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Need Advice About Getting A Dog

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Re: Need Advice About Getting A Dog

  • 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. 

    I'm not really sure there is. Dogs are pack animals, so they like to know their place in the pack. With good training, dog will know that the human is at the top of the pack. Some breeds will be better about it than others breeds who will see if there is any wiggle room.
  • I have a Western Highland Terrier, about 15-20 pounds. This breed has been trained to go into rabbit and fox holes and be pulled from their tails out of said holes. They are hunters. My Westie is a total cuddle baby and she is terrified of smaller animals (ie. rabbits, hamsters, other small dogs). 

    My brother has a Westie. He loves to try to find the rabbits in my yard (they build nests) and go after squirrels and doesn't do well sitting still. Completely different personalities, but same breed and size. 

    Personalities depends on the dogs themselves. Most of the time, breeds don't even come into play. I know plenty of bigger breeds that think they are lap dogs and try to sit on your lap, but end up falling off. For you, I recommend looking at fostered dogs to get an idea of personalities and to see if they do well around other animals. Otherwise, if your cat is more important, then hold off getting a dog. Especially a puppy since their personalities don't show yet. 
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  • I'm joining the "OP probably shouldn't get a dog at all" camp. Based on your posts, I really don't think you know what you're getting yourself into. I agree with a PP (don't remember who) that your personality/age/weight/breed/etc. requirements are insanely specific, especially with a small puppy that you probably won't know much about.


    Honestly, IF you get a dog, personally I think your best option would be to get an adult rescue, preferably from a foster in a home that has cats. The foster parents would have an excellent idea of the dog's personality and how it interacts with cats. But since you've completely discounted so many breeds and mixes, it's going to be much harder to find a rescue that fits the bill. If you're diligent in searching petfinder.com you can find one, but just know that puppies in particular may be somewhat unpredictable, if for no other reason than that the foster just hasn't had the same opportunity to experience the puppy's specific behavior or personality when they're likely taking care of an entire litter, plus any other animals in their home.

    If we're going by anecdotal evidence, dachshunds are clearly the most aggressive breed because the dachshund in my building has tried to bite me and/or my pup probably a dozen times. Like legitimately growling and lunching and gnashing his teeth at us and getting as close as his leash will allow.

    Also, eff the concept of "bully breeds." It's so fucking ridiculous I could scream. And people who believe it (along with irresponsible breeders and owners) are the reason thousands of amazing dogs are killed in shelters every single year.
    Absolutely yes to all of this. (Except that my Dachshund-Pit is the sweetest lol) 
  • littlepep said:

    UGH German Shepherd puppies are the cutest! Little fluffy bears. 
    They really are. He looks like a little ewok!
  • True story about my buddy Jake (that I posted pics of). He is a 95-pound German Shepherd. Before my mom lived closer, I would take my two 6-pound cats with me when I would come home for the holidays. Jake LOVES those cats. He would creep down real low so he wouldn't scare them and be real gentle when he tried to sniff them. Every night we would say "Jake go so goodnight to the kitties!" and he would run up to my room to look for them. It never even crossed my mind to think that he would hurt them. 

    We frequently have dogs visiting our house. Some ignore the cats, which they prefer. Some try to get in their face and smell them. My cats promptly hiss and smack the dog in the face. The dog quickly retreats. 

    Not the case for every cat and dog of course, but I've learned that it's more about the cat and the dog's individual personalities. Some bigger dogs are sweet, gentle and scared of my cats. Some of the tiniest dogs are the ones that want to get all up in their face.

    I too don't think you should get a dog. It's going to be really hard to know the dog's personality from just one or two meetings. If I could clone my friend's dog, we would have one in a heartbeat because she's perfectly sweet and gets along great with my cats. But we can't know that another dog will be the same so we aren't getting a dog. (Also, according to FI, I am at my creature limit with two. LAME.)
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  • I'm joining the "OP probably shouldn't get a dog at all" camp. Based on your posts, I really don't think you know what you're getting yourself into. I agree with a PP (don't remember who) that your personality/age/weight/breed/etc. requirements are insanely specific, especially with a small puppy that you probably won't know much about.


