Thinking About Getting a Dog

Hey everyone! I know lots of you have pets so I’m looking for some help in this decision I’m trying to make.

I’ve been thinking about getting a dog for quite a while and it’s finally at that do or do-not Yoda phase.

So everyone who has a dog, what’s awesome and what’s not so awesome about it? For people who work at home, is it an improvement to your daily schedule to have a pup around or can it be more of a hassle?

And of course, if you have a picture of your “best friend”, let me see!

I always wanted a dog but then I thought about the endless walks and it doing its business all over my front room.

Hey Jami,

Very exciting stuff, we just recently got a new puppy. It’s definitely been worth it for us, but that’s not to say there aren’t times where it can be stressful. Working from home with a puppy can be tricky, but it’s worked well for me.

It will depend on the type of dog you get, we have a little apartment dog (mini daschund) so she has been relatively easy to keep exercised and entertained. I also do my best work at night which is when she is sleepy so it works out. Having someone around to help out and dogsit once in a while is nice too.

Once you get past some of the housebreaking and get them to understand the basic “rules of the house”, it’s pretty simple. Amanda Hackwith put it best when she told me having a puppy is 99% about being consistent (BTW, hopefully Amanda will chime in as she helped me out a lot when we got our puppy)

Do you have a certain breed in mind?

Here is our little “Gigabyte”!

Get a Labrador! I have one and she is just amazing. She makes me happy

Wow!! Look at that little monster! She’s so cute.

I live on the 5th floor of a high rise apartment building so I’m definitely looking for a smaller type dog. Even with 3x a day walks, I’d just feel bad having a large breed without a backyard to run around in.

Thanks for the feedback Drew and everyone so far!

@Drew – Aww… Haha Gigabyte! That’s one nice looking pup you’ve got there!

@JamiGibbs – I wouldn’t know much about keeping a dog indoors as mine has a kennel in the garden. I have a Boxer/St Bernard crossbreed… she’s a strange mix of a boxer’s athleticism and a St-Bernard’s caring and well behaved nature.

As a puppy (She was really cute) :

6 years later (Not so cute, but a great dog nonetheless) :

It’s quite a commitement but it’s worth the effort, in my case, mostly in comical value haha. My best advice would be to choose the breed carefully, as some enjoy having a good chew on wires, pooping everywhere (I know this one from experience ) and the temperament of both the mother and father are a good thing to take into account, if the dog’s a crossbreed.
I did have this Rottweiler/Labrador/unknown crossbreed and she was an absolute nightmare, constantly running off and pooing in every crevice imaginable hahaha… If ever I walked and felt something squishy underfoot, I’d know straight away who the culprit was!

We breed Newfoundlands. ( used to )

This image is a few years ago now, was one of our bitches, called Bella.

Love this photo, as no one believes it is a dog, but a fella dressed as a gorilla lol.

Well it isnt it is bona fide.

We had at one point 7 adults, and at times 8 pups too.

Now down to 2 bitches, Coco and Roxy. One brown and one black ( in fact daughter and mother )

We no longer breed, just enjoy these gentle giants. Possibly the very best temperament dog you ever could wish for.

Ste

subscribed!

My boyfriend and I are actually looking to move house (renting) so we have a backyard, big enough to house a dog. I’ve never had a dog, and he misses having one to play with, so it’s a big step for us.

The breed we’re looking into is called a Japanese Spitz – small-medium sized, adorable, friendly and easy to train. And surprisingly doesn’t shed much fur

We’ve also been watching the TV show Dogs 101 on animal planet. This has really helped us know what to look out for, given tips and ideas, and given us knowledge about dogs in general.

Good luck with your decision! I would recommend getting one – there are lots of breeds out there to pick from

Labradors = love, fun, awkward faces and gestures and huge piles of chocolate ice cream. It’s simply wonderful and incomparable. If a big dog isn’t an option because of the space requirements these breeds have, you can always use the Animal Planet search-tool: http://animal.discovery.com/breedselector/dogselectorindex.do (I know, that’s just bizarre, but I just found it and it seems pretty solid )

Good luck!
Chris

A while ago my husband and I had the pleasure to babysit my brothers French Bull for two weeks. This little monster really kept us busy, but it was kinda nice having a dog around.

The walking was no problem, we had plenty of volunteers, since one of our single friends found out that this little dog is a real girl magnet

Despite the lack of sleep, the damaged shoes and carpets, the pee in every corner of the house, we are seriously considering getting a puppy ourselves