Thoughts on getting a dog. (husky, adopt, kids, puppy)
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Radek, a very mature decision on your part and I commend you for your thinking!
All too often there are folks who will "make it work" or "it won't be a problem" - having a pet, you learn to expect the unexpected, especially financially. And you're not saying "oh, the roomies can handle it"; that's not really fair to them. Everyone may be on board with the plan but when reality hits fantasy it can go south in a hurry.
I commend you again for thinking it through. There will be a time when you will be a fabulous pet owner and able to give it all you can. Thanks for being responsible and not one who does a knee-jerk, takes in a dog, and then returns it when they find out how time-consuming it can be. Positive reps to you!
Radek, a very mature decision on your part and I commend you for your thinking!
All too often there are folks who will "make it work" or "it won't be a problem" - having a pet, you learn to expect the unexpected, especially financially. And you're not saying "oh, the roomies can handle it"; that's not really fair to them. Everyone may be on board with the plan but when reality hits fantasy it can go south in a hurry.
I commend you again for thinking it through. There will be a time when you will be a fabulous pet owner and able to give it all you can. Thanks for being responsible and not one who does a knee-jerk, takes in a dog, and then returns it when they find out how time-consuming it can be. Positive reps to you!
Alright, it is time to resurrect this thread, with the urging from my friend Christa who has recently gotten her puppy, Akela... who is cute, awesome, etc. And that pup has reminded me of just how much I love dogs.
In addition, a few things have changed in my schedule.
1) I am not working weekdays, only weekends and I can bring my dog with me on weekends, combine that with the ability to take breaks, and play outside.
2) My class schedule is flexible enough to allow me to be home every 2 hours at max. This would only be necessary while the dog is a puppy (we can get into that below), because afterwards, I can bring the dog to campus and leash him up outside between classes. (I'm sure this will spark debate as well)
3) While working less, I am more financially stable.
So, while I'm sure people are going to say, you're not ready you can't handle it, etc. I ask you to voice your comments once with your points and I'll listen to them. I however have owned dogs before, and I understand the things I did wrong in their upbringing, at the same time they were loved dogs and great friends.
On to the real point of this is: Information on specific dog breeds.
The short list is:
Alaskan Malamute
Chow Chow
Samoyed (had one before, torn if I want to be remembering Snowflake with a new dog)
Husky
Norwegian Elkhound
Bernese Mountain Dog
American Eskimo Dog
And I'm sure there are a few others, those of you familiar with those breeds will notice a trend. Medium to large and all long-hair. I live in a corner house with a large fenced yard and I live in Bozeman, MT which is very cold for 6 months of the year. I am a little concerned about the summer, but my house remained fairly cool all summer long and I will have enough time in the summer to head to higher country to cool off.
So, what do people know about these breeds? <-- this is the real question, not if I'm fit to care for a dog.
I have a rescue American Eskimo that I adopted as an adult. He's over 16 now. Here's what I can tell you about my experience with him and what I've learned from people who know the breed well.
Eskies are a relatively long lived breed and they have an extended puppyhood. Even though my dog is now a senior and has arthritis so he can't run anymore, he still likes to play.
My guy is very intelligent. My other dogs are Poodles, which is a pretty smart breed, and my Eskie compares well to them in learning ability. This intelligence comes with a downside, since intelligent dogs need to have mental and physical stimulation. They don't make good couch potatoes and they do need ongoing training and lots of exercise. Even as a senior my guy needs to feel that he has a "job" or he becomes a real PITA.
They blow their coats twice a year, which you probably already know. Unlike my Poodles, my Eskie seldom need a bath. Most dirt seems to slide off his coat, and my guy always has a clean dog smell even though I don't bathe him more than twice a year. He gets brushed daily and that seems to do it.
He's been a great watchdog, alert and attentive to what's going on around him, but there is no aggression coupled with the warning barking. He doesn't bark constantly, although I have heard that with some Eskies this is a problem. Mine just barks to alert me of something and when I say "okay, I've got it" the barking stops. He loves people, and is very gentle with children and other animals.
