Dog owners

Squeepatrol · September 2013

@wareeagle1220. Good point! This pup has classic beagle traits, but it doesn't mean he's purebred. He's about a year old and they are pretty energetic at that age, though as you mention, can get lazy as they age. This one seemed very calm ans gentle, but he was so thin that I would want to see him well fed and more confident before I gauged his energy levels.

Squeepatrol · September 2013

Thanks! I hope we get him (they have to pick us).

wareagle1220 said:

Squeepatrol said:

@wareeagle1220. Good point! This pup has classic beagle traits, but it doesn't mean he's purebred. He's about a year old and they are pretty energetic at that age, though as you mention, can get lazy as they age. This one seemed very calm ans gentle, but he was so thin that I would want to see him well fed and more confident before I gauged his energy levels.

@squeepatrol, beagles are wonderful family dogs in my experience. We always had them growing up. Hope the pup fits well with you guys!

brownmouse · September 2013

AppleGrapeMSTK said:

Something I didn't see brought up is grooming! Dogs will shed, some more than others. Our shih tzu likes to play outside, but he has such long hair that it gets matted very easily. In the chaos of moving to a new state, he missed out on a trim. He ended up with thorns in his mats which cut him and he got all kinds of infected. He was miserable and it was absolutely our fault. If you can't commit to keepin up with grooming, get a short haired dog. It's a matter of their health.

I definitely have to second this one. We have an Aussie Shepherd and she is starting to get her long adult coat and it's a lot more work than our last dog (a blue heeler) who had short hair. It requires weekly brushing to keep from getting matted (no dreadlock dogs for us!) and she sheds like crazy so we're always having to vacuum to get her hair out of the rug and off the wood floors. We bathe her ourselves and clip her nails ourselves, so we don't have the grooming costs, but it's definitely a lot of work.

LittleLadyBug · September 2013

My dog is as spoiled as my son. He has to get a hug and kiss before he will go outside. He also comes to hug me goodnight before he goes in his create to sleep. I highly recommend create training as it is a lifesaver and it also gives the puppy his own private space. We don't even let our son get in it.

They have their own personality and are just furry family members.

SCSmith2011 · September 2013

To pick up on the shedding thing there's also a chance that even if your dog is a certain breed it may shed more than what is "normal" for that breed. I used to have GSDs (see avatar) and they are heavy shedders so when the volunteer from the Lab rescue asked us if we were prepared to deal with Lab shedding I laughed because I figured it couldn't be anywhere near as bad as Shepherd shedding. And I was right, with regard to one of our dogs. Our dogs are littermates and one of the girls sheds her undercoat just like my Shepherds did. It's crazy! Meanwhile her sister has a much thinner coat and doesn't shed nearly as bad.

lest12 · September 2013

MaggieN2028 said:

So sad to hear all the bad things!

I totallllyyy agree that sometimes kids and adults don't know how to act around dogs. The thing is, as a dog owner you have to be aware of that. If a kid who has never been around a dog before is around, that's an opportunity to teach them. Tell them not to get in their face, put their hand out for them to smell first, leave them alone if they need space, etc. My rescue came from the kill shelter on a broken leg and it healed while he was there. When he came to us, he was verrrry nervous around men, even DH. We had to work with him...and then I had my aunt and uncle visit. And my moronic uncle came up to him super quickly (to try and show his daughter that the dog was nice) and immediately put his hand in his face and got close to him. Of course my dog made a nervous growl noise and it totally ruined the point of helping my cousin to get over her fear of dogs...because my uncle is stupid.

Obviously if the dog is dangerous and cannot be around people that's another story, but a lot of time I think it's the lack of work someone does to help the dog and person to understand how to be around dogs...especially a rescue because they have such a history.

Totally agree, especially with the bold. And not even with kids, but with adults, too.

That is something I had to learn, myself, and wasn't really prepared for it. So I would add that, to answer the OP's question. You're taking on a responsibility as far as your dog and how he interacts with other people (and dogs), as well. It isn't always 'easy' and sometimes takes work.

lest12 · September 2013

We got Buddy at 6 months. He was already house-trained (a few accidents but I think it was a transition thing). His chewing was minimal, too, and more just when he was mad at us for leaving the house. I feel like that was a good age.

duncs107 · September 2013

I third that puppies are big assholes.
Especially medium-large breed dogs. Such. Asses.

Laurelyn2012 · September 2013

lovelym13 said:

I third that puppies are big assholes. Especially medium-large breed dogs. Such. Asses.

The small breeds are asses as well!

Pintobean39 · September 2013

jefa621 said:

njbabymama said:

when you get a puppy, there are lots of bills related to vet visits (boosters, etc) because they have to go a little more often, and it will take a lot of time to house break, train, etc.

and feel free to ignore this advice, but i recommend not using pee pads. i lived with a dog that was "trained" on them, and she thought everything left on the ground was a pad, so she would pee on clothes, area rugs, shower mats, etc.

I totally agree.

200% agree. My dachshund is almost 7 and totally house trained. I paper pad trained him to start off. I can leave him home all day/night with no accidents. He never tears anything up except his blanket, he chews on it in his sleep (he's crazy). I be damn if you leave a light colored towel or rug on the floor he pees on it!!!

duncs107 · September 2013

jefa621 said:

I third that puppies are big assholes. Especially medium-large breed dogs. Such. Asses.
Uh yeah. My "puppy" left tinkle trails all over the house till he was like 10 months old because he wouldn't take a break from playing to go outside. And believe me he knew that potty was outside. I cried many nights thinking I would be doomed to clean up pee every day of this dog's life. Then one day he just stopped. Assholes for sure, but he's my cute asshole.

Our pup also leaves tinkle trails. He's so cute, if he weren't, I would have returned him.

Not really, I could never. He's getting better, but he's still a little dickhead almost 9 month old.

samantha1477 · September 2013

I totally agree with the "puppies are the worst" posts, they are cute and all, but I would not want to relive those days!

samantha1477 · September 2013

jefa621 said:

samantha1477 said:

I have a Pomeranian, Chihuahua, dachshund mix, everyone with "real" dogs can go ahead and laugh, he is as tiny and ridiculous as his breed blend implies.
You must show us pics. He sounds adorable

Here is Tini the ham! He smiles like this when he gets his tummy rubbed

lest12 · September 2013

@snuff9861 - I'm sorry. That sounds incredibly frustrating and sad.

LeilaD123 · September 2013

Getting a dog is a HUGE responsibilty, but very rewarding. Your life definitely changes. If you're anything like me, you'll feel bad to leave your dog alone for too long. The longest we leave Otto is 7 hours. He actually comes to work with me daily. I am fortunate to be able to do so, not many can. However, it's not easy to just stay out all day/night unexpectedly. We have to think of the pup and make arrangements. We also have to get dog sitters when we go out of town/vacation.

It's pretty much like having a child, only children are a little more socially acceptable lol. You'll love the unconditional love they give you and you'll actually look forward to it.

Squeepatrol · September 2013

@samantha1477 that face! I've been killed by cute.

jlynn62511 · September 2013

I had no idea how much work a puppy really is until we got ours! He was 4 months and not potty trained. We were so exhausted it was like having a newborn in the house!

Our lives changed the moment he came in the door. You have to arrange your schedule to be with the dog and arrange for care when you are away.

The more info you can get the better! Especially with a rescue, you want to make sure the dog is healthy because the vet is so expensive!

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