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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2014 20:39:23 GMT -5
why are you set on a puppy? why not get a 2 or 3 year old dog that is out of the puppy stage and is much calmer and that way you'll already know its personality and size?
I like my pets to be with us from the beginning of life (or as close to it as possible). I realize this involves more training and that's fine. It's a big part of the reason I'd want Babybird to be older. Potty training the kitty was bad (and disgusting) enough - full on behavior training for a puppy is like 400% more responsibility for a pet than I personally care to take on at this point in my life. And I'm perfectly fine with never getting a dog at all. So this would definitely be a family decision and a shared family responsibility. A puppy is WAY more work than a kitten. It's pretty much like having another infant for 6 months to a year. Even a trained dog is a lot more work and responsibility than a cat. I leave my cat for days with enough food and water, but the dog...12 hours max. More like 4 when a puppy. But, as for breed. I've had purebreds and mutts. All "free" or close to it. I prefer large breeds for kids, especially labs. They just seem made for kids.
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swamp
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Post by swamp on Sept 17, 2014 20:39:57 GMT -5
swamp - Brittney's are Spaniels. Taller than Cocker Spaniels, but probably not any heavier as they have a slimmer build. Very sweet dogs. All Spaniels are actually hunting dogs. They are generally water fowl dogs (bringing back the geese). The Brittney we see on a regular basis is a little hyper (he's still young) but is very well trained and sweet as can be. I've known a couple of families who only have Duck Tolling Retrievers (Tollers) and lovs them. (I'm guessing there's a good breeder somewhere in the PNW.) They are one of the cutest Retriever breeds I've ever seen. I know what Brittany spaniels are. I just don't like cocker spaniels.
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shanendoah
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Post by shanendoah on Sept 17, 2014 20:43:26 GMT -5
swamp - Brittney's are Spaniels. Taller than Cocker Spaniels, but probably not any heavier as they have a slimmer build. Very sweet dogs. All Spaniels are actually hunting dogs. They are generally water fowl dogs (bringing back the geese). The Brittney we see on a regular basis is a little hyper (he's still young) but is very well trained and sweet as can be. I've known a couple of families who only have Duck Tolling Retrievers (Tollers) and lovs them. (I'm guessing there's a good breeder somewhere in the PNW.) They are one of the cutest Retriever breeds I've ever seen. I know what Brittany spaniels are. I just don't like cocker spaniels. Sorry- your post said "Brittany (no idea what that is)", so I thought maybe you weren't familiar with them. I am also not a huge fan of Cockers.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2014 20:43:35 GMT -5
I made a list of things that were important to me and then did some research on line with those sites that tell you things to consider for the stuff that I didn't think of. So I knew I wanted a dog that didn't shed, not too big, good with kids and a variety of people. I ended up with a toy poodle. The final thing that sold me is that poodles attach to the whole family, not just one person in the family. With me fostering I figured I needed a dog that was flexible that way. I had that in mind when I met up with a good friend of mine that had a very friendly, pregnant poodle. I figured I had a good chance of her pups turning out with a similar personality. I was right. Anyway, that was a long winded way of saying figure out what is important to you and what you will need in a dog and then stay open to opportunities.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2014 20:47:00 GMT -5
BTW what was involved in potty training your cat. All I have ever had to do was take them to the litter box and scratch their paws in the litter. It's one of the biggest bonuses to cats, other than being able to leave them 3 days worth of food and water and let them stay home alone once in a while.
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swamp
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Post by swamp on Sept 17, 2014 20:58:23 GMT -5
I know what Brittany spaniels are. I just don't like cocker spaniels. Sorry- your post said "Brittany (no idea what that is)", so I thought maybe you weren't familiar with them. I am also not a huge fan of Cockers. It was firebirds post.
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shanendoah
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Post by shanendoah on Sept 17, 2014 21:00:58 GMT -5
Sorry- your post said "Brittany (no idea what that is)", so I thought maybe you weren't familiar with them. I am also not a huge fan of Cockers. It was firebirds post. That's what I get for just skimming
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tallguy
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Post by tallguy on Sept 17, 2014 21:05:46 GMT -5
That would be the only way....
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Post by haapai on Sept 17, 2014 21:13:35 GMT -5
IMHO, some of those perfect-dog-finder tools tend to soft-peddle the negatives of the breeds in question.
When your parents are on their third Westie (probably because their first dog was a Westie that was foisted on them) you find the description of the dog as somewhat strong-willed, difficult to train, and prone to skin infections an amusing understatement. I suspect that something similar is true of other breeds. Dobermans are downright clingy and Shelties have an annoying tendency to herd children and small women but you'll never hear those traits described that way in a breed-choosing guide.
