Tips on getting a dog
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Looks like a cute dog. Do you know what the other breed is other then sneaky neighbor's dog? I grew up with a half-pit half boxer.
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My wife thinks he's part yellow lab. We don't really know though; IIRC he had been abandoned, and the shelter we adopted him from didn't know the full breed.
Tech, life, family, faith: Give me a visit. I'm currently blogging about: Guess who's having a birthday? (It's not Jesus) The apostle Paul, modernly speaking: Epistles of Paul Judah Himango
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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 spent forty minutes typing out a reply, then Code Project disappears off the face of the Earth and it is lost. :( I will attempt to try again... I had a Golden Retriever growing up - she was a great dog. They are very friendly, and very companionable. It is a good choice for a family pet, and they can live around twenty years if you take good care of them. It is important that you factor that in if you want to get a puppy because dogs out of all pets are not cheap to look after. I would take out insurance for £15 a month to cover any vet bills, don't even bother saving up because whilst visits will be few and far between once they are adults, when they do need to go in you will be paying £300 a visit and costs can shoot up considerably for treatments. You need health insurance (public or private) for your family and you will need it for your dog as well. Food for a Retriever will set you back around £20 a week for dry feed and meat, and care products maybe £50 a year if you wash and brush your dog yourself. At least weekly for the brushing, or after any walk when their hair gets tangled or dirty. As Paul mentioned, they shed hair like like you have never seen something shed hair before, so if you have carpets expect to be vacuuming them often. (Brushing daily can cut that down a lot.) So the cost alone will be around £1,400 a year minimum. Time-wise, as you'll know they are very companionable so expect to spend an hour a day absolute minimum with one-on-one attention after the initial novelty wears off, and a lot more when you are home all the time. Golden Retrievers will need walking/running every day, ideally for about five miles minimum and somewhere they run can free with a frisbee or other dogs. (They are called 'retrievers' after all!) They will hunt too, not actively but they rummage round in hedgerows and go after rabbits and ground birds. My dog was quite skilled at catching grouse and pheasant, which made for a nice Sunday roast a few times a year. In addition to regular walks you should try and get out for a big day-long walk with your dog at least a couple of times a month. Local moorland or public parks are great for that, and your family gets a fun day out too. Also communicate with your dog. They don't just learn key commands through repetition (sit, stay, etc) they also learn how to communicate with you. Your dog will come and comfort you when you are sad without prompting just because it knows you are sad. When buying a breed like a Golden Retriev
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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
Christian Graus wrote:
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.
Perhaps with small dogs it's not as prevalent. Our little one was quite frightened of me when we first got him. What I typically see when people walk their medium or large dog is the dog pulling the owner around and going pretty much wherever he wants. That's a sign that the dog is in control and is acting as pack leader (since he doesn't see anyone taking the role). Some people don't mind it, considering it part of the dog's personality, but Cesar Millan's videos show that any dog can be conditioned to treat his owner as his leader, and that they actually prefer it that way. When they learn to place their trust in their leader, they feel at ease. Regards, Alvaro
A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything. - Friedrich Nietzsche
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I spent forty minutes typing out a reply, then Code Project disappears off the face of the Earth and it is lost. :( I will attempt to try again... I had a Golden Retriever growing up - she was a great dog. They are very friendly, and very companionable. It is a good choice for a family pet, and they can live around twenty years if you take good care of them. It is important that you factor that in if you want to get a puppy because dogs out of all pets are not cheap to look after. I would take out insurance for £15 a month to cover any vet bills, don't even bother saving up because whilst visits will be few and far between once they are adults, when they do need to go in you will be paying £300 a visit and costs can shoot up considerably for treatments. You need health insurance (public or private) for your family and you will need it for your dog as well. Food for a Retriever will set you back around £20 a week for dry feed and meat, and care products maybe £50 a year if you wash and brush your dog yourself. At least weekly for the brushing, or after any walk when their hair gets tangled or dirty. As Paul mentioned, they shed hair like like you have never seen something shed hair before, so if you have carpets expect to be vacuuming them often. (Brushing daily can cut that down a lot.) So the cost alone will be around £1,400 a year minimum. Time-wise, as you'll know they are very companionable so expect to spend an hour a day absolute minimum with one-on-one attention after the initial novelty wears off, and a lot more when you are home all the time. Golden Retrievers will need walking/running every day, ideally for about five miles minimum and somewhere they run can free with a frisbee or other dogs. (They are called 'retrievers' after all!) They will hunt too, not actively but they rummage round in hedgerows and go after rabbits and ground birds. My dog was quite skilled at catching grouse and pheasant, which made for a nice Sunday roast a few times a year. In addition to regular walks you should try and get out for a big day-long walk with your dog at least a couple of times a month. Local moorland or public parks are great for that, and your family gets a fun day out too. Also communicate with your dog. They don't just learn key commands through repetition (sit, stay, etc) they also learn how to communicate with you. Your dog will come and comfort you when you are sad without prompting just because it knows you are sad. When buying a breed like a Golden Retriev
David Wulff wrote:
I spent forty minutes typing out a reply, then Code Project disappears off the face of the Earth and it is lost.
