Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have never been a dog person. We had a dog when I was growing up and all I remember is that he chewed up my favorite pair of shoes and you couldn't go barefoot in the back yard. Well, dd wants a dog and dh bought her a puppy for her birthday (we get him the first weekend in August).
My question is how to dogs fare around people who really don't care for dogs? Does anyone have any advice for making this go smoothly? Dh and dd are going to take care of training and caring for the dog. I know dogs are pack animals. How do they respond to a human who isn't taking charge?
Sorry, I'm used to cats and cats are pretty tolerant of people.
The whole family needs to be involved in the training and taking care of the dog. You may not like dogs, but since you've bought one you now need to be involved or suffer the behavioral problems which will ensue.
cats are tolerant of people?! my cats belive they OWN me...my dogs know i own them...my cats NEED me because i have opposable thumbs and they cant open the food can without me...my dogs NEED me because they want my company...
id say dogs are much more "accepting" of humans than any cat...(and i lov my cats, its just a completly different end of the spectrum...)
that being said...
1: dont leave cheables anywhere puppy can reach them...you lost your favorite pair of shoes because you didnt put them away...its a great way to teach flks to pick up thier "stuff" put it away or its a dog toy...
you couldnt walk bareoot because you didt pick up after the dog...pretty simple "problems" to fix...
honestly if you take the "its not my dog" and ignore it stance one of 2 things will happen, the dog will simply not bond with you...this CAN cause issues as the dog matures as no bond or trust means the dog isnt going to respect you as a member of the family. EVERYONE in the house needs to take part in this puppies upbringing, from the potty breaks to the obedience to playtime...building that bond between each individual family member helps keep things on track and for a creature thats increidby reliant on social structure you NEED to be part of the structure...if your not problems like agression, (or flat out ignoring you) can come up. its not unuall for a dog whos been raised by a dog person and an innattentive spouce to become flat out posessive of the dog person and agressive to the spouse...
or hes going to decide that since you dont like him, your now his GO TO person...hell bother you, want to play al the time ect...ive known a few dogs who seem to KNOW which person in the room is NOT a dog person and deliberatly spend the entire evening nudging at, bringing toys to and trying to snuggle with said person...
this is not your kids dog, this is your FAMILIES dog, and if the whole family isnt on board it will be an epic failure.
im not saying you have to love this dog lie your next child...some people simply arnt dog people...but you do need to make an effort to be in every aspect of this dogs life so you develop an understanding as to what you expect from him and what he expects from you...and the only way to do that is to get involved and at least TRY to bond with this puppy
and if you dont think you can do this, please for the good that is this dogs meantl health and long term home prospect dont bring it home. it needs EVERYONE in the house to take care of every aspect of raising it...and if you cant do that youd be better off getting her a goldfish or a pet bunny.
Put things in front of a teething baby, and they will teeth...same thing with puppy. My dogs never chewed a thing after they were done teething.
Set this dog up for success by not leaving precious things out for him to destroy.
Look, the best way to really enjoy your dog is to TRAIN HIM. TRAIN HIM...trained dogs are dogs that are kept...lazy people who don't train their dogs are the ones who dump them in shelters.
What kind of dog? It's very important IMO to research the breed (or mix of breeds) and take the type of dog into consideration when training or planning. Some breeds are bigger chewers or have higher exercise requirements. Or attention requirements. Or grooming requirements. In my experience, a tired puppy is a good puppy. As you are inexperienced owners, I would definitely look into training classes beginning with puppy socialization. Petsmart and the like often have inexpensive classes. I agree with stan that training is key. Postive training especially. Dogs do not just become well behaved based on a breed type or attaining a certain age.
That all said, you have 2 teens. It's been my experience (both as a teen and as the parent of teens) that dogs can be a great source of comfort for teens during difficult times. Dogs love unconditionally, are great secret keepers and often have a sense to be there exactly when you need them and often that is exactly what teens need. I wish you all good luck.
ETA - meant to add me to the "good post foxy" group. If you are getting a dog - it is a member of the family. It isn't just an extra mouth around that you can mostly ignore. You all need to accept him as such. Not just DD and DH. You may find that getting him out for a walk helps your stress level as well. Plus, it's good exercise.
Getting a puppy in August doesn't leave enough time to housebreak it before school starts up again. A young puppy should not be left confined for 8 or more hours a day. Is there a plan in place for somebody to let the dog out midday?
I agree, a dog is a family pet. Everybody should be onboard with the care and attention required.
Just a suggestion, do some reading before the puppy arrives. I recommend "Family Dog", written by Richard A. Wolters. Amazon.com: Family Dog: A Simple and Time-Proven Method (9780525944720): Richard A. Wolters: Books
I have used Richard Wolters books for years, especially for Labrador Retriever training. He sets out a doable goal for the pup to meet in each section of training in clear and easily understandable language. His books are often quite humorous and he was a very knowledgeable dog person, (unfortunately Mr. Wolters died a few years ago and the dog world lost one of it's most important advocates)
BTW, congratulation on the new addition to your family.
I took that position when my son insisted in getting a Westie puppy. I didn't want another dog - but felt my son should have one.
I was busy with a new job and left training and walking up to him. We read puppy books together, etc.
You can guess what happened. Ringo was a mess and a brat. I did have to step up and step in and help.
I enrolled him in agility training and my son came with. In the process, I ended up forming a bond with Ringo and we are all better off for it.
Of course, you have your DH to help - but I was leaving the training to an 11 year old. What was I thinking????
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
