Considering getting a puppy
 

My wife and I have been talking about the possibility of getting a puppy. This would be the first dog either of us have ever had. I'm around dogs all the time since my brother never has less than two running around his house (they have either always had someone home or a short five minute drive away) and I love them. My wife is a little skittish around dogs at first until she gets used to them, but thinks she would be fine if she were able to be around the dog from a puppy on up. We have a couple questions/concerns:

1. We both work 45 minutes away from home and wouldn't be able to get home during the day to take the puppy out for a bathroom break. I'm positive this would result in the little critter having to wallow in its own junk for most of the day and then having to clean the cage/pup every evening when we get home from work. How have others handled this?

2. We both feel that it might be less than ideal for the puppy to be left alone in a crate for the entire day. Should we feel this way?

Any other advice for a first time dog owner would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

Well Dave,

We are on dog #2, and I personally think Crate Training is the best method, although when getting a puppy the do need to go more often then not. My wife would come home on her lunch break and take him out to the bathroom. There have been times when he went in his crate but that doesn't happen much anymore. Eventually they learn to hold it until they can be let out. Once our dogs are trained to hold it (and are over the puppy stage where they chew everything) we let them out of the crate all the time and it gives the dog freedom roam about the house, and play if they would like. If there is a concern with having a puppy, maybe think about adopting a rescue that is already trained to go outside. There is a lot to learn when getting into the puppy world, they bring you so much love and enjoyment, but also do take a lot of time and can be kind of restricting. Also look for a dog that has similar traits as you, if you are not home a lot to play with and give the dog a lot of attention maybe you should get a dog that doesn't need to play all the time and can be more of a lapdog. Do a lot of research and you will be fine. :) best of luck, anything else I can help you with let me know.

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

Well said

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

I agree with adopting an older dog from a reputable rescue group. I also agree with the crate training. If you don't want to crate, then at least get some child gates and create a small area (or bigger crate) for them when you are gone. Some dogs will get very stressed out repeatedly searching the house for where you are at.

We've been doing retired racing greyhounds for years and certainly recommend them. But for a first dog, adult rescue may be the best option.

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

Awe shucks Larry!

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

I strongly disagree with crating any dog. Some dogs have terrible separation anxiety and crating will only intensify their anxiety. We ended up getting a second dog and the anxiety our first one had was gone right then. I have known several people who crate their dogs all day and when the dogs are let out of the crate, they go absolutely nuts to let out all that pent up energy. Think about it...would you like to be shut up in a closed space like a bathroom all day? I've owned dogs all my life and currently own two adult Mini Doxies, which were rescues. Adult dogs are a great way to go, as they are able to hold themselves longer. Rescues seem to know when they have a good situation and make superb pets.
Do a LOT of research on the type of dog you want. Some breeds, such as Dachshunds, are notoriously difficult to housetrain. If you do it right, any dog can successfully be very well housetrained. I recommend getting a book called How to housetrain your dog in seven days. It is the only one I found that covered a working household where the occupants are at work all day. We followed the book's instructions to the letter and both of our adult dogs, which had never been inside before, were 95% housetrained within a week!
Also, consider the activity level of the dog you are looking at. :2
BTW - look at Cardigan Corgies - that will be my next dog!
Good luck
RR

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

We did not have your constrictions. My wife only works 3 days a week, every other week, that is on the weekend. So she was home a lot, if she wasn't, I work about 15 minutes from work, door to door, so I would go home every couple hours to let the dog out of the crate during house training, extending that time as he aged.

Yes, I think that is less than ideal and would not recommend it. Do you have the option of a doggie daycare?


Puppies are A LOT of work. They are a pain in the ass, truth told. For all the great things about them, mostly just being damn cute, there is the constant training. I have always said that it is the 2nd worst part of dog ownership. The fact that we generally outlive our furry family members and that is the worst.

I’ve had dogs my entire life for the most part. My parents always had a dog and I’ve had 5 of my own as an adult. Crate trained my last 2 puppies. Have had 2 rescues, one VERY BAD experience and one great. Personally I’m a bigger fan of getting a puppy.

