Pets anyone?!

[Guest Debating]

Alright, an older dog it is then--I'm thinking somewhere in the range 8 mo-2 yrs. I think obedience training helps as well... the lab-chow mix I was taking care of over the summer had had obedience training, but without her owner and she was one stubborn dog (combine that with being snappy and mean on the chow side and you get trouble).

ealc, I read about Shiba Inu's because it was one of the breeds I was considering, but saw they don't generally do very well with kids or when left alone. Do you feel that applies to you dog at all? I find it amusing to see how they try to generalize about a breed, but each individual dog is just that--an individual, so generalizations don't work too well.

[ealc]

ealc, I read about Shiba Inu's because it was one of the breeds I was considering, but saw they don't generally do very well with kids or when left alone. Do you feel that applies to you dog at all? I find it amusing to see how they try to generalize about a breed, but each individual dog is just that--an individual, so generalizations don't work too well.

Well, Shibas chew. That's one generalization I've found to be true. He's chewed wallpaper, chair legs, pillows, plastic clothespins, air conditioner cords, and once he got into the trash can and swallowed a few mouthfuls of coffee grounds, resulting in a trip to the veterinary emergency room. That was a mistake that will not be repeated, neither on his end nor ours!

Since that incident, he's had relatively high separation anxiety. We have to leave decoy paper boxes around the house, because we KNOW he's going to shred SOMETHING to bits and it might as well be something we don't want. Yes, we leave him tons of toys. Yes, I've thought about crate-training him, but my boyfriend refuses. Anyway, we've currently got an excellent schedule where neither of us are away from home for much more than 4 hours at a time. Whether or not that feeds into his separation anxiety (are we home too much?) or helps (he knows we'll be home soon?), I don't know. Short answer, he doesn't do so well on his own.

As for kids and other small animals, he actually does quite well with them. Shibas (and Beagles) are supposed to have strong prey drives, and therefore are no good with cats or gerbils or other small pets, but it really depends on the dog and how much exposure/experience they've had. With kids, part of it is teaching kids to be dog-savvy, as well... What animal WOULDN'T get upset if a little child was trying to touch its eyeballs or pull its curly tail?? Sure, an animal MUST be trained to restrain itself, but kids need to be cautioned, as well. I don't plan on having children, so it's not an issue for me, but we've taken our dog to work specifically to exposed him to kids (I teach English to elementary school-aged children). He's proven to be unusually patient with kids and critters, so I'm looking forward to adding a feline member to the family after we move. =)

The best thing I've found about my Shiba, which matches generalizations -- he's a very quiet dog, and will only speak when "necessary". He hardly ever barks, seldom whimpers, and even though he hates it when we leave him alone, he doesn't make a peep when we're gone (as far as the neighbors and I know). I've kept him crated on bus rides several hours long, and he didn't make a single sound. I think this contributes to their reputation as good apartment dogs.

Sorry I get carried away when posting about my dog. :oops:

[Guest Debating]

Well I'm no longer debating where I'll be going and have decided on UMass. This is related because now I can figure out the housing situation and then start working with the beagle rescue group and find a dog!!!

I'm incredibly excited and even the prospect of having my shoes chewed doesn't scare me! ...actually, it terrifies me, I imagine my shoes will have their separate home.

Now I can go and pester everyone at the Meet and Greet forum to find out how pet-friendly Western Massachusetts is 8)

Any advice on training an adult dog as opposed to a puppy besides obedience training? Everyday things I can do to make it smoother for the dog in its new home? I imagine it will be freaked out by the change.

[shellybe]

my pup has been very stressed out lately from packing and moving. poor guy doesn't know what's going on. then he was really confused when we took him into the new apartment with all of our old stuff. he was sniffing all around wondering how that happened.

i guess he likes it ok, but he hated the 7 hour car ride. as did I.

