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Parenting
What age for a dog?
My son's want a dog in the worst way, and I would like one also, but we have 4 cats! I also have NEVER owned a dog, so I'm not sure of all the little things and big things I need to think about. This is certainly not a decision we are going to jump into anytime in the near future. I want to investigate breads and such, but wanted to get advice from dog owners. So, some questions:
What are some good kid friendly breeds? (I have always wanted a golden retriever)
What things should we consider before bringing a dog into our home?
What ages do you think the boys should be before getting a dog? I would like them to be able to help care for the dog in some way.
Puppy or older dog and why?
Could 4 cats and a dog live in harmony together? My DH insists we wait until one of our cats passes.
Any other advice is welcome
This discussion has been closed.
Re: What age for a dog?
we got a puppy this summer...
it is EXHAUSTING having a dog a cat and two kids...omg.
when you're housetraining, if the dog has to go out- the dog HAS TO GO OUT. you drop everythign. maybe your kid colors the wall while you're out there with the dog.
when you leave the house, the dog stays home. if you aren't going to be home for awhile, who's gonna feed/ walk it? will your kids torture it? will it torture your cats? will your cats protest by peeing and pooping someplace inconvenient?
the dog means well, but she is ALWA"YS "AFTER THE CAT. the cat hides a lot, and they don't hurt each other, but it is a little like a circus here sometimes.
when they all get crazy, omg.
those are the bad parts.
there are good parts...like. dogs are cute, the kids like her and playing fetch with her, and I wanted them to have her. Crate training makes it all much better, and sometimes when It gets too insane, she has to go there to chill out. plus she doesn't get into anything while we're out, or sleeping. my almost 4 y/o likes to efed her and help bathe her and teach her tricks.
but she also teases her sometimes, and I have to CONSTANTLY supervise them together, which is a pain.
my advice (not that you have to take it.) is wait until they're a liiiiiiittle older. They'll be able to assist you more in the dog's care, and they'll REALLY enjoy it.
and you'll be able to handle the extra excitement!
You can never go anywhere without considering who is going to take the dog out.
Vet bills can be expensive.
Dirt tracked in everywhere. Hair everywhere.
Need to watch to make sure the kids don't tease the dog and the dog doesn't bite the kids.
House training. Puppies chew stuff. A lot.
Picking up poop from your yard where the kids play.
Golden retrievers shed like nobody's business, aren't always terribly bright and are REALLY high maintenance until they calm down a bit-- which takes a couple of years. DH used to breed them.
I want a dog like I want a case of the clap, can't you tell?
DS - December 2006
DD - December 2008
We have a mini Schnauzer, who is about 8 yrs old. I've always had a dog, so just a couple months after we got our own house we got the dog.
I had a golden growing up - they are great. I love my Schnauzer, though, and we'll probably always have a Schnauzer here on out. We're discussing getting a second - a standard (little bigger) in the summer. Schnauzers are great because they don't shed (and that's no lie!).
My 4 yr old can feed/water/let him out (we have a fenced yard now, but he could also hook his lead before). He's about 80% in charge of the dog now, I have to remind him occasionally, but not much.
Age doesn't really matter, IMO.
dunno about the cat thing - we have none (and won't have any!).
Advice? Big dogs make big poop - so if you get a big dog, someone is going to have to pick that up. H wanted to get a Giant Schnauzer....*I* am not doing that job. And I made that clear! .
edited
I put our dog to sleep not that long ago. She was 15. I miss her, but it was just too hard to travel and the hair and smell (clean or not), etc. can really drive you nuts. Poop in the yard is tough and taking out a puppy in all kinds of weather is a pita. My dog Shelby was trained and sweet. Her training was reinforced her entire life and that was a lot of work. But there will be behavior issues no matter what -- for Shelby it was barking at any little sound.
I'm glad I had a dog before I had a child. I learned a hell of a lot about patience and responsibility. I would have not learned that AS a child. If I had Shelby as a child, she just would have been a lot of fun and not so much a chore.