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Gardening Grandma
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Post by Gardening Grandma on Sept 17, 2014 21:26:45 GMT -5
My biggest question is - if you go to a breeder and pick the perfect puppy. Get it home and it turns out to have "issues". What if it is reactive? or doesn't end up liking other dogs or barks a lot or digs up your garden or under the fence or your couch? Will it end up at the pound? If you get a dog from a responsible breeder (as I did), you sign a contract stating that you will return the dog to the breeder if you cannot keep it - for any reason. And that did happen with one dog in the litter. The breeder took the dog back and kept it.
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Sept 17, 2014 22:30:05 GMT -5
Firebird can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe she actually trained her cat to use the toilet (like in Meet The Parents).
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cronewitch
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Post by cronewitch on Sept 18, 2014 0:24:36 GMT -5
I don't have pets but my ISO's neighbor is dog sitting a couple. A bulldog named Tucker has decided to be my dog, he is a lap dog a big lap dog that drools, I don't like dogs that drool so I only pet the top of his head. He will stand next to me outside and come up to me in the house. The gate between the yards is usually open and they like to come visit and come in for dog biscuits and water. When ISO lays on the ground they jump on him and when he gets home they run to the fence to bark at him. The people yell at the dogs to not bark but ISO yells back that they are ok only barking at him then he opens the gate so they can come over. They have a little Scotty dog too that came over once but is too old to run around much. Seems like a good way to get dogs just live next to them so when you are tired of them they go home.
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ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ
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Post by ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ on Sept 18, 2014 0:51:47 GMT -5
Smaller breed dogs are also usually more high-strung.
I've had friends who owned Shepherds ( a police officer who had a service dog as well as one who was a house pet) - another with a Newfie, as well as some with Great Danes, and a nephew with a Bulldog - (not big, but very gentle)
The only large dog that comes to mind right now that was a dumb dog and very high-maintenance, was my BIL & SIL's Irish Setter.
Smaller yappy dogs are often more aggressive than the larger breeds. Some I wouldn't trust around kids.
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Post by milee on Sept 18, 2014 5:22:56 GMT -5
Seems like a good way to get dogs just live next to them so when you are tired of them they go home. Yup. I've been trying to convince one of our neighbors one house over (we're friends and they have two kids similar ages to mine) that those poor kids really, really need a dog.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2014 5:52:09 GMT -5
most hunters just breed their own and then them when hunting season is over (the shelter in NC that I support always has an influx of hounds at the end of hunting season). in addition, in NC hounds are considered property not pets, so it's perfectly legal to beat them or starve them. I'm not sure what hunters you know, but the ones I know treat their dogs well. check any shelter in NC after hunting season
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skubikky
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Post by skubikky on Sept 18, 2014 6:29:15 GMT -5
OT - Firebird...what was decided regarding your DH taking the job in Seattle and moving up there ahead of you? Sorry for the hijack.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Sept 18, 2014 7:08:37 GMT -5
why are you set on a puppy? why not get a 2 or 3 year old dog that is out of the puppy stage and is much calmer and that way you'll already know its personality and size? That's my plan. I barely managed to get the kids potty and house trained. Not doing it again. Nope. Not an option. My kids (almost 5 and 6+) are ganging up on us to get a pet. Their preference is a kitten or puppy. Current tactic is to ask over and over why we can't get one NOW.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Sept 18, 2014 7:17:59 GMT -5
OT - Firebird...what was decided regarding your DH taking the job in Seattle and moving up there ahead of you? Sorry for the hijack.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2014 7:37:01 GMT -5
most hunters just breed their own and then them when hunting season is over (the shelter in NC that I support always has an influx of hounds at the end of hunting season). in addition, in NC hounds are considered property not pets, so it's perfectly legal to beat them or starve them. I'm not sure what hunters you know, but the ones I know treat their dogs well. Same here. A lot of duck hunters around here and their labs are definitely part of their family. It can take many years to train a really good one.
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giramomma
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Post by giramomma on Sept 18, 2014 8:06:33 GMT -5
why are you set on a puppy? why not get a 2 or 3 year old dog that is out of the puppy stage and is much calmer and that way you'll already know its personality and size? That's my plan. I barely managed to get the kids potty and house trained. Not doing it again. Nope. Not an option. My kids (almost 5 and 6+) are ganging up on us to get a pet. Their preference is a kitten or puppy. Current tactic is to ask over and over why we can't get one NOW. When my DS was 5ish, he started asking for a pet. I told him we wouldn't even discuss it until he was 10. He would bring it up a lot after the littlest was born. To which my response always was "I already have three pets. We don't want a 4th." He was so upset "Momma, I'm NOT an animal" that he'd usually drop it for a while. For a cub scout project this past spring, the boys went to clean up at a dog park. Where in we quickly learned that DS does not like dog poop. So, now that he's 10, and he brings it up, we remind him that we know from the outset that it's NOT going to be a shared family responsibility. No matter how much he tries to tell us otherwise. I wish we could get a cat. DH is allergic. I know there are some hypo-allergenic kinds.. We may get a pocket pet when the littlest gets older. I don't know if my DD1 will be so squeamish about poop then.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2014 8:28:36 GMT -5
The only thing about getting a dog that is the kids at 10 is, who keeps the dog when they go to school or move to an apartment ?
