Considering getting a puppy

[Dave128]

My wife and I have been talking about the possibility of getting a puppy. This would be the first dog either of us have ever had. I'm around dogs all the time since my brother never has less than two running around his house (they have either always had someone home or a short five minute drive away) and I love them. My wife is a little skittish around dogs at first until she gets used to them, but thinks she would be fine if she were able to be around the dog from a puppy on up. We have a couple questions/concerns:

1. We both work 45 minutes away from home and wouldn't be able to get home during the day to take the puppy out for a bathroom break. I'm positive this would result in the little critter having to wallow in its own junk for most of the day and then having to clean the cage/pup every evening when we get home from work. How have others handled this?

2. We both feel that it might be less than ideal for the puppy to be left alone in a crate for the entire day. Should we feel this way?

Any other advice for a first time dog owner would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[czerbe]

Well Dave,

We are on dog #2, and I personally think Crate Training is the best method, although when getting a puppy the do need to go more often then not. My wife would come home on her lunch break and take him out to the bathroom. There have been times when he went in his crate but that doesn't happen much anymore. Eventually they learn to hold it until they can be let out. Once our dogs are trained to hold it (and are over the puppy stage where they chew everything) we let them out of the crate all the time and it gives the dog freedom roam about the house, and play if they would like. If there is a concern with having a puppy, maybe think about adopting a rescue that is already trained to go outside. There is a lot to learn when getting into the puppy world, they bring you so much love and enjoyment, but also do take a lot of time and can be kind of restricting. Also look for a dog that has similar traits as you, if you are not home a lot to play with and give the dog a lot of attention maybe you should get a dog that doesn't need to play all the time and can be more of a lapdog. Do a lot of research and you will be fine. best of luck, anything else I can help you with let me know.

[Ogre]

Originally Posted by czerbe

Well Dave,

We are on dog #2, and I personally think Crate Training is the best method, although when getting a puppy the do need to go more often then not. My wife would come home on her lunch break and take him out to the bathroom. There have been times when he went in his crate but that doesn't happen much anymore. Eventually they learn to hold it until they can be let out. Once our dogs are trained to hold it (and are over the puppy stage where they chew everything) we let them out of the crate all the time and it gives the dog freedom roam about the house, and play if they would like. If there is a concern with having a puppy, maybe think about adopting a rescue that is already trained to go outside. There is a lot to learn when getting into the puppy world, they bring you so much love and enjoyment, but also do take a lot of time and can be kind of restricting. Also look for a dog that has similar traits as you, if you are not home a lot to play with and give the dog a lot of attention maybe you should get a dog that doesn't need to play all the time and can be more of a lapdog. Do a lot of research and you will be fine. best of luck, anything else I can help you with let me know.

Well said

[markem]

I agree with adopting an older dog from a reputable rescue group. I also agree with the crate training. If you don't want to crate, then at least get some child gates and create a small area (or bigger crate) for them when you are gone. Some dogs will get very stressed out repeatedly searching the house for where you are at.

We've been doing retired racing greyhounds for years and certainly recommend them. But for a first dog, adult rescue may be the best option.

[czerbe]

Originally Posted by Ogre

Well said

Awe shucks Larry!

I strongly disagree with crating any dog. Some dogs have terrible separation anxiety and crating will only intensify their anxiety. We ended up getting a second dog and the anxiety our first one had was gone right then. I have known several people who crate their dogs all day and when the dogs are let out of the crate, they go absolutely nuts to let out all that pent up energy. Think about it...would you like to be shut up in a closed space like a bathroom all day? I've owned dogs all my life and currently own two adult Mini Doxies, which were rescues. Adult dogs are a great way to go, as they are able to hold themselves longer. Rescues seem to know when they have a good situation and make superb pets.
Do a LOT of research on the type of dog you want. Some breeds, such as Dachshunds, are notoriously difficult to housetrain. If you do it right, any dog can successfully be very well housetrained. I recommend getting a book called How to housetrain your dog in seven days. It is the only one I found that covered a working household where the occupants are at work all day. We followed the book's instructions to the letter and both of our adult dogs, which had never been inside before, were 95% housetrained within a week!
Also, consider the activity level of the dog you are looking at.
BTW - look at Cardigan Corgies - that will be my next dog!
Good luck
RR

[E.J.]