We are a total dog family. Can't exist without one. We have a 9yo lab who was our first "baby" and he is a joy. That being said, a new puppy is TOUGH. We have always talked about getting a new one when he's 10 - that is coming much sooner than I ever thought. That being said, with a pup you can train them the way you want & don't have to worry about an 'older' dog with kids, where you truly don't know their history. As for age- well, I think any age is good to get a dog
A few things- bigger dogs (labs, goldens etc) really need a LOT of exercise to keep them happy & healthy. You need to be prepared to provide this. I'm lucky as the hubs runs him a lot & we live right by a lake were we can swim him.
Best training advice I ever got- don't let them do something when they're a puppy that you don't want them to do when they're older. Meaning, jumping up, chasing, etc. (kids loooove to play chase- big no no). Those behaviors are not going to be desirable with an 80lb dog later on. Our dog is perfectly obedient but that took a LOT of work. It was before we had kids, so we had the time & didn't have little people distracting him from what he needed to be doing.
If you've never had a dog before, I don't know that I'd "start" with a big dog. You really need to be able to have them under control with your voice commands, as well as a leash. You need to be VERY strict with them because those pups can be crazy & get out of control very easily. You do not want to end up in a situation where you have a dog you are needing to find another home for because they are out of control & you can't deal with it. I know it will be a huge shock to the system for us to have a pup again, but we want the older one's good behavior to "rub off" on the little one, so it's going to happen in the not so far off future!
I love, love, LOVE my Pug. Hercules is really an awesome dog and from talking to other Pug owners, they just seem to be a great breed in general. I got Hercules when I was a few months pregnant with my DD and house breaking was in a word, challenging. I would highly recommend crate training, it made a world of difference. Also investing in a either a dog trainer, or at least investing the time to really research dog training is hugely important. Hercules is great with my kids, and I do think that it has a lot to do with the fact that he was raised with them, I would personally be a little leary bringing an older dog into a home with younger children just because you can never be 100% sure of their history.
Is dog hair an issue? Not really. He does shed, but it has really been a non-issue for me. I sweep/vacuum once or twice a week and it's fine. I don't have dog hair in my food or anything like that. He is also great with my 2 cats. When he isn't snuggled up on my lap you can often times find him snuggled up with one or both of the cats on my couch.
Yes, things like unexpected vet bills can get pricey, but they aren't the end all be all. Yearly check up and shots run me around $100 and I think it was a couple of hundred to get him fixed. I think his heartworm medicine is around $60 a year and I honestly don't do Frontline because I live in the burbs so ticks aren't a worry and we've never had any flea issues.
My oldest is 15y/o, so he gets yard duty. My 4y/o and my 2 y/o both feed him and fill his water bowl and like to play fetch and whatnot with him. My 4 y/o can also walk him because he is a small dog, only 20lbs.
Another plus of him being a small dog is that he travels well. A lot of places that we go he can come with us, not something that I could necessarily do with a bigger dog. Plus, it is much easier to get someone to watch him when we do go out of town because he is smaller and much easier to care for than a big dog
Any other questions, I'd be happy to answer.
Oh, and here is a picture of my Hercie:
Kelly Monaghan's 5K - 5/15/11 - 3rd Place in AG
Walk the Talk 5K - 5/18/11 - 31:12 PR
Ridley Run 3.1 - 4/14/12 - 1st race of the year, 32:45
We also have a mini schnauzer and adore her! She does need to be groomed regularly so that may be something to consider when choosing a breed. We also have a cat and they get along great - the cat actually licks the dog and they snuggle together (our cat is older and I think she adopted Mady as her baby).
We had the dog before we had kids so we had time to take her to puppy classes and make sure she was socialized with other dogs. I'm not sure how old your kids are, but I would wait until they are old enough to help with training and basic care of a puppy/dog.
Oh, and just assume you'll be doing most if not all the work involved with the dog...feeding, arranging vet care, grooming, walking...whatever. We don't have a yard and have to walk our dog and I have to hear DH *** about it everyday - not kidding. Like I said, we both love her lots, but the walking in rain, snow, sleet and cold (with two young kids) is a huge PITA.