So, Supposing I Could Get my Husband to Agree to Getting a Dog

[ipaintedmyhousewhite]

What kind would be good for me? I know a number of you here are dog owners. I have never owned a dog, nor have I had a close friend with a dog. Therefore, I don't know where to begin researching this matter. I'd like something small that would be okay with kids and would be pretty quiet. I would like it to alert us to fire/intruders/whatever else it thought was important. I walk outside anywhere from 1/2 hour to 1 hour a day, and I could walk more if the dog needed that. Also we have the yard it could be in if that would make it happy. Any thoughts?

[werecat]

What kind would be good for me? I know a number of you here are dog owners. I have never owned a dog, nor have I had a close friend with a dog. Therefore, I don't know where to begin researching this matter. I'd like something small that would be okay with kids and would be pretty quiet. I would like it to alert us to fire/intruders/whatever else it thought was important. I walk outside anywhere from 1/2 hour to 1 hour a day, and I could walk more if the dog needed that. Also we have the yard it could be in if that would make it happy. Any thoughts?
See if there is a border collie rescue in your area. I was doing some research on dogs for when I get my dream house and tallked to a bunch of people. They are expensive as all get out to purchase one, but the rescue ones need homes badly! They are awesome farm dogs with a natural herding and protective instinct. Extremely intelligent dogs which is part of the reason that so many of them end up in rescues. If they don't have work to do then they get bored and get into mischief. On a farm they would be excellent. they will actually herd chickens and such. :^) awesome dogs!

[johno]

Collie is a good idea - hard to go wrong there. But to make a really good match I think I'd need more information. You might try doggie death row and just see what's available at the animal shelter. I doubt those people would steer you wrong.

[finnteara]

Rescued Greyhounds make great house pets and good with children. Most to be adopted will be between 3 and 5 years old (time average racer is retired). Not an outside dog because of the extra short coat of hair and they have lived inside most of their life. Check the websites in your area.

[redbrick]

Personally, I think it's hard to go wrong with a mutt, especially anything farm bred!

[bluelacedredhead]

Before you go adopting a Border Collie or an Australian Shepherd of Australian Blue Heeler, please take into consideration that these are very high energy working dogs.
Yes, they will herd Chickens...Cats...horses..cattle.. and children too!! My Border collie X nips at my heels when she feels that I'm not going exactly where she feels I should be and at a pace that is deserving of her.


They require a lot of high speed exercise..jumping, running, fetching..
.MIne does farm chores with me to the tune of 2 hours daily..and then still wants to run and play for another hour on top of that.
But I love them. I had two Australian Shepherd X's before her, and although she's a much smaller dog than the other two, no less aggressive.

What I would suggest is going to the American Kennel Club website and researching breeds to give you an idea of what characteristics each breed is noted for. Decide what traits you would like a dog to have. Small dogs have long lifespans, sometimes 15+ years..Larger breeds have much shorter lives, sometimes as short as 6 or 7 years. Larger breeds EAT more.. Longhaired breeds require a lot more grooming. Daily in fact..

And yes, I agree with the visiting your local Shelter ! There are many beautiful Mixed Breeds (and even some purebreds) needing a home..
It just helps to know beforehand what you are looking for so that you don't make an uneducated guess and choose the wrong dog for you..

[Gary]

Our son and his wife just got a Lab Puppy for our three year old grandaughter. It is very important to get a pet like this from a family who raises puppies. The puppies need to be with the mother dog and other puppies for at least six to ten weeks. It should be handled by the families and children every day to be socialized and to have the experience.
These dogs have keen sensitivit; they are sometimes used with people who have physical/health problems and can respond to thie needs without being given directions.
They do get good size but really become a protective and caring member of the family.
Gary

Selecting a Labrador Puppy -- This link provides some questions and answers you need to consider in selecting a puppy.
http://www.labpups.com/

[Lavandula Girl]

