Considering Getting Another Pet

[Dave R.]

The wife and I are now getting over the lose of our last pet and are considering another. We prefer dogs, but this time around would only consider one that sheds very little, is good with small children, can be trusted to stay close to home if let outdoors, and does not dig holes or chew up furniture. Is there such a critter? I've been researching, but have yet to come up with anything that meets all of the criteria. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[hsmoscout]

There are few animals that go well with small children unfortunately, but some dogs are perfect. Do some research. Google is your friend ;)

[johneo]

We prefer dogs, but this time around would only consider one that sheds very little, is good with small children, can be trusted to stay close to home if let outdoors, and does not dig holes or chew up furniture. Is there such a critter? I've been researching, but have yet to come up with anything that meets all of the criteria.

Except for the shedding thing (which I have no idea what breeds don't shed) ALL the highlighted criteria is available in just about every breed that I'm aware of ... there's a word for it. It's called TRAINING!

Pick a mellow breed (Labs come to mind for me! :rolleyes: we've got something like 10 or so ) and sign yourself up for some training classes so you know how to teach the pup (if you get a puppy) on how you want it to act.

We usually allow our Labs unsupervised run of the house by 4 months old and all is fine here. Good behavior is only learned when taught correctly!

[gonzogolf]

I have two, if properly trained, fit your needs. Boston terriers are loving and loyal little guys, good with kids if they are raised with them. They shed a little, but not nearly as bad as some breeds. We've also had a blast with our Brussels Griffon. He has longer hair so there is some upkeep, but not much if any shedding to report. Natural little charmers, they love to play and be loved.

[Meanderthal]

Do think about your criteria a little deeper. Size, energy level, need for exercise, longevity, common diseases, how gets along with other dogs and other pets... Training is helpful, but training is easier if the breed is naturally suited for the task. Also think on the environment you provide: will the dog be left alone for long periods, will it have opportunity to socialize with humans and dogs, the size and fencing of your yard (if any), your neighbors' attitude to dogs, where to exercise the dog... Then ask your questions on a dog forum. Then talk to at least 3 reputable breeders. Also consider a mutt, and/or a rescue dog. With luck, your decision will have a large impact on your family for 15 or more years. Enjoy. Send pictures.

[offcamber]

Dogs are a very personal thing. What might be the perfect dog for one family would be a nightmare for others. As an example, I have a blue heeler, a heeler/border collie mix, and a Carolina dog. All are VERY high energy dogs. If you like to hang around the house all the time and expect a couch potato dog, they would get bored and find something to do that you very likely will not like. I've heard horror stories. I, on the other hand, take my dogs with me most of the time. If I go out shooting wildlife, I take them. More often than not they point things out to me I'd otherwise miss. When I'm having no luck with wildlife, I pull a frisbee out of my backpack and shoot them. I put my border collie through an agility training class, but aside from that none have had formal training. However they have spent so much time around me and my girlfriend that they understand what I want and behave better than most "trained" dogs usually without me doing anything other than looking at them. I would never have any dog but a herding dog because thier mentality is perfect for me. I've had friends keep my dogs while I was on vacation though and they really had a hard time of it. Do yourself a favor and research breeds and then (even if you aren't looking to buy from a breeder) visit a reputable breeder for the type of dog you are looking at and see if it fits. Bringing a dog home is a commitment that shouldnt be undone once a bond is made.

[bayberry]

IMO you should honestly reconsider getting a dog. Wanting a dog but wanting no related work/inconvenience just doesn't exist. And there is no excuse for letting a dog run loose.

[deci]

Agreeing with 'bayberry' on this......... If you 'must' have a pet, I'd suggest a cat. One from a rescue centre who's afraid of the big outdoors, or maybe one who can't go out due to feline HIV or something.

[Dave R.]

IMO you should honestly reconsider getting a dog. Wanting a dog but wanting no related work/inconvenience just doesn't exist. And there is no excuse for letting a dog run loose.

I don't recall saying anything about an unwillingness to take care of a dog nor letting one run free. I live in the country and feel I should be able to let a dog out to do it's thing without having to be on a leash. My guess is you live in the city and having a dog in that environment is a lot more work. The main ingredient for owning any pet is loving it. Loving includes trusting. Some dogs simply can't be trusted to stay inside their trained boundaries. Perhaps what needs to be reconsidered is your assumption as to my circumstances or my willingness to be dedicated to a pet. Thanks dr. phil wanna be for the ridiculous advice.

[bayberry]

I don't recall saying anything about an unwillingness to take care of a dog nor letting one run free. I live in the country and feel I should be able to let a dog out to do it's thing without having to be on a leash. My guess is you live in the city and having a dog in that environment is a lot more work. The main ingredient for owning any pet is loving it. Loving includes trusting. Some dogs simply can't be trusted to stay inside their trained boundaries. Perhaps what needs to be reconsidered is your assumption as to my circumstances or my willingness to be dedicated to a pet. Thanks dr. phil wanna be for the ridiculous advice.

