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First Time Dog Owners
MegaMan001
CRNARochester, MNRegistered User regular
CRNARochester, MNRegistered User regular
My daughter, 2 years old, loves dogs. Loves them. If she sees a dog and isn't allowed to go introduce herself she had a full blown temper tantrum. I had to pull her back out of her car seat last week because after being secured she saw a dog being walked.
She literally will scream "Puppy!" repeatedly until she gets to meet the dog.
I think this kid needs a dog.
I've never had a dog but my wife grew up with them. We have a huge yard with fence. We make enough money to care for a dog.
So with the basics out of the way, we were thinking of getting a middle aged to adult dog for our first time out.
Right now there is a golden Labrador that's 7 years old at the adoption place that looks like it might work for us?
Looking for a chill dog, good with kids, and no pit bulls please.
She literally will scream "Puppy!" repeatedly until she gets to meet the dog.
I think this kid needs a dog.
I've never had a dog but my wife grew up with them. We have a huge yard with fence. We make enough money to care for a dog.
So with the basics out of the way, we were thinking of getting a middle aged to adult dog for our first time out.
Right now there is a golden Labrador that's 7 years old at the adoption place that looks like it might work for us?
Looking for a chill dog, good with kids, and no pit bulls please.
I am in the business of saving lives.
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- How long are you spending in the house, will the dog need to be alone?
- Are you crate training?
- Dogs on the furniture, y/n
- What sort of vacations do you take, what sort of boarding can you afford
- What level of training are you committing to, will you be able to take an obedience class together to be on the same page?
Make sure you are comfortable with the size (Labs are big!) and don't turn your nose at mixed breeds. Breeds have tendencies, but individual animals vary. Better to go to the shelter and talk to the handlers and ask about their fostered dogs who might have more notes and history available. If you do that, it'll be more informative than us listing off breeds based on individual experiences.
Growing up I had an akita who was a huge goofball and great with kids. You wouldn't really read the breed description and come to that conclusion, though.
Also, pit bulls aren't any more dangerous than other dogs, it all comes down to training. They're just generally trained to be defensive.
Dogs don't live forever. Average lifespan for a Labrador is 10-14 years. I might consider that before adopting a 7 year old dog for a 2 year old human. But I totally understand not wanting to deal with a puppy. maybe look for 1-3 year old dogs. 1 year old dogs are crazy in my experience (puppy energy, adult body), but it only lasts a year and they chill out at 2-3 years old.
Think about the shedding. Do you guys like to wear lots of black clothes? Maybe don't get a light colored dog then.
Most dog shelters are like 50% or more pit bull type dogs in my experience, and a lot of the non-pit bull dogs probably have some pit bull in them. Not because the dogs are dangerous or bad, but more because the type of person who gravitates to the breed is also the type of person who might abandon a dog if it becomes inconvenient. If you want a specific breed there are often breed-specific rescue groups around. But they will be more picky about letting you adopt a dog and will ask for more money. We talked to a Labradour rescue but they wanted a few hundred dollars and to see pay stubs to let us adopt.
Ask about the dog's background. One of our dogs was with a family with kids and did great, but they were military and had to give him back when they had to move overseas. He loves small kids. Our other dog was feral and isn't a fan of people in general.
I'd personally not get a dog until she shows she understands that her actions can cause pain. That's sort of a different age for all kids. She may already be there.
We have a Chihuahua and a pit bull, both rescues. The Chihuahua is an asshole, mostly because he guards food and thinks he's the alpha when he is anything but. The pit wants to sit on my lap and lick my face all day. She is the most patient dog and absolutely loves people, including my almost 5 year old daughter who is overly rough, and that's amazing when considering the horrible abuse she was put through.
Because you have a child, expect any shelter to want a meeting between the child and dog you're looking to adopt. They'll keep a good, controlled environment for everyone to meet to make sure the adoption would be safe for the family and the animal.
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A frightened or confused corgi will bite someone and hurt them, possibly even permanently disfigure them. A frightened or confused large breed will kill people. Even a sufficiently excited and happy large breed puppy can knock someone down and seriously hurt them.
I love big dogs, but you should get a dog that your child can handle on a walk or play with without worrying about accidental injury. Pure breeds are a waste of time imho, people like to attribute tons of good behavioral qualities to a breed that can be more easily attributed to how the dog was raised, while ignoring significant medical issues that go along with inbreeding.
Any shelter worth it's salt will want to arrange a meet and greet with the dog and your family. This could be tricky since your kid gets really excited about dogs, and you don't want to freak them out.
As far as her behavior with dogs, we've worked very hard with friends dogs and her interactions and she seems to understand being gentle. She also has four stuffed wolves / dogs that go with her everywhere and she practices walking them and petting them and we use timeouts if she hits them or throws them or whatever.
I appreciate the advice about breeds. I don't care in the slightest what the breed is as long as it's chill, which is why we want an adult dog. My wife is a palliative care nurse practitioner and immediately gravitated to the idea of adopting a senior dog that otherwise may be put down.