    Honestly, IF you get a dog, personally I think your best option would be to get an adult rescue, preferably from a foster in a home that has cats. The foster parents would have an excellent idea of the dog's personality and how it interacts with cats. But since you've completely discounted so many breeds and mixes, it's going to be much harder to find a rescue that fits the bill. If you're diligent in searching petfinder.com you can find one, but just know that puppies in particular may be somewhat unpredictable, if for no other reason than that the foster just hasn't had the same opportunity to experience the puppy's specific behavior or personality when they're likely taking care of an entire litter, plus any other animals in their home.

    If we're going by anecdotal evidence, dachshunds are clearly the most aggressive breed because the dachshund in my building has tried to bite me and/or my pup probably a dozen times. Like legitimately growling and lunching and gnashing his teeth at us and getting as close as his leash will allow.

    Also, eff the concept of "bully breeds." It's so fucking ridiculous I could scream. And people who believe it (along with irresponsible breeders and owners) are the reason thousands of amazing dogs are killed in shelters every single year.
    In 1998, bull dogs were banned in some states. In 2007, it was Rottweilers. Most common throughout the years are pit bulls. As you can see, OP, "bully breeds" change because people can't make up their minds about what a "bully breed" truly is. And the media loves to show only certain dog attacks, like pitties, even though I have met some of the friendliest pitties ever. 

    I encourage you to look past that term and look at personalities. Chihuahuas can be terrifying or adorable. Siberians can be strong or big cuddle buddies, usually both. Fox Wire Terriers can outrun you so easily, even though they are 25 lbs. Look more at personalities rather than breeds. There could be a wonderful dog for you if you opened your mind more and got rid of the narrow list you made. 
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  • emmaaaemmaaa mod
    Moderator 2500 Comments 500 Love Its Fourth Anniversary
    edited May 2015
    I don't think there is anything wrong in being specific with what you're looking for in a pet. If you want a specific breed and you want a puppy, you most likely should look into a reputable breeder. Just be extra careful with which breeder you choose, I'm not going to lecture you on puppy mills and abusive breeders.

    I will say, I have 3 mutts. All larger dogs. One is 5 years old (70 pounds, golden retriever/lab mix), one is 4 years old (40 pounds, Australian Shepherd/lab mix), and one is 3 years old (golden retriever/lab mix, 100 pounds). Mutts have far fewer health issues as full breeds do and better temperaments. 

    The golden/labs are so friendly to everyone (other dogs, people, our cat) unless given a reason not to be. But they were super hyper until they were about 3 (the 3 year old still acts like a puppy). The shepherd mix is a little bitch. I love her but she is. She barks at everyone and everything. She only like our dogs. She is fine with the cat but tries to herd her, which the cat doesn't like, haha. It takes her longer to warm up to people. She has never bit anyone, she's just all mouth. I  love that she is so protective over us and her territory, she is the alpha at our house. She calmed down by the time she was 2, if not before, and is a super chill dog.

    If you are responsible in finding a breeder to find a puppy that you identify with in a master/dog role, then you can find the perfect pet for your home (not saying you can't in a shelter either). Just keep looking at different rescues and shelters to find what you're looking for and if that doesn't work, you can always move on to a breeder.

    ETA: Just remember, dogs are animals and things can happen regardless of breed and/or training.

  • Growing up we had a dog that was a lab/chow mix from our best guess (a friend found her wandering in the streets).  She was the sweetest and most loving dog to us.  A couple times though, her chow-ness showed through, once was one time in the middle of the day, my mom and I happened to be home (when we usually weren't), and the guy came to service the pool, and she wouldn't let him in the yard.  He said he had never had that problem before, and we figured it was because we were home, she was being protective.  The other time was during a rainstorm at night and I went into the backyard to bring them into the garage (our two dogs lived outside, horrors, I know, but this was California and they didn't like being inside), and I had a hood on.  Right when I walked out she started growling at me, but once I took the hood off and she saw it was me, she was fine.