Speaking of dogs, CodeProject has trained me to do Ctrl+A, Ctrl+C before hitting the Post Message button. :-)
A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything. - Friedrich Nietzsche
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David Wulff wrote:
I spent forty minutes typing out a reply, then Code Project disappears off the face of the Earth and it is lost.
Speaking of dogs, CodeProject has trained me to do Ctrl+A, Ctrl+C before hitting the Post Message button. :-)
A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything. - Friedrich Nietzsche
I used to do that automatically two or three years ago during the Great Code Project Server Wars, but it dropped out of habit. Recently I have been doing it again, but not this time. :sigh:
Ðavid Wulff What kind of music to programmers listen to?
Join the Code Project Last.fm group | dwulff
I'm so gangsta I eat cereal without the milk -
Christian Graus wrote:
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.
Perhaps with small dogs it's not as prevalent. Our little one was quite frightened of me when we first got him. What I typically see when people walk their medium or large dog is the dog pulling the owner around and going pretty much wherever he wants. That's a sign that the dog is in control and is acting as pack leader (since he doesn't see anyone taking the role). Some people don't mind it, considering it part of the dog's personality, but Cesar Millan's videos show that any dog can be conditioned to treat his owner as his leader, and that they actually prefer it that way. When they learn to place their trust in their leader, they feel at ease. Regards, Alvaro
A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything. - Friedrich Nietzsche
Alvaro Mendez wrote:
That's a sign that the dog is in control and is acting as pack leader
Not always, in fact it can also be a sign of excitement, and that would be obvious to you in the way your dog behaves the rest of the time. Keep in mind that professional animal behaviorists like Cesar Millan are first and foremost trying to sell you products and services.
Ðavid Wulff What kind of music to programmers listen to?
Join the Code Project Last.fm group | dwulff
I'm so gangsta I eat cereal without the milk -
I spent forty minutes typing out a reply, then Code Project disappears off the face of the Earth and it is lost. :( I will attempt to try again... I had a Golden Retriever growing up - she was a great dog. They are very friendly, and very companionable. It is a good choice for a family pet, and they can live around twenty years if you take good care of them. It is important that you factor that in if you want to get a puppy because dogs out of all pets are not cheap to look after. I would take out insurance for £15 a month to cover any vet bills, don't even bother saving up because whilst visits will be few and far between once they are adults, when they do need to go in you will be paying £300 a visit and costs can shoot up considerably for treatments. You need health insurance (public or private) for your family and you will need it for your dog as well. Food for a Retriever will set you back around £20 a week for dry feed and meat, and care products maybe £50 a year if you wash and brush your dog yourself. At least weekly for the brushing, or after any walk when their hair gets tangled or dirty. As Paul mentioned, they shed hair like like you have never seen something shed hair before, so if you have carpets expect to be vacuuming them often. (Brushing daily can cut that down a lot.) So the cost alone will be around £1,400 a year minimum. Time-wise, as you'll know they are very companionable so expect to spend an hour a day absolute minimum with one-on-one attention after the initial novelty wears off, and a lot more when you are home all the time. Golden Retrievers will need walking/running every day, ideally for about five miles minimum and somewhere they run can free with a frisbee or other dogs. (They are called 'retrievers' after all!) They will hunt too, not actively but they rummage round in hedgerows and go after rabbits and ground birds. My dog was quite skilled at catching grouse and pheasant, which made for a nice Sunday roast a few times a year. In addition to regular walks you should try and get out for a big day-long walk with your dog at least a couple of times a month. Local moorland or public parks are great for that, and your family gets a fun day out too. Also communicate with your dog. They don't just learn key commands through repetition (sit, stay, etc) they also learn how to communicate with you. Your dog will come and comfort you when you are sad without prompting just because it knows you are sad. When buying a breed like a Golden Retriev
Thanks for the detailed post.
David Wulff wrote:
it is a part of your life.
That was is making me think in detail before I jump into getting one.
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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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
Get one of the books by Richard A Wolters. They're geared toward training your dog to hunt, but you can just skip that stuff. He covers all the basic commands you'll need: sit, stay, come. He also covers how to pick a puppy. Note that his book focuses on Labrador Retrievers, but they and Goldens are very similar breeds. I have Game Dog[^] and Water Dog[^]. There is also a non-hunting version called Family Dog[^]. Also a good read for potential puppy owners is The Art of Raising a Puppy[^]. A good place to ask for advice is this forum[^]. Again, it's a Labrador site, but the same advice will apply to Goldens as well. Good luck, and if you need any further advice, please don't hesitate to ask!
Jon Sagara When I grow up, I'm changing my name to Joe Kickass! My Blog | My Site | My Articl
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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:
and there's no insurance for the vet
There is, actually, and it saved my mom thousands in vet bills over the course of her dogs' lives.
Jon Sagara When I grow up, I'm changing my name to Joe Kickass! My Blog | My Site | My Articles
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David Wulff wrote:
I spent forty minutes typing out a reply, then Code Project disappears off the face of the Earth and it is lost.
