- Do you have enough room for the dog? Depending on the breed, dogs have different needs as far as space. Some dogs need large backyards, some dogs need to be walked twice a day etc.
- Will you be in a stable environment for the next 15 years? Do you own property or rent? Are you living with parents etc. Having a dog makes it a lot harder to get accomodation, and when looking for accomodation you must consider your dog's needs as well.
- How often will your dog be left alone? A lot of dogs are very social and cannot handle being left at home by themselves for 8 hours every day.
- Will you be able to afford the dog? Dogs cost a lot more than just food. If your dog gets sick, your up for a lot of money in vet bills. Are you prepared to pay this?
- Are you committed? A dog is a big committment. Are you truely prepared for this?
Dogs are awesome creatures and great friends, however you MUST do your research and be prepared before you get one.
On October 07 2008 12:14 ahrara_ wrote: A labrador especially, mostly coz I find them really handsome.
Yeah, a nice choice of breed there dude! Go for it!
On October 07 2008 12:14 ahrara_ wrote: I think I want a girl, but I'm not sure. Does it really matter? I'm assuming girls are gentler, lol.
Yes, when they grow up girls are gentler. There are some issues with female dogs though. 1 - you gotta have her neutered before at the age of 6-7 months. This saves a lot of trouble later. This way the female dog is MUUUUUUUUUUCH less likely to develop breast tumors when she is older. If I remember correctly the chance of youngly neutered females developing breast tumors was something like 6-7%. Obviously she won't develop pyometra. This is a very serious uterine infection and if not treated surgically in time the dog can even die. In horrible pain due to the almost inevitable peritonitis. Also another plus is the fact that the female dog won't have ovarian problems since they are removed with the uterus.
2 - if you don't neuter the dog and decide to keep her for puppies or something be ready for her heating periods. She will bleed from her vagina, she will most likely try to run away twice a year. Every year. She is also very likely to develop breast tumors as I said, pyometra and all the other female reproductive problems. There is a small chance of birth problems too.
Now the male dog. I do believe you also have to have his testicles removed around the age of 7-8 months. Or later. This saves a lot of problems later too. Mostly aggression issues. A male dog with removed testicles is a lot gentler and easy to handle. He won't try to run away chasing females, he won't try to fight other dogs. This is rare in Labs but it does happen.
So all in all I don't think the sex makes a big difference for a home dog.
Btw if you read some internet pages you are gonna find tons more info. I just tried to make some notes and later you can dig the information yourself.
On October 07 2008 12:14 ahrara_ wrote: Where do I go to find one? What should I be looking for?
Well, I'd definitely go in an animal shelter for a dog. Just because I'd like to save a life. But that's me. Most people buy from breeders or shops. it doesn't make a big dofference if you know what you're looking for. As for Labrador standards - this is too long to write here but I can supply you links - here is one: http://www.akc.org/breeds/labrador_retriever/
You can search for yourself. See 4-5 sites and if they are all the same - great. The info has to be right and you know what you're looking for.
Anyway - grats for this decision and gl & hf with your future dog!
thanks a lot for the info guys, hymn especially. it was really nice reading how passionate you guys are about your dogs. it's contagious! tho tbh, my parents would probably not be ok with a dog at this point... maybe a few months from now when I move out =).
I would also recommend to read a bit about Cesar's ideas. I know that on his show he usually treats dogs with severe problems but if you practice being a calm "Pack Leader" from the start it can save a lot of problems that might occur later.
Good luck, don't take a strong big dog unless you are willing to do a lot of daily exercise with him.
On October 07 2008 13:16 FakeSteve[TPR] wrote: please don't buy a dog from a store, go to an animal shelter.
dogs are very transparent, their personalities show in everything they do. i mean, they're dogs. you'll probably very quickly find a dog that you want to take home and though yes it will eventually die it will be the best thing ever
dogs fuckin rule. if you've never owned a dog before try to find one that's at least 1-2 years old and has been fixed, they'll be way way easier to deal with
dogs are A LOT OF WORK. if you're not prepared to give your dog a lot of attention, if your schedule wouldn't allow you to spend a lot of time with your dog, DO NOT GET A DOG. it's very easy to neglect a dog and not even realize it, and that shit is cruel
the bond you will share with your dog is like nothing else. it ain't love, it ain't family, its your dog and there's no relationship that is similar. there's a very big difference between "this is a dog that knows me" and "this is my dog". dogs are fatally loyal, so always be nice to your dog unless its fuckin doing something bad
dogs fuckin rule
DONT BUY FROM A STORE DONT BUY FROM A STORE DONT BUY FROM A STORE
I cannot stress this enough. All store dogs come from puppy mills—google to see how bad that shit is. I can't find it now, but my teacher works for People and did a story about it. The conditions are absurd. Go through a breeder, or better yet, save a life and get from a shelter. You'll save a lot of money too. The only downside is you're gonna miss the puppy stage (AWESOME) and they're gonna already be pretty set in their ways (behavior, etc. Trainable, but it's a different sitaution)
But, before buying, consider what a lot of people said here. Do you have time for this thing, to take it on walks, money for medical stuff (neuter/spay is a must; all the other jazz too), time to train it, etc... it's all very important. Size is a big deal too. If you're in a small apartment, you don't want a weimeraner or dalmation or any big dog. They're hyper as hell and need space and constant attention.