Best of luck, whatever you decide, even if that includes not getting a dog. They are the best & A LOT of work!

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

A lifetime dog owner I would totally suggest starting out with a non-puppy. They are so much work it's crazy. Plus you save quite a bit of money going for an adult dog.

One thing I would think about most is activity level. Some breeds/mixes need a ton of exercise, others don't. Particularly larger breeds can get away with only a nice long walk a day and lounge around the rest of it.

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

So far, this is all great advice and will give us a ton to think about. Thank you.

Keep it coming.....

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

Adult golden retriever from a rescue.
The best natured, most polite, phenomenal buddies you will have.
(You need to walk/ run them a lot)

I'm in a condo now, so miss my old guy who died a few years back/

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

I have to disagree with Rob on the crate training.
Bubs is a Weimeraner. Breed-wide, their separation anxiety is off the charts.
To leave a Weim out while you're gone is to give up on owning anything nice, because they will destroy EVERYTHING.
It's also extremely dangerous for the dog, as you can imagine.

Bub's crate is his happy place. Always has been. He goes there if he's stressed, tired, just wants to chill, whatever. Weeze sends him there for time outs when he does stupid sh1t like stealing the butter.
To dogs a crate is their den. It's completely natural. We've always kept a big carpet pad over his crate just to add to the den vibe.

Pups will have accidents in their crate if it's too big. You have to start with a tight size and work your way up, otherwise they'll have accidents from the start.
Bubs has very short hair, so we always keep a big, thick blanket in there. He could tell if he had an accident even with the blanket in there.
You want them to know, but you don't want them to sit in a puddle, obviously.
If the crate is too big, they'll just get used to peeing in one end of the crate and make habit of it.
Just read up on it a little, Dave. It's simple.

The biggest consideration is "what kind of dog do I get?
That's best answered by asking yourself, honestly, what kind of energy level you are.
Weeze and I are mental. We're outdoors people. She runs, walks, all that. I go for a couple walks a day when it's not miserable out. I love to go out and play with Bubs for hours, play with him in the house, train and teach him tricks.
Same with Weeze. Plus we're home all day. So we can handle a mental dog, and we enjoy him. More importantly, we can give him what he needs.

That said, I'm a lab person. They're lazy but brilliant. They'll do whatever you want to do when you want to do it, but they're totally chill.

Mind ya, any pup is nuts for the first 18-24 months. If you want to get away from that phase, find a rescue place. You can find well-bred animals who aren't messed up in the head. You'll pay maybe 500 bucks for a dog, but it'll be a good, handled, tested dog.
Or you can go to the local rescue and roll the dice for 30 bucks.
I don't think that's an option for you guys. The local rescue usually has dogs that need work. Some are good to go, but may have a tick that shows up later. One that needs worked out. It takes time.
You'd be better off getting a pup from a breeder or a juvenile from a breed-specific place, being it's your first dog and your wife is skittish. You don't need a bad experience.

Last thing, you have to remember dogs are not people. They don't think like people. They live in the moment, they let go, and they don't "feel bad" about stuff.
Think of it like buying an alien. Aliens need different things than we do. Maybe they need to grow a tree out of their ass. You need to provide a tree and somewhere for them to grow it.
Dogs need a purpose. They love to work, it's their nature. They need a job. You have to give it to them.
Point is, you have to let them be a dog and cater to what fulfills them, not what fulfills you guys. You have to read up and see what those things are. But you also have to teach them what they need to do if they're going to live with you. They can't be left to their own vices or you'll have problems.

I've been training these critters since I was a kid, brother. I love em.
If you need any help at all, please ask. I'll get my number to you, just send me a pm.
I'm SUPER excited for you guys!!! :tu

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

Wonderful dogs, brother.
We used to train them up/foster them for our area rescue.
They were fabulous working dogs.

