Dog Owners: Tell me about owning a dog!

In My Humble Opinion
1

Well, I just moved out by myself into a studio apartment, and am considering getting a dog. I’ve wanted one for sometime, though I was stuck with cats at my previous parents household (don’t worry, I love cats too…I know they’re popular around these parts :wink:

Anyways, I know very little about the specifics of owning a dog, so I need your help! First off, the previous tennent of my apartment evidently had two dogs, but I wanted to verify if a 300 square foot apartment is big enough for a dog?

Secondly, what breed should I get? Ideally, I’d like a quieter type that won’t keep me (or the neighbors) up all night. I’m leaning towards a labrador or golden retreiver at this point, but I’m open to suggestions (just nothing that’ll get me laughed at, so no ‘toy’ types please; impressing the ladies would be a nice side effect).

Finally, like most people, I work most of the day (9-6), and I was wondering if that’ll leave me enough time to take care of a dog. And how exactly would he go about his/her ‘buisness’ while I’m gone? Speaking of which, does the sex of the dog matter much?

Thanks for any help you can provice, and feel free to add anything else you think may be worth knowing!

2

Don’t get a dog.

Your lifestyle and your living space arrangements are not conducive to sharing that life/space with a dog.

3

IMO, a 300 square foot apartment is awfully small for a lab or a golden retreiver, especially if you’re gone 9 hours a day. Those are pretty active breeds, and they need a fair amount of exercise every day. If you don’t take them out and run them, they’ll get that exercise by wrestling with (and destroying) your stuff. It can be done - I lived in a slightly larger apartment with a lab mix a few years ago - but she was getting older then and didn’t need (or want) nearly as much exercise as a younger dog would have.

As far as logistics go, the dog will pretty much do whatever you train it to do. You can train a dog to hold it during the day while you’re at work, but it’ll take some work on your part - especially if you get a puppy. Being away from home makes it a little harder, but not impossible. You’ll have to be patient, and you’ll have to be consistent, but most dogs will learn pretty quickly. Obedience schools are really a good idea, especially if you’ve never had a dog before. You might need a little training, too. :wink:

After having said that… I don’t want to discourage you, but it’s probably not be the best time in your life to get a dog. I understand wanting to have a dog, but it can be pretty hard on both you and the dog in a little apartment. I definitely wouldn’t recommend it.

4

I strongly agree with this. Labs and golden retrievers are very high energy dogs who need lots of attention and exercise. If you are on your own, without a family to play with the dog a lot during the day, it will get bored and probably tear up your place. They really aren’t apartment dogs.

Before you get a dog, make sure you are committed to getting one. It is a fifteen year comitment, keep that in mind.

You might consider adopting an older, socialized and trained dog.

5

With that small of an apartment, you may want to reconsider your stance on toys. Trust me, you’ll get lots of attention from women if you have a small cute dog. :slight_smile:

Here is an article that suggests some low-energy breeds to consider:
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/apart.html

6

Oh, and I agree with the suggestion of considering getting an older dog. My dog (a toy poodle, incidentally) loved to gallop around the house when she was young but in her later years she was content to sleep most of the day on the bed with us, so it wouldn’t have mattered to her if we had been in a small apartment. Another nice thing about getting an older dog is that you’d be giving a dog that has a low chance of being adopted otherwise a second chance in life (it’s much harder for older animals at shelters to find homes than it is for kittens or puppies).

7

What Kambuckta said, dogs need time and effort and your new appartment doesn’t seem big enough for anything other than a Paris Hilton style toy. Sorry

8

Not to pile-on but I’d also agree you’re not really in the space, either where you live or in your lifestyle, to get a large dog at this point in time.

A toy dog might be okay, especially if you get an older one that may have been raised to be alone most of the day (or at least crate trained), but a puppy’s going to be terribly unhappy and bored left alone for 9 hours a day, and there will be destruction if they’re left in a room without being crated. Plus they’ll drive your neighbours nuts with barking and howling.

9

300 square feet isn’t large, but it’s big enough for a dog if you really want one, in my opinion. Just be prepared to have dog on top of you at all times.

