To wonder would I regret getting a dog?

[Phuquocdreams]

Dh has been talking about getting a dog. I’ve been saying no because of the amount of work, and how it can tie you down. I don’t think he appreciates how much work it is. But then, just for the hell of it, we did some of the quizzes to see what breed of dog they would recommend, and I fell in love with the look of one of the breeds recommended. And now I just can’t stop thinking about having a dog bouncing about the place...and it would be lovely for the kids to grow up with a dog. But...the extra work. And responsibilities, and being limited in our activities...does anyone here regret getting a dog? Deliberately haven’t put this in the doghouse so as to get a wide range of opinions.

I think as others have said it'll depend on the type of dog you're considering as well as how much time and available funds you have.

We work full time, with a bit of flexibility around working from home most weeks and manage fine with our two greyhounds. That said, they do go to doggy daycare on the days we're in the office so it is possible to work full time and have dogs, but you need to be happy to pay for help when needed.

We wouldn't swap our 2 dogs for the world. Our puppy has just turned 2 and still thinks he's a baby but has become a perfect addition to our family. Our older dog is nearly 14 and only now do we have issues with him waking early (5am-ish) due to having dementia. They've been fantastic pets and even more crucial for my mental health.

We both work full time and have a baby on the way and still manage. We walk them in the evenings after work and work flexibly so that they never have more than 4-5 hours alone at a time.

We've been really lucky to make some great friends through having our dogs and Will holiday sit for each other or for days out which would mean them being left for longer.

The worst thing someone can do when picking a dog is go with looks of a breed. Make sure to study the breed before deciding on which type to get. We chose the breed of our dog, because it is family friend, easy to train and basically a great starter dog. We both grew up with dogs. I knew all the work would fall on me, as kids are too young to help at 5 and 6 and my husband works long hours. Regret of getting the dog has never crossed my mind. We have had the dog since 8 weeks old and now she is 6 months. She has been a true joy to the family, we are all in love. She was an easy puppy, sleeping through the night early on. We crate trained her. She can pee on command (when we take her out and want her to go quickly, we say go quick quick and she will go). She is so easy to train, you just tell her something 2 or 3 times and she just gets it (I use google and youtube for training her). She can sit, lie down, roll over, stay, leave it (if she picks something up in park i don't want her to have, she drops it if i say leave it). Or if I leave a treat in front of her face on the floor and say leave it, she will move back and not touch it. Anyway, we have been lucky, but the breed we selected is a overall easy breed. She goes to bed every night on her own by 8pm. She does not whine or cry in the crate in the morning even when she hears us in the kitchen. When I am ready, I open her crate and take her straight out to pee (around 7am). I am a stay at home mom though, so can give her adequate exercise through out the day and we live right on the edge of huge dog park so she spends her days running around with other dogs, playing ball or going on walks. So I think that helps. A happy dog is an easy dog.

Good luck!

I was told by pretty much all dog owners not to get a dog as I'd regret it, but I've always wanted one so did it anyway. I don't regret it at all. I didn't like the puppy phase (but wasn't expecting to), and yes there are things you have to do even when you're not much in the mood to do them, but that applies to everything in life. For me the joy of having him outweighs the hassle of things like walks, poo-picking, kennels etc.

I've done a lot of training with him, which we enjoy, and he's not in the least bit destructive. The biggest pain is not being able to go out for a whole day without sorting either a dog walker or daycare, but that's just all part of it.

Get a dog - don’t get a puppy.

Get a cat.

Don't do it if you have any doubts. I pay up to £140 a month for someone to take my dog for a walk 3 times a week. When she was younger it was literally double as she had 2 visits a day 3 times a week plus my husband popping home at lunch. But she is a very demanding cross breed.

This morning while I was off work and my daughter was at nursery I thought I would treat myself to a nice long, relaxing, hot bath. I had to get out twice to let the dog out and she whined the rest of the time because it's apparently outrageous that I could possibly be home and not giving her attention.

And not to mention my toddler is always getting her in trouble, and you should never leave small children and dogs unsupervised no matter how lovely the dog is. It's hard, really hard

My friends got two puppies and they are more tied than I am with two kids. At least you can take kids visiting, to eat out, to weddings, etc etc. Can’t take a dog. Cats can be left home alone without getting distressed

Maybe I've been lucky but my dog isn't hard work AT ALL. She's never chewed, even as a puppy, she doesn't bark (apart from in her sleep), isn't bouncing off the walls or in need of attention constantly, which is surprising considering she's a spaniel. She's not aggressive, doesn't roll in anything nasty, can happily entertain herself, has perfect recall and is generally an absolute joy to own. The only hard part for us was that we got her in December 2015 so doing toilet training in the dead of winter was a bit unpleasant.