Okay, I'm not biased AT ALL, but we have great dogs! Our Chocolate Lab (pure bred) is 8 years old now. we refer to him as the Rainman of the dog world, because he's incredibly intelligent about a tremendously finite amount of things. You can almost hear him thinking "Ten minutes til kibble!" in the morning. Be aware, though, that Labs are puppies for the first 3 or 4 years... it's just their nature. They are GREAT dogs, but don't expect a sedate adult dog at the 2 year mark! Our puppy is a Border Collie cross - someone dumped her at the shelter on a day it was closed. We happened to go by with some donations, not knowing it was closed, and so now she lives with us. She has figured out how to open 2 crates so far, and will trade her chew toys into my son's Lego bin, and run around the house with a Bionicle in her mouth instead. The first week we had her I was able to train her to sit, hold my hand, and "Kiss the Queen" (she licks the back of my hand once.) They are extremely intelligent and trainable, but also easily bored, as has been mentioned. May I suggest adopting an adult dog? There are rescues for all breeds, and you can often find phenomenal dogs who are abandoned for no good reason. If you aren't set on a pure bred, consider the pound like was mentioned as well. I was never a dog person before the Lab came along, so assure you husband he's going to fall in love!

[mrs boston]

I raise and breed Alaskan Malamutes and one of the things I try to do is to place the right type of puppy with an owner with a life style to match.

Hearding, hunting and working breeds do need a lot of hard exercise to be happy. Labs/retrievers are good but have a larger size.

My suggestion would be to go to WWW.AKC.ORG and look at all the different breeds and their discriptions. Then go to http://www.petfinder.com/ and type in your area and you can see pictures and learn a little about all the dogs up for adoption in your area. This also includes specific breed rescues.

One type of dog did come to mind if you don't mind a soft cuddly furball is a Keeshond. They are small/medium in size. They are mellow in tempermant but yet will warn of danger. They don't require a lot of exercise but will be glad to take walks. The Keeshond is part of the spitz family. They were developed to be on bargs so they could not get a lot of exercise. Their job was to watch over the boat or ship. Not as a guard dog but to just warn of anything not right. They are a great over all dog. Grooming is not as bad as one would think. They usually keep themselves clean and don't have much for doggy oder. I would recommend regular brushing as with any dog.

If you have any question, please feel free to ask. My first love is my dogs, then gardening. I am sure Mr. Boston :D can confirm this as he thought one dog is good and now we have 6 large dogs. You are welcome to look at my pups at http://kksdpk2.tripod.com , though I would not recommend a malamute as they can be a little hard to handle.

I hope this info is helpful.

My 4 alaskan malamutes
Riley (my Stud) Chloe
Harley and Aspen
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n181/kksdpk2/4kids.jpg

[johno]

Mrs. boston, those dogs are really beautiful. I love big dogs. Are malamutes light for their size?

I have an Anatolian Shepherd. Not really recommended for a housedog... in fact, I was trying to train her to trust the house a couple of days ago (she's very skittish.) I almost had her convinced to walk up the steps to the front porch when my wife opened the front door and the noise scared her. She jerked me off the top step and out into the walkway, about ten feet away. Since I'm over twice her size, that should tell you about the power and energy of large breeds. They can really tear up a house if they get bored. I think a small or medium sized dog might suit your needs well...

Oh yeah, stay away from Jack Russel Terriers unless you intend to send them to school for about twice the cost of any normal dog... The stories I could tell...

[Sandbar]

Oh yeah, stay away from Jack Russel Terriers unless you intend to send them to school for about twice the cost of any normal dog... The stories I could tell...I second that motion ... neighbor had one ... am so glad we moved ...

[sunmad strawgirl]