Wolfie loves other dogs. He's been a canine mentor for countless foster dogs, showing them the rules of the household, helping to housebreak them, and keeping them in line with nudges, pokes, sniffs and yawns. He's not an assertive dog, but he has a presence that, combined with his upright ears, dark eyes and nose and fluffly coat, make him irresistible to most people and really grabs attention.
As you can probably tell, this guy is very special to me. I know he had a hard life on the streets before he came to me. Wolfie had an owner who let him roam freely, never fed him and stuck a doghouse in the backyard for him to sleep in if he was ever home. The ACO finally seized him and took him to the shelter where he languished because he was perceived as being too old. After I adopted him we were walking in a neighboring city and someone stopped to admire him. Well, Wolfie immediately yipped and wiggled with pleasure at this "stranger" who turned out to be one of the neighbors that used to feed him! Wolfie was apparently a neighborhood celebrity!
Last edited by leorah; 12-05-2008 at 08:36 AM..
Reason: clarification
Alright, it is time to resurrect this thread, with the urging from my friend Christa who has recently gotten her puppy, Akela... who is cute, awesome, etc. And that pup has reminded me of just how much I love dogs.
In addition, a few things have changed in my schedule.
1) I am not working weekdays, only weekends and I can bring my dog with me on weekends, combine that with the ability to take breaks, and play outside.
2) My class schedule is flexible enough to allow me to be home every 2 hours at max. This would only be necessary while the dog is a puppy (we can get into that below), because afterwards, I can bring the dog to campus and leash him up outside between classes. (I'm sure this will spark debate as well)
3) While working less, I am more financially stable.
So, while I'm sure people are going to say, you're not ready you can't handle it, etc. I ask you to voice your comments once with your points and I'll listen to them. I however have owned dogs before, and I understand the things I did wrong in their upbringing, at the same time they were loved dogs and great friends.
On to the real point of this is: Information on specific dog breeds.
The short list is:
Alaskan Malamute
Chow Chow
Samoyed (had one before, torn if I want to be remembering Snowflake with a new dog)
Husky
Norwegian Elkhound
Bernese Mountain Dog
American Eskimo Dog
And I'm sure there are a few others, those of you familiar with those breeds will notice a trend. Medium to large and all long-hair. I live in a corner house with a large fenced yard and I live in Bozeman, MT which is very cold for 6 months of the year. I am a little concerned about the summer, but my house remained fairly cool all summer long and I will have enough time in the summer to head to higher country to cool off.
So, what do people know about these breeds? <-- this is the real question, not if I'm fit to care for a dog.
The short list is:
Alaskan MalamuteVery High energy. A working breed so they also need a lot of exercise or they can be very destructive. Shed like no other breed I know. Lots of grooming needed or your dog will look matted and ratty. Funniest thing is that they tend to "talk" when happy. It almost sounds like words
Chow Chow Very dominant and protective. Needs a strong but consistant hand or can be very aggressive to strangers. Check with your land lord or insurance company to make sure its ok to have this breed where you live. Unfortunately, its one of the black listed breeds for a lot of insurance companies due to aggression issues.
Samoyed (had one before, torn if I want to be remembering Snowflake with a new dog)A beautiful breed but also very high energy. Can be snappy to new comers or strangers. Tends to need a lot of exercise and can be very stubborn. Can be very vocal.
Husky Will chew like a beaver if it doesn't get enough exercise. That beautiful coat also sheds a lot. Great personality but can be very stubborn
Norwegian Elkhound Great breed but can be very vocal. Also very destructive until out of the puppy phase. Be sure to start training early.
Bernese Mountain Dog I personally think this would be a very good choice for you. They tend to be very social but like all working breeds, they need to be given a job or will get bored and destructive. Very easy to train. Watch for health issues as they have been badly overbred in recent years
American Eskimo Dog - You got me on this one. I'm not at all familiar with this breed. Suggest that you contact the national breed club for more information
Alright, it is time to resurrect this thread, with the urging from my friend Christa who has recently gotten her puppy, Akela... who is cute, awesome, etc. And that pup has reminded me of just how much I love dogs.