Honestly OP all dogs are different but the poster who said that you shouldn't get one unless you can't imagine yourself not having one was spot on. You may end up with a very chilled dog, but equally you might end up with an energetic spirited one. Unless you're prepared for both it's best not to get one.

Dogs poo a lot and you have to pick it up and dispose of it properly. Including when they diarrhoea

Depends on type of dog. I love ours anf would never be without him now but if i could go back in time i wouldnt have gotten one.

Ours is a small lap dog so we dont kennel him which means we are very tied.

People will offer to help out before getting one but change their mind once it becomes a reality.

They develop habits that are very very hard to break. Ours marks his bed daily. He also marks the sofa / carpet if he is left alone downstairs for longer than he would like e.g. if going for a shower or sorting washing. I feel our house constantly smells because when you cant see it you dont always know its happened even with the best will in the world.

They are very expensive. Even more so then i thought for insurance,specialist food, treats, toys, beds, vet checks, jabs, wormers, flea treatment, nails clipped,dog walker, safety equipment. The list goes on.

They also dont always listen. Ours is very stubborn and if he starts barking it can become a bit of a screaming match.

I appreciate some of the above might be able to be ruled out with more intensive training but theres always a chance it might not too.

Until a couple of years ago I have always had dogs , I love them ( the individual ones I've been lucky to have as part of my family ) but since loosing the last elderly one I've had so much more freedom to travel , take extra shifts at work , choose houses that I don't need to consider for pet friendly ness , spend longer time away / over nights away , and no hairs , dust , mud , bits of food etc to clean up , no dog hairs all over my clothes , furniture and car
Honestly if you are not 100% committed to having one and all it entails , don't

Mamabear, the breed we’re looking at is meant to be family-friendly, easy to train and suitable for novices. However I’m not a sahm, and that does give me pause.
Re a dog v puppy, not sure we could rescue with small children. Also my experience with rescue cat v cats we got and socialized as kittens was that the latter were so much easier and more affectionate. However doing a lot of research as even if we can’t help with the rescue problem , I most certainly don’t want to be contributing to it!

Worried I couldn’t give a dog with issues what it needs, as a novice with young family.

I think it depends on your lifestyle.

We got our pup last summer, absolutely best thing we've ever done. However I don't work as such- I volunteer, so rarely need to leave the house for longer than 3 hours. We also don't have very young children ( 9&14), holiday only in this country and I'm friends with a lovely dog walker.

I wouldn't. A former colleague of mine got a dog when her children were small. One of those fluffy-wuffy won't-hurt-a-fly ones apparently. Until the day the toddler squealed about something, the dog attacked it, and it took over 200 stitches to have the child's face sewn back on.

The dog, of course, was destroyed that day.

Guinea pig are nice.

Three sets of friends have got dogs.

One set NEVER walk theirs. The wife's mum walks the dog twice a day. Works as a dog-share, but thank heaven they have the assistance. Oh, and they gave up their established guinea pigs because they didn't get on with the dog. (cardinal sin in my book. YOu ALWAYS put the pet that was there first first).

Another set, the husband begged for cute doggo. Wife reluctantly agreed, reluctant because she knew how limiting and hard work they are. Husband fucked off. Now she has divorce debts and is straddled with the dog.

Third couple have got two undertrained dogs ('pure breed' puppies found from gypsy breeders and picked up within three hours of them posting on Facebook , riddled with fleas and infections). They are forever attending things alone, or leaving early to look after the dogs, or fighting with her parents, who she has a difficult relationship with, but relies upon for care.

I know it's not all like this... but I am very glad that these experiences have woken my fiance up to the fact that you do NOT take on a dog lightly.

I regretted mine and had to rehome to a lovely family friend. Mine was a puppy and I did not realise (despite 3 years of research and really considering it) the huge thing it is.
I also, like a PP could not cope with the smells/ poo (sounds pathetic) but that was a big thing for me.
Will never get one again, but will be a great dog sitter for friends.

I have a bichon frise and as much as I love her, she is hard work. She was a rescue dog but was very well behaved.

I pay £30 a month animal insurance, plus vaccinations and food and dog walking. It gets expensive.

Puppies are extremely hard work so we went for an older dog.

When the time comes, I will not be getting another dog! Think it through carefully, they need walking come rain or shine. Lots of patience too.

