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Need Advice About Getting A Dog

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Re: Need Advice About Getting A Dog

  • My mom has German Shepherds. They are rotten, sweet babies. I loooove them. PICS BECAUSE DOGS. 

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    Ooh, they look vicious!

    Lemme snuggllllleeee!
  • I think op should not get a dog at all. As has been stated already, any dog can potentially hurt a cat. If you're that scared and unsure then you just shouldn't do it because it sounds like you will always be on edge and never trust it, and that IS a recipe for disaster.

    Also be nice to ashley!!!!

    I can see what you're saying... it's definitely not something I'm taking lightly.  I really am so protective of my cat that I would need to be really sure about the dog... which is why I'm warming up the idea of trying to adopt through someone who fosters like PP mentioned, because that might be the best way to truly get to know the dog before making a commitment.  That was a really great suggestion.

    Not to be a bitch but since you brought it up, Ashley is easily the most confrontational, abrasive, unpleasant person on these boards (and for the record, I truly like the vast majority of people here and find them to be super helpful) sooooo... honestly I'd just be happy to stay away from each other.  Sorry not sorry.  
  • littlepep said:

    My mom has German Shepherds. They are rotten, sweet babies. I loooove them. PICS BECAUSE DOGS. 


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    OMG he (she?) is gorgeous!  I am so obsessed with these dogs.  
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    Yeah starting a sentence with, "Not trying to be a bitch, but..." is like when people say, "I'm not a racist, but..."
    But I have black friends!
  • doeydo said:

    In my experience, it is actually smaller dogs that have been more aggressive.  I think I remember reading some statistics on dog bites, and most come from smaller breeds such as chihuahuas.  I believe it is because the owners just don't seem to care what a small dog does when he or she shows dominant and aggressive behaviour because the dog is "so small and cute" so why bother to actually train your dog or do anything other than feed and play with him or her?  

    Anyways, no matter what the breed, I would get a dog that a shelter says is "good with cats, dogs, and kids" or something like that.  I would also spend time with the dog to make sure they have a calm and submissive personality (you can get a more dominant dog, they just require a stronger/more effective owner).  
    Also, puppies are super cute, but they need a lot of training and are not very snuggle-y (at least not the ones I have known, they've been extremely active and get into everything).  As long as you get a dog that is relatively well trained (also already potty trained, etc.) what is the harm? 
    Yeah I can definitely see that, I have also known some MEAN chihuahuas... and it's exactly like you said, it's because their owners just ignore that behavior.  

    I think you're right also about maybe looking at older dogs... out of everything on my list, that is definitely the one I'm most willing to sacrifice.  Someone else made a good point about being able to read their personalities better once their older too.
  • Have you tried pet finder.com ? You can dogs from all kinds of rescues in your area and specifically search for dogs that get along with cats. 
    I understand your concerns with adopting a dog. I love my pup more than anything but he did come with unusual quirks because of his time he spent in bad situations before I had him. (He can't stand the smell of oranges and will growl at them... weird things like that..) He is a lab and pitt mix and I did notice he was more aggressive than the lab I owned previously but I just figured that was due to his previous living situations. Now that he's attended obedience lessons and been in a safe home the aggressiveness is no longer an issue... I hope that helps! :) 
  • Have you tried pet finder.com ? You can dogs from all kinds of rescues in your area and specifically search for dogs that get along with cats. 

    I understand your concerns with adopting a dog. I love my pup more than anything but he did come with unusual quirks because of his time he spent in bad situations before I had him. (He can't stand the smell of oranges and will growl at them... weird things like that..) He is a lab and pitt mix and I did notice he was more aggressive than the lab I owned previously but I just figured that was due to his previous living situations. Now that he's attended obedience lessons and been in a safe home the aggressiveness is no longer an issue... I hope that helps! :) 
    HA that just made me laugh for real... though you're right that could be something to keep an eye on if it progresses but just having a vendetta against oranges is kind of hilarious.  

    I've looked at petfinder a little bit but I've been mainly looking at the shelter web pages themselves so that is something to explore more!
  • I'm sorry but I've known too many families who have had bad things happen with their dogs to believe that dogs are only aggressive if you train them to be aggressive.  The reality is, sometimes dogs just get "riled up" and accidentally bite or kill things.  It really isn't even "aggression" because to the dog it's like an extension of "playing"- it's not their fault.  