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

Great advice from everyone here. I am a lifelong dog owner. I have 3 now and one is a new puppy. Weimaraner Scott! We've had that breed before and they have a great personality in my opinion, but can be needy and many get separation anxiety bad. I've never crated a dog, so I can't speak to that. We do have multiple gates and create small areas to lock the dog in while gone. Having a puppy is tough as they are a lot of work, but it is much less so when they have other 4 legged companions. In a few short weeks, mine are now best friends and don't like to be apart. My wife works out of the home, so we are lucky there. I have heard many people whom I respect say that crating is good for them as it calms them down and they very quickly love that space. I can't imagine not having dogs; I know you give up some things, like total freedom, cleanliness!, etc. but I will never be without them. Good luck!

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

+1 for the crate. Best thing for our family. We do have 1/3 ac fenced-in backyard. We have a beagle. He spends his days outside with a doghouse on our back porch. He spends his nights in the house on his dog bed. However there are times he needs to be crated, just like today. It was in the teens this morning. Before we left for work, we let him out to potty and then right to the crate. He has a crate in the kitchen and will walk right in it and lay in his crate bed.

We started him out with the crate at nights when we got him. He would cry initially but eventually got used to it to the point that was his sanctuary. We gave him treats every time he went in. He's 8 now and if you shake the treat bag, he'll run through the house and get in the crate. We still use the crate when traveling, too. It goes in the back of our Enclave and he readily jumps right in. He slept in the crate at night for the first few years but he got old enough that he would sleep all night in his dog bed in the living room and wouldn't disturb anyone. Nowadays, we just use it for traveling and the odd extremely cold or hot day here or there. He loves having it at my parents or my in-laws.

Best of luck!

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

Another thing I'll throw out, pure bred dogs are great, but only if they come from a good breeder. Otherwise, you can end up with a dog who has a ton of health problems. Head down to your local kill shelter and pick up a good mutt.

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

[quote=Flynnster;2019199]A lifetime dog owner I would totally suggest starting out with a non-puppy. They are so much work it's crazy. Plus you save quite a bit of money going for an adult dog.

I raised bulldogs for the past 40 years.. We do use multiple crates, one in living room ,,one in office and one in bedroom until the pup gets trained then they are free to roam. A puppy won't even make it til noon without peeing in the crate..You can buy slotted rubber crate mats so the urine will run under the mat and the pup won't be laying in it. Getting a puppy with your schedule is going to be tough..People always think its going to be great to get a pup and then when finding out how tough it can be regret it.. Just my .02..

Jerry in Minnesota.

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

I had a rescued racing greyhound once. She could not be crated with her severe anxiety. She could not be left alone either. She had to be taken with us everywhere we went. Just get a cat.

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

You could get some gerbils, Sexy Dave. Meow.

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

I'm allergic to cats and I still can't find the gerbil I had when I was single. Pulled out the toilet paper tube and he was gone. I do however, still feel a nice tickle every now and again.

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

I appreciate all of the advice. I think our main concern is still not being able to get home a couple times a day. We need to do some more research and thinking. There's gotta be a safe, loving way to do this.

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

I always found the kid's hamsters and stuff in the bottom of the furnace. Try there, SD.

The whole dog thing isn't all that rough. There's a lot to take in, though.
Don't let it scare you, and take your time.
Shop for the kind of dog you want. Ask and make sure it's a good idea.
After that it's WAY easier to tailor a "plan" for you and you won't have to do a bunch of extra breed-specific learning.
That'll make it feel like it's not so overwhelming. Step at a time, my brother. :tu

Don't get a Bubs. He's awesome, but he's a full time job. :D

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

We were considering a beagle. I need to research them a bit. My grandfather used to raise them as field trial dogs. Always had at least 8 at a time. He even had a grand champion that won all sorts of competitions all over the country. They were great dogs.

Just for the record, I'm not looking to get it into field trial competitions.

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

All the beagles I've been around have been great. But they are loud as all hell, so make sure you aren't in an apartment!