I'd say, although I love my own terrier to distraction and find all terriers (even jack russels) extraordinarily cute and full of personality, that most terriers are territorial and tend towards the "loud" side. My terrier loves the family and protects us but he isn't friendly to children he doesn't know and is extremely intolerant of puppies. I've heard from other terrier owners (especially small terriers) that many terriers have similar intolerances. In a dog as small as he is, these traits aren't too unmanageable, but they could be a problem, especially if I had children and they wanted their friends to come over to play. My miniature poodle, on the other hand, is quiet (although they can be pretty yappy) and loves everyone. Her fundamental belief about the universe seems to be that everyone is just lovely, that other dogs are all going to be her friends and that other mammals of all sorts are to lick and play with (rather than eat). Miniature poodles are very smart and, while they need regular exercise, can definitely get by on 1/2 to an hour's worth of walking per day. They also don't shed, although the down-side to that is that you have to cut their hair (mine perpetually looks like a raggamuffin as I only take the scissors to her every 6 weeks or so).
Really, though, if I were to get another dog now that I don't have the space issues I used to, I'd probably try to find an amiable mutt. Both of my dogs have small-dog health problems that don't plague non-purebreds nearly as much. If you're not into a particular breed for their beauty or the enjoyment of breeding and/or owning top-quality dogs and just want a pet, mutts are great pets - and generally need the home much more. Either way, just remember that you've got to choose animals, as much as you can, on their individual personalities. While breeds definitely tend to have traits in common, dogs are individuals and you can get a pretty wide range of temperaments even in a pretty standardized breed.

[Cliff Timmons]

Little dogs make me crazy.
I like calm big non-aggressive good watchdag, bad guarddog kinda dogs.

Look at them beauties in my picture. <grin>

[CRAZY1]

As has been posted here I agree with all of the opinions. We have 2 mini pinchers in the house. They are great little dogs. (they're also daddys girls) spoiled rotten some would say. They are energetic and love to play with the kids (we have 5), cats, and anyone/thing else. Dad has a fairly large cattle operation, and as to working dogs....they are a great animal to have when you can work them. They can be HE77 when they get bored, they need to be in an active lifestyle to truly be happy animals. I had a healer that was the best dog ever, saved my FIL life once when a bull got all riled up. But as to keeping Bubba as just a pet.....he would never have been happy. That dog ran around all day and ometimes into the night. Working dogs are usually a very high energy dog, so take that into consideration. Look around, you'll know when you find the right one, and so will the dog.

[flowerpower]

I think Labs are just the best dogs. They are usually very good with kids. We had a black one for 8 yrs. He was a geat dog.

Now we have a huge mutt. He was a shelter dog. He is not that bright and is basically a big dufus.

[Joan]

First I would suggest a mixed breed for not being finicky in any way.
Second I might suggest a retired greyhound, they make wonderful pets but not too good in homes with other pets (they are trained to chase the bunny)
Third, some pet shops have shelters bring their animals in on Sunday's for your viewing and handling. This is how I got my maine coon cat and he is the best pet in the world.

Good luck and please let us know what you get.

[johno]

I agree wholeheartedly with Cliff! Good lookin' hounds!

Sunmad mentioned terriers being manageable because of their size... I have a male half JRT and half German shepherd... don't ask. He is sooo cute that we tolerate him (he reminds us of Snoopy,) but he is incredibly strong and has chewed through steel cable and even his new welded wire fence. Last year he was almost shot when he escaped and invaded deer camp - he wouldn't let a friend of mine out of his truck. It was dark, but fortunately my friend recognized whose dog it was right before he pulled the trigger. He is a real nuisance but we love him; I just wouldn't recommend him to anyone else...

[mrs boston]

Hi Johno,
Thanks ! Malamutes (AKC standard) run between 75 to 85 lbs and 23 - 24 inches at the shoulders. The giant breed of malamutes get close to 200 lbs and 30 inches at the shoulders. Mine are between 80 - 90 lbs and 25 inches. My little one with the purple bandana should reach about 120 lbs and 26-27 inches. She has a bigger bloodline.

It is not a good thing for a malamute to be over weight as it will slow then down so they should be kept lean.

This is Harley, she is 9 mo old and a kodak moment !

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n181/kksdpk2/harley41.jpg

[Heirloom Seed Shop]

Wow! Tough question. I'll just share a little of my experience. We owned a Keeshond (mentioned above) and she was a house dog. Very well mannered, good with children, smart, etc. The only thing was the shedding. It clogged my vaccuum up every time. But, we loved her and tolerated that part. I now have a Black Lab. She is 11 and goes walking with me every morning. Very smart, lets you know if anything is going on differently outside by a bark, gentle, very easy to train and just a well rounded animal. But...the first couple of years, they "love" to dig and chew things. Any lab owner will confess the same. After that, they seem to settle down, mine still likes to dig, but not as much, or as deep (ha). One time I was looking for her and she had dug a hole so deep that she was down in the hole. She was about 1 1/2 then. Yes, I will have another lab one day.