Do you have children?

A well cared for and well trained dog is a blessing; a poorly cared for or trained dog is a curse.
A dog is 12 months of hard work when they first arrive but if you put in the time you get 12 years of pure love and joy.
Pick the right breed for your lifestyle and it should all be good (we chose a dog that matched our lives - very active, cuddly but that didn't bark and we love her!)

My dog died in June he was much loved! I had him before I had a husband and kids, my parents had him while I worked so he was never left alone, when i had kids I did find him a tie, Never being able to go on days out or holidays abroad. When we went to centre parcs not been able to go swimming or anything because we couldn’t leave him. the kids also hate being dragged out in hail/wind/rain for an hour twice a day to walk the dog.

I miss the company and cuddle but I wouldn’t get another as I want holidays and days out with out the worry. The kids miss a dog but don’t miss walking in unsuitable conditions. Pushing a pram and taking a dog out in a storm is not fun, especially in the winter when it rains nearly every day day.

I have a dog and I love her to pieces, but tbh, once she's gone I'll probably not get another. I work from home and she's a great companion, but there are negatives too. My husband gets up at 5am for work and the dog has this time stored in her body clock now, so even at weekends she wants someone to get up at that time. If you don't, she barks! She also suffers from pancreatitis and has to be on a strict diet. If she has too much fatty food she'll have an episode which involves sickness and diarrhoea and inevitably an expensive vist/stay at the vet. Ask yourself the following:

• Will someone be at home during the day to let it out/keep it company? If not, can you afford to have someone come it? It's not fair to leave the dog alone all day.
• Can I endure the puppy stage? They learn with their mouths so they can bite a lot with very small sharp teeth. They chew and need to be toilet trained (sometimes they eat their poop).
• Am I prepared for the expense of feeding, grooming, immunising, boarding the dog?
• Does my lifestyle suit a dog? You mention 'being limited in our activities'. Do you go away a lot? Someone has to look after the dog if you can't take it with you.
• Can I put up with any mess? Depending on the breed they can moult a lot. They slobber sometimes. When they drink the floor can end up covered it water. Then there's dirty/wet feet that need to be wiped when they come in during wet weather. The garden needs to be cleared of poop (sometimes runny) and disposed of. Claws can leave marks on wooden floors if they jump up too quickly.
• If you get a bitch they'll squat to wee in the garden. That leaves lovely brown patches everywhere. My husband is always out there with grass seed and top soil so my garden can look like we have moles!
• Will everyone else in the household pitch in, or will it all fall to you to walk the dog, clear up after it, arrange boarding/vet visits etc. If the novelty wears off after a bit and you're the one doing everything for the next X years, it can be a pain.
• What's right for my DC? You mention children growing up with a dog. If they're very small it may be wise to wait until they can understand how to treat the dog respectfully.

There's so much to consider other than the cute dog bouncing round the house. The above doesn't apply to all dogs, and you may get lucky with what you choose. Give it a lot of thought, and good luck with what you decide!

Any pets we had over the years ended up being mostly cared for by me. Especially anything disgusting (dog squits, cat leaving rodent body parts lying etc). I'm not particularly soft hearted but would feel guilt ridden about lack of exercise, fuss and attention. So that is worth thinking about, would it be you who sits with them in the night if they seem frightened or unwell?

Friend’s got first dog recently (rescue). Behaviour wise is a dream. Very endearing and eager to please and every one is fond of him. But it’s like having another child re amount of time and energy required to meet basic needs. Dog does not play or amuse himself — it’s choice, but boring for anyone wanting a pet to provide active companionship.
Then there is the concern re leaving him alone, holidays etc when I’ve been involved. I’m really fond of him but think you get much better value from a cat. IMO dogs are for people with time and surplus energy on their hands, or who need an excuse to go out walking

I love our dog to bits, she is a choc labrador crossed with australian cattle dog and we have had her since she was 6 weeks old she is now 9. There are about 3 days a week when she is on her own for about 7 hours when she was younger my mum would come and walk her in the day as she couldnt not go all day without needing to go out, but that phase didnt last for long. She costs us £2 a week in food. We are lucky in that if we go on holiday my friend has her, if we are all out for longer than 8 hours then I pay the girls over the road a fiver and they take her so I suppose we do have a bit of help when need be. She is no trouble thou, can be let off the lead always comes back, ignores other dogs, has never snapped at anyone, only goes on furniture when given permission. Have you looked into how intelligent that breed is ? That can make such a big difference.