9 hours away every day, on the other hand, is pretty much a no-go as far as a dog is concerned. I know some people do it, but in my mind, it’s dog abuse. I could see it if you had a nice big house and/or yard where an older dog could hang out during the day, but 300 square feet + dog + 9 hours alone = dog eating the woodwork in my experience.

Maybe you should think about a cat?

10

An english bulldog is masculine enough without needing tons of space to gallop around in all day long. They are also very averse to galloping, much preferring to snooze on the couch. I have one named Lola and she’s a very cool dog.

Is there anyway you could get someone to come check on a dog during the day? Take em for a walk, say hi?

Also, I dont know anything about the area you’re living in, but I know in Philly, most landlords are anti-dog. If you look at Craigs List there are Tons of people giving away their dogs, simply because theyre moving into a new place that doesn’t accept them. Make sure that having a dog would be a commitment you weren’t willing to break if it simply became inconvenient.

11

I think if you get an adult dog that is not high energy and who “would do best as an only dog” you will be fine. Older dogs can “hold it” for 8 hours and are over their eat-the-furniture stage. Check adoption organizations, let them know that you want a good apartment dog. Lots of big dogs do well in limited space situations; great danes are generally lazy as hell. DO NOT get a lab puppy. Do not get a puppy, period. Check rescue organization web pages for detailed descriptions of dogs you might be interested in and get a lazy, already trained one. This really can work, I know lots of people who work full time jobs and keep dogs, and it isn’t going to be a miserable disaster if you get a dog that suits your needs.

Dogs are great. I think if you take the time to get the right one you’ll be thrilled you did.

Check out the couch potato Sasha: http://www.magdrl.org/sasha.htm.

12

A new puppy is almost as time consuming as having a new baby, if you want to raise it right, that is. A puppy not only has to be trained around the house, but you have to make sure they’re well-socialized with both other dogs and humans. If you don’t have a lot of time, an adult dog would be better.

Actually, the best solution, if the dog will be left alone for long periods of time is to get two small dogs and litter-box train them both. The two will keep each other company during the day and you won’t have to worry about them “holding it” all day if something happens and you’re late getting home from work.

Litter-box training is not any more difficult than training them to go in the yard. It’s the same principle, really. Of course, you’re going to want a small dog/s if you go this route.

13

I think you should go for an older dog. 300 square feet is very small for a medium size dog.
I just adopted a young Labby from a local shelter, she has does amazingly well and has not had an accident. However, when I had my Border Collie Pup he could never hold it for close to 9 hours and after a while, we left him in a fixed up Corral we had at our last house while we were at work. Our new dog has the run of our good size ranch style house and she has only damaged a small stuffed animal so far. I would think that if you got a Labby, you had better plan on long walks before and after work, to help get the dog through the day.
You should consider a small breed, I do not like Toys either, but you might be better off with a calm breed in the 20-pound range.
BTW, Becky is 45 pounds and 18 months old. I am taking her for 8 weeks of Dog Training starting next Wednesday. I strongly recommend this for any new Dog Owners that have no one at home during the day.

Good Luck,
Jim

14

If you are going to get a puppy, I suggest waiting till you have some time off from work, so that you can house-break it, and train it to be alone before you need to be away for that long.

A good way to teach a dog to do fine on its own while you’re at work is to do it gradually (this will be easier in a young dog). Give it a treat, like a bone or a chew toy, and go outside for a few minutes, without saying goodbye to the dog, or giving any sort of warning. Then go back inn, and praise your dog and play with it for while. Ideally, the dog should barely notice that you are leaving, but be really happy when you come back. Gradually stay away for longer, untill the dog can safely be left alone for the hours you need to be gone.

