Tips on getting a dog
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Rama Krishna Vavilala wrote:
Are there any other tips for newbie dog owners?
Don't get one. Dogs and Cats cost a lot of money to maintain. A visit to the vet can easily cost more than taking your kid to a human doctor (and there's no insurance for the vet.) Also be aware than just about every breed, especially pure breds, have a litany of quite specific health problems that will crop up sooner or later.
Anyone who thinks he has a better idea of what's good for people than people do is a swine. - P.J. O'Rourke
Joe Woodbury wrote:
A visit to the vet can easily cost more than taking your kid to a human doctor (and there's no insurance for the vet.)
You can get health insurance for pets here. My vet sold it. Of course there were certain exclusions (e.g. teeth extraction because the dog was on a diet of cake and chocolate) and you had to pay for vaccines, worming tablets etc. (i.e. preventative medicines) and have it documented or it would be void. In other words it would pay out for accidents and so on, but nothing that was forseeable and preventable.
Upcoming Scottish Developers events: * Glasgow: Tell us what you want to see in 2007 My: Website | Blog | Photos
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The main tip ( from the man recently accused of animal cruelty ) If you're gonna get a big dog, make sure that you're ready to take care of it. The larger the dog, the more exercise it needs. IMO, getting a big dog if you don't have a big yard is cruel, unless you're also willing to spend an hour a day walking it. Either way, make sure that if your child loses interest in the animal that you're willing to take up the slack and pay it the attention it will desire, for it's entire life. That means more than feeding it and perhaps giving it a pat twice a day as you walk past. Buying an animal means committing yourself to both it's welfare and it's happiness for about 20 years. Think carefully about that committment, it may well extend beyond when your daughter leaves home ( depending on her age ) and when she's a teenager, the odds are good she will be out with friends, not looking after the dog. Assuming it lasts that long. We have a dog, two cats and a rabbit, and my daughter is still asking for other pets, but spends no time with the ones we have ( the rabbit is the only one bought just for her, the dog was dumped by the side of the road ( not planned ), and the cats were bought by my wife, for my wife ).
Christian Graus - C++ MVP 'Why don't we jump on a fad that hasn't already been widely discredited ?' - Dilbert
Christian Graus wrote:
from the man recently accused of animal cruelty
Nope. I think the neighbor is whacked out of his mind :laugh:
Some people have a memory and an attention span, you should try them out one day. - Jeremy Falcon
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Andy Brummer wrote:
If you plan to keep the dog outside or don't think you will have the time to take care of the dog then don't get one.
Good point. I have a neighbor who works graveyard, only comes home about 2-3 days per week and leaves the dogs outside the whole time. Never takes care of them, so why bother?
Some people have a memory and an attention span, you should try them out one day. - Jeremy Falcon
That's a shame, not only that but dogs kept alone away from humans, and especially those kept on a leash or tie down have a definite tendency to be more aggressive.
Using the GridView is like trying to explain to someone else how to move a third person's hands in order to tie your shoelaces for you. -Chris Maunder
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Joe Woodbury wrote:
A visit to the vet can easily cost more than taking your kid to a human doctor (and there's no insurance for the vet.)
You can get health insurance for pets here. My vet sold it. Of course there were certain exclusions (e.g. teeth extraction because the dog was on a diet of cake and chocolate) and you had to pay for vaccines, worming tablets etc. (i.e. preventative medicines) and have it documented or it would be void. In other words it would pay out for accidents and so on, but nothing that was forseeable and preventable.
Upcoming Scottish Developers events: * Glasgow: Tell us what you want to see in 2007 My: Website | Blog | Photos
Colin Angus Mackay wrote:
teeth extraction because the dog was on a diet of ... chocolate
Isn't chocolate considered poisonous to dogs?
