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Hypothetical Dog...
rfalias
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So, there may be a possibility of me wanting to get a dog.
In a perfect world where I would have a nice bit of land, I'd want a chocolate lab above all else, but as we all know the world ain't perfect.
So, I have a small one bedroom condo.
What kind of dogs would be suited to that kind of living?
I'd have no problem going running with it, or to a park, or any of that.
I'd want something that is calm, affectionate and quiet.
Does such a thing exist?
Edit:
Spoilered for AWWW I want you! and hscroll rape.
In a perfect world where I would have a nice bit of land, I'd want a chocolate lab above all else, but as we all know the world ain't perfect.
So, I have a small one bedroom condo.
What kind of dogs would be suited to that kind of living?
I'd have no problem going running with it, or to a park, or any of that.
I'd want something that is calm, affectionate and quiet.
Does such a thing exist?
Edit:
Spoilered for AWWW I want you! and hscroll rape.
rfalias on
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Allergic to dogs therefore can't give much help other than don't leave it to pee and crap everywhere.
Please
Aww to the dog.
3DS FC: 5343-7720-0490
He has an afro!
those people would be mostly wrong.
most bigger dogs are pretty lazy inside. I know ours is. But the huge thing is you need to throughly exercise them when you do go outside
so unless there is no way to exercise it, a chocolate lab is not unheard of in a condo.
also are you looking for those three qualities at all times or just inside?
These. I love mine.
Hmmm...
And it would be good motivation for me to get exercise too!
Mostly when inside. I mean I'd want them to be playful too. Mostly concerned with quiet and affectionate, though.
That said, we just recently got a Beagle, the only time it barks is when we're coming home or leaving, and when it's attacking our cats. We have a yard though, so it makes exercising it easier.
Afro Data loves the ladies.
3DS FC: 5343-7720-0490
Not true. My dog gets left inside for a full working day and he mostly just sleeps on the couch. No problems no mess. He gets let out in the morning when I wake up and again when I get home. He gets walked in the evenings and he's perfectly happy with this.
Some of the dog advice I read on this forum is so hoplessly over the top. You dog will not drop dead if you leave it inside for 8 hours. You dog will not drop dead if you fail to take it for a run every 4 hours. You do not need to have a 16 bedroom mansion to own a god larger than a terrier. Feed it water it and walk it, take it to the vet when it's sick and everything is fine.
Labs and Goldies are good first time dogs, though if you cannot give it plenty of exercise be prepared for some behavior problems.
You probably want to pick up a dog that's at least 2 years old. He'll likely be housebroken, can hold a sit, may be somewhat well-socialized to dogs, likely well-socialized to people, and will be more low-key then a puppy. Raising a dog from puppyhood is a big responsibility, so if you don't have the time then get an adult. It's too easy to let cute puppy behavior (mouthing, jumping, pawing, barking, being hyper) graduate into really annoying adult dog behavior.
Edit: To clarify, it´s not fair to crate a dog for 8+ hours anymore then you have to. They learn quick (even a colossally dumb dog like mine) so long as you're consistent; so you don't have to crate them for long periods of time except during initial crate training. Of course you should let them out over shorter intervals when they are very young as they cannot hold it as long. Once housebroken I don't think there's anything wrong with leaving a dog the run of the house during the workday, though my buddy's happy to see me and get a run outside when I come home for lunch.
Dogs are all about routine, so if it learns you need to be home to go, it will wait, as long as you're regular about it and give it time to exercise.
edit:
This is good advice.
i wouldn't do this with a young young puppy though.
what i would do is look on petfinder and get a 1-2 year old golden or lab mix if you want a medium size dog. at that ae they start losing a lot of the puppy issues. or just look on petfindr and see if a dog strikes your fancy.
While big dogs are lazy inside you need to do all your exercising outdoors. With smaller dogs you can actually play some fetch and stuff indoors to tire them out after short potty walks when it is pouring rain.
(I have a 600sqft condo and two dogs)
While there are "quieter breeds" and "louder breeds" that really doesn't matter if the individual dog you are looking at goes against breed type, affectionate is the same way. Calm is something you can teach to a dog but it is much easier to teach to a dog that is basically somewhat calm already. Spend a lot of time with the dog you are looking to get and if you are getting it from a breeder meet as many relatives as possible.