As far as my personal bias against pit bulls goes, it is because I regularly cover trauma bays for my anesthesia department. I've provided trauma care in Boston, Minnesota, and Chicago. At least once a year I have a patient with a serious dog bite injury and it is always a pit bull. Always. Maybe half of those injuries are kids.
I just mentioned it in the OP because in my conversations with friends and colleagues about dog adoption, people who have rescued pit bulls (and God bless them) are pretty aggressive about suggesting that breed for adoption.
Be very sure that the shelter you are adopting from is good quality. They should be very stringent about their review process for families trying to adopt. Some shelters will actually let you have a brief trial run with the dog at home to make sure you and the dog are a good fit, which can help. Be thorough in your questions - has the dog spent a significant time around small children? What were its prior homes like? Have there been any signs of poor socialization, abuse, etc? Has it ever shown any kind of dominant behaviour?
This is one of the reasons it can be good to have your first dog from a puppy - you don't have to worry about prior behavioural issues brought on by bad ownership, and so long as you are attentive, socialize the dog well, and train to a basic obedience level, you'd be fine. It is definitely awesome on a moral and ethical level to adopt an older dog, but you need to be aware of the risks and responsibilities that come with it, and be very sure of the dog you're bringing home, especially with a young child. We've seen a lot of owners who have nothing but the best intentions, but bit off more than they could chew. If you're going to adopt an older dog, you need to be aware of the risks, and be prepared to seek help from a reputable trainer in the area.
I know you don't care a ton about breed, but it is still important to research the potential mixes you have in your dog before you adopt as well, while being aware that the shelter likely is just making their best guess. It can give you hints as to potential medical conditions, temperament, what they'll require for exercise, etc. Some breeds are more protective and prone to aggression than others (e.g., we have had several client owners of Australian Cattle Dogs, which are bred to herd by biting, and are known to do that to kids). You want something that is rated well for families and children.
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Try to avoid terriers as they're very stubborn and you may get frustrated with training, sheepdogs are much more high maintenance with extensive exercise requirements (but they're by far the smartest and very fun!), etc.
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I think it's very wise to avoid pit bulls and other large breeds for this reason like you said. The accidental damage can be severe. I think fluffy dumb labs are the way to go for a good dog for children.
I've literally seen multiple labs casually walking around with kitten earrings. As in they have a kitten latched on to each ear by tiny kitten needle teeth and the lab is still just like "Hi humans, sup?"
Puppies are great because if you get them as a baby you basically have a blank slate, within the bounds of their personality, to train the dog exactly how you want them to be. The downsides are that this training takes a lot of work and that puppies, like two year olds, are at the highest energy points in their lives. All but the largest breeds are babies until they are around 6 months old, at which point they have reached their full height and about 80-90% of their adult weight. They are still puppies until between 1-1/2 years to 2 years old, in that they have a lot of maturity left to develop.
Adult dogs are great, because they've outgrown that puppy energy and are still very trainable. My wife and I recently trained out 10 year old lab/husky mix to roll over, so a dog is never too old to learn. I would avoid dogs that are entering or in their senior phase, which is typically the last half to third of their lifespan. You can estimate a dogs lifespan based on it's adult weight. For a first time owner, I would look at an adult in the 2-5 year range. Old enough to be mature, but young enough to give you a number of years of enjoyment. A good way to estimate a dogs age is based on the color and condition of their teeth, as they yellow as they age. The shelter/rescue can give a good estimate for you.
The reason I recommend avoiding senior dogs is, while they are lower energy and maintenance, they are often lower energy due to health complications like arthritis or hip displasia. And a dog that hurts when it moves certain ways is more likely to have a pain/fear reaction when playing with a young child.
The most important advice I can give a new dog owner is to set your boundaries and be very consistent in your training. For example, if you don't want the dogs to beg while you are eating, never give them treats from your plates while at the table. If you're ok with them begging (as my wife and I are) but don't want them to whine or give you their paws while eating, then only give them scraps when they are laying down and being quiet. Talk to your wife and your daughter, if she's old enough to understand, and lay out some ground rules before you get a dog. Is it ok for your dogs to get on your sofas or in bed? That's up to you. We have two sofas, one about 20 years old and one only a few years old, and we let our dogs on the old one (the dog sofa), but not on the other (the people sofa).
Also, ask the shelter about any aggressions the dog may have. For example, it's easier if you don't have to worry about a dog who is protective of their food. And it means you're less likely to have an incident with your daughter. Aggressions can be trained away, but I don't think having a very young child around is the best environment for that.
The reason I recommend a lower energy dog is because higher energy dogs take more work. Dogs can be destructive around the household, especially when they are bored because they have no outlet for their energy. Don't assume that because you have a large backyard that it's enough to let them out to run around. Plan on taking walks or taking them to the dog park. Both you and your pupper will be happier for it.