OT: About Dogs

[psophia17]

The thread on labs has me thinking about dogs in general...

We are thinking about getting a dog this summer or fall. I grew up with a lab/shepherd mix, but that would be bigger than MIL will stand for (MIL hates dogs, and pets in general, but I don't care :D ).

I'll be walking 2+ miles w/ the kids, to and from pre-school, starting in September, and the dog will come with. On non-school days, we'll likely be outside a lot. The dog will have a house outside, and probably we'll have a dog-run or something, too, but will live/sleep in the house. The area we live in has tons of wild rabbits, and we supposedly have muskrats and some other kind of ditch-living rodent, along with tons and tons of birds. (This is, in fact, the only reason MIL is okay with the dog plan - she dislikes rodents more than dogs.) The current plan is to get a dog from a shelter or rescue, and I'm wondering what we should be looking at besides size since we'll likely end up with a mutt?

What should we be looking for as we get started looking?

[miki]

I think getting a pet from a shelter or rescue is a great thing to do but with small children around, you have to really know where those dogs have been. One of my two dogs came from a rescue years before we had DD. He was very young, about a year old, and had been abused. He would flinch at sudden movements near his head. He showed a good bit of fear-aggression type behavior, including biting, if he felt threatened. For instance, he once nipped my DH pretty hard when DH leaned in close to take a look at his ears. If he ever saw a dark colored dog that was larger than he was, he would just go berserk and start barking, snapping, etc. I would never have been able to walk him with a stroller because he got so wild whenever he'd see any big dark dog.

Years later, he is actually the one who is better with kids. But it did take years for him to get over some of his fears. It's one thing to get an 8 week old puppy who hasn't had much time around people. It's another thing to get one who is still a pup but older and may have acquired bad behaviors due from wherever home was before the shelter or foster home.

Good luck.

[bubbaray]

Most shelters in the Lower Mainland won't adopt out a dog that won't be living inside the house with its humans. They also want all humans in the house to be "on board" with getting a dog. So, you may need to deal with those issues first.

Personally, I'm of 2 minds with respect to dogs. I think with purebreds, you generally have a better chance of knowing what you are getting in the dog viz temperment. With a shelter dog, you kinda take your chances. On the flip side, I hate the idea of dogs sitting unwanted in shelters, it drives me nutty. An in between solution is dealing with a breed rescue group.

The biggest issue you need to deal with, however, is getting a dog that is good with kids. Puppies are a lot of work (see my posts in the lab thread) and an older dog would work better for you.

FWIW, I wouldn't get a dog to deal with rodents. I'd get a cat. My dog has a huge hate-on for squirrels, but is completely ineffective at catching them (thankfully!). The neighborhood cats do a much better job!

If you are looking for a lab or lab-mix from a rescue group, I highly recommend the BC Lab Club. http://www.bclab.com/breed2.htm

You can PM me for more info.


Melissa

DD#1: 04/2004

DD#2: 01/2007

[psophia17]

Thanks Wen :)

The plan, or at least the beginnings of it, has a shelter puppy at the heart of it. Our neighbor growing up rescued an abused dog, and I don't think that's something I want to risk while my kids are small.

[psophia17]

No worries on the outdoor dog front - the dog will be in the house for sure, except for when we're outside. We have tons of things to do to improve the exterior of the property, and likely the boys and I will spend most of the summer and fall outside working on that, and prepping for next year's gardening adventures, and the dog would be with us for that. It'll be a dog run if the fence isn't up before we get a dog, but one way or another the dog will eventually have run of both the yard and house.

I love labs, but I'm not really interested in having a retriever. There are too many rabbits and other critters that I do not want on the doorstep, iykwim. Maybe a herding dog would be better for us, I don't know. Neighbors of ours had a daschund years ago, and it was a wonderful family dog...I don't think DH would go for a weiner dog, though. I have no illusions about a dog getting rid of rodents, but MIL figures a dog might scare them away, which puts her in the "on board" side of things. I think once we get a cat, which is also part of the long term pet plan, MIL will have a conniption if it's an outdoor cat, bringing home treats...hee hee!

[StantonHyde]

I think Purina has a "dog selection" quiz on its website. I took it when deciding what dog to get and it really helped. It asks you questions about your lifestyle, activity level, and your ability to discipline etc. It is very helpful. The other website to try is the Golden Retriever Rescue website (google it). It has an excellent puppy temperment test. A friend used it to select a puppy and got a great one. I liked getting a dog from a rescue group because they could tell me about the dog (eg. they told me which of the ones they had not to get because they would not be good with kids.) That option worked better than just going hit or miss at the shelter. Though a shelter puppy would be ok--just the breed issue.

[kdeunc]

I just wanted to chime in about daschand. I had two of these dogs growing up and while I loved them dearly, both developed back problems (starting at about age 5) and their temperment changed due to pain. These are the only two dogs that have ever bitten me (and my mother who treated them like children!) They scare me a little around children. I now have German Shepards and love them but your MIL might have a fit with a 100lb dog around :) Good luck in the search!

[Momof3Labs]

We've never had a problem with our retrievers catching small animals in our yards, even with plenty of small animals to catch. You'd have to have a pretty fast dog (like a greyhound) for that - Labs are bred to retrieve birds after they have been shot, so speed isn't as much of an issue.

I'd start looking at rescue groups in your area that use foster homes. They will know the temperament of their dogs the best, far better than shelters (who usually have to rely on the info given to them by the owner dumping the pet). Though keep in mind that many won't adopt to a family with children under the age of 5yo, especially if the family doesn't have a lot of current dog experience.