There are a lot of lab mixes in shelters, you might look for one on the smaller size, my sister got a lab/ sharpei mix that is about 40lbs and does very well in apartments.
Puppies and toy dogs can't hold their bladder that long but adult dogs of ~20lbs and larger can usually hold their bladders all day (the bigger the dog the bigger the bladder).
I've got a park next door to me so I'm sure that would be frequently visited.
If I were to even look at a Lab, it would be chocolate. I've wanted one for ever, and what I want above all other choices.
There aren't weight limits that I know of.
I had both a standard poodle (the runt of the litter) and a miniature poodle (giant of the litter), females in both cases. Although their physical sizes weren't that different their personalities were miles apart.
They were both great dogs but I have to recommend the standard. She was quiet, well behaved, affectionate and very intelligent. The miniature might be slightly more affectionate but she looses in almost every other category. Poodles don't shed so that's a plus too.
Edit: I did get my poodles from breeders but I intentionally took the "unwanted" ones that didn't fit their respective size categories. You can definitely get slightly older dogs but getting a well trained one wouldn't be easy and you know the saying about old dogs and new tricks....
(you can actually train older dogs out of their bad habits but it can be ahem Difficult)
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Seems like I'd be doing a good thing too, saving a poor dog left all alone. Sounds like my personal situation a bit too, so saving a dog would feel nice.
Chocolate labs love to play and bite things and pee on stuff as puppies. It takes a special kind of person.
Once older though (probably two or three) they calm down a lot and are great dogs.
If my husband didn't have his heart set on Corgis, I would seriously be considering them myself. They seem like really fantastic dogs.
Also, I do have a walk in closet that is the size of another room.
I think you'll find adopting a dog a very rewarding experience. They are much cheaper than getting them from breeders and evil pet stores too!
It doesn't matter if you have a small apartment. The apartment is just a place for him to eat and sleep, he'll get his exercise outside and we all have the same sized "outside". As long as you take him for walks and play with him that's what matters. While you're away it doesn't matter what sized house you have cause your dog won't be running around anyway.
Get the dog you want.
Yeah, I just had this preconception that they'd have to have a big yard and all this other stuff...
The more I think about it, the more I really want to go through with this.
Now just to find one that is good on a leash (dislike dogs that pull owners around) and isn't jumpy and all that...
I guess visiting shelters and stuff would give me a good idea on their behavior.
All dogs especially labs will jump up and and pull at first. That's why you need to train them, you can buy harnesses that stop them pulling without any of this choke chain stuff.
my dog walks good on leash, better off leash, since that is what we expect of her. we don't take bad manners in our household
For jumping just give him the knee. Don't knee him, but as he jumps into you extend your knee out in his direction. Doesn't take long for him to learn. Biggest problem for my dog is that other people react to jumping by saying "it's allright" or "that's cute" and bend over and love on him so it rewards this behavior. So end result is that he jumps on strangers and friends (something I don't want) cause they don't correct him, and he doesn't jump on me and the wife (eventhough we wouldn't really mind) because we do correct him. He still rears up on hind legs when he's excited to greet us, but he makes sure to angle his paws away (horsey-like) so he doesn't scratch or land on us.
So if you find one you like that jumps-pulls, know that you can break him of that. Things to avoid are dogs that are dog-aggressive, human-aggressive, or that display a lot of fear.
Our first dog was a german shepherd, aussie mix. He was awesome but did have a few issues since he was abused before we adopted him. he was pretty shy and didn't really like going outside much or for walks which is not typical of either breed. However we found taking him off leash at the dog park or at the lake he was great. He was content to sleep on my bed during the day or the couch. he died of Bone cancer in december. He was such a sweetie.
We ended up adopting another dog in jan. Again we decided to adopt a rescue. it took a little longer to find the right one since i have a 4 year old and a baby. We adopted a 3 year old german shepherd female (can you see a pattern we are german shepherd people). SHe is very outgoing and loves people. She is content being inside or outside. That is just her personality. She's a more energenic dog but she still is fine all day in the house with the cat.
