Getting a dog

I still haven't made the decision to get one, but I thought I'd ask people on here if they have one and what advice they'd give me before I did get one. Are there any things you didn't think about beforehand that you should have? Regrets? Difficulties? Good experiences? Let me know. Thanks!

 

if you live in an apartment and don't have a lot of time/energy to regularly take fido out for exercise (and i don't mean take him for a 5-minute walk to do his business), don't get a big dog or even a smaller one that likes to run. kinda cruel to keep him inside all the time.

 

Yeah, all dogs aren't the same. You've gotta figure out what your wants and needs are. Some dogs you can keep outside in a fenced yard, some you can't.

Some dogs can go on long runs/bike rides, some can't.

Some are good with other people, some aren't.

Dogs are great, though. Much better than cats.

 

Just to help steer the discussion: the dog I'm looking at is a puggle (half pug, half beagle). Supposedly they've got the quiet, relaxed side of a pug with the friendly, sometimes playful qualities of beagles. Also supposed to be good apt dogs.

 

owned a rottie for 12 years. breeders made us review like 100 pages of documents concerning the breed and (basically) gave us a verbal test a week later before they took our money and handed over the 8-week-old pup.

the best thing i ever learned about raising a dog came from my best friend, though, an anger control management therapist (yes, let the jokes begin). while in college, my boy and i rolled into my apartment to learn my new pup had just shredded the arm of my couch.

pissed off, i kinda start yelling at the dog. my boy, the anger control dude, simply looks at me and asks: "tom, why in the hell are you so pissed off?"

tom: "look, that fucking dog just ruined my couch."

peace lover: "look tom, your dog just shredded your sit station. but who's smarter in this whole situation, you or your dog?"

tom: "ugggh, me?"

peace lover: "ok, so YOU'RE smarter than your dog, and YOUR dog just shredded YOUR couch. really, whose fucking fault is it YOUR dog shredded YOUR couch? ... again, in review, you are smarter than the dog, right?"

tom: "hmmm. ... (tom thinking to himself) ... (still processing words of wisdom) ... (bolt of light) ... go fuck your mother, peace lover."


getting to the point, don't ever strike a pet. if a pet fucks up, it's your fault. it learns everything in its world from you.

 

Labs shed. And unless you want to do some dogfighting, I'd avoid pit bulls and rotweillers.

We have a mix of a cocker and asalapsa. She's 12 pounds of fur, but a good dog, and a little aloof. And I feel REAL manly walking her down the street, et me tell you.

Puggles are cute dogs. And I've heard they are good.

 

yeah, cats kinda suck.

 

Tom took much of what I was going to say right from my mouth. I told my parents, shortly after getting my beagle/hound mix, Smiley, that she had peed on my floor and I yelled at her. Like Tom's peace dude, my mother (a dog expert, sort of), said much the same: Joel, it ain't her fault.

My other advice:
If you're a traveler, for the sake of the dog, wake until you're more stable. They need companionship.

If it's a pup, crate train FROM THE BEGINNING. It's essential.

If you're not willing to walk it, don't get it. Just because a fenced-in backyard offers you a simple solution, it does nothing for your dog.

Any other questions/help/advice, PM me. I thought having one would be all fun and games. It's not, but it's also very rewarding to watch them grow up and learn from you.

 

No offense, Bob, but I really hate that shit. Anyway, all snark aside : ... Pits can be terrific pets, if you treat them right and are a smart, conscientious owner (don't feed them meat, keep them away from small children and mean dogs, train them not to bite/snap, give them lots of TLC.)

Owning a pit is not for everyone, and I can't stress that enough. I can cut up a piece of leftover steak for my family's dog any time I want to give him a treat, and it's not smart to do that with a pit. But there is nothing inherently bad or dangerous about owning a pit -- you just have to train yourself as much as you have to train your dog.

 

i missed that, and i hate that shit as well. had a rottie for 12 years. raised her with the intent mrs. petty and i always would have kids. dog loved those kids, and was protective as hell of the heartbreakers although she never bit anyone. she sure put herself (body) between strangers and those kids until the day i had to put her to sleep, though, and she used her presence to keep strangers at arms length.

saying any breed of dog is psychotic is ridiculous

FWIW - my peace-lovin' friend owned a pit. our dogs grew up together and played together like any other pair of dogs ... without bloodshed.

 

You know I've heard all of that, but 99 percent of the dog attacks I've read about have been pits and rots. Our animal control officer I worked with at my first paper told me the same thing you all did. But I still wouldn't have one.

I can just seem my little boy playing and getting al ittle too rough like kids do, and the dog biting back.

I've never heard of a labradoodle going buckwild and chewing off a kids face. Why take the chance, but to each his own.

 

Oh, I don't know if I'd recommend that a family with young kids get a pit. Like I said, they're not for everyone. You can't treat a pit roughly -- as kids are wont to do -- or there's a good chance they'll get mean. They're sensitive dogs, and have to be treated with sensitivity by their owners.

But to insinuate that all pits and rots are dangerous, because the local news likes to scare people with reports of attacks! attacks!, is just as misguided, IMO. Blame stupid owners, not the dogs.