Originally Posted by Dave128

1. We both work 45 minutes away from home and wouldn't be able to get home during the day to take the puppy out for a bathroom break. I'm positive this would result in the little critter having to wallow in its own junk for most of the day and then having to clean the cage/pup every evening when we get home from work. How have others handled this?

We did not have your constrictions. My wife only works 3 days a week, every other week, that is on the weekend. So she was home a lot, if she wasn't, I work about 15 minutes from work, door to door, so I would go home every couple hours to let the dog out of the crate during house training, extending that time as he aged.

Originally Posted by Dave128

2. We both feel that it might be less than ideal for the puppy to be left alone in a crate for the entire day. Should we feel this way?

Yes, I think that is less than ideal and would not recommend it. Do you have the option of a doggie daycare?


Puppies are A LOT of work. They are a pain in the ass, truth told. For all the great things about them, mostly just being damn cute, there is the constant training. I have always said that it is the 2nd worst part of dog ownership. The fact that we generally outlive our furry family members and that is the worst.

I’ve had dogs my entire life for the most part. My parents always had a dog and I’ve had 5 of my own as an adult. Crate trained my last 2 puppies. Have had 2 rescues, one VERY BAD experience and one great. Personally I’m a bigger fan of getting a puppy.

Best of luck, whatever you decide, even if that includes not getting a dog. They are the best & A LOT of work!

[Flynnster]

A lifetime dog owner I would totally suggest starting out with a non-puppy. They are so much work it's crazy. Plus you save quite a bit of money going for an adult dog.

One thing I would think about most is activity level. Some breeds/mixes need a ton of exercise, others don't. Particularly larger breeds can get away with only a nice long walk a day and lounge around the rest of it.

[Dave128]

So far, this is all great advice and will give us a ton to think about. Thank you.

Keep it coming.....

[nutcracker]

Adult golden retriever from a rescue.
The best natured, most polite, phenomenal buddies you will have.
(You need to walk/ run them a lot)

I'm in a condo now, so miss my old guy who died a few years back/

[shilala]

I have to disagree with Rob on the crate training.
Bubs is a Weimeraner. Breed-wide, their separation anxiety is off the charts.
To leave a Weim out while you're gone is to give up on owning anything nice, because they will destroy EVERYTHING.
It's also extremely dangerous for the dog, as you can imagine.

Bub's crate is his happy place. Always has been. He goes there if he's stressed, tired, just wants to chill, whatever. Weeze sends him there for time outs when he does stupid sh1t like stealing the butter.
To dogs a crate is their den. It's completely natural. We've always kept a big carpet pad over his crate just to add to the den vibe.

Pups will have accidents in their crate if it's too big. You have to start with a tight size and work your way up, otherwise they'll have accidents from the start.
Bubs has very short hair, so we always keep a big, thick blanket in there. He could tell if he had an accident even with the blanket in there.
You want them to know, but you don't want them to sit in a puddle, obviously.
If the crate is too big, they'll just get used to peeing in one end of the crate and make habit of it.
Just read up on it a little, Dave. It's simple.

The biggest consideration is "what kind of dog do I get?
That's best answered by asking yourself, honestly, what kind of energy level you are.
Weeze and I are mental. We're outdoors people. She runs, walks, all that. I go for a couple walks a day when it's not miserable out. I love to go out and play with Bubs for hours, play with him in the house, train and teach him tricks.
Same with Weeze. Plus we're home all day. So we can handle a mental dog, and we enjoy him. More importantly, we can give him what he needs.

That said, I'm a lab person. They're lazy but brilliant. They'll do whatever you want to do when you want to do it, but they're totally chill.

Mind ya, any pup is nuts for the first 18-24 months. If you want to get away from that phase, find a rescue place. You can find well-bred animals who aren't messed up in the head. You'll pay maybe 500 bucks for a dog, but it'll be a good, handled, tested dog.
Or you can go to the local rescue and roll the dice for 30 bucks.
I don't think that's an option for you guys. The local rescue usually has dogs that need work. Some are good to go, but may have a tick that shows up later. One that needs worked out. It takes time.
You'd be better off getting a pup from a breeder or a juvenile from a breed-specific place, being it's your first dog and your wife is skittish. You don't need a bad experience.

