Doggy style (as in, I need advice on getting a dog)

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I’m planning to get a dog, and could use some advice from dog-savvy Dopers on where to get one, what kind to get, etc. I definitely want a larger dog. I had a Great Dane growing up, but that might be a bit too large for Mrs. Giraffe. (Also, I don’t think I could handle the short lifespan.) I’m currently thinking about a getting Golden Retriever, as they seem to have such good personalities, but I’m open to other breeds as well.

My situation:

  1. I would like to eventually end up with two dogs. However, I’ve read that it’s much better to get them one at a time, so they’re easier to train and bond with, so we’re starting with one.

  2. I would really like to start with a young puppy. In that past, we’ve always gotten our pets (cats) from the Humane Society, which means we usually get older animals. However, considering how long I’ve been waiting for a dog, I think this time I’d like to be a bit more selfish and start with a cute, new little puppy that I can train and bond with from the start.

  3. Mrs. Giraffe and I both work during the day, so the dog will be left alone during work hours. We have a good-sized yard (for this area), and live near several schools with large fenced fields we can take it to run in after work and on weekends, so exercise isn’t a problem. We also live near a dog park for socialization with other dogs.

Questions:

  1. Where is the best place to get a puppy? As I mentioned, I’m well acquainted with the Humane Society, although we’ve only ever adopted cats before. Are they likely to have puppies? What about breeders? How does one find a good one? Are there breeders who focus on breeding healthy crossbreeds as opposed to purebreds?

  2. Any suggestions on breeds? I don’t care if it’s a purebred (in fact, I’d prefer if it wasn’t), but I would like it to be large, with a good disposition and fairly easy to train. I know I definitely don’t want a Lab (too chewy) or Border Collie (too high energy), but otherwise I’m open to suggestions.

  3. What’s the best way to deal with leaving it alone when we go to work? We’ll likely leave it outside during the day, and let it inside when we’re home and at night. With a new puppy, should we start with it outside the first day we go to work, or leave it inside for the first few weeks?

I welcome any suggestions, opinions, irrelevant anecdotes or advice.

2

Obviously, this is only my opinion, and it’s based on my own experience.

We have an American Mastiff. They’re large dogs, and just about exactly like “standard” Mastiffs, except American Mastiffs don’t drool. If you’ve seen Turner and Hooch, you understand why this is a big deal. Not as tall as Danes, not as broad as Newfoundlands. Big muscular tails, though, which has caused more than one coffee cup to be swept off the coffee table.

I can of course only speak for my own dog - Gracie’s a big, gentle beastie who does not require a huge amount of attention or exercise. She’s pretty low maintenence. The breed is not recognized by the AKC, but it is recognized by the Continental Kennel Club - whatever that means. We’re not into showing our dogs, but that sort of thing is important to some people. Basically, the breed is a cross between an English Mastiff and an …ummm… Anatolian Shepherd, that’s it. As far as I know, there’s really only one breeder: http://www.flyingwfarms.com/amastiff_index.html

I ALWAYS advise crate training dogs, and there’s loads of info on the 'net about that.

3

go here www.petfinder.com

you should be able to find links to all sorts of dogs (and puppies) that fit your criteria, at different shelters in your area. It will of course be easier to find an older dog than a puppy, so you may want to expand a little and consider taking a dog that is not a puppy. There are many shelter dogs that are only a year or two old. The benefits of this is that you don’t have to train them as much, and they have all their shots and are usually spayed or neutered when you get them.

I don’t know of any breeders that purposely breed mixed-breed dogs, but check your local classified - many people whos pets have surprise litters give puppies away or charge very little for them. (“surprise litters” as in…“oops, we forgot that dogs can get pregnant, so we didnt’ get our little girl spayed AND let her wander wherever she wanted - who knew!”).

With spring coming up, you should be able to find puppies a little easier than at other times of the year. I would also recommend checking out puppy angels (sorry, dont’ have a link, but i think that you can find them through the petfinder link).

Good luck to you! I miss having dogs around all the time - I live in a small apartment, so dogs aren’t an option right now. I make do with my gerbils :slight_smile:

4

I hope you’ll forgive the moralizing, but…

  1. If you both work, don’t get a young puppy. A puppy absolutely must not be left alone all day to pine. At a minimum, get a six-month-old who has already demonstrated an ability to happily spend time on his own.

  2. Get a rescued pup. There is, in my mind, no excuse for breeding dogs at all these days, with all of the perfectly lovely animals who need homes.

As far as the questions go, You can get dogs from the humane society, or form the many pet rescue organizations. Some of these organizations specialize in one breed, and will have mixes of that breed as well (for example, a Pit Bull rescue might have Lab/Pit mixes, which are nice). As a matter of fact, just about any Lab mix is a very nice dog.