Some people have a memory and an attention span, you should try them out one day. - Jeremy Falcon
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Well I guess it depends which country your in. We've got a yellow lab (bitch) [also just had pups, pictures were linked to previously in the lounge] and I've got to say that apart from wormer her vets bills are next to nothing. I don't know what things are like in the States but Labs here fetch > £300 (so >~$550) I havn't had much experience of Golden Retrievers but I do know that Labs are very very intelligent and gentle with children. The most important thing to remember is that the dog will always reflect upon it's owner. That is probably best explained by an example: Our lab we bought for ~£250 (from Scotland, and we live in Wales so ~900 miles away). She is fantastically intelligent and will learn new tricks etc in about 5/10 minutes and a week of regular training will ensure she'll never forget it. (BTW she's regarded as one of the family and generally behaves better than my sister). She's also a full pedigree from a hunting / working background. My grandparents bought a full pedigree supposedly from a hunting background as well, except theirs is black and larger (Sandy, ours, is an old english lab, i.e. small and well suited for hunting). They payed almost double what we payed and theirs is not thick as such but gets away with everything and as a result is disobedient to say the least. Tips in Summary: 1) Treat the dog as a member of the family it'll be a nicer experience for both. 2) House train it early. 3) Don't be afraid to hit it or punish it harshly when it misbehaves, it'll be better for it and the dog will quickly learn and you won't have to punish it very often afterwards (hopefully). 4) Try not to use it's name when you punish it otherwise when you try and call it it'll thing it's being punished (or use a severe tone of voice when punishing so it can tell the difference). 5) They'll listen for tone of voice rather than actual pronunciation (although ours can tell the difference between mole and vole which is quite impressive). 6) Eye contact is important when starting off. 7) Talk to the dog, don't use a baby voice when talking but just talk normally and it may get to the stage were you can speak complete sentences to it and it'll understand. 8) Make a fuss of it when it does something correctly, always keep some treats handy when starting training. 9) As this is your first dog I'd recomment not getting a rescue one as you don't know what past it's got. 10) I don't know whether this stands for Retrievers as well as Labs but the bitches tend to be better
I saw the pictures they are very cute:)
Ed.Poore wrote:
I'd recommend not getting a rescue one as you don't know what past it's got.
That's strange most people are advising me to get an "house broken" dog. I was planning to go the the county rescue center. I was thinking that I should get a trained dog as I may not have enough time to train the dog (nor any experience).
Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the first place. Therefore, if you write the code as cleverly as possible, you are, by definition, not smart enough to debug it. -Brian Kernighan
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Colin Angus Mackay wrote:
teeth extraction because the dog was on a diet of ... chocolate
Isn't chocolate considered poisonous to dogs?
Some people have a memory and an attention span, you should try them out one day. - Jeremy Falcon
PaulC1972 wrote:
Isn't chocolate considered poisonous to dogs?
I don't know. I never feed my dog chocolate. You could buy carrob buttons as a dog treat, but I didn't get him that all that often - I usually went for dog biscuits. What I was really getting at was anything sweet and sugary that is likely to cause dental problems.
Upcoming Scottish Developers events: * Glasgow: Tell us what you want to see in 2007 My: Website | Blog | Photos
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I saw the pictures they are very cute:)
Ed.Poore wrote:
I'd recommend not getting a rescue one as you don't know what past it's got.
That's strange most people are advising me to get an "house broken" dog. I was planning to go the the county rescue center. I was thinking that I should get a trained dog as I may not have enough time to train the dog (nor any experience).
Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the first place. Therefore, if you write the code as cleverly as possible, you are, by definition, not smart enough to debug it. -Brian Kernighan
Rama Krishna Vavilala wrote:
get a trained dog as I may not have enough time to train the dog (nor any experience)
Crate training does take some time and patience.
Rama Krishna Vavilala wrote:
county rescue center
We found our Yellow Lab at one and he was already trained (with his papers, too - a rarity at rescue places). The animal shelter/pound may be able to refer you to rescue groups that target Golden Retrievers specifically. Golden retriever rescue - google search[^] might be a start. See if there is one in your area :-D
Some people have a memory and an attention span, you should try them out one day. - Jeremy Falcon
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Andy Brummer wrote:
Get a puppy from a pound
As it's the first dog I wouldn't because you don't know how it's going to act, especially if there's a young kid in the house. While I agree with helping dogs from the pound in this instance I would advise against it, we didn't go that route because of the farm animals so wanted complete control over the training.
I have no idea what I just said. But my intentions were sincere.
Well with a puppy you should be fine and you can get a gauge of it's temperament as it's growing up before it ever becomes an issue. Both our dogs from the pound were a year+ in age and I'm definitely not recommending that, it takes a little more time effort and knowledge to adopt an older dog from the pound.
Using the GridView is like trying to explain to someone else how to move a third person's hands in order to tie your shoelaces for you. -Chris Maunder
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My two year old daughter loves dogs. In particular, she is fond of Golden Retrievers (which is also my favorite breed of dogs). I want to get her a dog or a puppy but I have zero experience in this area as I never had a pet in my life. So I need some advice on how to find a good dog (I am only looking for Golden Retrievers) and what to expect afterwards in terms of time, money and commitment. Are there any other tips for newbie dog owners? I simply have no idea where to start?
Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the first place. Therefore, if you write the code as cleverly as possible, you are, by definition, not smart enough to debug it. -Brian Kernighan
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That's a shame, not only that but dogs kept alone away from humans, and especially those kept on a leash or tie down have a definite tendency to be more aggressive.