In addition, a few things have changed in my schedule.
1) I am not working weekdays, only weekends and I can bring my dog with me on weekends, combine that with the ability to take breaks, and play outside.
2) My class schedule is flexible enough to allow me to be home every 2 hours at max. This would only be necessary while the dog is a puppy (we can get into that below), because afterwards, I can bring the dog to campus and leash him up outside between classes. (I'm sure this will spark debate as well)
3) While working less, I am more financially stable.
So, while I'm sure people are going to say, you're not ready you can't handle it, etc. I ask you to voice your comments once with your points and I'll listen to them. I however have owned dogs before, and I understand the things I did wrong in their upbringing, at the same time they were loved dogs and great friends.
On to the real point of this is: Information on specific dog breeds.
The short list is:
Alaskan Malamute
Chow Chow
Samoyed (had one before, torn if I want to be remembering Snowflake with a new dog)
Husky
Norwegian Elkhound
Bernese Mountain Dog
American Eskimo Dog
And I'm sure there are a few others, those of you familiar with those breeds will notice a trend. Medium to large and all long-hair. I live in a corner house with a large fenced yard and I live in Bozeman, MT which is very cold for 6 months of the year. I am a little concerned about the summer, but my house remained fairly cool all summer long and I will have enough time in the summer to head to higher country to cool off.
So, what do people know about these breeds? <-- this is the real question, not if I'm fit to care for a dog.
Okay so wow I read all those post and WOW! somtimes people can't help themselves I'm probably just as bad though sometimes
First off I can understand how you feel about getting another dog I've had dogs all my life and have always found a way to work around all those little inconviences. I think it's wonderful that your job will allow you to bring in your dog. Are you planning on getting a pup or older dog? With the way your schedule is working out you might be able to get either one. My only suggestion is before you go into work or leave for the day to do errands or something if you get an older dog make sure to take him on a LONG walk which I'm sure you already knew. As to the breeds I've always been a monster breed type of girl. Although I've never had any of the dogs you've mentioned (I've had dobies, rott's, and mastiff's) Ive worked with them alot at the humane societies and as a vet tech. I think with any of the breeds they will be fine as long as you get them the exercise they need and socialize them all you can hopefully others at your work will bring thier dogs as well and they can do the meet and greet. With the chow and malamute I would suggest getting a puppy only because these breeds tend to be a little standoffish when passed around from owner to owner and if not in the right enviroment take on a alpha role which might be hard to reverse if someone doesn't know how. I hope that came out right. But again this is only from my personal experience and as a dog owner yourself i'm sure you know every dog has it's own personality and just because in the breed manual is says something doesn't mean that's what your going to get. I hope I didn't upset anyone with my opinions cuz that's exactly what they are opinions.
P.S. At least you realize your going to get flak about the whole leaving your dog tied up outside of class. One thing I'm going to say about that is sometimes it's not such a bad thing to let your dog and you to have some away time. But at least your trying to find wyas around obstacles good for you
Have only this to say about Chows...they are inconsistent, some are skittish, most are territorial and some rentals don't allow them.
Edit the rentals: Checked back and saw you had a house.
I never really left. Just been, busy lately. Not a lot of time at a computer to browse the forums. I'm trying to make some time though, I like it around here.
To all the new replies, thanks for the info. Fantastic stuff.
A few things,
Puppy or Adult:
I'd love to obtain a 6 week to 6 month old puppy. I am cautious however of getting a very young puppy that isn't housebroken as my landlord can be a bit over the top when it comes to maintenance, and I can guarantee that any stains on the carpets are going to be a pretty penny to remove. That being said, Nature's Miracle has worked miracles at my mom's house.