When we brought our dog home, we took some vacation and let him get used to us and our house. We let him roam the house, and we put in a dog door, and we temporarily barricaded him in the kitchen when he chewed on some books. He got over the chewing quickly, and is very good about being alone (some early separation anxiety, which he’ll never entirely get over). He’s a little jealous of the new baby, but as the baby grows up and requires less of our energy, the dog gets more attention again.

5

I second petfinder.com. We just got our second dog through them. They should have a few younger dogs (the one we got was 2y.o. but we weren’t looking for puppies).

However, whatever kind of dog you get, you do need to research them the best you can. (Harder with mixed breeds but not impossible.) If it is going to be alone most of the day, then you need to find one that is not prone to separation anxiety. You need something that is more independent. You might start researching various breeds (yes, goldens are good) and decide before you start looking at petfinder.com. This will help narrow your search.

Is your area safe for dogs left outside? When I was younger this was fine; here in Chicago you’d have your dog kidnapped for fights in a heartbeat, so please check this out. Ask folks at the dog park. If not, you might need someone to come in and walk him/her during the day. (Let’s hope you live in a better place than what happens here.)

6

First, I suggest you browse the breed book section of a local pet store and read the characteristics of the breeds you might be interested in to find a good mesh for your lifestyle. www.petfinder.org is an excellent source for adopting a breed or breed cross and they have dogs of all ages looking for homes. If you opt for a purebred, look up the regional AKC organization in your area for a list of breeders but be prepared to be scrutinized very closely and most probably sign a contract if the breeder is reputable. NEVER buy from a pet store. Most of their puppies come from puppy mills. IMO a young puppy, or even a mature dog for that matter, shouldn’t be left in a yard all day while you work. In this day and age, it can be very dangerous. Dogs can escape even fenced in yards and be hit by a car or get lost. Puppies and young dogs will also eat almost anything (rocks included) which can cause serious health emergencies. There are even whackos out there known to steal and poison dogs left in yards. A much better alternative would be to crate train your new pet. It’s not at all cruel and a much safer alternative. It also helps with house training as puppies don’t normally soil the area in which they sleep. A crate should be just big enough for the dog to stand up and turn around in. They think of it as their den. A rule of thumb for when puppies need to potty is every three hours for each month of age. I recommend taking vacation time around when you bring the dog home so you can all adjust and get a routine started. Good luck.

7

I forgot this in my original post - there are rescue leagues for almost any breed of dog you can imagine. A while back, I’d been looking for dachsunds, and I found literally hundreds of dogs in my area who were dachsunds and dachsund mixes (I gave up on the idea of a dog b/c I’m not home enough to let them out as often as they need).

do a google search on <dog breed> rescue league, and you should find plenty of both purebred and mixed dogs of whatever breed you want.

8

Go ahead and call your local humane society and ask them if they have any puppies. I was wanting another dog and wanted to take someone in from “the pound” but I also really wanted a puppy.

My new little goof-ball puppy is sitting here right now begging for food. It’s really a joy to know that this worked out for everyone involved. The humane society placed a dog. I have a dog I dearly love. The dog is totally spoiled and happy too.

I do worry about leaving a puppy outside while you are at work. I really think an indoor crate or confined room would be better.

Good luck tongue man!

[Bob Barker]And pease remember to spay or neuter you pets![/Bob Barker]

9

I’m going to throw in another vote for a breed rescue group, if your heart gets set on a particular breed (can’t blame you for your attraction to goldens, they are wonderful) – though your chances of getting a puppy from them would probably be lower than from the humane society. There used to be a golden rescue in this area that would give a discount on mixed-breed dogs, and I bet that’s a common policy if you want to look for a mix.

Puppies are wonderful (if too much work for me) but you can bond just as tight with an older dog, if that’s a concern for you. It didn’t take long for me to fall for these dogs (and I wasn’t even living here when they first arrived!) and it took even less time for Isaac (a yellow lab, great dog) to fall for me. I don’t know what he sees in me but it was LOVE at first sight on his part.

Silly dogs. :slight_smile:

10

I’m sort of in a reverse situation from the OP, my apartment doesn’t allow pets (well, anything that can’t be contained in a fish tank), but my job does, heck, most of the people there have dogs they bring to work, in the warehouse, where i work in the service department, we have anywhere from 1 to 4 dogs running around…