[Lavandula Girl]

Heirloom's Lab sounds just like ours - that's one of the great things about them, Labradors are predictable! Like several of us have said, just be sure you're not expecting non-puppy behavior for the first few years! Oh, and if there is ANY water around, even a puddle, know that they will jump in it and retrieve anything not nailed down. Today mine brought me a swatch of slimy rotten pond weeds, because they obviously needed rescuing. Try a Lab rescue - often people buy them because they're such cute puppies, but when they're still puppies a year and a half later, and they weigh 70 pounds, they're abandoned. They are SO eager to please you that they can be trained well into their life, too, so they're a good choice for adult adoption.

[G. Gordon Gumbo]

Shih Tzu ... but if you do, you'd better get one that is really well bred and not one of these off-type Shih Tzus that are being passed off as the real deal. A real Shih Tzu ... 7 - 14 pounds, and I would suggest getting one closer to the 7-pound size ... will be the sweetest dog you'll ever own.

The only problems I've run into with Shih Tzus are:
1. When young, they will go after toilet paper, Kleenex, and napkins. They grow out of this pretty fast.
2. They will rub their eyes on wall corners and couch cushions because their eyes water kinda bad. Keep them clean with a little cotton ball wetted with a really dilute solution of Boric acid or some kind of eye stuff.
3. A spayed female will hide poop for some strange reason associated with maternal instinct. This is rather hard to break if it's let go very long.

Benefits:
1. They're small little lap dogs that love to be small little lap dogs.
2. They don't demand attention. They will go off and lay in their favorite spots if you don't ask them to sit on your lap. But they will sit on your lap for hours if you want them to.
3. They're not yappy. They're not barkers. They're not winers.
4. THEY DON'T SHED.
5. They'll let you know if someone is in the yard at night but will not bark at just every little thing like a Chihuahua does.

By the way, we have one purebred female Shih Tzu and one half breed Shih Tzu/Chihuahua ... and there's another great little mutt.

GGG

[finnteara]

Lavandula Girl is correct about the Labs. They have a very high mischief level. For several months my black lab would walk across my desk, climb up on my dresser and take down my pants, then take the wallet out of my back pocket, take out my cards and money. I am still finding loose cash under the bed. Everyone of my friends always ask for my latest Molly (my lab) stories. Like the time she wreaked my truck. The list is endless. I raised Irish Wolfhounds for 15 years, but just couldn't handel the hearbreak of their short life span 6 -7yrs. But the smartest dogs I ever owned. And I am not talking fetch and roll over smart, I'm talking long sentence comands. "Go to the store and buy a dozen egg and make me an omlet" smart.

[johno]

Heh.. that reminds me of two other dog stories...

Our Jack Russel Terrier (the purebred one) got loose a couple of weeks ago. There have been cats pestering her for months now, and I guess she'd had enough. She apparently chased one into the van (I had left the back hatch up...) and when it escaped she went berserk and ate the dashboard in frustration. We noticed she was in the van that morning because the headlights were flashing on and off...

The other story happened years ago - maybe before I was born. My father tells of a dog the local barber had in Flippin, AR. The barber would wait until he had a few out of towners in the room, then tell his dog to go down to the corner store and get him a couple cokes. The dog would then pick up his basket and head to the store. When the dog had been out the door for a few seconds, the barber would yell after him, "and get me some cigars, too." The out of towners would laugh, but wonder at how the dog really had gone to the store. Then the dog would come back with a couple of ice cold cokes and, lo and behold, he had some cigars, too. I can only imagine the looks on their faces!
Any guesses how he trained this dog so well?

[boston]

Any guesses how he trained this dog so well?

My guess is that he was in cahoots with the store owner and trained the dog to go to the store and the owner of the store knew what to do when the dog showed up.

