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New dog?

eric/

eric/

Guest
Original poster
Sep 19, 2011
1,681
22
Ohio, United States
So I've been considering a pet. I can't have a cat, but I can have a dog.

I've owned/had a dog and cat for the first 18 years of my life (3 boxers), but I'm kind of scared to get a new one because of the amount of time I may have to spend away (or I supposed I can change this in some sense).

Pretty much, right now I have class from 8am-2pm Mon-thur with nothing to do on the weekends or week nights except homework and going to the gym and what not. I really enjoy pets, but the bottom line is that the dog would have to be in a cage from that time every day. I wake up pretty early so I can take it out for morning walks and stuff, and I enjoy playing with dogs and petting them and all that.

I was initially interested in a border collie or an australian shepard, but I've read that those dogs will need a TON of time and effort compared to other dogs due to the fact that they are so intelligent.

So I started looking at alternatives, but I don't want a small toy dog or anything like that. I was thinking perhaps a german shepherd or a boxer again. I have a fenced yard, and I live out in the woods basically, so I can definitely let the dog out and play with it and stuff when I'm home.

I'm pretty energetic myself, and I have experience with animals, but I've never had to lock one up for that amount of time, so I'm a tad bit uneasy with the idea.

Thoughts from current or previous dog owners?

Thanks.

-edit-

also if you don't think I should get a dog based on that, please let me know. I don't want to make a mistake that will hurt the animal. I like animals quite a bit.
 
Why the cage? If you have a fenced yard why not put in a dog door? Then the dog can do what he wants while you're at class. A dog should not be crated all day. Being gone from 8-2 is not all that long to leave a dog around the house, but is too long to leave him crated.

Crate training can be valuable when he is a puppy, but only for limited amounts of time and while following a training program.
 
OutThere said:
Why the cage? If you have a fenced yard why not put in a dog door? Then the dog can do what he wants while you're at class. A dog should not be crated all day. Being gone from 8-2 is not all that long to leave a dog around the house, but is too long to leave him crated.

Crate training can be valuable when he is a puppy, but only for limited amounts of time and while following a training program.
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The issue with leaving it outside is two fold. It can likely get away (digging under the fence) and/or if leashed it can't get away from other animals (coyotes etc...). Also, the landlord doesn't want animals left alone outside. So yeah. I've heard that some people leave the animals caged, but only after its been established that it's a positive thing and routine.

But I agree with you, which is why I'm on the fence.
 
First off, if you can't put in the time to train a new dog and teach it the rules of the house, DON'T get a dog.

Second, PLEASE go to a rescue organization or your local humane society

Third. If you provide it with enough exercise/activity/stimuli, you won't have to "put it in a cage", however you can properly crate train a dog to enjoy that space if you get a crate that is large enough for it to be comfortable, but don't use the crate as a punishment. You want to make it a safe place for it. I have a labrador, and for his crate as a puppy, I put a blanket over the top and back to give it a cave-like feel for him. I also provided him with a KONG filled with peanut butter and yogurt and frozen overnight. So when I left the house when he was a pup, he got the kong when he went into his crate, and was occupied for a bit when I left. Now he gets free reign of the house and hasn't chewed or destroyed a thing since he knows the rules of the house, and he gets marrow bones before I leave for work.
 
Get two small dogs rather than one large one. When you're not there they can keep each other company. Much less stressful for them.
 
I have to crate my dog when I go out. It was not always the case but changes in the household have resulted in behaviors that I'm currently working with her on. I do limit crating as much as possible and if I think I am going to be gone all day I put her in day care or board her overnight at a facility that lets her play form 7 am to 7 pm with other dogs.

Eric/ if you know you'll only be gone from 8-2 weekdays then I would consider either a daycare option or gating an area of your house so that the dog only goes where you want it to go.
 
jessica. said:
I have to crate my dog when I go out. It was not always the case but changes in the household have resulted in behaviors that I'm currently working with her on. I do limit crating as much as possible and if I think I am going to be gone all day I put her in day care or board her overnight at a facility that lets her play form 7 am to 7 pm with other dogs.
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Day care is AWESOME. I used to take my lab to one 2-3 times a week, and he'd sleep from the moment he got home through the next day. It wears them out. But I eventually got a 2nd one to keep him company so now they wrestle with each other and wear each other out.
 
jessica. said:
I have to crate my dog when I go out. It was not always the case but changes in the household have resulted in behaviors that I'm currently working with her on. I do limit crating as much as possible and if I think I am going to be gone all day I put her in day care or board her overnight at a facility that lets her play form 7 am to 7 pm with other dogs.

