a question for dog owners

shabbatiscoming

Wed, Nov 25 2009, 3:53 am

a neighbor of ours has two dogs. they want to get rid of one (a pretty small one, I dont know what it is exactly but it does not really grow bigger than it is now, maybe 2 feet in all)

we have wanted to get a dog since we got married, but it just did not happen yet.

I have some questions for people who own dogs so that I can get an idea if I really want to take this on or not.

1. the wife told me that a dog is really like another child, meaning that someone has to care for it always. that is obvious, but I would have to walk it every morning, rain or shine. I am not sure that I want that responsibility. (my husband REALY wants the dog. I just want the dog)

2. also the dog may rip my child's toys to shreds. is that something that happens a lot? I am not sure if that is something that I want to happen to her toys. they are only about a year old.

3. if we are not home all day, would I tie her up so that I would not find poo and pee all over the place? thats what she does now but I dont know if thats so nice. is that something that regulary happens when you leave for the day?

4. at night. thats my worst worry. I do not want a dog running around at night and waking me up all of the time. is it ok to tie her up all night long and then walk her in the morning?

BeershevaBubby

Wed, Nov 25 2009, 4:05 am

Not sure how old it is, but you might want to consider crate-training the dog. (Google it).

Behavior can be trained for the most part but yeah, expect some things to be destroyed.

When we had a dog and we left for the day, she was tied up outside on a long lead in the yard and had a dog house.

Walking is a must, every day - rain, shine, sleet or snow.

oodlesofnoodles

Wed, Nov 25 2009, 8:05 am

We have a small dog (a Maltese)- she weighs about 5 pounds and is really small and cute Smile

She gets walked, but I also keep wee wee pads in the house so if she needs to go during the day when we are gone, she can. She only destroyed stuff when she was a puppy, she is now 6 and sleeps basically the whole day.
At night, the dog will sleep either at the foot of your bed, in your bed, on her bed, or by the front door, if the dog is not a puppy, it will not be running around your house- most dogs want to serve you,her master, and will protect you no matter what- my dog sleeps in our bed (yes, I know, but its something I got her trained to do when I got her as a puppy Sad

) but during the day, she sleeps next to the door to "protect" us
Overall, having a dog is a great experience- the unconditional love is amazing!!
It is however like having a child- we need to find someone to watch her every time we want to go away, and she does have to be walked and cared for

Yocheved84

Wed, Nov 25 2009, 8:55 am

It is like having another child, but so worth it. In the beginning, there will be accidents to clean up and other people's toys to be taken away from her. But most dogs sleep alot during the day (I have one snoring on my lap at the moment) and sleep the entire night. As puppies, five walks a day. After a year or 18 months, 3 walks a day is fine. But the dog will be home along *all* day?? You need to have someone walk the dog once during the workday. And get the dog a big crate for whenever you are out. Stock it with blankets, favorite toys, food, etc.
It's good that your prospective doggie is small. Mine is 70 pounds and takes up half the couch :/

Shoko

Wed, Nov 25 2009, 9:15 am

crate training is a MUST for a number of reasons--it's good for the dog and it's good for you. We had a crate in the house ready for our dog when we brought her home, and she's loved it ever since. People who don't understand think it's cruel to keep her locked up, but she is comfortable and feels safe in there. It's cruel to NOT give a dog any boundaries or limitations. See this site for crate-training: http://www.humanesociety.org/a.....html.

A dog may need care like another child, but a dog is not a child--you are their master.

In terms of the chewing, the soiling, etc--all of those things your dog can be trained not to do or will simply grow out of.

Some more things to keep in mind, however:
--dogs can be expensive. When we were in the US, between food, the occasional dog walker or dog sitter, vet bills and toys/treats for when she was a puppy, we spent probably about $150 or $200/month on the dog. Now it's less but it is an expense.
--dogs also need exercise. Those walks are not just to let them go to the bathroom. They need to run around, play, interact with other dogs, and be stimulated in a variety of ways. Not doing those things can lead to aggression and destroying things in your house.

If you can commit to those things ,then I say OF COURSE take the dog!!! My pup is an absolutely fabulous companion, she keeps me safe, and she's just funny. My sister dog sat for a couple weeks and she said that she misses our puppy so much because whenever she would come home after a LOOOOONG day and be in the worst mood, our pup was ALWAYS happy to see her and it just changed her mood entirely. It's totally true.

shabbatiscoming

Wed, Nov 25 2009, 9:28 am

I am the OP. would anyone say NOT to take this little dog if you lived in a small apartment? we do not live in a house and we do not have a yard where she can run around in. it would have to be walks and thats that.

in terms of interacting with other dogs, um, is that for real? I do not think that there is a place here to have have dogs interact with eachother.

the world's best mom

Wed, Nov 25 2009, 10:19 am

I do not have a dog, but this is what I've heard from various dog owners:
-having a dog was harder than having a kid, so they got rid of it
-My husband's friend said he was tired because his dog kept waking him up to retrieve his favorite ball for him when it kept rolling out of the dog's reach.
-I went to someone for Shabbos, and their dog was house trained, but needed to go during the night. He came up to the attic room where I was sleeping, barking hysterically. I closed the door before he could get into the room, and he pooped on the carpet outside the room. It wasn't the best Shabbos of my life.

Yocheved84

Wed, Nov 25 2009, 10:28 am

The dog you describe is PERFECT for an apartment. Also, and I know people may disagree with this, but I don't think that dogs need to make friends with every other dog in the neighborhood. If you're out on a walk and the doggie meets a friend ON LEASH, then great. But a dog is a MAN's (or woman's) best friend--not Fluffy's best friend from down the block. Smile

I think this will be fun!!!

DefyGravity

Wed, Nov 25 2009, 11:02 am

the world's best mom wrote:

I do not have a dog, but this is what I've heard from various dog owners:
-having a dog was harder than having a kid, so they got rid of it

Having a dog is much, much easier than having a kid, however there are different responsibilities involved.

Dogs don't require the same amount of constant attention as a child (at least mine doesn't), but they still do require a decent amount of care. In many ways, dogs need to be dealt with the same way you would with children. You need to make immediate boundaries and be CONSISTENT with them.

You need to walk them AT LEAST once a day. A dog that's bored is going to misbehave.

Every dog is different. We have a yard, so he's let out at 7am so he can use the bathroom. I also work from home, so if he gets antsy during the day, I'll let him out (as I work from home), and sometimes he'll spend hours out there.

Usually, during the day, he's very mellow, but he gets extremely hyper at night (and he's 10 years old).

Once it starts to get dark, he gets excited, so we take him on a walk. It's generally around a mile, and he gets his walk no matter what the weather is.

After his walk, he'll usually spend more time in the backyard.

Generally he'll sleep through the night. The only time he's kept us up is when he has diarrhea. He won't poop in the house, but he'll wake us up throughout the night so he can be let out.

Our dog is medium sized. Smaller dogs are generally more high-strung.

shabbatiscoming

Wed, Nov 25 2009, 1:20 pm

thanks everyone for your help and advice. in the end we talked about it and I decided that because
a. we have a small apartment and
b. I would be the one that would do most of the work towards a dog
we are going to tell this family no for now. I am just not ready to have to deal with another "child" right now. if it actually was a child of ours, to me, it would be different.

thanks again everyone.