[johno]

No fair, you guessed too fast!

It's funny how many people he amazed with that dog, though!

[boston]

:D :D :p :D :D

[Lavandula Girl]

When Primo, our Lab, goes wandering, he heads straight to a local deli. He sits outside the side door and waits for them to give him the old hotdogs out of the case. They call us, and when I drive up, I just have to roll down the window of the truck and yell "Get in!" and he jumps in the back with his last hotdog and tags along home. Once, he sat outside the pizza place instead, and the deli called to say he was in the mood for Italian, and told us where to find him!

[G. Gordon Gumbo]

When I went to college in N.C. back in the 60s, I had an old Volvo. The only mechanic who could work on the thing lived way out in the Tar River bottoms and had an old shop in a shed. He owned a well behaved Doberman. Female. Not real large or aggressive.

Well, one day when the dog was outside the garage doin' something or other, he told me to put a tool from his work bench in my pocket when she came back inside. Then to wait for a long while before just kinda wandering out the door real innocently or not obvious like.

Well, as soon as I got to the threshold the Dobbie just trotted over and clamped down on my pocket real nice and politely and tugged me back inside the garage and turned me loose and looked at me. When I stepped outside the garage again, she did the same thing ... never growled or nothin'. Just tugged me back in by the pocket of my jeans ... the pocket with the socket down inside. Not exposed.

Smart dog.

GGG

[dandelion meadow]

Last year, in response to an armadillo invasion, after every animal friendly attempt to cope with them, I resorted to three nearly sleepless weeks of sitting in the garden with flashlight and borrowed deer rifle. Bagged 4, wounded one, live trapped a young one. Also trapped racoons, possum, ground hog, a pair of robins, a box turtle and a stray cat. Tired, with armadillos still marching in, the light dawned when someone at the feed store suggested a dog. After visiting the above mentioned pet and adoption sites and others I discovered the Texas Blue Lacy breed. Rare, used for hunting, tracking, herding, yet very gentle and sweet natured. They also make wonderful pets and family dogs. I fell in love. Soon after, a most beautiful 10 month old Lacy female came to live here. It wasn't long before I realized that one does not just own a dog or have one around. A dog is a real member of the home. We're talking Relationship! I couldn't give at that time what my heart knew was right. So she now is in Oklahoma with a family and a fella of her own and she just had her first litter and is a wonderful momma. Happy ending, but still a wistfulness in my heart as the acorns fall that she loved to gobble down looking with a twinkle in her eye at me after my futile morning attempts to get her to eat dog chow. (Hey, please forgive this bit of story telling self indulgence.)

Have thought several times of starting a thread just to share this breed. Anyway, here is a wonderful website. http://www.lacydog.com
This is the only other forum I've ever joined. The members are as warmhearted and sharing of their knowledge and experiences as people on this site. I'd suggest you go to the forums, then General Talk, then start with the threads titled "Blue Lacys as pets", "Is a Lacy dog right for me", and any others that draw your interest. You will get a good perspective whether their temperament will fit with your family. They are meduim build, short haired, and(biased opinion) beautiful. If you really feel drawn to them, post a tread asking for a dog to suit your family. The good breeders are very careful and protective of where their dogs go to and will help you find a dog of the right age and temperament. The story of the current manager? of the breed association is quite inspiring.
Strongly suggest!!! reading The Dog Listener By Jan _____. (forgot last name- Wood___ something?) I read this after Ginger went to her new home and was amazed at how much sense it made. Shared a few tips with friends and they had wonderful results. Again, this will help you to sort through whether a dog is right for you, and if so, how to start off in the very best way. Do read before! getting any dog. Ordered a copy for a friend through Amazon.com for a pittance. Looked brand new and had a whole section on the first few weeks of having a dog. Prepared, you can help to create the most rewarding relationship for your family and the dog.

[bluelacedredhead]

Oh Dandelion, how heartbreaking it must have been for you to have to give her up. But it's wonderful that you are in touch with her new family and that she is happy with one of her own now!
They are a nice looking breed and with some history behind it. Great to see that the breed has been brought back from the brink of extinction.