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

They're awesome dogs, but they stink like hell, Dave.
They have a very thick undercoat of hair and you have to run them through the briars and jing-weeds to keep that stuff combed out.
I'm sure they have good "beagle brushes" by now. They didn't have anything 25 years ago except getting them out in the woods a few times a week. :)

They LOVE people, especially kids, aren't high strung, and don't require a lot of exercise. They are great guard dogs but piss-poor attack dogs, which is what you guys are looking for, I'm sure.
Don't take "don't need a lot of exercise" as "lazy". They are not. But you don't have to run them at full speed for two hours, either (like the idiot Bubs). A good walk or two a day will do it. Or put him on the treadmill, or throw a ball at him for an hour. Done.
You don't have to wear them out so they'll rest, and it only takes about 15 minutes of exercise to get them ready to train (or teach tricks).

They are gorgeous dogs. I'd go see a few breeders in your area. You'll find them, guys hunt a lot up there.
Any small hound will work for you, they're all about the same. You might find another type of beagle or a cross that you like better and is even more chill.

I think you picked really good, brother!!! :tu
(I think I might be more excited than you are, my friend.) :lr

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

Awesome review, Scott. You certainly are excited. How about you come stay with us for a few weeks and get the pup through the real tough time? We're both excited as hell. We just need to do our homework and figure some stuff out. Thanks a ton for all of your input.

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

A lot of good advice in this thread already.

We had a similar situation, where we both worked and had to leave our pup home during the day. Our breeder actually potty trains her dogs to use a litter box. We used to fill it with feline pine, which is basically little pine logs. So we continued with that and then started transitioning him to outside when he was ~9 months to a year old. We still left the litter box around for probably a year and a half to two years until he stopped using it during the day while we were gone. After a year or so, he really didn't use it unless we were running really late. Once he stopped using the litter box during the day (for something like 3-4 weeks), we finally removed it. The stuff clumps, so you do not have to empty the whole thing every day. It was actually pretty easy to transition him to outside as you just use some of the dirty feline pine to show him where you want him to go.

So we crate trained our dog for at night. But did not leave him in his crate during the day. We thought that would be tough on him to spend 20 hours a day in a crate. So we setup an x-pen in our family room. We bought one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Pet-Yard-Plast...uct/B000633XHS. We put a doggy bed on one side and his litter box on the other (basically a plastic container bottom for storing clothes under the bed). To protect the floor, I bought a $30 piece of pre-cut laminate flooring from Lowes/Home Depot.

We actually still use the xpen set up and he is now 6 years old. So we do not let him run around all day while we are gone or go out to the store. I think he is actually more comfortable in a confined space as opposed to running around not knowing if we are home. Of course, our dog is a small to medium size (~20 lbs). A setup like ours would not work for a larger dog.

At first, we tried to have him sleep in his crate in the x-pen, but that did not work. He whined all night long. Once we moved his crate into our room, that really helped. So his crate still sits in the corner in our room. We have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Great dogs, very loving, easy to train, but very needy. They are not independent at all. You can also not take them off leash as they are not smart enough to not chase something into the street. You also want to make sure to get them from a reputable breeder or from rescue as they can have health issues. They are also not cheap from a reputable breeder.

A couple of things I would consider before getting a dog from my experience (he is our first and only dog):

1. Do you like to go out at night after work?

2. Do you like to go on frequent vacations?

If either of these are a yes, I would really make sure getting a dog is something you want to do at this point. It is really tough to go out during the week when you know your puppy has been home alone all day for 8-10 hours. We did not start going out during the week until I started working from home all day. We take our dog to a local breeder when we go on vacation. So we basically need to check on her availability before we book a vacation. It is also a lot harder to take a last minute trip. Now this could just be us, like I mentioned, Cavaliers are really needy, so we don't like the idea of taking him to a traditional boarder where they stay in crates or rooms all day long.

For us, I can comfortably say this is our last dog. I love my dog, but having a dog is a lifestyle change. You always have to think about their well being. (I know some people leave their dogs outside all day with a dog house and food/water, which is fine, but that is not why we got a dog). Plus, having children has really been tough on our dog. He is no longer child #1 and that has been tough.