    So yeah, another example of even the sweetest dog can be aggressive if they feel the need to, and you should be prepared to deal with that, with ANY breed of ANY size.  The biggest asshole dog I ever knew was a dachshund (and no not saying all doxies are mean, just this one was). 

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  • tcnobletcnoble member
    1000 Comments 500 Love Its First Anniversary First Answer
    I'm confused because the OP has eliminated some large-breeds, along the bully lines, but then told a story about a Husky killing a cat....??

    For the record - ANY DOG CAN BE AGGRESSIVE. It's the nature of an animal that isn't a robot. My first puppy that I bought and raised was a Lhasa Apso. Sure, little dogs can be nippy, but I worked REALLY hard to get him trained, socialized, etc. and he was a great little dog! And then one day when he was five years old my sister was holding him, like she always did, and he damn near ripped her bottom lip off.

    There was no "prey drive" or "aggressive instinct" hiding in him. He's a dog. And he decided that day to be an asshole, despite how hard I worked to make him not an asshole. 

    It's great to be concerned about your cat - that's being a responsible pet owner in itself. But if you are THAT worried about a dog that could snap and kill the cat, you might not be suited to a dog.
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  • littlepep said:

    True story about my buddy Jake (that I posted pics of). He is a 95-pound German Shepherd. Before my mom lived closer, I would take my two 6-pound cats with me when I would come home for the holidays. Jake LOVES those cats. He would creep down real low so he wouldn't scare them and be real gentle when he tried to sniff them. Every night we would say "Jake go so goodnight to the kitties!" and he would run up to my room to look for them. It never even crossed my mind to think that he would hurt them. 


    We frequently have dogs visiting our house. Some ignore the cats, which they prefer. Some try to get in their face and smell them. My cats promptly hiss and smack the dog in the face. The dog quickly retreats. 

    Not the case for every cat and dog of course, but I've learned that it's more about the cat and the dog's individual personalities. Some bigger dogs are sweet, gentle and scared of my cats. Some of the tiniest dogs are the ones that want to get all up in their face.

    I too don't think you should get a dog. It's going to be really hard to know the dog's personality from just one or two meetings. If I could clone my friend's dog, we would have one in a heartbeat because she's perfectly sweet and gets along great with my cats. But we can't know that another dog will be the same so we aren't getting a dog. (Also, according to FI, I am at my creature limit with two. LAME.)

    This is the most presh thing I've ever heard in my life.

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  • I'm joining the "OP probably shouldn't get a dog at all" camp. Based on your posts, I really don't think you know what you're getting yourself into. I agree with a PP (don't remember who) that your personality/age/weight/breed/etc. requirements are insanely specific, especially with a small puppy that you probably won't know much about.


    Honestly, IF you get a dog, personally I think your best option would be to get an adult rescue, preferably from a foster in a home that has cats. The foster parents would have an excellent idea of the dog's personality and how it interacts with cats. But since you've completely discounted so many breeds and mixes, it's going to be much harder to find a rescue that fits the bill. If you're diligent in searching petfinder.com you can find one, but just know that puppies in particular may be somewhat unpredictable, if for no other reason than that the foster just hasn't had the same opportunity to experience the puppy's specific behavior or personality when they're likely taking care of an entire litter, plus any other animals in their home.

    If we're going by anecdotal evidence, dachshunds are clearly the most aggressive breed because the dachshund in my building has tried to bite me and/or my pup probably a dozen times. Like legitimately growling and lunching and gnashing his teeth at us and getting as close as his leash will allow.

    Also, eff the concept of "bully breeds." It's so fucking ridiculous I could scream. And people who believe it (along with irresponsible breeders and owners) are the reason thousands of amazing dogs are killed in shelters every single year.



    Seconding this so much. I wanted to respond but I didn't know how to word it like this.

    Anecdote time: I really, really want a dog.

    However I live in an apartment so my specifications are basically: not too large, a rescue who is preferably a couple of years old (I don't care if it's a puppy but I'd like to have as much time as I can with them, you know?), doesn't require a lot of exercise (yes we would walk it a lot but again, apartment at the end of the day), isn't known to have a lot of chronic health problems (ie in my research it seems a lot of "short-faced" dogs have a lot more health concerns), and a few more things too.

