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.
Due to the density in eastern Mass in particular, more people have dogs in apartments or shared-building condos which likely impacts how and where they take them. If you have shared walls or a small place, you are probably more likely to structure your life so you can take your dog places compared to someone with a yard in the burbs and no shared walls/floors/ceilings. Dogs are far cheaper than kids and you don't need a separate bedroom for them in your house, so it's no shock that so many people have dogs.
That said, I think a lot of folks go into dog ownership thinking that they're like a cat and don't need extensive training beyond learning to scratch the door to go outside. And while not everyone loves dogs around, finding opportunities to bring the dogs around people and other dogs is so necessary for their socialization for everyone's health and safety.
My partner's family are giant breed rescue people. He has a Leonberger himself (165 lbs!), and his parents have a Newfie and an Anatolian shepherd - all rescues. My boyfriend splits his time between upstate NY (where his dog lives on the family farm most of the time) and here, but the dog only visits a few times a year because of the space issue (1 bedroom apartment, lots of green space but nowhere to go off-leash). The visits are good for him because he's become an unofficial therapy dog at my 91 year old grandmother's independent living facility and a patient participant in my niece and nephew's imaginary play.
One of the things we've found is that there are surprisingly few dog parks. We admittedly do go to empty athletics fields and let the dog run off leash because the closest dog park is 20-30 minutes away and even running full bore we could not keep up with a dog of the size. We go super early in the morning or in the evening when no one is there, and have found a few soccer or baseball fields that are maintained but don't seem to get much use. I think we've only ever run into someone else there once - and it was another dog owner with the same complaints.
This weighs on my mind a *lot* because my boyfriend is preparing to sell his business to move to Mass full time permanently at which point we hope to buy - and the dog will be coming with - but between interest rates and housing costs we will likely end up in a condo. I suspect we'll end up those people always with a dog in tow.
Due to the density in eastern Mass in particular, more people have dogs in apartments or shared-building condos which likely impacts how and where they take them. If you have shared walls or a small place, you are probably more likely to structure your life so you can take your dog places compared to someone with a yard in the burbs and no shared walls/floors/ceilings. Dogs are far cheaper than kids and you don't need a separate bedroom for them in your house, so it's no shock that so many people have dogs.
That said, I think a lot of folks go into dog ownership thinking that they're like a cat and don't need extensive training beyond learning to scratch the door to go outside. And while not everyone loves dogs around, finding opportunities to bring the dogs around people and other dogs is so necessary for their socialization for everyone's health and safety.
My partner's family are giant breed rescue people. He has a Leonberger himself (165 lbs!), and his parents have a Newfie and an Anatolian shepherd - all rescues. My boyfriend splits his time between upstate NY (where his dog lives on the family farm most of the time) and here, but the dog only visits a few times a year because of the space issue (1 bedroom apartment, lots of green space but nowhere to go off-leash). The visits are good for him because he's become an unofficial therapy dog at my 91 year old grandmother's independent living facility and a patient participant in my niece and nephew's imaginary play.
One of the things we've found is that there are surprisingly few dog parks. We admittedly do go to empty athletics fields and let the dog run off leash because the closest dog park is 20-30 minutes away and even running full bore we could not keep up with a dog of the size. We go super early in the morning or in the evening when no one is there, and have found a few soccer or baseball fields that are maintained but don't seem to get much use. I think we've only ever run into someone else there once - and it was another dog owner with the same complaints.
This weighs on my mind a *lot* because my boyfriend is preparing to sell his business to move to Mass full time permanently at which point we hope to buy - and the dog will be coming with - but between interest rates and housing costs we will likely end up in a condo. I suspect we'll end up those people always with a dog in tow.
I have heard different views on this, but more than one knowledgeable person has told me that (a) you don't have to have the dog out in a big yard - in fact many just lay there when out there by themselves rather than running around all day in the yard by themselves... and, (b) you don't need to let them run loose in the woods/beach... you just need to give the dog regular daily exercise on-leash (not just 100 yard poopwalks - at least one *good* walk each day), and that will give them the mental stimulation, the physical exercise and the quality time with you that they need. At least for my German Shepherd, who was very smart, very athletic, long and lean (many passersby would say "that looks like a wolf!!!" :-)), and pretty high energy for a big dog - this proved to be true.