Also, I have every intention of adopting from a shelter rather than finding a breeder, so some of this preference stuff may be purely academic. That being said, I know there are a few Malamute shelters in Washington and Idaho with puppies, and Im leaning at looking at those first.
working bottom up:
Ember:
What have your experiences been with Rotts? One of my friends has one, and she's a fun dog to be around. It might be a bit hard to get approval from the landlord for that one, but we'll see.
Yeah, I don't WANT to tie my dog up while Im in class, its just that it seems to me that it'd be more preferable to do that rather than trying to drive home between classes, leaving gaps for that, etc. I could be much more productive. Also, its not like Im the only one to do that. Hell, some of the dogs sit outside for the class without a leash... dear god I wish my Samoyed had been like that.
And yeah, every dog is different. If I adopt an adult, I'll make sure to adopt an adult that I have spent some time with, and make sure that we'll get along well. Again, leaning toward puppies. An young dog (1yrish) might work too.
Va-Cat: Thanks so much, thats mostly just reaffirming what I know about the breeds but invaluable all the same.
The trend is really true that I prefer working dogs, bigger dogs, long-haired, etc.
Going back over the list:
Malamute -- Am aware of the grooming issues (Samoyed has the same), and was not particularly aware of the vocalization. Thats something for me to pay attention to in training (letting the dog know when it is okay and not okay to be vocal).
Chow -- Thanks for the heads up on checking with that one. I am not aware of any chows nearby for adoption, so this may be academic.
Samoyed -- Stubborn, high energy, vocal... Our Samoyed was all of those things. She was initially very very timid around us, (abuse probable) but as she grew to know and trust us, she also grew to trust people we brought over. But, maybe she broke the stereotype of the breed. Again, unaware of any for adoption atm.
Husky -- Yeah, huskies are an interesting breed. I have a few friends who have them, and they might just be too over the top for me.
Elkhound -- Destructive is right. Akela(My friend's dog) just destroyed my laptop bag's strap and my lanyard. (thankfully I have extras of both) Early training may not be enough.
Bernese Mountain -- Im liking these more and more. I think that they will be a little mellower than the other ones, and that appeals to me because there will be times when I want to just chill. But yeah, definitely lots of exercise required for all of the above.
Eskimo Dog -- These are similar to samoyeds as far as I can tell from what I read about them.
Again, thanks for the comments.
Leorah:
Yeah, damn those intelligent dogs. I cannot count the number of times that snowflake escaped out the front door by just sitting and waiting at the top of the stairs for the right opportunity... or dug a hole in the corner of the yard, etc. I like smart dogs, they provide a challenge that the dumb ones don't, and they're just more fun to be around I've found.
I like the idea of the watchdog, just bark to alert. I love that a lot... Snowflake wasn't very good at quieting down until after she had met whoever it was. And yeah, I loved the fact that dirt just fell from her coat. That rocked.
Most important to me at this point is to make sure I adopt from a shelter, which means I get to spend time filling out applications, and probably scheduling home visits (I should probably take out the trash then, huh?)
Yeah unfortunatly I have to agree with that. Not alot of landlords will accept a rottie but they really are great like any dog they require work but I think they are a very versatile dog mine all have protective instincts they doesn't mean they are viscious or anything but they tend to be kind of like a guard dog with strangers even if they are not trained at least in the home and yard. Mine is such a softie all she wants is someone to rub her belly and pet her and her worst weapon I guess is her tongue when she tries to lick you to death. She loves to walk but even though she's a working breed doesn't go ape if she doesn't get her normal 2 walks a day she's just as happy watching cartoons with me. Rott's have a bad rep but all I have to say about that is look to thier owners and you'll find the real problem. No matter what kind of dog you get small/large, long/short hair, whatever as long as you love it and be a responsible pet owner( which I know you will be) you'll both be fine and don't worry about all the pestimists out there you know what you can and can't do and follow your heart and you should be fine
Last edited by ember13; 12-06-2008 at 09:00 PM..
Reason: pic
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Watch for health issues as they have been badly overbred in recent years
Rotts
