Puppy advice

[three]

T

because he is a behavioral scientist by training and teaches parenting classes based on behaviorism, but when it came to the dog... it all went out the window.

that's funny stuff.

I hope everything works out with the year old bully. Best wishes! *fingers crossed*

[Wahine]

I've had dogs all my life. We always had one in the family, when I met DH he had the poorly behaved coonhound. You wanna talk about high maintenance, I used to run that dog 20 miles a week, literally. Then we got the bully, walks 3 times a day but was happy on his own for the day while I was at work, so very low key in the needy department. He was also very well loved by everyone so it was easy to find a sitter. Easy to train. You can see why I want another.

We had him put down just before we moved from Canada. DH and I have been dogless since, it'll be exactly 2 years on Feb 4th.

I'm not afraid of committing to a dog, I've just never raised a puppy. So I'll hang out and see what happens with this other dog and go from there.

Thanks for the kind words of support.

[Zen]

You might look into greyhound rescue. Very low maintenance dogs.

[chickwhorips]

Wahine I just want to say thank you for thinking about every last detail. I just wish more people would. Being an animal lover, I'm just like you. With everyone's advice.... I just wish there were more people like ALL of us!

[Wahine]

CWR - I would be devastated if I got a dog and couldn't hold up my end of the bargain. So that's why I asked. I still think it would be possible for me to give a puppy a good home, with proper socialization etc, but it would be hard and I'd have to rely more on DH than what he's willing to commit going in. So it's totally not far to take the risk.

As for a grey hound, it's not a bad idea but my heart is truly set on a bullmastiff. If I wasn't so set on one, I could find an adult dog tomorrow of another breed or melange as they say in France.

Thanks again everyone.

[fastdogs]

It's great that so much thought is going into getting a dog, wish everyone did that. You've got some great suggestions and ideas so far.
I have four dogs, I've had as many as eight at a time. I have always been away from home ten hours a day, when I was in the army sometimes 24 hour duty as well. I've always tried to set up a kennel situation for the time I'm gone, so the dogs can go indoors and outdoors. I don't like leaving them in a crate for that long, although I know people who do and it works well for them. I like them to be able to go lay in the sun on nice days. One difference, however, is they have other dogs to keep them company. The last pups I had I kept three of them, and they played and kept each other amused all day (the adults pretty much sleep all day). So more than one is an idea, although not recommended by trainers since the dog bonds to another dog and they need to be worked with separately for training. I'd love to be able to bring them to work, but I've never had that situation. A good doggie daycare is a good idea, as well as having someone you trust stop by and take the dog for a walk or play session during the day.
vickie

[kerrybelle]

Having had a Bullmastiff before, you know some of the potentially 'bad' characteristics/behaviors of them. If you do get one that turns out to be dog aggressive or has a high prey drive and then you come to the conclusion that having the dog isn't fair to him/her (not because of the behavior), you will have a harder time finding a good home for it.

You are right though the Bully is a great dog. Of course, I have one that is about to turn six. Best dog I've ever had, except for the drooling, of course. My Bully has a great disposition, very untypical of the breed, but I'm also very carefull with other dogs (more so, because I don't know about the other dogs). He loves people, though. I started him in training when he was 9 weeks old. He was diagnosed with Stenosis & 2 cysts all at C1 &C2, when he was almost 2. I don't want to injure him any more, so I've backed off the training.

Another breed that doesn't require a lot of room or excercise is the Great Dane.

Good Luck with whatever you decide.

Kerry

[Trek420]

Another breed that doesn't require a lot of room or excercise is the Great Dane.

I like mutts! You get the best of both (or multiple) breeds.

[Wahine]

Having had a Bullmastiff before, you know some of the potentially 'bad' characteristics/behaviors of them. If you do get one that turns out to be dog aggressive or has a high prey drive and then you come to the conclusion that having the dog isn't fair to him/her (not because of the behavior), you will have a harder time finding a good home for it.

Another breed that doesn't require a lot of room or excercise is the Great Dane.

Good Luck with whatever you decide.