Using the GridView is like trying to explain to someone else how to move a third person's hands in order to tie your shoelaces for you. -Chris Maunder
Andy Brummer wrote:
That's a shame
Yep. On one cold night they got out of the yard and I brought them in for a while. Not a smart idea for little dogs running around in my area since it is prone to bob cats, mountain lions, black bears and coyotes :) One was a little Miniature Doberman and the other was some long haired mutt.
Some people have a memory and an attention span, you should try them out one day. - Jeremy Falcon
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My two year old daughter loves dogs. In particular, she is fond of Golden Retrievers (which is also my favorite breed of dogs). I want to get her a dog or a puppy but I have zero experience in this area as I never had a pet in my life. So I need some advice on how to find a good dog (I am only looking for Golden Retrievers) and what to expect afterwards in terms of time, money and commitment. Are there any other tips for newbie dog owners? I simply have no idea where to start?
Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the first place. Therefore, if you write the code as cleverly as possible, you are, by definition, not smart enough to debug it. -Brian Kernighan
I recommend you watch at least one of Cesar Millan's DVDs of his National Geographic series. It teaches you how to condition your dog to see you as his "pack leader" instead of the other way around. It will help you have a psychologically stable and happy pet. Regards, Alvaro
A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything. - Friedrich Nietzsche
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PaulC1972 wrote:
Isn't chocolate considered poisonous to dogs?
I don't know. I never feed my dog chocolate. You could buy carrob buttons as a dog treat, but I didn't get him that all that often - I usually went for dog biscuits. What I was really getting at was anything sweet and sugary that is likely to cause dental problems.
Upcoming Scottish Developers events: * Glasgow: Tell us what you want to see in 2007 My: Website | Blog | Photos
Colin Angus Mackay wrote:
I never feed my dog chocolate.
Good. My aunt made fudge brownies one time with doubled up chocolate and her Aussie Shepard Dog got a hold of the tray, ate all of the brownies and got very, very sick from it.
Some people have a memory and an attention span, you should try them out one day. - Jeremy Falcon
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I recommend you watch at least one of Cesar Millan's DVDs of his National Geographic series. It teaches you how to condition your dog to see you as his "pack leader" instead of the other way around. It will help you have a psychologically stable and happy pet. Regards, Alvaro
A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything. - Friedrich Nietzsche
Wow - I've had no trouble with this, ever. Our current dog, I am not too fond of. I don't like small dogs. I treat it well, as I should, but I don't seek it out. It follows me around everywhere, it is sure I am the pack leader. In fact, all the animals come to me first, to the disgust of my wife.
Christian Graus - C++ MVP 'Why don't we jump on a fad that hasn't already been widely discredited ?' - Dilbert
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The main tip ( from the man recently accused of animal cruelty ) If you're gonna get a big dog, make sure that you're ready to take care of it. The larger the dog, the more exercise it needs. IMO, getting a big dog if you don't have a big yard is cruel, unless you're also willing to spend an hour a day walking it. Either way, make sure that if your child loses interest in the animal that you're willing to take up the slack and pay it the attention it will desire, for it's entire life. That means more than feeding it and perhaps giving it a pat twice a day as you walk past. Buying an animal means committing yourself to both it's welfare and it's happiness for about 20 years. Think carefully about that committment, it may well extend beyond when your daughter leaves home ( depending on her age ) and when she's a teenager, the odds are good she will be out with friends, not looking after the dog. Assuming it lasts that long. We have a dog, two cats and a rabbit, and my daughter is still asking for other pets, but spends no time with the ones we have ( the rabbit is the only one bought just for her, the dog was dumped by the side of the road ( not planned ), and the cats were bought by my wife, for my wife ).
Christian Graus - C++ MVP 'Why don't we jump on a fad that hasn't already been widely discredited ?' - Dilbert
5'ed.
Using the GridView is like trying to explain to someone else how to move a third person's hands in order to tie your shoelaces for you. -Chris Maunder
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My two year old daughter loves dogs. In particular, she is fond of Golden Retrievers (which is also my favorite breed of dogs). I want to get her a dog or a puppy but I have zero experience in this area as I never had a pet in my life. So I need some advice on how to find a good dog (I am only looking for Golden Retrievers) and what to expect afterwards in terms of time, money and commitment. Are there any other tips for newbie dog owners? I simply have no idea where to start?
Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the first place. Therefore, if you write the code as cleverly as possible, you are, by definition, not smart enough to debug it. -Brian Kernighan
Find your local Golden retriever Rescue group and adopt a dog from them. My wife and I volunteer for the Austin GRR organization and there are plenty of dogs that are young enough (and housebroken) to be a companion to your daughter for most of her childhood. Goldens are moderately high-energy and need regular exercise (daily walking). They also need regular brushing. We have three Goldens ourself. Keep in mind that most/all rescue groups will not adopt a dog to people that don't pass a rigorous interview. Most don't allow doggy doors, unfenced yards, or families that intend to leave the dog outside. A dog is like a small child, so count on your level of commitment to be along those lines. Tip: Training is everything. Advice: Consider consulting an animal communicator (seriously, this stuff really works) and have them interview perspective dogs for you. It'll generally cost you $25 for 15 minutes. You can have them ask the dog questions like "Would the dog like to be a member of your family?", or "Does the dog have any problems with children or any other pets you might have?" I kno, it sounds weird, but I swear this works.
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
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"...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001 -
I saw the pictures they are very cute:)
Ed.Poore wrote:
I'd recommend not getting a rescue one as you don't know what past it's got.
That's strange most people are advising me to get an "house broken" dog. I was planning to go the the county rescue center. I was thinking that I should get a trained dog as I may not have enough time to train the dog (nor any experience).
Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the first place. Therefore, if you write the code as cleverly as possible, you are, by definition, not smart enough to debug it. -Brian Kernighan
The only thing to be wary of is that the dog will be trained to someone else it may not understand / want to obey you. Typically the only dogs which will obey people they don't know are those which have been trained by professionals (or more likely gamekeepers / shooters etc who are good with dogs) and are likely to cost more.
I have no idea what I just said. But my intentions were sincere.
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1st thing you may want to do is check an alergist to make she has no alergies. It's better to find out early, before it's too late.
ednrgc wrote:
1st thing you may want to do is check an alergist to make she has no alergies.
On the other hand, exposing a child to potential allergens might help them to develop immunities. As a child, I was always around animals and playing outside in the dirt, and I don't have a single allergy to anything. Of course, my single anecdotal story is not evidence of a cure, but all the "allergic" people I've ever met have not been exposed to these allergens as children. When my son was born (5 years ago) we were advised NOT to bathe him every day, but every other day. The reasoning is that the child needs to be exposed to a bit of dirt in order to develop a healthy immune system. We have 3 dogs and a cat in the house, and none of them bother him. In fact, 2 of the dogs will sneak into his room at night and curl up in bed with him!
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Find your local Golden retriever Rescue group and adopt a dog from them. My wife and I volunteer for the Austin GRR organization and there are plenty of dogs that are young enough (and housebroken) to be a companion to your daughter for most of her childhood. Goldens are moderately high-energy and need regular exercise (daily walking). They also need regular brushing. We have three Goldens ourself. Keep in mind that most/all rescue groups will not adopt a dog to people that don't pass a rigorous interview. Most don't allow doggy doors, unfenced yards, or families that intend to leave the dog outside. A dog is like a small child, so count on your level of commitment to be along those lines. Tip: Training is everything. Advice: Consider consulting an animal communicator (seriously, this stuff really works) and have them interview perspective dogs for you. It'll generally cost you $25 for 15 minutes. You can have them ask the dog questions like "Would the dog like to be a member of your family?", or "Does the dog have any problems with children or any other pets you might have?" I kno, it sounds weird, but I swear this works.
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
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"...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001What's wrong with doggy doors? I can understand the unfenced yards and leaving the dog outside, but I don't see the problem with a dog door...?
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ednrgc wrote:
1st thing you may want to do is check an alergist to make she has no alergies.
On the other hand, exposing a child to potential allergens might help them to develop immunities. As a child, I was always around animals and playing outside in the dirt, and I don't have a single allergy to anything. Of course, my single anecdotal story is not evidence of a cure, but all the "allergic" people I've ever met have not been exposed to these allergens as children. When my son was born (5 years ago) we were advised NOT to bathe him every day, but every other day. The reasoning is that the child needs to be exposed to a bit of dirt in order to develop a healthy immune system. We have 3 dogs and a cat in the house, and none of them bother him. In fact, 2 of the dogs will sneak into his room at night and curl up in bed with him!
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Miszou wrote:
On the other hand, exposing a child to potential allergens might help them to develop immunities.
That all depends on the severity of the allergy, if one exists. Odds are it wont, but it's better to find out before hand. Telling a child that they can't have one in the first place is better than getting one and telling them that he has to go back because they are allergic to them. Unfortunately, I have 1st hand knowledge in this affair.
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What's wrong with doggy doors? I can understand the unfenced yards and leaving the dog outside, but I don't see the problem with a dog door...?
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Miszou wrote:
What's wrong with doggy doors?
I would assume the thinking is that people with doggy doors might be inclined to think that it absolves them from responsibility for walking the dog. After all, if the dog wants to walk it can go walk itself, right?