From the list provided by lavenderviolet, note that both the Norwegian Elkhound, and all sheepdogs are essentially working animals. They don’t need to used for their intended purpose (i.e. hunting and sheperding, respectively), but they tend to be happier if they feel usefull. Consider getting some sort of (saddlebag? not sure waht these are called) pouches that the dog can wear, and let it carry your groceries or your mail or something like that once it gets used to wearing them (I know that you can buy such bags for dogs, typically for hunting dogs. I’ve seen both german shepperds and various hunting dogs wear these). Or just teach it to fetch your newspaper, or some other daily task. Working dogs love to work, and just happy as clams to be given a task by you, the beloved leader of their “pack”.

Taking the dog to the park and throwing a ball for it to fetch will give the dog more exercise for less effort on your part, and its fun too. You still need to go walkies, but you wont have to take it to the moon and back every day. Note that the Norwegian Elkhound will not fetch a ball for you, and I’m sure there are other breeds with the same quirk.

Go to the library and get some books on breeds that interrest you, and speak to people at the shelter, or the breeder you are going to buy from. Do not buy from a breeder you don’t like. If you want a mix breed dog, or a mutt, see if the mother is healthy and happy, and if the people rasing the pups seem like OK people. Mutts are hitt-and-miss, but in my experience healthier and better dogs than most breeds (don’t take a random mix puppy if you haven’t seen the mother. If you wouldn’t want the mother, you probably won’t want the pup). A mixed breed where both parents are known is probably just as fine as any of the parents, but don’t take a mix of two problem breeds (i.e. breeds with common, widespread problems, like slipped disks, rage syndrome or hereditary nastiness. Remember that a mix puppy could theoretically inherit all problems from both breeds. Mixed blood does not magically “cure” inherent problems in a breed.)

A dog can usually be trained to do anything you can make it understand. Get a smart breed, like a sheepdog or a poodle, if you want to teach it all sorts of things. Getting angry at a dog for not understanding something is just plain stupid, and yelling at/beating a dog will get you a potentially insane dog and nothing else.

Let the dog interact with other people and animals, this will prevent it from developing nervous reactions later.

Do not let the puppy get away with things you don’t want the adult dog to do.

Take good care of your dog.

And thats all I can think of for now.

15

Are you willing to hire a daily dogwalker? If not, you shouldn’t get a dog. 9 hours is too long to leave a dog alone.

Also, although I’m a big fan of Labs, they do need exercise. Since you don’t have a yard, that means several daily walks, at least one of which will need to be long.

It’s doable, but it takes a serious committment of time and money.

16

Given the small living arrangements, you might consider some alternate pets. Ferrets can be very cute, and can be kept in a largish cage with a litter box, but be warned, they’re all the spiritual descendents of Houdini, with the attention span and hyperactivity of a 4 year old hopped up on no-doze, cocaine, and 3 pounds of pixie stix. They also have a reputation for trying to aquire shiny objects such as CDs and car keys.

They make cute little walking harnesses for them when you feel inclined to take them for a walk, but keep them away from pets like hamsters, mice, rats, etc., because Ferrets eat those.

Otherwise, yeah, look for a small, relatively calm dog, and get some toys for him to play with. Don’t let the dog try to assert himself as the alpha in the household, make sure he knows that you are the leader in the pack (cue motorcycle revving sound effect). Oh, and play with the little guy, they’re social animals, probably even more than people are. This goes for ferrets too, actually.

17

I recently adopted a 7 year old miniature schnauzer. My apartment isn’t that big, maybe 600-700 sqft and he does fine. I walk him for 30 mins before I leave for work, and then 30 mins when I get back. He has to be alone for 9 hours while I’m gone, but he just snoozes on the couch whether I’m home or not, so I think he’s fine with the arrangement.

Please please please do not get a lab or golden in a studio apartment. Those dogs have so much energy, especially when they are young. You don’t have to get a “toy” breed to get a smaller dog, there are many miniature breeds under 25lbs that are great for apartments.

18

I’m no expert, but I have 2 dogs in a 1-bedroom apartment.

I agree 9 hours seems like a long time to leave a dog alone. I never leave mine alone for more than 6 or 7 hours. But if there’s a dog day-care available nearby, or if you can afford a pet sitter (dog walker) to come in every day, it should be workable.