    A close childhood friend of mine had a wonder husky who they raised from a puppy and who always got along beautifully with their cat.  Until one day my friend's parents we sitting in bed watching TV and getting ready to go to sleep, and the dog brought in the cat, dead in its mouth, as a "present" (like dogs sometimes do), with completely no comprehension that it had done anything wrong.  These people certainly hadn't treated the dog in any way to make it aggressive, and the dog certainly wasn't acting maliciously.  But it probably just got to chasing the cat around and took it too far.  If you can't tell, this incident is a large part of what makes me so cautious about this decision!

    Basically every book/website/breeder says certain types of dogs should not be kept with small animals because they have a natural prey drive that will kick in... so I don't really know where you're getting your info from because I think that fact is pretty established.  

    We got a dog from a rescue organization, and it pretty much meets all your criteria. He's about 45 pounds at 9 months old, he's a border collie lab mix. We don't have a cat, but my parents do, and he's gone over there and been absolutely fine with her. We're more concerned that the cat would scratch the dog than the dog hurting the cat. 

    Not sure where you are located, but there were tons of lab mixes at the rescue. How it worked for us, was once we were approved to adopt we just kept checking the website until we saw a dog we liked. We contacted them and said we were interested in puppy X and they put a hold on him. Our dog is from Tennessee but we live in Massachusetts. They brought him up once he was old enough. They quarantined him for a couple days and then we brought him home.

    I'm a big believer in that it's more the owners than the breed that determine how aggressive a dog will be. Pitbulls get a really bad rap. I know tons of people with Pitbulls or Rottweilers and they are so friendly. It's how they are trained, and if you train him/her well, most likely they will be fine. 

    A co worker of mine had to get rid of their Irish setter because he attacked his son. His son pulled the dog's ears or tail or something. Any animal can be aggressive when they are cornered. 
    That's a really good point, it'd probably help a lot to get in the system before there's actually a dog we want so we can move quickly if the right pup comes along... how did you come across a puppy that was in a shelter so far away from your state though?  I have only been looking at in-state shelters and rescues because I assumed transport wouldn't be feasible.  

    The rescue organization was in Massachusetts, they get the dogs from the south. From what I heard from my friend who used to live in Tennessee, there are a lot more stray dogs down there than in the Northeast, and more kill shelters. 

    Our dog was in a foster home in Tennessee with his brothers. So the rescue rescues the dogs, keep them in foster homes until someone wants them. If they aren't adopted after a certain amount of time then they bring them up to Massachusetts anyway, and keep them in the shelter, and have open houses and promote the dogs that have been waiting the longest. I can't speak for other shelters, but this is how one of the ones here worked. 

    That story about your friends cat that was killed by the dog could happen with any breed. 
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  • HA that just made me laugh for real... though you're right that could be something to keep an eye on if it progresses but just having a vendetta against oranges is kind of hilarious.  

    I've looked at petfinder a little bit but I've been mainly looking at the shelter web pages themselves so that is something to explore more!
    Yeah it was a sort of interesting at first. Now I just don't use any orange scented cleaning products and don't eat oranges at home anymore.... He's special..I love that dog.
  • I've got basset hounds.  They're awesome.  HOWEVER, despite being the same breed, they have VERY different personalities.  FI got our older guy, Deacon, as a puppy 10 years ago.  We got our "puppy" Winnie, about a year and a half ago, she'll be 2 in August.  Despite the fact they were/are raised the same way, they act very different.  Winnie is a pretty hyper dog, loves to run and jump and play, Deacon likes to just hang out.  FI said he's always been that way, it's not just because he's old.  Winnie is also a bit skittish... she's scared of a lot of stuff, like children, stuffed animals, shadows/anything dark colored (yes even a sweater on the floor) and sudden movements, where as Deacon gives zero fucks (I've only seen him scared of one cat ever).

    That being said, they're both not aggressive at all.  We had friends over on Saturday and one of them has 10 month old.  He was sitting on the floor, Deacon wanders over to him, baby tugs on his ear a bit, pets him, and then Deacon licks his face and walks away LOL

    So yeah, breed, training, etc. doesn't always tell the whole story about a dog's personality.  Just like people, they're born with certain traits and you never quite know what you're going to get.  
    Married 9.12.15
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  • I can see what you're saying... it's definitely not something I'm taking lightly.  I really am so protective of my cat that I would need to be really sure about the dog... which is why I'm warming up the idea of trying to adopt through someone who fosters like PP mentioned, because that might be the best way to truly get to know the dog before making a commitment.  That was a really great suggestion.