I also agree that the doodle epidemic is a bit much. I was shocked when I saw someone two or 3 years ago with a bernie doodle. bernese mountain dogs are gorgeous and why anyone wanted to cross them with a poodle I dont know. I mean they are cute but whatever. There were so many other small dogs similar that could have been purchased.
Funny you mentioned Bernadoodles (or however you say it). My neighbors are a young married couple who are nice but are the types who have to be on top of the trends and keep up with the Jones’ big time. I heard the wife telling our other neighbor just the other day they were getting a Bernadoodle. I thought to myself ‘of course you are’ and also thought why would anyone want to mix such a pretty dog with a poodle too. So ridiculous and I also agree that the doodle thing is out of hand. People are basically paying thousands for a mutt and are happily buying into it.
We adopted our dogs because we researched the breed and knew they worked with out lifestyle. Not because they were on a hit show or because they were the trendy dogs at the time.
I’m also a huge believer of ‘adopt don’t shop’ but understand people want certain breeds for different reasons.
My oldest has a bernedoodle. She's a sweet dog. We both have cockapoos, who are brothers. I would have been happy with a cocker spaniel, but that was not what was available to me at the time.
I am just surprised by all the different dogs that have been crossed with a poodle. Golden doodles are pretty popular too. I have also heard that people want a dog that doesn't shed and apparently some of these hybrid dogs don't.
Here in New Jersey I have been noticing the same things. Lot's of COVID puppies were bought/adopted, which has increased the prevalence of three things:
1) Poor training, lots of owners haven't even given their dog the bare minimum.
2) More bites and aggressive behaviour. Especially at dog parks. I've seen a steady uptick in dog fights.
3) An expectation of accommodation. For example, down the Shore I watched someone take a 70lb Shepherd mix dog into a Doo Wop Diner on the boardwalk (Indoors) and thought it was OK... no questions. (?????)
I guess the state and others have seen this too because there have been some pretty stark reactions
1) No more dogs allowed on the boardwalks until Sept 15. There used to be more boardwalks/less restrictions, but it got really tight this year.
2) Some dog parks have become manned here in NJ and require vax shots upon entrance. I like this, but how bad was it getting?
3) More restaurants and hotels have been saying no more pups.
My lab/GSD that never grew over 45lbs would never smh lol
I am just surprised by all the different dogs that have been crossed with a poodle. Golden doodles are pretty popular too. I have also heard that people want a dog that doesn't shed and apparently some of these hybrid dogs don't.
Due to the density in eastern Mass in particular, more people have dogs in apartments or shared-building condos which likely impacts how and where they take them. If you have shared walls or a small place, you are probably more likely to structure your life so you can take your dog places compared to someone with a yard in the burbs and no shared walls/floors/ceilings. Dogs are far cheaper than kids and you don't need a separate bedroom for them in your house, so it's no shock that so many people have dogs.
That said, I think a lot of folks go into dog ownership thinking that they're like a cat and don't need extensive training beyond learning to scratch the door to go outside. And while not everyone loves dogs around, finding opportunities to bring the dogs around people and other dogs is so necessary for their socialization for everyone's health and safety.
My partner's family are giant breed rescue people. He has a Leonberger himself (165 lbs!), and his parents have a Newfie and an Anatolian shepherd - all rescues. My boyfriend splits his time between upstate NY (where his dog lives on the family farm most of the time) and here, but the dog only visits a few times a year because of the space issue (1 bedroom apartment, lots of green space but nowhere to go off-leash). The visits are good for him because he's become an unofficial therapy dog at my 91 year old grandmother's independent living facility and a patient participant in my niece and nephew's imaginary play.