I think a studio apartment is fine. I walk my dogs 4 times a day, a total of about 1 hour. The rest of the time, all they do is lie on the couch.
A dog will impose severe restrictions on your schedule. You can’t sleep in till noon. You can’t spend the night at someone else’s place without planning in advance (e.g. arranging a pet sitter). You can’t go out for a drink after work with your co-workers, at least not without going home to feed/walk the dog first. Every time you go away for the weekend you have to arrange for boarding or pet sitter; with 2 dogs I often end up paying more for their boarding than my own motel.

Then again, you’ll always have someone at home who’s ecstatic to have you back home and keep you company, you get a chance to know your neighborhood, and you get a lot of excercise. It can be worth the trouble.

19

I guess I will give my humble opinion. Everyone is piping in about the dogs wants and needs but have you really thought about the reality of owning a dog? A dog is a pain in the butt. You never know what kind of personality they have until you get them home. A pup needs to be trained and that will take all your waking moments for weeks. If you get an older dog from the pound, you may be getting problems you won’t know about until you get it home.

Days of going out for a beer after work are over. Days of picking up and leaving for the weekend without notice are over. You have to deal with shedding, fleas, vet appointments, accidents on the carpet, it getting into the garbage and picking up its doodie.

I have two dogs. I have become attached to them but if I could go back, I wouldn’t have adopted either of them. It is too much work. Think very hard about the commitment you are making to another living creator before you do it. It isn’t easy and the novelty wears off really fast.

20

Dogs are wonderful.

Dogs are, as the above cites, a real pain in the butt.

Check your rental agreement. Just because the previous tenants had dogs, doesn’t mean your agreement allows pets. Also, having a dog may make it *extremely *difficult to find your next rental.

When and if you do get a dog (hopefully in the future, because I too, think you are not in the living space or time in your life now) please remember that in my office, whenever a man came in with a small dog, he was instantly surrounded by about eight or nine very attractive women from the property management and insurance departments. Small, cute dogs are chick magnets.

Small dogs have smaller poos.

A puppy is an awful lot like a new baby. I was up several times during the night for several weeks to take our Clover outside before she got to the ‘sleeping through the night’ part. They need tons of time, attention and love.

They will pee and poo on the carpet until the housetraining is perfected.

Caring for a dog properly is expensive. Adoption fees, spay/neuter, shots and then updates to the shots. There’s food, accessories like leashes/harnesses, licencing. They need toys of their own. A bed, a crate. GOOD food, not supermarket food. Dental care. (I’m not joking, ours has toothpaste and a toothbrush.) Dog school. Revolution flea treatment from the vet. Pet health insurance.

Caring for a dog properly involves your TIME. Dogs ain’t like cats; they want to be with their people/pack. They need cuddle/pet time, play time, walky time.

When you come home from work, at what? Six-thirty at night! …and you’re tired, are you going to want to play with the dog, take it out for a long walk? What if someone asks you out for a drink after work, or dinner? You can’t go. You have to go home and take the dog out first. Meet a girl? Sorry, no, you can’t go home with her or out for dinner with her. You have to go home and walk the dog, and love on the dog first.

You can’t go. Your first obligation has to be to your dog. Again: you can’t go. You cannot just leave the dog alone in your apartment by itself.

Like to sleep in on the weekend? Uh-uh. You have to get up and walk the dog. Every day. For the rest of the dog’s life.

Overall, nine hours alone in 300 square feet does not sound like a happy life for a dog, I’m sorry. The only reason I finally got a dog was because my husband has his own business and he takes her to work with him every day. (She’s small, and has a space of her own when he’s with clients.) Also we own our own place and have great access to a regional park (my back yard ends where the park starts).

Unhappy dogs are destructive dogs and dogs that are not fun to be around.

Dogs are destructive as puppies. Maybe not all, but be prepared to lose shoes, shirts and more. (Clover discovered buttons, and the delightful fun of chewing them off clothes. I learned not to leave laundry out.) She’s also fond of chewing comforters to get at the fun fluffy stuff inside.

Dogs eat gross things (leave it! is a good command for any dog to master) and roll in gross things.

Don’t get a dog.