Puppy advice

[bacarver]

Puppies are cute but they are needy and messy and require attention. Fairness calls for the time and ability to nurture them until they mature and calm down. A puppy that doesn't have an available caregiver can develop behavior problems that are difficult to deal with.

Talk to people who have been through puppy raising. Know what you're getting into.

It is easy to dream of the ideal situation and outcome, but reality has its own agenda.

Thank goodness, however, for animal lovers such as yourself!

Good luck!!

Barb

[mimitabby]

Puppies are cute but they are needy and messy and require attention. Fairness calls for the time and ability to nurture them until they mature and calm down. A puppy that doesn't have an available caregiver can develop behavior problems that are difficult to deal with.

Talk to people who have been through puppy raising. Know what you're getting into.

It is easy to dream of the ideal situation and outcome, but reality has its own agenda.

Thank goodness, however, for animal lovers such as yourself!

Good luck!!

Barb

Yeah, it's a lot like having a baby. If one partner is not really interested, that could be a problem.

[froglegs]

I recommend getting an older dog. If the rescue groups don't have a lot of bull mastiffs, take your time and look other places (shelters, online, etc) until you find one.

I have a boxer that I got off craigslist for $50 when he was 14 months old, from someone who was moving and couldn't take him. He was completely housebroken, good with cats, didn't chew, knew basic commands, and slept all night. I've had him for a year now and he's been a great dog. I am SO glad I didn't get a puppy - my husband and I both work all day and wouldn't have had the time or willingness to properly train and socialize one. An adult dog, we can handle.

[Wahine]

In the past, when I have brought a dog home, DH, (inspite of all his objections prior to), has always ended up being a joint caregiver. I just don't want to have to rely on him. His position right now is "you can have a dog if you do all the work". He is a dog lover, but he's afraid of not being able to go cycling or windsurfing at the drop of a hat.

I love cats too but DH is allergic. I also prefer dogs for the interaction you have in training them etc. I had my last dog trained to do all sorts of tricks, advanced obedience etc. So I'm not afraid to put in the time. In fact, I have a lot of experience training horses and dogs, so I know what's involved there.

It's more the whole puppy issue. The puppy would have an available caregiver through the day if I brought it to work and realistically, probably after a week or so (once the puppy eyes kicked in) DH would likely take over at home, at least part time. He's not working at present but is looking for a parttime job close to home. This is his other concern, how would having a dog affect his ability to look for work. Hence the reason why I would have to have a back-up plan in place.

The other reason for wanting a puppy is to start it's training from scratch. I mentioned that all my other dogs have been adoptees, they trained reasonable well, but it would have been so much easier if I could've started with them before they developed those bad habits. I may also consider training the dog for therapy dog work in the future.

I really appreciate all your input. It's making me think things through which is soooooooo important before you make a decision like this. So please keep it coming!!

[michelem]

Hi Wahine,

We brought our two puppy beagles home over five years ago and they STILL require lots of love and attention! When they were puppies, they needed a lot more . . . remember, they only have puppy-sized bladders, so they need to be taken out about every two hours (max - ideally less than two hours). Keeping them crated any longer than that is bad news. Potty training is very time/labor intensive in the beginning. Now that ours are grown, they are able to stay in their crate for up to 8 hours.

For us, we order our lives around our dogs, not vice-versa. My husband is home with them until about 10am and then puts them in their crate. I go straight home from work and let them out at about 5pm. I don't go anywhere in the evenings until he gets home (anytime between 7pm and 10pm). It is not fair to the dogs to stick them right back in their crate after they've been in there all day just so I can go out and do something. Even if they weren't crated, it's not fair for them to be left alone that much - they are pack animals and their "pack" includes their humans. They are most content when we are all together at the same time.

Summertime is easier because my husband doesn't work in the summer. This way, they dogs are with him all day and I can put them in the crate when I get home from work and go for a bike ride or a jog or whatever. During the winter, I am limited to weekends for those activities. Forget taking the dogs with me on jogs - they are beagles and have to sniff EVERYTHING along the way. My husband takes them for a walk in the morning and I take them for one in the evening.

Hope something works out for you! I tend to think that with your lifestyle you may do better with a grown/trained dog rather than a puppy.


By the way, does your place of employment have OSHA regulations regarding having an animal in the breakroom? This may be something to look into, especially if people eat in there.

[Wahine]

Thanks greatly. A lot of great input. Especially about the break room thing never thought of that!!

[Wahine]

As a result of an interesting twist of fate... one of my clients overheard me discussing the puppy issue at work. Talking about ways to manage proper care if I decided to get one etc. Turns out, this person knows someone with a year old bullmastiff that may need a new home.