Eric/ if you know you'll only be gone from 8-2 weekdays then I would consider either a daycare option or gating an area of your house so that the dog only goes where you want it to go.
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I might be able to get somebody to take the dog out. Idk yet. I'll have to plan this out for a while and make sure I have everything covered. In a couple of weeks I'll have a 2 hour break from noon-2pm, but idk if that's a long term solution
 
eric/ said:
Yeah I have 0 interest in small dogs
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It's not just about you. It's about the animal itself too. Just remember they are pack animals. They crave company. When they don't get it they get stressed, and they play up. Which gives you stress and takes all the pleasure out of owning a dog in the first place.

When I say small I also don't mean a King Charles or smaller. Just think carefully, that's all I'm saying.
 
Queso said:
It's not just about you. It's about the animal itself too. Just remember they are pack animals. They crave company. When they don't get it they get stressed, and they play up. Which gives you stress and takes all the pleasure out of owning a dog in the first place.

When I say small I also don't mean a King Charles or smaller. Just think carefully, that's all I'm saying.
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Well it is always about me, since I'm the one deciding to get a dog. We don't decide to get each other. I wouldn't have fun with a small dog at all.

But yeah, I agree with you about them being stressed out and stuff, which is why I'm going to wait awhile to figure out how to get somebody (I live in the middle of nowhere) to walk the dog or something when I'm gone.
 
If you cannot dedicate the time to the animal, it isn't fair to have him locked up in a cage when you're not there.

Pets are great as I'm sure you can attest, but they do require, work, attention and love. If you cannot perform all three things, then its best that you defer your decision to get one until such time that you can.

Not to sound harsh but having a dog, particularly a large dog, locked in a cage for 6 hours is cruel. Plus what about those times you'll want to head out with friends after class - will the dog be stuck in his cage for even longer?
 
maflynn said:
If you cannot dedicate the time to the animal, it isn't fair to have him locked up in a cage when you're not there.

Pets are great as I'm sure you can attest, but they do require, work, attention and love. If you cannot perform all three things, then its best that you defer your decision to get one until such time that you can.

Not to sound harsh but having a dog, particularly a large dog, locked in a cage for 6 hours is cruel. Plus what about those times you'll want to head out with friends after class - will the dog be stuck in his cage for even longer?
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Yeah you're probably right. I don't really hang out with anybody during the week though, and on the weekends people come to my house or if I go out it's only late at night for a few hours. It's not that I'm not wanting to give it time, if that was the case I wouldn't get one. It's just that I have to be gone for 6 hours per day. :(

I'm just unsure as to what is bad for the animal in terms of being caged up. As I said, I've heard from some people that doing so is fine, provided it's a regular schedule and you exercise the dog when you come home. Others attest that you might as well shoot the dog.

I'm just deliberating at this point. Right now leaning toward no.
 
1. Please no cage. I can't imagine doing that to one of my 'kids'. Seriously.

2. All small dogs are not "small dogs". Think Jack Russells, dogs like that. Fun, smart, powerful and under 25 pounds. What's not to love?

3. Pound or rescue please. I had a stint once with the San Antonio Public Health Department. Decent size city, they euthanize 130 animals a day, every day, 362 days a year. Drag that out across the country, and there are a huge number of animals in need of a good home. Please do not give your business to puppy mills or breaders (let the flames begin).
 
noisycats said:
3. Pound or rescue please. I had a stint once with the San Antonio Public Health Department. Decent size city, they euthanize 130 animals a day, every day, 362 days a year. Drag that out across the country, and there are a huge number of animals in need of a good home. Please do not give your business to puppy mills or breaders (let the flames begin).
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Agreed. Me and my boyfriend want to get a dog in the future and while there's several breeds of dogs that we both love we will get a dog from a shelter or the pound no matter what. There's just too many dogs without homes to be purchasing a dog from a breeder, which only increases demand.
 
noisycats said:
1. Please no cage. I can't imagine doing that to one of my 'kids'. Seriously.

2. All small dogs are not "small dogs". Think Jack Russells, dogs like that. Fun, smart, powerful and under 25 pounds. What's not to love?

3. Pound or rescue please. I had a stint once with the San Antonio Public Health Department. Decent size city, they euthanize 130 animals a day, every day, 362 days a year. Drag that out across the country, and there are a huge number of animals in need of a good home. Please do not give your business to puppy mills or breaders (let the flames begin).
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I don't have a problem with breeders, but I definitely will be looking at the pound and what not.

And unfortunately a 25lb dog is too small for me.
 
eric/ said:
I'm just unsure as to what is bad for the animal in terms of being caged up. As I said, I've heard from some people that doing so is fine, provided it's a regular schedule and you exercise the dog when you come home. Others attest that you might as well shoot the dog.
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I live in a four dog house. I've got an older lab and an older beagle (both rescues), and my roommate has border collies that are much younger (3yo and 4yo, both from breeders).

My roommate used crate training on both border collies from day #1 in the house (when they were like 8 weeks old).