Libby, a yellow lab
Parker, another yellow lab
Zoe, a black lab
Toblerone, a chocolate lab
Spy, a Siberian Husky

up in the retail department, we have the “small dogs”;
Fan Tail Shrimp, a pomeranian
Lyekka, an American Eskimo dog
Zoe and Spy also spend time upstairs, but Fantail and Lyekka don’t like them as much (it’s that little dog insecurity :wink: ) so whenever they throw a tantrum, Zoe and Spy come down to the warehouse where they’re more than welcome

one of our employee benefits is health insurance for up to 2 dogs…

i don’t understand the problem with keeping a dog in the apartment, since the dog would be coming to work with me, the dog would only be in the apartment when i’m in it, basically the only time we’d be in is when i’m sleeping, the dog would rarely be unattended in the apartment

but the landlord doesn’t want to hear the logic in my argument, basically “if i let you have a dog in the apartment, i’d have to let all my tenants have pets”, i’ve even tried offering to pay a pet damage deposit, no go…

i’ll keep trying to wear him down, if i haven’t gotten permission near the end of the lease, i’ll start looking for apartments that do allow pets and try the “let me have a dog or i’m moving out” angle

11

Thanks for all the replies so far! Very interesting, especially the unanimous votes for leaving the dog in its crate during the day, rather than out in the yard. Although I’m well aware of crate training, I had assumed that was just for night time, and the dog would be happier if it could run around during the day (with a dog house to curl up in, of course).

Also, please note that nothing in the OP is written in stone (except for the both working part), so we’re certainly willing to reconsider some of our assumptions/preferences. Advice and wisdom from experienced Dopers will definitely help.

12

Hie thee to the nearest bookmart and start buying some breed books. Read as many as you can. If you’re still curious about your choices, get one or two “Encyclopedia of Dogs” tomes and peruse them carefully. Most of them are pretty good at stating sizes, exercise requirements and health hazards.

Join a mailing list that discusses the breeds you are interested in. It’s one thing to read about how great Siberian Reticulated Moosechasers* are, it’s another to hear it from people who have been breeding/raising/rescuing them for years. Ask lots of questions.

Go to dogshows in your area and start checking out the breeds in person. Infodog has listings state by state.

If you choose to go through a breeder, take your time. There will most likely be a breed club dedicated to the breed you decide on. Check it out. They may have a breeder referral. A responsible breeder will grill you mercilessly. If they just want to money, run very quickly in the opposite direction. A lot of breeds have been overbred and are riddled with health problems and behavioural issues. Keep that in mind. Find a breeder that tests for the health hazards and will tell you the history of the dogs in the pedigree.

A good breeder will be there for you, always. Keep this in mind. They will also take the dog back if for some reason you cannot keep it anymore. Reputable breeders work closely with the breed rescues.

There are rescues for pretty much all breeds as well. The breed clubs can help you here as well. Usually they get older dogs but sometimes puppies. This is a great way to get an older dog that’s already gone through the puppy stages. A good rescue will evaluate the dogs as well as do training while they’re in their care.

Humane societies often have puppies. If you choose to go this route, find some books & do research on puppy evaluation. This will help you choose the pup that’s right for you.

That all said, you say you work all day. Having a puppy and leaving it alone all day isn’t the best plan. Do you have any friends who can drop by and let him out? Is there anyone who can “puppy-sit” until he’s housetrained? Is there any way to bring him to one of your workplaces?

Beware of people breeding fad/rare crossbreeds. There’s a good chance that you’d be paying a LOT of money for a mutt. I don’t believe that mutts have a magic gene that make them healthier than a purebred.

Personally I’d never leave a dog outside all day. Those are the ones that are usually barking at every little thing and will cause the neighbours to hate you. Also, people have access to your dog and can cause mischief (teasing, opening gates, poisoning).

Also, a lot of breeds are blacklisted by insurance companies and city bylaws. The city of Auburn just tried to pass a law that would declare all dogs over 30lbs to be potentially dangerous!

Have you considered a cat-proofed greyhound? They’re sweet and cuddly, will sleep most of the day while you’re working, most come already crate trained and don’t require hefty amounts of exercise.

Personally, I’m currently researching (and have been for years) Dobies, Pharoahs, Ibizans and Large Munsterlanders. The mailing lists are by far the best sources of information.

Best of luck! If you have any breed-specific questions feel free to mail me offlist. I used to adopt out dogs and cats for the SPCA and have tons of books on breeds.
*[sub]yes, I made that up[/sub]

13

Thanks for the detailed post, Gulo gulo! I’m going to bump this thread one more time, to fish for more advice or breed recommendations, and then I’ll get back to researching breeds and breeders.

14

I will always recommend going for rescue dogs. They are so grateful and loyal - I work as a volunteer when I can and there are so many that are put down. My husband and I rescued a gorgeous pit bull a few years back and it was the greatest thing I’ve ever done. However, rather than go off on “pit bulls aren’t all bad” tangent, I will tell you not to get one if you want multiple dogs and if they will be left alone. They crave people-attention and cuddling and don’t do well alone.

15

Giraffe, I don’t have any advice on dogs, but since you’re in the South Bay I thought you might like to check out the dogs at Furry Friends Rescue. It’s based in Fremont. They don’t have a shelter; the animals live in foster homes. We got one of our cats from them; the people we met were very helpful. I often look at their website (I don’t know why, since we have four cats already and don’t need any more!), and there are always lots of big dogs, many different breeds, and often puppies too.