So, things may be a little different after all.

[sundial]

Wahine, I've had both puppies and adult rescues and it's easier to deal with a dog that is past the chewie/potty stage of puppyhood. I think ideally a large breed that is 1 1/2 yrs to 2 years is still young enough, but able to be more focused and a little mellowed. Your mastiff won't be fully matured until 2 1/2 to 3 yrs of age.

Have you considered looking into a doggie daycare? One of my friends took her pooch to one that had a webcam set up and she could log in throughout the day to check on her dog. The daycare not only provided socialization, but exercise and snacks as well. Her dog came home happy and exhausted and couldn't wait to go back the next day!

As with any daycare, you'll want to take your time and research them. Check with your veterinarian or groomer who she would recommend. I would make sure the daycare put like sized dogs with similar temps in the room and that a staff member should constantly watch them and interact with them. Also, many daycares will want the dogs treated for kennel cough as well as being current on shots and altered.

Good luck and when you get that baby mastiff, we'll be eagerly awaiting puppy pics.

[three]

For us, we order our lives around our dogs, not vice-versa.

It is not fair to the dogs to stick them right back in their crate after they've been in there all day just so I can go out and do something. Even if they weren't crated, it's not fair for them to be left alone that much - they are pack animals and their "pack" includes their humans. They are most content when we are all together at the same time.

Very well said Michelem!

Lots of puppy experience here.

As everyone else on here has expressed, puppies take a great amount of time and attention. I second everyone's suggestions that an older dog might be better suited for your lifestyle.

Physiologically, they are not able to fully control their bladder until around 4-6 months of age - which means you'd have to be able to take them outside every couple of hours. And, that 4-6 months of age mark doesn't mean they can hold it for long periods of time - it just means instead of every 2 hours, it's every 3/4 hours.

You mention that the idea of getting a puppy and training them early is appealing. So, please take this into consideration:

Dogs learn through conditioning. If you are keeping your puppy in a crate for extended periods of time where they hear people's voices, or see people walking by - that is what they will become conditioned to. Meaning, when the time came for you to leave the puppy at home in their crate, they will freak out if there aren't people walking by and voices to be heard. Crate-training works because it replicates the idea of a 'den', which is instinctive for dogs. They often feel safer in their crates (it's where my dog goes whenever he's sick or scared). The way you crate-train your puppy is very important because it ties into animal instincts of a 'den' and their sense of safety. I would be concerned about needing to completely re-train your dog once they were older and no longer brought to work everyday. Puppies don't like to be in crates at first, it takes training to get them comfortable. You'd likely be dealing with whining and scratching at the crate door - and again, if people try to calm the puppy in response to the whining...this becomes conditioning behavior (with the potential of teaching the puppy that whining will get them attention...and you can imagine what that will result in).

Plus, puppies are not supposed to be in crates for long periods of time. The behavioral specialist at a nearby Veterinary school (the school is #3 in the nation), stated to me when my dog was a pup that you can only leave them in a crate for one hour per month of their lifespan. 3 months old means no more than 3 hours a day, and so on. With a maxing out of no more than 10 hours a day total (when they are adults) - and required potty breaks at the 8 hour mark.

It put a massive crimp on my finances, but when he was a puppy - I followed the above rules and would take my lunch break at the needed time to run home and un-crate him, I'd then drop him off at a doggy day care and pick him up after work. Eventually, as he got older and was able to stay in the crate longer and longer, I no longer needed the day care - and by then, he was not only used to the crate...but also well socialized with other dogs due to the time at doggy care. He's 7 years old now and though that first year or so was a bit rough, I'm so glad I put the time and effort into it.

Great book: "The Art of Raising a Puppy" by the Monks of New Skeet (if you aren't familiar with them...google them and their center in NY, they are probably the best resource for dog training IMO).

A puppy is cute and adorable and fun, but SO much work. Older dogs can always be re-trained...plus, you get the benefit of getting them when they are old enough to be crate trained in a much shorter span of time and stay in the crate for the full allotment of time, and they don't have to be housebroken. Dogs are amazingly smart and always willing to learn - it's the dedication to proper training and consistency that gets in the way...and that's the human's responsibility, not the dog. If I ever get another dog, I'm not sure I'd ever go through the puppy thing again - much easier to start with them when they're older. Any needed re-training can easily be done over a few months whereas a puppy will need extreme dedication for the first year or so.

Good luck with whatever you do and congratulations on getting a new dog!!!