    Not to be a bitch but since you brought it up, Ashley is easily the most confrontational, abrasive, unpleasant person on these boards (and for the record, I truly like the vast majority of people here and find them to be super helpful) sooooo... honestly I'd just be happy to stay away from each other.  Sorry not sorry.  


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  • And yes, getting dogs that were fostered really helps.  My elle was fostered for 6 weeks so they really knew her personality (although she's definitely become even more outgoing with me in just a month than she was with the fosters due to my neighborhood having way more dogs and people) and it helps so so much.  Plus most fosters have other animals whether it's dogs or cats so you have a better idea of how they might react.


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  • anjemonanjemon member
    500 Love Its 500 Comments Third Anniversary Name Dropper
    lyndausvi said:

    DH has an employee who last year one day after seeing an ad somewhere decided to drive 4 hours to get a 5 WEEK old Rottie.   5 fucking weeks old.  You know, because "I've always wanted one."


    He brought the Rocky home to a studio (they have since moved up to a 1 bedroom - says with a little sarcasm).    They live in employee housing.  Which I would describe as like the employee housing in Dirty Dancing.  A bunch small cabins, everyone sitting outside socializing.  A few dogs running round.  There are no fences. The dogs can run around the other houses, they do not have a lot of open space.

    His wife I would describe as a definition of the word "lady" based on the now famous thread.   Dainty, meek, not very strong (physically or personality).

    By the time Rocky hit 6 months the wife could not walk him anymore.   He was just too powerful for her.   He was getting aggressive to other dogs in the employee housing area.  He was acting up in the house.

    Last month they took a month long vacation and put Rocky in a boarding/training place. (step in the right direction).  The place said Rocky did great.  Even around other dogs.

     They picked up Rocky and he was following commands okay.   But within 24 hours back in employee housing he went back to be aggressive to some of the dogs in employee housing.  

    The employee is a pretty nice, calm guy.  He isn't aggressive himself.  I just think neither him or his wife are strong masters.   Dogs are not stupid, if they can get away with something they will.  If they are around a strong master then they are kept in check.   If they are not, then they will become the pack leader. 

    My point to this story is I would much rather OP come in being honest with their wants and needs.  Recognize they might not be the best fit for a dog who needs a stronger master. Instead of being like this couple who just nilly-willy woke up one day and answered an ad for a Rottie because "I've always wanted one".  

    Our neighbors have a Rottie.  Super sweet dog.  Very good with our dogs.  However, those owners are strong masters. 

    I know for a fact not all "aggressive dogs" are indeed aggressive .  I also know that they need a strong owner.  I would rather someone decide they don't want those types of dogs because they think it's aggressive, then have the nilly-willy owner get something like a pit because it's cool.     The ones who do not recognize those potential traits and keep them in check are the asshole owners in my opinion.  Not the ones who are at least smart enough to realize it's not a good fit for themselves (even though their reasoning is flawed).
    This. Rotties were going to be my example. I have read a lot on Rotties because I really want one, and they are definitely dogs where you need to be a strong master. They are smart and headstrong. So while they're not "aggressive", they'll do more aggressive things if you let them get away with it. Which is why I don't have one yet, I want to make sure I can properly train one when I get it. Also I don't think H loves the idea of bigger dogs. But I may eventually convince him.

    I also pretty firmly believe in breed traits being more likely to occur. My parents had a Rat Terrier growing up. That dog LOVED to chase squirrels, chipmunks, anything tiny that ran. It didn't care to attack other dogs or cats, it was great with kids and babies. The "attack tiny things" instinct was really strong in her and we never trained it out of her (no need). One time I brought the class rat home from school, and boy did that dog love watching the rat in the cage. So although I believe that different dogs have different temperaments and you can't rely on breed traits when picking a dog, those traits are more likely to occur than some other personality traits.
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  • Not trying to derail the OP, but is there a breed that doesn't take a very strong owner? I'm willing to put in the work with training, but when push comes to shove, well, I'm a push over at times. H and I have been looking at adopting for awhile now but haven't decided. 


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