[PETRAL6]

Yeah.... not too excited about a 6 hour drive with a whiny beagle. Maybe i'll drug him or run him around for hours before I put him in the cage in the car. He won't just sit still in the car and likes to try ot sit in my lap and cause me to wreck if I don't cage him, and if I do he whines so loud even the radio doesn't dorwn him out. *sigh* Maybe I'll make him ride in my dads car

[shellybe]

my dog's not quite that bad. he tries to climb onto the driver's lap but only once and then we tell him no and he stops. but he does climb back and forth from the front to the back and really irritates the passenger, which was me half of the time. and after 6 hours in the uhaul i suddenly decided that if the airbag deployed, my dog would be decapitated so i wouldn't let him sit on my lap any more and he was so sad. better sad than headless, i say.

[DespSeekPhd]

Guys, I'd point out that you might want to be in school for about a year before you even think about getting a new dog. First, you have no idea until after teh first semester how much time you'll have. All dogs are pretty social - they need people and attention and aren't generally happy when left alone all day. if you have apuppy and it grows into an adult dog with you and is really secure with you, that's a bit different. But puppies (dogs are considered puppies until age 2) cannot be left alone for long period of time, it's really bad for their socialization. And rescue dogs, although theyare adults, have insecurities because most have been abandoned. If you leave them alone all day, they relive that feeling.

If you get though your first year and think you'll have the time, get a dog at the beginning of the summer so the dog can bond with you and become comfortable with your house. You just won't be around enough during the school year to do this, but if you are home more during the summer (as is likely), you can bond appropriately. Dogs who are left alone too much (and "too much" can really depend on the dog - it can mean 8 hours or 15 minutes) can develop separation anxiety, become destructive, and develop all kinds off fun habits that will take you years to break (like gettting into your trash for a mid-afternoon snack - I have a friend whose dog still does this unless she watches like a hawk - and it's been YEARS.

The cat idea was the best - they just aren't as socially needy. If you're allergic, get a hamster, rabbit, or something else. We have a Siberian husky puppy (8 months), but I've been home all day since we got him in December, and for my MA program I'm only really going to be gone maybe 3 hours at a time, which he can handle. Library time I can schedule when my husband is home.

BTW, purebreds are not necessarily less healthy than mutts - it depends on where you get the dog. We got ours from a reputable breeder, because I know huskies are great with kids and I know their personalities well. A purebred puppy was the best way for me to guarantee that the husky temperment was what I would get. Reputable breeders don't inbreed so much, and they screen for genetic disorders before breeding. Plus, a mutt can get some terrible disorders if it's something genetically dominant, because you just don't know where the heck he came from. If you get a dog, be sure you can afford ALL the vet bills - because man, it can get expensive. I highly recommend pet insurance.

[daseinplushie]

I have two cats and two turtles. My fiancee and I have been talking about getting a pug for a long time, but we want to see what sort of place we get in Milwaukee first. It's a little easier for us, since he has a home office and therefore, there would usually be someone around the house for the pug...but we still don't want to get a pug unless we know we're going to have a yard.

[TMP]

Anyone have experience of bringing a dog with you to grad school? I have an older golden retriever who is absolutely loyal to me. Let me put it this way- I don't believe a damn thing that my parents say about her- not walking well on the leash, occasional mess in the house, being whiny/needy, etc, etc. Whenever I'm home, she's a perfect angel and sits quietly under my feet. Weird, I know. But she's a rescue dog and I basically trained her and took care of her through middle school and high school.

So I've had enough with my parents' complaints (though Mom does enjoy having my dog around) and I know that my dog would much rather be with me. I'd like to take her with me to grad school. Yes, she might have to live in a smaller place without a yard for a change but she loves her walks (because she's with somebody!) and much less active than she was two years ago. How has it been for other people, especially when changing the dog's environment? My parents already leave her alone all day (from 8 to 5:30) so she doesn't mind much (though she'd kinda like someone to be home every now and then). So that's not much of an issue as it woudl be for a new puppy.

Also I already plan on getting a puppy while in grad school but judging from the posts, it would definitely make better sense for me to wait until after my first year. But now I have a well-trained and behaved dog... how is that different? Thanks!