Speaking of dogs, CodeProject has trained me to do Ctrl+A, Ctrl+C before hitting the Post Message button. :-)
A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything. - Friedrich Nietzsche
I wish I could give you a treat!
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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
Whatever you do, don't buy a puppy from a pet store in a mall! Look up dog breeders in your area on Google. Talk to friends with pets and find out where and how they bought their pets. A reputable breeder will ensure that you have a good dog free of defects (big dogs such as Golden Retrievers are susceptible to hip dysplasia). He/she will allow you to select your puppy but will raise it till he is about 3 months old when you can take possession. You would be allowed weekly visits with your puppy till then but the breeder will not part with the puppy until the puppy is given all the shots, checked out by a vet and fully house-broken. You will of course still need to establish behavior rules once you get the puppy home. PS. Goldens are awesome. We have one and he is the best thing that happened to us!
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John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:
that don't pass a rigorous interview
I obviously do not intend to leave the dog oustside but I don't have a fenced yard. Any idea on how much the monthly spending will be on food + vet?
John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:
animal communicator
That sounds interesting.
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:
but I don't have a fenced yard.
Then you probably won't be allowed to adopt a dog. Many of the dogs they get are strays who somehow got away from their owners. They don't want that to happen again because it puts the dog in danger.
"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 -
John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:
Advice: Consider consulting an animal communicator (seriously, this stuff really works) and have them interview perspective dogs for you. ... 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?"
Hitting the egg nog a little early this year John. :)
...cmk Save the whales - collect the whole set
If it didn't work, I wouldn't suggest it. It worked for us too.
"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 -
Alvaro Mendez wrote:
That's a sign that the dog is in control and is acting as pack leader
Not always, in fact it can also be a sign of excitement, and that would be obvious to you in the way your dog behaves the rest of the time. Keep in mind that professional animal behaviorists like Cesar Millan are first and foremost trying to sell you products and services.
Ðavid Wulff What kind of music to programmers listen to?
Join the Code Project Last.fm group | dwulff
I'm so gangsta I eat cereal without the milkDavid Wulff wrote:
Not always, in fact it can also be a sign of excitement, and that would be obvious to you in the way your dog behaves the rest of the time.
True. Cesar appears to dislike excited dogs. The first thing he does with the owner of an overly excited dog is teach him to calm the dog down so that it gets into a submisive state of mind. That makes it easier for the owner to play the dominant role. Alvaro
A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything. - Friedrich Nietzsche
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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:
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.
This just means you are not allergic. Do not generalize, allergic people are not cured by indiscriminate exposure to dirt.
Miszou wrote:
On the other hand, exposing a child to potential allergens might help them to develop immunities.
Exposing a child that is unlikely to develop allergy will not do any harm. Exposing a child likely to develop an allergy might just start it. Once it is started it is better to see a professionnal.
Miszou wrote:
When my son was born (5 years ago) we were advised NOT to bathe him every day
Damn, this is a boy, not a dog! I hope you did not follow this advice!! :omg:
Miszou wrote:
The reasoning is that the child needs to be exposed to a bit of dirt in order to develop a healthy immune system
Once a kid starts rolling around, you can rest assured he is exposed to all sorts of germs, whatever you do.
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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
Christian Graus wrote:
In fact, all the animals come to me first
Hey, that's the magic touch! :cool: (Sheeps too? :) )
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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 have been exposed to almost every kind of breed of dog. While retrievers are nice, I still think 'mutts' make the best dogs. Any dog is going to cost you at leat US$200 a year on vet visits. If you get a mutt you are more likely to be able to get pet insurance which is less than $10 a month (for most policies).
____________________________________________________ If at first you don't succeed, skydiving might not be for you.
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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
Don't forget that it isn't uncommon for breeders to have a well-trained, well-behaved young dog available for adoption that is a year or two old. The dog may have been saved as a show prospect that didn't pan out, for example. You might want to see if there's an email distribution list devoted to the breed, too, and subscribe to it. You'll find out a lot about the breed in general, learn about breeders and maybe get the chance to talk to them, and can ask questions of other owners. It can be an invaluable resource.
Caffeine - it's what's for breakfast! (and lunch, and dinner, and...)
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Christian Graus wrote:
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.
Perhaps with small dogs it's not as prevalent. Our little one was quite frightened of me when we first got him. What I typically see when people walk their medium or large dog is the dog pulling the owner around and going pretty much wherever he wants. That's a sign that the dog is in control and is acting as pack leader (since he doesn't see anyone taking the role). Some people don't mind it, considering it part of the dog's personality, but Cesar Millan's videos show that any dog can be conditioned to treat his owner as his leader, and that they actually prefer it that way. When they learn to place their trust in their leader, they feel at ease. Regards, Alvaro
A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything. - Friedrich Nietzsche
Alvaro Mendez wrote:
What I typically see when people walk their medium or large dog is the dog pulling the owner around and going pretty much wherever he wants
We use Halti Collars[^] with our big Labradors and these work very well. My kids can have the dogs under good control with these. The dogs don't mind these at all :)
Some people have a memory and an attention span, you should try them out one day. - Jeremy Falcon