Last thing, you have to remember dogs are not people. They don't think like people. They live in the moment, they let go, and they don't "feel bad" about stuff.
Think of it like buying an alien. Aliens need different things than we do. Maybe they need to grow a tree out of their ass. You need to provide a tree and somewhere for them to grow it.
Dogs need a purpose. They love to work, it's their nature. They need a job. You have to give it to them.
Point is, you have to let them be a dog and cater to what fulfills them, not what fulfills you guys. You have to read up and see what those things are. But you also have to teach them what they need to do if they're going to live with you. They can't be left to their own vices or you'll have problems.

I've been training these critters since I was a kid, brother. I love em.
If you need any help at all, please ask. I'll get my number to you, just send me a pm.
I'm SUPER excited for you guys!!!

[shilala]

Originally Posted by nutcracker

Adult golden retriever from a rescue.
The best natured, most polite, phenomenal buddies you will have.
(You need to walk/ run them a lot)

I'm in a condo now, so miss my old guy who died a few years back/

Wonderful dogs, brother.
We used to train them up/foster them for our area rescue.
They were fabulous working dogs.

[Stevez]

Great advice from everyone here. I am a lifelong dog owner. I have 3 now and one is a new puppy. Weimaraner Scott! We've had that breed before and they have a great personality in my opinion, but can be needy and many get separation anxiety bad. I've never crated a dog, so I can't speak to that. We do have multiple gates and create small areas to lock the dog in while gone. Having a puppy is tough as they are a lot of work, but it is much less so when they have other 4 legged companions. In a few short weeks, mine are now best friends and don't like to be apart. My wife works out of the home, so we are lucky there. I have heard many people whom I respect say that crating is good for them as it calms them down and they very quickly love that space. I can't imagine not having dogs; I know you give up some things, like total freedom, cleanliness!, etc. but I will never be without them. Good luck!

[jjirons69]

+1 for the crate. Best thing for our family. We do have 1/3 ac fenced-in backyard. We have a beagle. He spends his days outside with a doghouse on our back porch. He spends his nights in the house on his dog bed. However there are times he needs to be crated, just like today. It was in the teens this morning. Before we left for work, we let him out to potty and then right to the crate. He has a crate in the kitchen and will walk right in it and lay in his crate bed.

We started him out with the crate at nights when we got him. He would cry initially but eventually got used to it to the point that was his sanctuary. We gave him treats every time he went in. He's 8 now and if you shake the treat bag, he'll run through the house and get in the crate. We still use the crate when traveling, too. It goes in the back of our Enclave and he readily jumps right in. He slept in the crate at night for the first few years but he got old enough that he would sleep all night in his dog bed in the living room and wouldn't disturb anyone. Nowadays, we just use it for traveling and the odd extremely cold or hot day here or there. He loves having it at my parents or my in-laws.

Best of luck!

[Flynnster]

Another thing I'll throw out, pure bred dogs are great, but only if they come from a good breeder. Otherwise, you can end up with a dog who has a ton of health problems. Head down to your local kill shelter and pick up a good mutt.

[c2000]

[quote=Flynnster;2019199]A lifetime dog owner I would totally suggest starting out with a non-puppy. They are so much work it's crazy. Plus you save quite a bit of money going for an adult dog.

I raised bulldogs for the past 40 years.. We do use multiple crates, one in living room ,,one in office and one in bedroom until the pup gets trained then they are free to roam. A puppy won't even make it til noon without peeing in the crate..You can buy slotted rubber crate mats so the urine will run under the mat and the pup won't be laying in it. Getting a puppy with your schedule is going to be tough..People always think its going to be great to get a pup and then when finding out how tough it can be regret it.. Just my .02..

Jerry in Minnesota.

[MedicCook]

I had a rescued racing greyhound once. She could not be crated with her severe anxiety. She could not be left alone either. She had to be taken with us everywhere we went. Just get a cat.

[shilala]

You could get some gerbils, Sexy Dave. Meow.

[Dave128]

I'm allergic to cats and I still can't find the gerbil I had when I was single. Pulled out the toilet paper tube and he was gone. I do however, still feel a nice tickle every now and again.

[Dave128]

I appreciate all of the advice. I think our main concern is still not being able to get home a couple times a day. We need to do some more research and thinking. There's gotta be a safe, loving way to do this.