Initially, I thought it was pretty horrible to leave a puppy in a "cage" for hours at a time during the day, but after seeing how quickly the dogs turned their "cages" into their own dens (going into them when we were home, but they wanted to lay down, etc), I got over that. On the flip side, anytime we're home, one of us is usually playing with them at any given time. All four of them get a lot of attention.

Now that the border collies aren't puppies any more, one of them still has to be crated anytime we're not home (which is always 8am-5pm weekdays, and whenever we run out other times). She sees when both of us get up and grab or wallets/phones (which means we're heading out) and goes and lays in her crate, on her own. We latch the door on her crate and go. Her crate is not punishment.

We do have neighbors that will run over and let them all outside (into the back yard) and then re-crate her if for whatever reason one of us can't get home in a timely manner.

My next dog will be a border collie. Based on what I've seen of the two girls here over the last 3-4 years, they're simply awesome dogs -- if you're looking for a dog that will give you a lot of interaction. Seriously, it's an autonomic reflex now to toss the ball down the hall when you're on the couch watching TV and feel one of them drop a tennis ball in your hand.
 
anjinha said:
But why are you so against it? What's wrong with a small dog?
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I'm not "so against it". There's nothing wrong with one, I just don't want one. I guess I would consider a bulldog, but that's about it.

If I'm going to get a small dog, I'll just get a cat (which is what I would prefer to have anyway if I could).

----------
aristobrat said:
I live in a four dog house. I've got an older lab and an older beagle (both rescues), and my roommate has border collies that are much younger (3yo and 4yo, both from breeders).

My roommate used crate training on both border collies from day #1 in the house (when they were like 8 weeks old).

Initially, I thought it was pretty horrible to leave a puppy in a "cage" for hours at a time during the day, but after seeing how quickly the dogs turned their "cages" into their own dens (going into them when we were home, but they wanted to lay down, etc), I got over that. On the flip side, anytime we're home, one of us is usually playing with them at any given time. All four of them get a lot of attention.

Now that the border collies aren't puppies any more, one of them still has to be crated anytime we're not home (which is always 8am-5pm weekdays, and whenever we run out other times). She sees when both of us get up and grab or wallets/phones (which means we're heading out) and goes and lays in her crate, on her own. We latch the door on her crate and go. Her crate is not punishment.

We do have neighbors that will run over and let them all outside (into the back yard) and then re-crate her if for whatever reason one of us can't get home in a timely manner.

My next dog will be a border collie. Based on what I've seen of the two girls here over the last 3-4 years, they're simply awesome dogs -- if you're looking for a dog that will give you a lot of interaction. Seriously, it's an autonomic reflex now to toss the ball down the hall when you're on the couch watching TV and feel one of them drop a tennis ball in your hand.
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See this is why I'm on the fence. I've read basically what you say, and that is the dog turns the cage into their "den", hence the reason they don't poop in it or anything.

And in a couple of weeks I'll have a two hour break so I'll only be gone for 4 hours mandatory every day. That'll change again during the Fall, but on tuesday and thursday I'll be home for most of the day.

And I love border collies and australian shepherds because of their intelligence. I would definitely get one that's a puppy and cage train it.

Now your post has me back on the fence completely.

way to go. :p
 
Queso said:
Get two small dogs rather than one large one. When you're not there they can keep each other company. Much less stressful for them.
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Although cats are not under consideration in this thread, I'd recommend the same for kittys. If you think you like PitBulls, use caution. As a breed, they rank high in attacks and attacks resulting in deaths against their owners.
 
Huntn said:
Although cats are not under consideration in this thread, I'd recommend the same for kittys. If you think you like PitBulls, use caution. As a breed, they rank high in attacks and attacks resulting in deaths against their owners.
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I'm considering a bulldog, not a pit.

But yeah, I would love to have the cat, by where I live right now I have to have the animal locked up while I'm away. You really can't keep a cat locked up at all. Plus the whole litter box thing is a no-go where I live.
 
Huntn said:
Although cats are not under consideration in this thread, I'd recommend the same for kittys. If you think you like PitBulls, use caution. As a breed, they rank high in attacks and attacks resulting in deaths against their owners.
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I don't believe he was considering a Pit Bull and anyone who is better know what they are getting into because a family dog they are not. A Border Collie is a good choice, however they do require a lot of training and have an extremely high energy level. A German Shepard is a good choice and they are fairly easy to care for and are very loyal, however they also must be well trained and come from good stock or they can be aggressive towards strangers.

If I was choosing a large dog right now I'd totally look into a Golden Doodle. My neighbors have one and he is wonderful. Easy going, playful, great with kids and pretty low maintenance as far as grooming goes. A watch dog he is not...lol... but a great companion and a conversation piece for sure.
 
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