation show ring to put a few litters on the ground. (We used to show collies and that is how the cycle goes when a show dog has puppies). Pixie came to me microchipped and i signed an agreement with the breeder to get pixie fixed as soon as she was of age and to provide that documentation since she was being bought as a pet and not a show dog. I don't regret for one moment that i took that moment in my life to have a 'puppy' experience. I also agree with not supporting puppy mills who put profit over the dogs care. That being said I got my little beanie baby sized poodle puppy expecting to eventually have an adult dog.

I guess the moral of my story is that if you buy a puppy make sure it's from a good source but there's nothing wrong with a rescue. My only caution with a rescue is sometimes they come to you with health problems if they 're being rescued directly from a bad situation. Getting Angel home, we spent near 5k getting her hip surgery, dental, and refeeding her top quality food. Angel was an extreme case but it can happen, and it was the best investment i ever made.

off topic: To the person who said watch 'at the end of my leash', please know that Brad Pattison has been run out of calgary for his poor poor training techniques and is known to hit dogs. I rented a room from him for a total of 2 months before moving out because i was not comfortable leaving him with my Angel. Please do some research on this guy, he might present some good ideas on his show but really take what he says with a grain of salt.