[rising_star]

It's different because puppies need to be let out far more often and you have to have the time to properly train and socialize them. A puppy 2 months old shouldn't go more than 2-2.5 hours without a potty break. Plus, they need to be on a very regular schedule... eat/drink then outside 30 min later to do their business. I think if you really want a puppy, get a slightly older one from a rescue group or SPCA, particularly one that fosters the dogs in homes so that someone has already started housebreaking the dog/housebroken it and crate-trained it. As someone who fostered an 8 month old, not housebroken puppy for a month, I have to say that if we didn't take her out every 2 hours, she'd pee in the house. Plus she wasn't used to being left alone so she was destructive when alone and not crated and tried to destroy her crate (and managed to while on a home visit with a potential adopter).

[XtraTuf]

To the OP:I think your first dog should be an adult. That is unless you have a lot of experience with dogs already.

My boyfriend and I have extensive experience dog sitting and dog walking and our first dog will still be an adult. We're trying to get one from a shelter, but there aren't a lot of dogs and we're trying to be patient in order to get one that's a good match.

Puppies take more time and need to be properly socialized and trained. Since I bus to work and he bikes or drives and though our work schedules differ enough that a dog wouldn't be alone for too long neither of us can come home at lunch. It's hard to spend enough time with a puppy unless you live really close to where you work.

[MDLee]

I adopted two cats last semester because living on my own was ridiculous. I got a brother/sister because during the semester I'm gone about 18 hours a day sometimes and didn't want them to be lonely. They keep each other company and I spend lots of time with them on weekends. It works out. Pets are a huge plus if you can afford them. I got my cats as kittens and everyone said it would be "so hard" to do grad school and baby animals. They fibbed. Its not hard, you just have to be diligent with it.

The benefits of pet ownership WAY outweigh the costs.

[MDLee]

Not only do I not like cats, but my significant other is allergic to them. Which to an extent is a good thing because otherwise he'd want one . I see where you're coming from, I'm just not a cat person myself.

I'm not a cat person. I went cats because I live in a very tiny space. I picked the only two cats I found that weren't aloof little jerks. Ended up with two that have grown up to almost be little dogs (they're hilarious). If you have enough space for a puppy--do it. As long as someone will be home periodically to check on them and play with them you won't need to get two. If not--get two. Its not that much extra time/money/space to have two (depending on your breed) and they keep each other occupied while you're busy.

[pepper84]

I agree with many posters here that a lack of dog experience combined with a somewhat frenetic time schedule lends itself much more to adopting a young or adult dog (8 mo.+). And whatever the OP does, if you so choose to adopt a dog, please, please, please go to your local shelter. Where I volunteer, we get 30+ dogs a day, for a shelter that holds about 60 dogs. Fortunately, many of these dogs are claimed within the same day (runaways), but as you can imagine, overcrowding is a major problem. We do our best to find homes for every adoptable dog, but with 7 million homeless animals, this problem isn't going away. Do your research, ask the shelter staff questions and I promise, you will adopt a lovely, lovely animal.

[lyonessrampant]

Hi! My husband and I adopted a rescue shelter dog. He was about 7 months old when we got him. He'd been abused and has had some serious attachment issues. However, he is the best dog in the whole wide world (in my opinion)! We got him while my husband was a 1L (law school) and I was finishing up my MA. It was pretty hard because he required a lot of attention and love. However, once the summer came, we went to doggie school (I'd really recommend that for ANYONE whether you buy a puppy from a breeder or adopt a dog) and the time, attention, and love we've invested in our little Sidney (named after Sir Philip Sidney one of my favorite writers) has made him into a wonderful dog. He travels very well (we've driven from Chicago to MOntana a couple times and from Montana to Kansas and back as well as lots of shorter trips). He does okay being left at home for a day at most, but does much better if he isn't alone for more than 4-6 hours. He is a big responsibility, but the rewards of having him far outweigh the costs. I'd recommend adopting before you start school so you can work on training and establishing a relationship before you have to be in class. Also, make sure to take time for your puppy. I find Sidney to be a relief/therapy when stressed, but when you're really busy, it can be easy to short your dog attention/exercise. Sidney is a terrier-poodle mix, so he has LOTS of energy and needs lots of love. If you get a beagle, you'll find that they're a bit more sedate than my boy (one of his best doggie friends is a beagle named Baxter) but they'll still need pretty regular exercise. Again, I firmly believe the dog is totally worth the cost, but be prepared for the time required, the difficulty at times of finding a place to live, and the extra responsibility. Good luck!