You'll also likely have to get that dog run or fence up before you'll be approved for adoption. The downside of rescue groups is that they tend to be much pickier than shelters in placing their pets!

Finally, having a dog will likely reduce your rodent population, or at least shift it out of the dog's backyard. For example, rabbits won't usually want to build a nest where the dog hangs out.

ETA: To answer your question about what you should be looking at besides size, first and foremost is temperament (long before breed or size, IMO). Thus my recommendation to get a dog (preferably an adult, with a known temperament) from a rescue group that uses foster homes and matches families carefully with dogs.

[bubbaray]

I've never heard of a lab actually "catching" anything that's still living -- they aren't fast enough! As Lori said, they were bred to bring back shot ducks and other small waterfowl. If our dog hears a gunshot (which we don't hear in our neighborhood, but we do get the occasional backfiring car), he immediately looks up in the sky, wondering where the duck is going to fall. And, he leaves live ducks at lakes alone -- completely not interested unless they are falling from the sky.

IIRC weiner dogs are part of the terrier group, which was bred as "ratters" -- to de-rodent farms. I have no idea if they actually bring "gifts" like cats do, though.

A herding dog would drive me nuts, they do try to herd you when you walk or run with them. However, I know many people who LOVE their herding dogs in a family setting.

The CKC had a great dog quiz, but it seems to be out of commission right now. Maybe they will have it up and running again soon, as it was a great resource.
http://www.ckc.ca/en/Default.aspx?tabid=112

http://www.ckc.ca/en/Default.aspx?tabid=111



Melissa

DD#1: 04/2004

DD#2: 01/2007

[o_mom]

Our lab can't catch the squirrels in the yard - way too slow.

There is rarely a 'perfect' breed. I love labs, but will probably go with a less hairy breed next time. It will be hard to find that lab personality without the hair, though.

How about a beagle? Smaller size, but not a 'froo-froo' dog. Not as 'fragile' as some breeds. But, like I said, they can have their own issues - you just have to decide what you would put up with.

Greyhounds are great, too - need exercise, but not tons, short coats mean less hair, smaller than a lab. They can have serious issues though if they are track rejects (not all, but you need to screen carefully).

We actually are leaning toward a large poodle for the next one - no shedding, smart, etc. DH says as long as we don't give it a funky haircut he could live with it. ;-)

[Marisa6826]

Petra-

You might also want to consider 'retired' breeding or show dogs. They're usually only a few years old, and no longer are 'breedable'.

They are really wonderful pets, and most breeders will attest that they would love to keep them, but just simply don't have the room.

I love the thought of a shelter dog (in fact, we were there today 'visiting' kitty cats). However, so many of them have come from rough backgrounds. I'd be very hesitant to have them around very young children.

What about greyhound rescue? They are such sweet, sweet dogs.

-m

[elephantmeg]

we have an "SPCA special" beagle/collie mix (but small-about 25 lb-or at least was before DS started hand feeding her his lunch, sigh-now he only gets 3 peices at a time so he can't!) and we couldn't be happier with her but she was work at the begining. She was about a year old when we got her and we know nothing about her history prior to that. She had bad seperation anxiety issues but we worked with a behaviorist on that and she's been great. And since she was older she was quick to pick up on house training. Exercise was key at the begining and it sounds like you've got that covered. I think the muts make the best dogs, but that's just me :) I fell in love with her at the SPCA and just knew she was mine. DH gave in...

ETA we had her long before DS

[boogiemom]

Hi Petra!

I've been researching dog breeds for awhile and am looking for some of the same traits. I grew up with labs but wanted something a bit smaller and without that double coat (less fur = less shedding). I think we are going to buy a Mountain View Cur. It seems like the personalities are much the same as a lab, but there are some key differences. The have a single coat (less shedding), docked tails (those lab tails can really hurt and damage things on shelves, tables, etc. in the house), and are a bit smaller than a lab. You might want to check them out.

Good Luck in choosing your new family member! :) It's a big decision and I've been researching all different breeds for months now. Now I just need a lawn (we just built a new house) and a fence and we'll be ready to bring home a "baby".

[fortato]

We found our dog, Skippy, on Petfinder.com.
They had posted him as a Golden Retriever/Terrier Mix. He was a wonderful puppy, and has been the most amazing dog. (Oh and he's turned out to be more of a Golden Retriever/American Eskimo mix.)


I would check out petfinder...

[annasmom]

Petra,

I have been kind of sort of looking into dogs lately (we won't be ready for another year or 2), and one thing I wanted to mention to you is that many shelters will not let a family with young children adopt a dog. I have seen age requirements as old as 6!!! I don't know whether the shelters hold hard and fast to these rules, but it may be something you want to check out!

I would love, love, love to get a shelter dog, but am concerned because the last two shelter dogs adopted into my extended family have had some real "issues." But then again, a pure-breed that my brother adopted several years ago was down right aggressive and nasty, so you never know!!

[gina]

We had a great pair of mutts we got off of a farm. Free puppies sign was posted and we stopped. We got great dogs. We knew the mothers breed but not the father though. I am all for the mixed breed type. But we just had a 7yo at the time so no small kids.

Another breed to think about is border collie. We had a border collie mix when I was growing up and I LOVED that dog. Smart, fun, active, medium sized (not too big), and pretty too.

On the smaller side our neighbor has a jack russell and he is so sweet. We watch him all the time when they are gone and he visits us through the fence. They are supposed to be good snake dogs.

Gina

DD 15 yr Jade
DD 12 mo - Happy First Birthday Olivia!