Thinking of getting a dog for emotional well-being

[Cokeacola]

But I’m also concerned about what stress a dog could also bring

what has been your experience of having a dog ?

I'm thinking Labrador, springer or beagle

My dog is lovely but I find owning him stressful.

I'm not comfortable walking him alone due to his skittish behavior (yes, he's been to training) so I'd never feel comfortable allowing a child to walk him.
You may end up with one like mine.

My springer is amazing for our mental well being BUT is also a huge amount of work.

He’s 15 months so full of energy - he needs a walk whether it’s sun, snow, driving rain or hail. My kitchen is permanently a bit grubby and I’m constantly washing dirty wet dog towels!

We’ve done a huge amount of training (still doing it, not long back from gun dog class!) and he needs mental exercise as much as physical.

A wonderful addition to our family but you have to be able to provide them what they need

Best thing we ever did was rescue our lurcher. Lovely gentle natures and low energy. If you get the breeds you mentioned the exercise daily can be hard to keep up with. Lurcher or greyhound if you want easy maintenance and so many waiting for homes

3 high drive working breeds are going to cause more stress than what they’re worth. Springers have no ‘off’ button, I had one you could take for an 4 hour mountain hike, then she’d go home and have a 20 minute nap and then jump up and want to do it all over again. And beagles are complete arseholes all round, again completely hyper, hard to train, destructive and extremely noisy between the howling and barking. Plus they’re food obsessed and will steal everything in sight. You might get lucky with an old rescue Labrador or something. I think you need to do a hell of a lot more research if you’re looking for an easy dog.

By the way we didn’t get dogs until our youngest was nine. Old enough to
understand that an animal’s needs and wants come, in almost all circumstances, before their own.

Do not anticipate that your dc will take on any responsibility for the dog’s care on a consistent basis though. That is your responsibility as the adult. It’s great if the dc love and care for their dog but very often their interest in it can wax and wane according to what is going on in their lives. So before taking a dog on, you have to be prepared to take on the lion’s share of the care alone.

I totally love lurchers! They do need a good blast of a run - and the space to run freely in - fairly regularly though. And you need to look out for squirrels and the neighbourhood cats!

I wouldn't do it for that reason OP.

If you get a puppy, the early stages are exhausting and you can't leave the puppy alone for long periods, so it's very restrictive. They can't walk long distances for the first year, so the health benefits of walking aren't realised for a while.

If you get an adult dog it's likely there will be some behavioural issues to train through.

I would recommend spending time with them though to build up your knowledge and decision making ability. If you register with Cinnamon Trust or Borrowmydoggy you can experience walking and caring for dogs without the burden of ownership.

The breeds you mention are extremely hard work when young.
An older calm rescue dog sounds ideal, a greyhound would likely meet your needs. There's a lot of oldies in rescues often because their owners have become ill or passed away. When I'm in a position to have a dog I'll definitely be homing an oldie, I much prefer them to puppies.

Do you work @Cokeacola ?

A dog would get you out and about 3 times a day irrespective of your mood, you’d be out and about, always meeting other dog owners and is always happy to see you. They can be a source of great hilarity and they’re cute, you’d feel safe in the knowledge that no one can walk past your door too closely without them alerting you. They also follow you like a shadow, so you’re never alone.

However, all this comes at a price. They stink, they can be destructive, they cost a lot in vet bills, they never grow out of the toddler stage, really, when they do, you worry they’re getting ill/old/towards the end, they’re a tie. Wouldn’t be without mine though.

You are romanticising owning a dog and not thinking about the practicalities or realities of it.

Agree with this and many other PPs who've said similar. You haven't thought this thru. Also you appear to have only thought about how this might benefit you but not what will benefit the dog.

As a general rule I think pets are good for mental well-being (when they are well...). I think you should think more widely about your lifestyle and the kind of pet that would be a good fit. Dogs are just one possibility.

Also, don't under-estimate vet costs.

And finally consider fostering. Many rescues are desperate for help as so many people are giving up pets. Cats, rabbits, guinea pigs...

@Zebratan actually you're right, a retired greyhound is an exception. My friend recently got one and loves him to bits, she is an author so he snuggles up at home whilst she does her writing.

Again though OP you could get experience through volunteering to walk at a Greyhound charity, see what you think of the breed.

Fantastic for affection, mental and emotional well being. I’m up every single morning for a walk before the kids wake up. They snuggle me and love me whatever.