16

jeevwoman and I are the guardians of two wonderful, if occasionally bratty rescue dogs, but I can see why a landlord might not want to allow dogs. If it’s an apartment building of more than, say, three units, there could be noise issues, etc. that the landlord would have to deal with. We live in a low-rise condo building with three units. Ours is the first floor and basement, there is an apartment directly above us, and then the third one two floors up. The woman on the top floor complained about dog2’s whining and barking, saying that she started at 7:45 AM and hadn’t stopped when she left at 9:00 AM. Coincidentally, this is when we’re not at home and therefore have the least ability to control our dog’s barking.

17

I too heartily endorse the rescue dog option. If you’re interested in Goldens, Here’s a website for Golden Rescues:
http://www.golden-rescue.org/

Here’s one with a bunch of listings of different rescue organizations in California:
http://www.adoptarescuepet.org/calif.htm

Another one:
http://www.smileydogrescue.org/blueweb/rescue_links/rescue_links.htm

A page that calls itself “The California Dog Club Page” where you can find a lot of information about the rescues listed:
http://bird-dog-news.com/State/CA/Clubs.html

If you’re both gone all day, I’d also recommend not getting a Siberian Husky or an Alaskan Malamute. They’re not only energetic, but they’re highly intelligent and will very likely learn how to log on to your computer and say all kinds of horrible things about you on the SDMB while you’re gone. :smiley:
I’ve been owned by a Siberian in the past and I agree with the Westminster Dog Show commentator who said “It’s a highly intelligent breed that requires an equally intelligent owner.”
Dunno if I fit that description, mind you, but I do agree they need a strong and intelligent Alpha or they’ll be running the house before you know it.

If you go through a rescue organization, try to go with one that interviews the prospective owners AND “checks out” the dogs ahead of time to see what their personalities are like. I’ve gotten a dog from a group that did NOT do that - they got the dog and shipped 'em out the same day - and that could’ve had some really disastrous results if the one we got hadn’t been good with other dogs.

If you want to check out various breeds, you may want to look into the Dummies series of books at your local library and check out the <Breed> For Dummies that you’re thinking about. I know their Greyhounds for Dummies was quite informative, and that’s even AFTER I’ve already been owned by a Grey.

18

When our Sasha was a pup, we left her in a crate during the day while we were at work. However, Dear Robert worked nearby, and was able to run home on his lunch hour and let her out and tend to her till she got old enough to be by herself all day. So that worked out for us.

Good luck in your search! I want a puppy too, but the time isn’t right for us yet.

19

Update: we have a dog!!

His name is Mojo, and he’s an incredibly sweet nine month old German Shepard mix who we adopted from the Humane Society. They think he might also be part Mastiff, based on the shape of his head. He’s very calm and well behaved, and seems very receptive to training. We’ve established ourselves as alpha dogs, and he has quickly learned the rules of the house (no dogs on the couch, trying to eat our food off the table, or lunging and barking at the cats). He’s apparently already housebroken, as we only had an incident the first night and never since. He’s quickly learned how to walk on his Gentle Leader leash, and we take walks every day. We’ve been leaving him in the kitchen (where his crate is – no room in the bedroom, unfortunately) during the day and putting him in his crate at night, and he seems pretty happy. We’re still deciding whether to transition him to in the yard during the day where he can run around and go to the bathroom at will.

He’s utterly adorable, and we love playing fetch or watching him play with his toys. We’ve only had him a week, and we’re both totally in love with him. We actually went to the Humane Society to see a Golden Retriever-Lab mix they had on their website who turned out to be way too wild and out of control for us. Just as we were leaving, we saw Mojo and he just seemed so friendly and calm that we convinced them to take him out for us, even though it was closing time. He’d only arrived a few days earlier. It was clearly meant to be.

Our only hitch is getting him and the cats to get along. Currently, we have our spare room and our bedroom baby-gated off from the rest of the house, with all the cat food, litter, etc. The cats don’t leave this area except to peer out at him through the gate. When he sees them, he will often lunge over at them, barking, although we’ve been discouraging it with a growly “no” whenever he starts to do it, and he has been doing it less lately. The cats are completely freaked out by now, though. And unfortunately, they’re both declawed in the front, so they won’t be able to scratch him if he gets too close. So we’re going to take it really slow and hope they all get used to each other gradually. Any tips on making the dog leave the cats alone would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for all the advice and comments by people in this thread – it really helped us make our decision, and we couldn’t be happier.

20

Congratulations!

Now where are the pictures??? :slight_smile:

Wishing you many happy and healthy years together. Also, be aware that many dogs really love those cruncy kitty goodies left in the littler boxes. Gross, but true.