Some breeds are known for certain behaviors but just keep in mind every dog is different. If you want a lab you can have one just be sure he/she has thins to chew on like bones or toys and plenty of exercise when you are home.
Don't listen to people telling you it's cruel to leave them alone during the day. If you rescue a dog their alternative was being in a small cage at a shelter with a 50/50 chance of staying alive. Thousands of animals are put down all the time at shelters.
One breed that may sound strange for an apartment is a great Dane. These are huge dogs but they crave human attention and generally just want to be near you. They need moderate exercise and are pretty quiet. At least the ones i have seen and known friends to own. The downside is due to their huge size they tend to only live 5 to 7 years at best.
i would suggest find out where the local adoption group will be near you (petsmart, petco) or visit an animal shelter and just meet a few of the dogs. When you find the one you'll know.
the best advice is to go meet some dogs. see if it clicks.
be forwarned, a dog is very simialr to a kid and will kill your social life, you need to be home to let them out and feed them, you have to prepare if yo are planning on going away over night etc
Luckily for me, my social life is already pretty barren.
I may already be getting stopped before I'm ahead. Poked around in some of the Condo Bylaws, and a small tiny sentence says "dogs must be 45lbs or under".
Chocolate lab out of the question? Maybe if I get a runt female?
You probably aren't in my area, but if you put chocolate labrador into petfinder it will show you all of the mixes in that breed and ... oh my god this guy is adorable http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=11690530
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Also, as a sort of homage to the data afro, I gotta promote the poodle! Everyone thinks of it as the girlie bimbo of breeds. But it is infact the second smartest breed of dog. ALSO! Despite the afro it doesn't shed fur all over. They lack the second layer coat that most other dogs have. Here is a working poodle, probably not named princess.
I agree with the people who are telling you to just go to the pound. We went to the pound to get a specific dog and couldn't get that dog and got a completely different dog than what we were considering.
It is really important to spend a lot of time with the dog you are interested in at the shelter but you won't get to know them perfectly. Dogs can frequently take up to 6 months to completely come out of their shell or calm down depending on how being in a shelter affected them.
I would take the time now to find a good basic obedience class in your area. Start by asking the shelters you are looking at if they have any partnerships, I know some places give really good discounts (like half price). The instructor should let you come (without your dog) and observe them teach so you can see how they interact with the class and how they adapt the lessons to each dog. I would go observe a variety in your area that are a reasonable price. Plus if you talk to them before you get your dog some trainers have some good suggestions for what to look for in a shelter dog that will make the kind of pet you want.
I have two very good friends who have put obedience titles on their dogs and they convinced me not to bother taking classes. I held out for about 18 months before I did take my dog to class and I really regret it. He knew all the behaviors we were teaching but I just couldn't provide the variety of distractions and the insights the teacher had about my dog were incredibly helpful.
PS. My zip is 32940, so find away!
Edit:
Picture for emphasis and everyone loves pictures
Haven't found anything that looks perfect yet :P
My personal experience is that a lot of small dogs are hyper and yappy because their owners put up with/encourage it. When small dogs jump up on people/bark/act hyper a lot of times they say awww how cute he likes me. When a big dog does it it is a problem to be fixed and a call is made to find a trainer ASAP (or, unfortunately in some cases the dog is sent to the pound). People also tend to be much better about taking big dogs for walks and regular exercise despite the fact that small dogs need a lot of exercise too. Dogs are much more likely to be hyper if they haven't been walked that day. JMHO and I'm not trying to talk you into a small dog. My sister got a yorkie who was an absolute sweetheart when she got him (we dog sat him multiple times and no longer will, but he was potty trained and sat to request attention) but she has since trained him to potty inside, act hyper and demand bark for attention.
One word of caution. There are a bunch of basenji's at the shelter that shows up first on Petfinder. While they don't bark they do make an incredible range of other vocalizations and are in not a quiet breed. They also tend to be pretty intense and not a great first dog.
EDIT: I may have quit looking a bit too soon: http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=14313626
Second EDIT: No age or weight on her but probably worth a call: http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=14186576
Oh my god, I want her myself. You almost wouldn't be able to tell she's a mix except for the size. Poor thing.
PSN Hypacia
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