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!!!
