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...Golden Retrievers ARE great dogs...BUT they require a LOT of work. They shed LOTS. They are sporting dogs and as you mentioned need a substantial amount of exercise and attention and training. Without that, you have a large, energetic dog looking for outlets for all that energy. Picture jumping, dashing out the door, chewing things (retriever means they like having things in their mouth!). I love Goldens but they are not just naturally calm, well behaved dogs.....too many people bring home Goldens based on some ideal they have seen on TV. And too many end up living lonely and neglected in the backyard because they are nothing like the owners expected.
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yep. i used to dogsit in nyc and i mainly worked for this woman who was an ad exec and lived in a tiny upper east side apartment. she was always traveling and based on her apartment (and the lack of food in the fridge) she was out a lot too. she had had a little dog before and when he died she got two golden retriever puppies...
she had dog walkers and dog sitters and walked them herself in the morning and at night, but those poor things were still total terrors. i don't think she trained them at all. i didn't know anything about training dogs at that time, but i just ignored them until they were calm and was firm with them and things like that, and they were always calmer overall after a few days with me.
Hi all, thanks for your responses and advice. Maybe I should not have used the word "crate training" I guess I probably meant more house training. Also we would not get a puppy until the summer when myself and the children would be home all day. Come September I would be out of the house for approx. 6 3/4 hours. If this is too long - how do people who work a full day handle a dog? All advice and breed sugestions welcome. Thanks.
Hi all, thanks for your responses and advice. Maybe I should not have used the word "crate training" I guess I probably meant more house training. Also we would not get a puppy until the summer when myself and the children would be home all day. Come September I would be out of the house for approx. 6 3/4 hours. If this is too long - how do people who work a full day handle a dog? All advice and breed sugestions welcome. Thanks.
I don't think 7 hours is excessive if you are able to be with it during the day until it is potty trained. (I'll probably get ripped by some of the others on here for saying that) However, a morning walk before crating and another after is a REALLY good idea for your's and the dog's sanity. If you have any neighbors who could check on the dog or a dog walker that could come by a couple times a week, that would be good too.
MOST dogs will do well with cats if they are raised with them, but not always. An option is to look into an adult rescue that is known to be good with cats and kids. Also, it should already be potty trained. I second the suggestion about greyhounds. I've only been around a few, but they are always SO gentle. I'm a big fan of goldens and labs, but they can be hyper and if you get one as a puppy, you won't know that until it is too late.
7 hours is an excessive amount of time for a puppy to be regularly left alone IMO. An older dog might be ok with it but still not ideal. You have to not only worry about how the dog will adapt to the cat but how the cat will adapt to the dog. When we were first married, my husband and I got a cat....we had kids and we got to the point when we wanted a dog. By that time, our cat was getting up there in years, we decided that our elderly kitty deserved to not have to put up with puppy nonsense. We did not get a puppy until the cat passed (not to say that dogs and cats can't get along but when one is used to being an "only" and is older, it can be a lot to expect of a pet to just "deal"). Macie is 4 - there are usually 6 hours during the day when no one is home (and even that is only 4 days/week). She has the run of the house and typically, someone will come home for lunch in the middle of the day. 6 hours is a long time for her to be alone even at 4 y.o. When she was younger, I worked less and she went to doggie day care once or twice a week. A dog is a big responsibility - please think carefully about your lifestyle and current commitments before you jump into this.
Most of the sporting breeds (cockers, goldens, labs etc) need a ton of hard exercise in a day - am talking like 2 hours jogging, not just brief walks. Small dogs were bred to be companions and may be upset to be left home alone all day (or most of the day) and you'd have to understand that they may not be a good combination w/ young active children. One thing you could do rather than crate any pup all day is to get a crate (preferably wire) and put it inside an ex-pen (exercise pen) so that the pup isnt confined only to a small crate for hours on end - put some newspapers on the floor of the ex-pen so the puppy has a place to relieve itself (you don't want the puppy 'going' in the crate as they want to be clean, esp. in the sleeping area - also put some toys down in another area and of course in the crate you'll want some blankets or towels for the puppy to sleep on.
Is there a way someone can come home at lunchtime to take the puppy out? We did that when ours were puppies and it helped a lot, 6-7 hrs is just a long time for a young puppy to be confined every day (not to mention if you have errands, kids activities etc to do after work/school), it may take mannnny mannnny months for it to be housetrained, the puppy would be low-man on the totem pole.
I also agree leaving a puppy for any longer than two hours is tough. Whenever we got puppies and both worked full time, we used to come home for lunch and let the dog out and play with her for a while.
I've owned three Cocker Spaniels and they are wonderful dogs with kids and other animals (I have three kids, two dogs, a cat, hamsters and gerbils. Oh, and fish too!). After they were house broken, I have always been able to leave my dogs alone for reasonable amounts of time and they are really good with it.