No actually I live in the country in an agriculturally zoned area of 20 acre minimum parcels. I let my dogs into a large fenced yard, they are never allowed to run loose. I will go out WITH them to free run them and throw a ball and let them run and play, but always with me and then it's right back home. I also walk them 4-ish miles on leash almost daily, they are NEVER allowed to run loose. You are dead wrong that "loving includes trusting". In that context loving actually means keeping safe. These are dogs we are talking about and you are making the unfortunately common mistake of trying to humanize them.

[Dave R.]

No actually I live in the country in an agriculturally zoned area of 20 acre minimum parcels. I let my dogs into a large fenced yard, they are never allowed to run loose. I will go out WITH them to free run them and throw a ball and let them run and play, but always with me and then it's right back home. I also walk them 4-ish miles on leash almost daily, they are NEVER allowed to run loose. You are dead wrong that "loving includes trusting". In that context loving actually means keeping safe. These are dogs we are talking about and you are making the unfortunately common mistake of trying to humanize them.
So we need to agree to disagree. Dogs are not prisoners if they can be trusted to stay home and most importantly not be a threat to anyone else.

[max3k]

I would suggest a Maltese..great dogs and they dont shed

[idme]

Being a newbie I can't find where to post my question. I don't mean to reply to another's question. I have this question. A local animal rescue place has 2 Bichons from a puppy mill who are not socialized, have never been on an leash or in a home and are a bit ofraid of humans.
The rescue place warns against their adoptability. My question is "if I want to adopt these 2 what are good ways to train without ruining our home (my wife's interest)? I'm looking for suggestions or/and other's experiences. Sorry for such a long message.
idme

[idme]

I got a Maltese from a rescue place and she was great. Non-shed. Difficult to housebreak but I would get another one.
idme

[stsva]

Shetland sheepdog - if properly bred, these have a very temperate personality, they're intelligent and easily trainable, and although they have lots of hair there's little or no shedding.

[smilebug]

Hmmm, doesn't shed? Portuguese water dog is low on shedding. For a great family pet, I suggest a Golden Retriever (like my own) or a St. Bernard. However, those two breeds shed A LOT. You have to remember the energy level of the pet too. You wouldn't want a hyper dog (like a border collie) if you don't like to walk everyday. A cocker spaniel is also sweet, and great with children!

Malteses will need a lot of grooming, so just beware of that. However they are great family pets if properly trained...as for any dog.

[annainoz]

No actually I live in the country in an agriculturally zoned area of 20 acre minimum parcels. I let my dogs into a large fenced yard, they are never allowed to run loose. I will go out WITH them to free run them and throw a ball and let them run and play, but always with me and then it's right back home. I also walk them 4-ish miles on leash almost daily, they are NEVER allowed to run loose. You are dead wrong that "loving includes trusting". In that context loving actually means keeping safe. These are dogs we are talking about and you are making the unfortunately common mistake of trying to humanize them.

I agree with your opinions and choices. We live in suburbia and my dog is off leash while we walk around a big park, other dogs come along and I know most of them so she has a sniff and we walk on. I am always with my dog aswell to throw ball etc. Dogs need routines and boundaries. A friend of mine lives in Wisconsin and she lets her dogs roam on her property and says she hopes they don't kill the deer.. or whatever is out there. I'm like .. wtf how do you know your dogs are safe, haven't been injured and so on. Our different lifestyles me in surburbia and her in hicktown on a big property, maybe that's why I can't see the idealism of what she allows her dogs to do with no boundaries.

To the OP, I think you'll know your dog when you find one. You can train it to respect your house and so on but all in good time because most dogs don't mature until 2yo. Puppies WILL chew up stuff you leave around, it's what they do and like babies/kids they will rip things up and just be curious. I see a pup as I do a child, still needing to be educated. You can trust your dog but that comes with age. However there are still limits with that trust, don't trust your dog alone with a child. Too many dog attacks with children.

As for breeds for families, I say the Golden Retriever or a Labrador. Big dogs but very good natured. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel for a medium dog .. or just get to the local animal shelter and save a dog from death row.

Oh and your dog will give you as much as you give him/her. Love your dog, be your dogs mate no matter what the breed.

[idme]

Dave R, we just began to foster a miniature grey poodle from a local animal rescue. He's 5 and a bundle of energy. Non-shed, good with other dogs, plays with a cat and loves everybody. Search your animal rescue places. Those dogs need us.

[kerrysroxy]

Being a newbie I can't find where to post my question. I don't mean to reply to another's question. I have this question. A local animal rescue place has 2 Bichons from a puppy mill who are not socialized, have never been on an leash or in a home and are a bit ofraid of humans.
The rescue place warns against their adoptability. My question is "if I want to adopt these 2 what are good ways to train without ruining our home (my wife's interest)? I'm looking for suggestions or/and other's experiences. Sorry for such a long message.
idme

I would suggestion not adopting both , taking in two puppies is not good because they will bond with each other and training them will be harder.
Most reputable breeders I know would not even sell a customer 2 puppies at the same time because they too know how much work it is.