***Be sure to read up on the type of dog and it's needs before buying***
dogs rule. all 3 that ive had were/are loyal as hell. you cant beat a dog man
edit: my dogs!!!
old pic, but black is suki (rip) and grey is bob marley
we got him for free because of a friend in the police force, hes a great dog, about 1year old now i think? anyways, i used to have a rotty and she was a nice dog too but i personally think labs are much nicer and more playful dogs, they like to wrestle and playfight and are always nice even if you shout at them for doing something wrong. the rotty would growl at anyone that walked by as it was eating its food (including its own family), really defensive about food but bobby the labrador is really cool about that and never barks or growls unless its a playfight or something, never serious
i think its really big hearted and compassionate to go and adopt a lost/abandoned dog at the dog shelter, thats how we got my rotty and its relatively inexpensive. i think there are alot of dogs that get put down because they cant find owners so going to the shelter would be a nice way to go
oh, and my lab isnt nackered or whatever its called, and hes not very aggressive (actually quite a softie, scared of my cat) so i dont think you need to get em snipped but depends on the animal i guess.
i dont know if gender plays any role in the behaviour of the dog in general, ive had a male and a female dog and id say the breed is a better indicator of behaviour/aggression. if you have time for a dog and are prepared to love it then i strongly suggest getting one, they are lifelong friends that will never say no to a pat or a cuddle, they wont whinge and bitch at you, they wont fight and get pissed at you, they will always be there and happy to see you. i got a cat too and hes great too because most of the time he sleeps and leaves me alone but he doesnt like to play very much (hes kinda fat and used to easy livin') but cats are alot smarter and less friendly than dogs, and a bit more cunning/evil lol
some more stuff, bobby sleeps and lives inside, neighbours have an outside dog but i couldnt do that, itd be like keeping my sister outside all day lol. my dog sheds alot of hair and is pretty messy with food so be prepared for some cleaning. i dont know how everyone else is with dogs but bobby has a bed downstairs in the TV room, but he sometimes sleeps on my sisters bed or on my parents bed
my dog's got his own bed, but he will sleep with people sometimes and a lot of times on the couch. (some people dont let their dogs on the couch, but whatever..)
gender plays a slight role—if anything, it just means your dogs gonna hump people a lot more if he's a dude and not cut, haha. really, you dont see him getting aggressive (growling and shit) I mean, it's there a little bit more pre cutting, but its mainly so he doesnt hump a leg at every opportunity (that shit really stops when u do it)
Remember that after the initial cost, there are a lot of other costs besides food.
Taking him to the vet can be expensive, if he gets seriously ill it can run up a big bill. If you can't afford to keep your dog healthy then I wouldn't do it, so consider that. It would suck if you couldn't pay for a vital surgery or w/e.
You should also research the dog you are getting, some types of dogs are more prone to certain problems than others.
On October 07 2008 19:24 Boblion wrote: Cats > dogs ahha noobs !
barely petting a cat then touching my face leads to hour long sneezing fits and swollen eyes for me -> not pleasant
speaking of which, anybody with allergies have a dog? i'm slightly allergic to dog fur. how do you go about dealing with it?
Get a Miniature Schnauzer!! They are the most human-like dogs and are so lovable, and they don't shed b/c their fur isnt really fur. Like the poster above said, its like people hair (but like fur...)
i would but i'm determined to get like a big ass dog. labrador for sure, maybe a golden retriever. im totally ok with putting up the allergies since my meds keep it in check.
dammit this thread has made me want a dog so bad . i might talk to my parents about it, altho i am way too busy right now to take care of one on my own..
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. i might talk to my parents about it, altho i am way too busy right now to take care of one on my own..