Remember, they can live 9-15 years, so just think about that in terms of now versus the future. I know you can always find a new home for them, but I don't think most people consider that when they get a dog. Also, we buy a lot of lint rollers and have to vacuum often. Just something else to keep in mind. ;-)

Also, there are a lot of little expenses that add up. If you live in an area with fleas, you are looking at $15-20 a month for flea medication. At first, we bathed and groomed him ourselves, but when we found out we needed to express his anal glands once a month, we started taking him to a groomer (cheaper than having the vet do it). So we probably spend $100-150 a month when you add in food, treats, grooming and flea medication. Not to mention if he gets sick or is not feeling well, the vet is not cheap. We also had to have his teeth cleaned when we was 4-5 and that was $800-1000 (I live in the Bay Area, so things are on the high side).

If you get a dog, I recommend brushing his/her teeth everyday. We didn't do it and now our dog hates it. It will save you some expense down the road.

Finally, we get premium dog food. The better the dog food, the better their stool is, which helps when you are picking it up. lol

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

Thank you very much for the first hand experience of what we are having trouble with. Great stuff to think hard about.

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

Oh Boy, a Beagle! We absolutely love ours. He's 8 years old and a part of our family. He is a pure breed. We got him at around 8 weeks from my idiot BIL who got him and then didn't want him. We've had him fixed, as he was trying to frig everything in sight. He's everything Scott said. He travels with us, lives with us, and is the first one to greet you when you get home. He will alert you of danger but would never, ever jump in to attack danger. He's a loud wuss. He absolutely hates squirrels and is most happy when I get one with the pellet gun. He is the most "dog" dog I've ever been around and I was raised with all types of dogs. He buries bones (and anything else), listens to commands, sleeps in a dog bed and in a dog house, chases vermin, howls at trains, loves squeaky toys and balls, loves to go on the leash for walks, to be washed, travel in a car, etc. His name is Fritz. He's at home right now sitting on the back porch watching the bird feeders for a squirrel. I guarantee it!!

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...psd5foea7g.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...pspbwk85ky.jpg

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

Totally agreed. Heck, they are already housebroken and may be trained! Our current Corgi, Lily was just under 2 years old when we got her and turned 3 a couple of weeks ago.

Everyone will tell you their breed of dog is the one to get. So I am going to tell you Pembroke Welsh Corgi's are the best. The most watched dog breed on the internet...

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...psd413f380.jpg

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

We have had puppies in the past. Most recently we got a 3 year old rescue and as others have noted, it is much easier with an adult dog. Just my :2

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

My girlfriend and I got a Bluetick puppy a few months back. He is now 6 months. I work 12 hour shifts and am unable to leave work, though I get 3-4 days off a week. So he gets plenty of play time. We opted out of crate training, instead we got a baby gate and were able to keep him sequestered to the kitchen the first two months. This worked well as he did not have to feel responsible for as much territory and when he made a mess, which they do until they get older and learn bladder and boule control, it was easy to clean.

After about 6 weeks of this we began leaving him alone in the house while we were at work. My gf is able to come home on her lunch breaks usually, which meant he would only be alone for 4-5 hours at a time. During this time he would still "make" in the kitchen which was the preferable outcome, and of course nice for our carpet.

Today I installed a doggy door that he has already mastered. For the last few weeks he has been holding it until we got home, so we figured it was time.

Being a coonhound he requires a lot of attention to burn his energy. I would steer away from coonhounds if that will be too hard for you.

But, the point of this post, is to offer an alternative to crating. I'm personally rather against crating. If you have a kitchen such as we do, where you can just put up a baby gate or two I would highly recommend this. It is the same general idea, less territory for him to feel responsible for as well as protecting your home from becoming a giant chew toy.

Re: Considering getting a puppy
 

My neighbor had one and he was a handful. Clawing that the window screens wanting to chase something all the time. Another friend's dad breeds them for trials. He keeps them outside pretty much all year to keep their noses sharp. Good dogs, but real work horses that can go all day...