One of the things we've found is that there are surprisingly few dog parks. We admittedly do go to empty athletics fields and let the dog run off leash because the closest dog park is 20-30 minutes away and even running full bore we could not keep up with a dog of the size. We go super early in the morning or in the evening when no one is there, and have found a few soccer or baseball fields that are maintained but don't seem to get much use. I think we've only ever run into someone else there once - and it was another dog owner with the same complaints.
This weighs on my mind a *lot* because my boyfriend is preparing to sell his business to move to Mass full time permanently at which point we hope to buy - and the dog will be coming with - but between interest rates and housing costs we will likely end up in a condo. I suspect we'll end up those people always with a dog in tow.
As a fellow giant breed owner, I'm always surprised at the number of people who assume i have a large home/large yard. I always joke that it doesn't matter because he's at my side no matter how large or small our space is. We do have a large yard, but it's very, very rare that I use it for any form of exercise. Our daily hikes are all in the woods at a nearby state park. I do conditioning daily, but I either work with my rehab specialist at her facility or I can condition at home--I rarely need much space for conditioning. For the sports we participate in (water rescue, draft work, competion obedience, etc.), I always utlize public space because I want him working in different environments as part of our training. Sure, I use the yard in a pinch, but it's rare. I could easily continue everything I do today if I suddenly had to move into a condo. Though people may not appreciate it so much if I had to do all of his grooming outside the condo building
Good points about a big yard. When people put dogs in the yard they might trot around a bit and sniff but for the most part they just lay down in the yard and gravitate towards the same spot. It's not like the dog will do laps on its own in the yard...the owner still needs to walk them to get exercise. Having a yard is convenient if you're in a hurry and don't have time to walk the dog at that moment but dog still needs to go the bathroom.
I am just surprised by all the different dogs that have been crossed with a poodle. Golden doodles are pretty popular too. I have also heard that people want a dog that doesn't shed and apparently some of these hybrid dogs don't.
With bernedoodles in particular, health can be a consideration. Bernese mountain dogs are incredibly sweet and great family pets, but they have perhaps the highest cancer rate of any breed. Cross-breeding with conscientious breeders can help limit some of the negative health health from a purebreed. Can, help, and limit all being operative words!
I've read that the first doodle was bred to be a seeing eye dog for a woman whose husband was allergic to dog hair. Because genetics are a fickle thing, not to mention the explosion of backyard doodle breeders, lots of doodles aren't actually hypoallergenic so I suspect lots of people get them now because they're so gosh darn cute.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NewfieMama
As a fellow giant breed owner, I'm always surprised at the number of people who assume i have a large home/large yard. I always joke that it doesn't matter because he's at my side no matter how large or small our space is. We do have a large yard, but it's very, very rare that I use it for any form of exercise. Our daily hikes are all in the woods at a nearby state park. I do conditioning daily, but I either work with my rehab specialist at her facility or I can condition at home--I rarely need much space for conditioning. For the sports we participate in (water rescue, draft work, competion obedience, etc.), I always utlize public space because I want him working in different environments as part of our training. Sure, I use the yard in a pinch, but it's rare. I could easily continue everything I do today if I suddenly had to move into a condo. Though people may not appreciate it so much if I had to do all of his grooming outside the condo building
The home doesn't need to be large (our big boys are like shadows too), but your downstairs neighbors may complain in a condo or apartment! My neighbors know when our leonberger is here, though they temper their complaints since I can hear their dog bark every time I close my door or go down the stairs.
This is likely a dog-by-dog sort of thing. When on the farm, the dogs spend a good chunk of the day running around the fields. They even figured out how to let themselves out to play or run around. When the leo is here, it does not matter how much we walk him, he will make his displeasure known if he can't run around chasing a ball for at least a few minutes! We tried a hike once. Trying to get a 165 pound dog to go home once he was done was the end of that. If it wouldn't be so difficult on his joints, I think riding a bike with him in tow would be a good solution.
But obviously not really an issue for most folks who consider a dog "big" at 70 or 80 pounds!
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.
If it wouldn't be so difficult on his joints, I think riding a bike with him in tow would be a good solution.