    I have a lot of specifications to find a dog that would easily fit in with my lifestyle, like you do, so I came to the conclusion that I'm not ready for a dog at this point in my life right now.

    Since you seem to be in a similar situation with a lot of requirements, I think you'd be best doing as PPs suggested and look into fostering/find a dog that's been fostered with cats and forego your puppy dream, or hold off on getting a dog for now.

    Formerly martha1818

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  • Oh also keep in mind that your cat might be an asshole to a dog and hurt a dog, especially a puppy that would be similar size to a cat and your cat could get aggressive.  It's not just dogs who can hurt other animals.



    Backing up the bolded. We had cats and dogs growing up - at one point there were 8 cats and 2 two dogs in my house. Our oldest cat will swipe our dogs in the face, to the point of drawing blood, when they get too close to her or if she's feeling particularly ornery. The dogs - one a spitz/border collie mix and the other a purebred husky - ended up being scared of her. Another one of our cats LOVES to terrorize the husky. He chases the dog around the house and will stand in front of the door and not let the dog outside, because he knows the dog is scared of him. The same cat also chased my yorkie into a corner a couple of months ago and kept him there when my dad was watching him. Poor Fred was too scared to run around him. Cats are assholes. Those two big dogs never ONCE touched our cats. The spitz/border collie mix even played momma to two little kittens we adopted.

    It really sounds like you aren't ready for a dog, mainly becuase of your cat, and that's fine. The cat is your baby and it's normal to want to protect it. I do agree with PPs about going through a foster if you're really set on a dog, since they'll be able to tell you much better than a shelter if the dog gets along with cats, if the foster family does have cats.

     

    Also - just need to defend my little dog here. H never thought he wanted a little dog, always had big dogs growing up and that's what he wanted. I brought our yorkie home one day and he instantly fell in love. Our dog can keep up with any big dog out there in terms of energy and play. He can be an asshole though - he'll bark his face off at any people or dogs he sees, until he meets them and then just wants to play. He's just VERY protective of mom and dad.


     

  • lovegood90 I had a weight requirement for my apartment building as well (couldn't be over 30 lbs) and I personally didn't want a puppy because I knew I didn't have the time to dedicate to house breaking and training it so went for a rescue that was over a year.  I researched dogs that don't need large yards to run in and could be happy in apartments/taking walks since I live in NYC and made sure that the dog I ended up getting had been fostered in a city for at least a month so they could adjust to it.

    It's one things to have some ideas of what you want/need in a dog but when you start getting into major specifics like "I only want a black teacup poodle that will never bark" it gets a little hard because as everyone has said, every dog is different.  For example my rescue is mostly a beagle however she doesn't howl like virtually all beagles I know do.  
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  • lovegood90 I had a weight requirement for my apartment building as well (couldn't be over 30 lbs) and I personally didn't want a puppy because I knew I didn't have the time to dedicate to house breaking and training it so went for a rescue that was over a year.  I researched dogs that don't need large yards to run in and could be happy in apartments/taking walks since I live in NYC and made sure that the dog I ended up getting had been fostered in a city for at least a month so they could adjust to it.


    It's one things to have some ideas of what you want/need in a dog but when you start getting into major specifics like "I only want a black teacup poodle that will never bark" it gets a little hard because as everyone has said, every dog is different.  For example my rescue is mostly a beagle however she doesn't howl like virtually all beagles I know do.  



    Interesting! Yeah, I was researching the best "apartment dogs," and each has their different drawbacks- ie pugs and other short-faced breeds seem have expensive, chronic health issues (not trying to generalize), basset hounds can howl a lot, etc. Plus SO and I are gone all day at work so I would want to wait until I'm in a financial position to get daycare, or a dog walker, etc (since most of my disposable income is spent on travel, haha).

    But when that time comes I definitely want to look into fostering a dog or at least doing what you did and getting a dog that's been fostered in a city- that's a good idea.

    Formerly martha1818

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