Do be aware Cockers love to eat and will steal food at any opportunity so with kids in the house, it's a matter of keeping food above the dog's level.
I'd say avoid terriers. They have a high prey drive, tons of energy, and are more likely to chase. I have a Sheltie/spaniel / Pomeranian mix who loves cats. I think she was raised with them - so if you're going the rescue route, look for a dog that has lived with cats before. If you're getting a puppy and it will grow up with cats, I'm sure it will learn to like them. Just stay away from terriers...
From my experience, good cat-friendly small / medium breeds are: spaniels, Shelties, Chihauhuas, Pugs, Pekes, Shih-Tzu, Poodle...or some combination of the above. I'm sure I'm leaving some out.
Hi all, thanks for your responses and advice. Maybe I should not have used the word "crate training" I guess I probably meant more house training. Also we would not get a puppy until the summer when myself and the children would be home all day. Come September I would be out of the house for approx. 6 3/4 hours. If this is too long - how do people who work a full day handle a dog? All advice and breed sugestions welcome. Thanks.
7 hours is a long time for puppy to be left alone, let alone in a crate. When my dogs were pups, we crate trained them but my wife (then GF) was finishing up her PhD so she was home more often. I think if you are able to come home at lunch to let it out and maybe see if a neighbor or a neighbor's child can let it out (my mom did that with her dogs) that may work. Puppies require a ton of attention, just make sure you are ready for it.
I wanted a dog for a long time but held off because I knew my lifestyle didn't support it.
As far as breeds with cats, I don't know how much insight I can provide. I will echo another poster's sentiment that it can differ in the same breed. Actually, I have 3 dogs, 2 pure bred labs and 1 lab/pointer(?) mix. One of my labs is totally apathetic towards cats, the other lab likes cats and our lab/pointer would like to hunt down every cat alive if you let it!
PS Another thought - like newborns, puppies need to be fed often - and then taken outside - lots of repetition so they get the idea (not to mention praise etc) - but my point is someone really needs to be home w/ them during those first crucial month to get them off to a good start til they have an idea of a routine and what they're doing, what's expected of them etc. As they get older, there might be a little leeway but w/ a young puppy, they need the structure.
We are looking into getting a puppy for our family. We have a older cat and 3 school aged children. The kind of puppy we would need would have to be able to get along with a cat. We would also need to house/crate train as much as possible due to us being at work/school. Does anyone have any sugestions or experiences with particular breeds or mixed breeds. Also we are looking for the dog to be a small/medium to medium size dog. Thanks.
Please, do NOT get a puppy! Not only are they a handful, with a puppy you will have no idea what you will be getting- it's difficult to determine a dog's temperment until they're close to a year. And besides that, if you get a puppy your cat will hate you! Seriously, I know you want harmony in your home so it would be a good idea not to bring a dog into the home unless you know he is going to either be good with cats or, at the very least, tolerate them. Doing otherwise can really test your sanity! Of course I'm being light but having animals that don't get a long is really nothing short of terrible- for them and for everyone in the house. Now most dogs will like children and since you say they're school aged that shouldn't really be an issue.
Honestly, your best bet would be to get a young dog, at least 8 or so months and not more than a couple years since it sounds like you did mention being interested in a puppy. And what I would strongly recommend: go online and go to petfinder.com. There you will find a myriad of dogs available for adoption, but you want to zero in on the ones that are not so much "blind" rescues, but ones that have an "info sheet" because they've lived in foster homes. That way, the person who has fostered the dog can provide you with valuable information about the particular dog's temperment (which can include things like is good/not good with cats, children, etc.). I think you'll find that when it comes down to it, the breed really isn't important so long as the dog has the personality traits and temperment you desire. And with that site, although you might not find the dog you want on there straight away, you'll be able to find some reputable rescue organizations in your area that foster often, and it might be a good idea to get in contact with them and let them know what exactly you are looking for and if they have such a dog, they will let you know. It might not happen immediately but you're making a 10-15 year commitment so having just the right doggie is really important.
So with a little footwork and some patience, I guarantee you'll find JUST the right dog to make all who live in your home very happy! Good luck.
PS- Mutts make the best, healthiest and most grateful, loving companions. The goofier the dog- the better, I say.
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Seriously, I know you want harmony in your home so it would be a good idea not to bring a dog into the home unless you know he is going to either be good with cats or, at the very least, tolerate them. Doing otherwise can really test your sanity! Of course I'm being light but having animals that don't get a long is really nothing short of terrible- for them and for everyone in the house. Now most dogs will like children and since you say they're school aged that shouldn't really be an issue.