Son really wants a Conure right now... I am not sure that he understands fully the ramifications of a pet that lives 15-30 years...
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2014 8:35:45 GMT -5
I'm not sure what hunters you know, but the ones I know treat their dogs well. Same here. A lot of duck hunters around here and their labs are definitely part of their family. It can take many years to train a really good one. what do they do with the ones who don't hunt/retrieve/whatever?
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Post by alabamagal on Sept 18, 2014 8:40:52 GMT -5
The only thing about getting a dog that is the kids at 10 is, who keeps the dog when they go to school or move to an apartment ? Son on really wants a Conure right now... I am not sure that he understands fully the ramifications of a pet that lives 15-30 years... We got two of our kids dogs when they were 12 and 13 (the kids) with the idea that they would take the dogs when they were out on their own. One dog died when DS was in college. DD's dog moved to Texas with her last year. It has not been a big deal. We adopted a puppy last year for DS20 who is in college. Since we no longer have kids at home, we spoil that dog and it will be hard to let her go when DS gets out of college, but we will. On the puppy vs. dog, we have always adopted puppies except for 1. The puppy stage can be rough, but then we know how the dogs have been raised. We adopted a 7-year old lab-beagle mix from DS's GF (at the time, no longer). The dog had been left outside and dominated by other dogs and not much human contact. She is a great dog, but is very skittish and gets very upset if you even raise your voice at her. She has been with us 9 months and is getting better all the time and is getting more used to being around humans.
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swamp
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Post by swamp on Sept 18, 2014 8:42:59 GMT -5
Same here. A lot of duck hunters around here and their labs are definitely part of their family. It can take many years to train a really good one. what do they do with the ones who don't hunt/retrieve/whatever? they sleep on the couch
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2014 9:07:56 GMT -5
Same here. A lot of duck hunters around here and their labs are definitely part of their family. It can take many years to train a really good one. what do they do with the ones who don't hunt/retrieve/whatever? The vast majority of hunters I know don't breed dogs. They buy a started puppy or train them up and keep them forever. We're talking "Tucker" is in the kid's senior class pictures kind of thing. I know two breeders of hunting dogs. Both labs. They only produce a litter every year or two and they're in high demand and spoken for long before birth. Many just sell as pets and never see a duck. It might be a different story with hounds though. I don't know. That's kind of a different world where they hunt with larger packs. When I was growing up I had a friend whose Dad competed in field trials and they had dogs everywhere.
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geenamercile
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Post by geenamercile on Sept 18, 2014 9:09:05 GMT -5
Okay, so my dogs have all been from shelters or given to me for free. However I feel comfortable knowing the breeds I like and traits and how to look for them.
I don't think that for a new dog owner going with a specific breed is a bad idea at all. Mutts can be great, our current is a husky-chow mix and is an amazing dog. However there is more unknowns with a mutt puppy then a purebred.
Another thing to think of is once you find a breed you want, look at rescues for a dog that is a bit older. Then you don't have to worry about the chewing, house training stages as much and the dogs personality has come out more so they can better match you.
Personally I love Huskies. Even when going for a mutt I look for dogs with that breed mix in. Shelties are another one I like.
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swamp
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Post by swamp on Sept 18, 2014 9:09:47 GMT -5
what do they do with the ones who don't hunt/retrieve/whatever? The vast majority of hunters I know don't breed dogs. They buy a started puppy or train them up and keep them forever. We're talking "Tucker" is in the kid's senior class pictures kind of thing. I know two breeders of hunting dogs. Both labs. They only produce a litter every year or two and they're in high demand and spoken for long before birth. Many just sell as pets and never see a duck. It might be a different story with hounds though. I don't know. That's kind of a different world where they hunt with larger packs. When I was growing up I had a friend whose Dad competed in field trials and they had dogs everywhere.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Sept 18, 2014 9:15:12 GMT -5
A dog is a permanent two year old. If you want to go anywhere without the dog, doggie daycare. Vet bills. Food.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2014 9:15:36 GMT -5
Are you going to name the dog Ananda?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2014 9:16:31 GMT -5
A dog is a permanent two year old. If you want to go anywhere without the dog, doggie daycare. Vet bills. Food. A two year old that you can put in a crate and leave all day when you go to work.
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