By reading how the pups are I would only adopt them if you know how to rehabilitate them. These pups have behavior issues and training them ( which is different from rehabilitating them) will not help.

If you really really must have them I would look for a local dog behaviorist to help you. IMO this is a must !

[kerrysroxy]

Dave R, we just began to foster a miniature grey poodle from a local animal rescue. He's 5 and a bundle of energy. Non-shed, good with other dogs, plays with a cat and loves everybody. Search your animal rescue places. Those dogs need us.


I have a red standard poodle they are great dogs !

[Meanderthal]

I agree with your opinions and choices. We live in suburbia and my dog is off leash while we walk around a big park, other dogs come along and I know most of them so she has a sniff and we walk on. I am always with my dog aswell to throw ball etc. Dogs need routines and boundaries. A friend of mine lives in Wisconsin and she lets her dogs roam on her property and says she hopes they don't kill the deer.. or whatever is out there. I'm like .. wtf how do you know your dogs are safe, haven't been injured and so on. Our different lifestyles me in surburbia and her in hicktown on a big property, maybe that's why I can't see the idealism of what she allows her dogs to do with no boundaries.

To the OP, I think you'll know your dog when you find one. You can train it to respect your house and so on but all in good time because most dogs don't mature until 2yo. Puppies WILL chew up stuff you leave around, it's what they do and like babies/kids they will rip things up and just be curious. I see a pup as I do a child, still needing to be educated. You can trust your dog but that comes with age. However there are still limits with that trust, don't trust your dog alone with a child. Too many dog attacks with children.

As for breeds for families, I say the Golden Retriever or a Labrador. Big dogs but very good natured. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel for a medium dog .. or just get to the local animal shelter and save a dog from death row.

Oh and your dog will give you as much as you give him/her. Love your dog, be your dogs mate no matter what the breed.

Good advice in the above quote, and in the rest of the thread. Here is my experience. We live in a rural setting, off a quiet road, in the middle of 100 acres. Most of our neighbors have dogs, and most of these dogs stay on leash. Some are off leash when under supervision of family. A few are free. Dogs of all categories can do well. A few get into trouble when loose, accidentally or by permission. Some disappear, or get run over. Some of the ones that are never free have severe psychological issues. My suggestion is to know yourself, your lifestyle, study breed characteristics, and choose your breeder with extreme care.

I currently own two dogs, of a breed selected for my lifestyle. The puppies were from thoughtful and knowledgeable breeders I know personally. They spent their puppy days inside a home, with their humans and their family dogs, and were frequently visited by other humans and other dogs. Their socialization continued in their permanent home. Yet of the two of them, of the three dogs I owned before them, and a hundred or more dogs I have had the privilege of having visit me, I trust only one leash-free, unattended. She has always been free during daylight hours. She watches the home and knows her boundaries. Should a deer wander into my yard, she chases the deer off the cut lawn and then quits the chase. She greets visitors - humans and even loose dogs - with unquestionable friendship.

If the OP matches the above process, there is a chance of one in a hundred of getting a dog that can be trusted leash-free and unattended, even for brief periods. To improve on it, live on a farm and get your puppy not from a breeder but from a neighboring farm that has had good dogs for several generations.

Trusting a dog with children? On one hand, the news media provide a steady stream of horror stories. On the other hand, dogs have been selectively bred, for more than 10,000 years, to protect and cherish human children. In my view, inferior dogs are a recent issue, a direct result of producing dogs for show and profit. They are not bred for characteristics desirable in a family dog, and they are not suitably socialized as puppies. And then they are sold by the breeder to persons without the skills, experience, and lifestyle that suit the breed. The result is the occasional dog that is physically sickly, psychologically unstable, bored and frustrated - and often abused. These dogs are extremely dangerous. But not all dogs are like this.

My suggestion: If you are not prepared to do the work and to share mutual respect and absolute trust in your dog, don't get a dog. Get a turtle.

Sorry about the rant. I have seen too much, and much of it hurts.

[annainoz]

Meanderthal -thnx and you have some good advice also lol.

[Bradfordguy]

I grew up with dogs and am now getting another one after much too long a gap. After much research we will be getting an Airedale in 4 weeks. Medium sized dog with non sheding non allergenic coat. They have the hearts of lions and love people. They love to swim and play in the snow. Sounds like what my family needs excatly. Be prepared for a barrage of week by week photographs as I will now have a subject who doesn't complain......

[WideOpen]

The wife and I are now getting over the lose of our last pet and are considering another. We prefer dogs, but this time around would only consider one that sheds very little, is good with small children, can be trusted to stay close to home if let outdoors, and does not dig holes or chew up furniture. Is there such a critter? I've been researching, but have yet to come up with anything that meets all of the criteria. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Bichon Frise, mine has met all of those criteria for the past 14 years. Perfect family pet that is also hypo-allergenic and does not shed.

[BlindGuyTakingPictures]

Find something specific like a big or small dog to narrow down the field.

For us we narrowed the field down by only selecting hypoallergenic dogs due to allergies.