[slug slayer]

I love everyones stories. My boy Reilly came to us by way of Petfinder.com one day while on the internet. I went for a visit at the shelter (Rondout Valley Kennels in NY- have any of you seen "Shelter Dogs" on HBO?) Its the very place. I visited with him- they make you "date" before commiting. smart. I fell in love and left a deposit. The next day we went back and "dated some more" and home he came. I beat out a 6 y/o boy b/c I left a deposit. I know that sounds horrible but he is the best dog ever.

Some suggestions- ask lots of questions about the breed, breeder/shelter and about the dogs temperament. You can buy a pure breed from just about anyone but if they are just breeding to make Money then they really arent breeding to further the breed. Hence the reason a majority of labs are the number one breed dumped into shelters- poor breeding, temperaments etc.
Spend lots of time looking at all the puppies in a litter and if It doesnt feel right it isn't. A good breeder will supply you with the parent lineage- let you see the parents, pedigree lines, certifications for hips and eyes (major problems for labs and large breeds) awards etc. They will care about what you want and your family situation.
Enroll in a puppy kindergarten class or basic obedience if it is available in your area. Agility classes are also very very very fun for both you and the dog.

It will be the best money ever spent. Also a good crate and lots of chew toys.
I know this because we are on our second yellow lab pup and its paying off.
Lisa

[ipaintedmyhousewhite]

Thanks everybody, I had no idea my post got so many responses until just now. Reading all this makes me want a dog all the more.

I have no objection to getting an adult dog, as long as it is well trained or still able to be trained. I'm not married to the idea of an adorable puppy around, simply because I have two adorable very puppylike sons who need a whole lot of training and attention of their own. I spend a lot of time cleaning pee (and etc) from the floor already. So an adult dog sounds like a very good idea, one I wouldn't have thought of.

I'm not married to the idea of a purebred, either. Really, we don't have the money for all that, and for us to have a dog that adds some fun and love to the house while it helps look out for us...that doesn't take a purebred, right ? :) I just want to make sure that the dog and our family would be compatible, and as many of the posts have said, certain dogs were bred for certain purposes. I've picked up that much, I'm just not knowlegable enough to know which for which purposes, so these responses have been a big help.

It would definitely need to be a small dog. I want it to stay indoors with us when it wants to, and our house is 900 square feet. With two adults and two boys, there would not be much room left in any room for a dog to hang out with us if it was a big dog. My neighbor who has a medium-sized dog pointed this out when I was talking to her about wanting a dog...she says it gets really squishy in her house with her family of four + dog. I'm glad she mentioned that to me!

And definitely I need something with hair that is controllable. Non-shedding or if it is possible to control the shedding in some way. My husband absolutely positively will not tolerate dog hair. That would be a deal breaker.

A chocolate lab is my dream dog. Also some silver-grey one I saw on a commercial. I have no idea what kind of dog that was, but it was beautiful. Also I saw an Irish Setter (I think it was) the other day in real life for the first time. I was awestruck. But I think all these would be too big.

Of course, the only kind of dog my husband is interested in is a Jack Russell. I told him they're difficult. He said he still loves them. My case was not helped when we went to someone's house who has two and they were adorable, polite, well-behaved, quiet, etc. But I will not have one of those. I don't have enough confidence in my training abilities to face what seems to be the ultimate challenge.

[johno]

What about a little bulldog?

[finnteara]

Wait, even though they are short haired, Labs shed a great deal. I have a long hair mutt and a black lab, the lab sheds more. Ask your Vet. Labs still worth the trouble.

[boston]

I dont have one or know of anybody who does but I do know that Jack Russels are very high energy dogs and need a lot of exercise.

[Lavandula Girl]

The silver grey dog you saw was probably a Weimeraner - beautiful dog! Smaller than most labs - well, less blocky anyway, but still pretty big! I think a medium sized adult shelter dog sounds like the one for you! You should also watch the paper - it's sad, but sometimes when an older person dies, the family is unable or unwilling to take the dog. Often, these dogs are really mellow, having lived a slower pace for awhile! Good luck in your quest!