I will let the 15 year old walk them as long as she has her phone - they are extremely well trained but I worry about other dogs attacking not her being attacked or my dog.

if the 9 year old wants to play he takes them and a ball in the garden

An older rescue dog is what you want by the sounds of it

They are not breeds of dogs I'd choose for emotional well-being!

Some very sensible posts on here,who have covered everything. Definitely the worst breeds to consider,add border collie,I'm on my 4th,a lot of people find them very stressful. I have to be honest that having dogs does destress me, but I have had them since a child. Always 2 (had to have one PTS 4weeks ago.) Now that WAS stressful. Most were puppies,I had 2 adult rescue dogs,who were neurotic, aggressive and returned, tried very hard for 2 years with one. Borrow one, from "walk my dog", you can foster short term. Have you thought about a cat?

You need to be prepared with the breeds mentioned to walk 2 hours every single day, or employ someone to. It is not fair on the dog otherwise. They make excellent companions.

As lovely as some are and they are awwwwwww, the amount of pickles they also cause etc intentionally and unintentionally can be a mix @Cokeacola

Yeah it might work but maybe not those breeds unless you have the time for longer walks and lots of training.

A toy breed might suit better, or greyhound.

But they do help MH.....and cause work and stress too. I Iove mine to bits but he's filthy after walks and therefore my house is definitely never clean. He's a bit of a tendency towards separation anxiety and can be typically spaniel in some things.

It'll depend on your circumstances though. Both me and DH are at home a lot, so he's never on his own more than an hour or two and loads of space to walk as we live in the countryside. I don't think I'd have a working breed in an urban setting.

Springers are lively, labs are placid (v rarely you get a natty one, and they are nasty) but chew a lot when young. I don't know about beagles. I recommend a greyhound, they are calm and don't need loads of exercise.

Totally agree. My absolute favourite breed and I can't really ever see myself without one but they really do not have an off switch. They need to be exercised in the right areas for them to be able to work themselves. Mine need to crash through brambles, swim, run and use their noses, the local park just wouldn't cut it for them so I am usually walking in more remote off road places. You also need to be fairly emotionally robust as they are usually pretty needy themselves.

I’d agree with others that if you’re looking for a dog that’s low-stress, large working breeds probably wouldn’t be ideal, unless you are confident you’ll be happy to walk for hours in all weathers and do lots of training. Puppies are pretty stressful in general - especially the puppy biting!

I struggle with anxiety and we went for an adult dog from a rescue, a small companion breed that came already housetrained and is happy to sleep all day while we work from home. She gets us out for walks and makes us laugh, but can be needy and noisy!

On the whole, I’d say my cat is probably better for my emotional well-being as she’s very soft, cuddly and affectionate, has a super-relaxing purr, and is very easy to care for. We got her as an adult from a rescue too, so we skipped the manic kitten phase and had a clearer idea of her personality.

I’m a spaniel person. I love springers but they are often bloody awful until they are about 2 (there was a thread in the doghouse from a lady who’s young springer pulled the curtains off the wall when she left him in a room for 5 minutes so she could do something in another room). Every beagle I’ve known has been a bit destructive. Labs are ready bitey as puppies. I have two easy dogs now but they are not stress free!
Also puppies are jerks, all of them. They bite; they chew, they shit on the floor, you can’t leave them at all for a while. I loved dogs but getting them to help your mental health is romanticised

My springer used to be walked every morning for 1hr 30 and was still hanging off the walls. I find dogs stressful and would never get another one

I do not have a dog, so you can take my reply with a pinch of salt if you like. But, I’ve watched a number of friends get puppies over the last two or three years (lockdown dogs, most of them, but not all), so I’ve witnessed a lot of the new dog experiences.

They all seem to have caused a lot of stress and exhaustion. Apart from the owner who realised very quickly it was a mistake, and returned the puppy to the breeder within a fortnight, the rest of them now seem to be very in love with their dogs - but still finding it challenging.

Two have had to have extensive vet attention (springer spaniel and Dalmatian). Two suffer from anxiety (rescue Jack Russell cross and Viszla). One has terrible recall and runs away regularly (cocker spaniel). Most are badly trained (the cockerpoo and the golden retriever probably the worst).

The only one that seems to be (relatively) easy is the retired greyhound. It did steal a bacon sandwich from dd’s hand though 😂

We have a dog who is a source of great comfort to my anxious teenager. We all love the dog enormously but there is an extra level of stress added to my life because I am responsible for everything to do with the dog. I feel like I have 3 children not 2.