Kerry

My bully had problems with other dogs but only if they aggressed on him first, then he'd quite definitively show his dominence but never injured another animal. Having said that, when your 130 lb dog picks up the neighbor's yorkie in it's mouth, people can get upset. I worked with a trainer for 4 or 5 months to minimize this behaviour. That is part of the reason I was thinking of getting a puppy. I had no idea my adopted bully had this problem until one day, 5 months after we brought him home a small dog came running up to him, yapping away. I was thinking that I should be able to socialize the puppy better in decrease the chances of that type of behavior.

A great dane is a possibility, but once you get used to that expressive bully face, I don't know how you switch.

[Veronica]

What is about small dogs? People (their owners) seem to think their aggressive behavior is cute. I had one small dog come running out at me while I was on my bike the other day. The dog was on one of those way too long leashes. I saw it and went way out into the middle of the road to make sure I was away from it. The lady laughed as it lunged. I wish I had said something to her. What if I had had hit it? There could have been lots of damage to all involved.

People are so stupid sometimes.

Wahine it's hard to make a choice like this. We ultimately decided not to get another dog. Our lives have changed since we had Greta and it would be harder for us to raise a dog correctly now. Personally, I hope you decide to get a dog. I really miss having one and feel a little guilty because we would be good parents... I know you'll be a good dog mom. But don't let me pressure you.

V.

[Wahine]

What is about small dogs? People (their owners) seem to think their aggressive behavior is cute. I had one small dog come running out at me while I was on my bike the other day. The dog was on one of those way too long leashes. I saw it and went way out into the middle of the road to make sure I was away from it. The lady laughed as it lunged. I wish I had said something to her. What if I had had hit it? There could have been lots of damage to all involved.

People are so stupid sometimes.

Wahine it's hard to make a choice like this. We ultimately decided not to get another dog. Our lives have changed since we had Greta and it would be harder for us to raise a dog correctly now. Personally, I hope you decide to get a dog. I really miss having one and feel a little guilty because we would be good parents... I know you'll be a good dog mom. But don't let me pressure you.

V.

I honestly think that many (not all) small dog owners end up never properly training their dogs because it's just easier to pick them up and restrain them when they do the wrong thing. The bad part about that is that you can't always pick up or restrain. Don't even get me started. Every incident I ever had with that dog was with a small aggressive beast. My neighbor, immediately next door has a Jack Russel, it is very well behaved and good natured. 4 doors down are 2 aggressive Jack Russels and across the street are 2 aggressive Poms. Between these 4 dogs, I swear I'm going to hit the pavement one day on my bike.

[snapdragen]

My only dog bite was a mini dachshund right on the butt!

[chickwhorips]

I'm sorry Snap, but that's funny. I can only imagine your reaction to that one.

[sundial]

Having said that, when your 130 lb dog picks up the neighbor's yorkie in it's mouth, people can get upset.

One of my gsds did that. He only rolled the yorkie but if you had not known it, you would've thought the yorkie was going to be a chicken nugget.

Puppies don't come with the baggage that a rescue has, but depending on the temperament of the parents, the puppy could have aggression/dominance issues. I have always found that a good basic obedience class taught by a reputable and experienced instructor does wonders for both dog and human. The dog gets to enjoy socialization and positive reinforcement in a controlled, safe environment and the human gets to learn to be pack leader.

A positive thing about young adult rescues or dogs that need to be re-homed is that you already have a pretty good idea what the temperament is as well as the size of the dog. With puppies, you both get to potty train together and learn patience and perseverance. Not to mention steering clear of the needle teeth.

[Tuckervill]

I like mutts! You get the best of both (or multiple) breeds.

Yeah, me too! My new dog Lucy, who seems to be a cross between a Golden Retriever and an Airedale, has just blossomed into the best Golden personality EVER. And she learned how to fetch all by herself--just started bringing me stuff to throw. But she has the CUTEST terrier face I've ever seen...and no long hair!

I love my terrier mixes!

Wahine, good on ya for taking on a new dog. I hope you find the one that was really needing you.

Karen