Why does everyone put you off having a dog?

[sweetkitty]

If its that bad then no one would have dogs. We are thinking of getting a dog next year but whenever I mention it to anyone I get a cats bum face then a list of reasons why I shouldnt get a dog it will need walked that's a hassle/sheds hair/holidays/days away/chewing/vets fees/bite the DC etc

Even on here people will ask for advice and be told they shouldn't get a dog.

I know people are being realistic I grew up with 2 dogs I know how much work they are but it seems everyone hates dogs. Everyone is trying to put me off getting one.

I met a lovely huskey the other day, he had been passed on to his owner because the last people couldn't manage him. He was a beautiful dog, so friendly but 5 mins chat with his owner was enough to put me off the breed for my life because I just couldn't give the right time and care.

It is important that you research the breeds and requirments, DP went for a jog with the husky to feel the pull (DP is a 16 stone body builder) and he kept control only because the dog let him! Such strong and magnificent beasts but not something I could walk with DD!

They all have their different needs so research is important and I agree there are benefits to a rescue dog and a puppy (from a reputable breeder), so look well into both when the time comes.

Ahoy, LeBFG, you are in my part of the world. We are in SW France too. I totally get your point of most dogs around not being walked, same situation in our area. And the dogs who want a walk just go off on a wander themselves. We have had our share of doggie visitors.

I think the way of bringing up dogs in urban parts of UK is so different from rural France. Our dogs have to adjust to both lifestyles and in our case they much prefer the more relaxed, free-range roaming in France. And tbh, it was a pita managing the dogs in urban UK, people seemed so much more uptight about their own dogs and other dogs. Lots of nervous ladies in the park who scowled if your dog went to say hello, instead of France where no one even turns to look when two dogs greet each other.

OP, not sure why you are asking others before getting a dog. You have had experience with them and you don't need approval before doing what you want to do. You surely didn't ask for opinions on whether to have children...getting a dog is just as much a personal decision. If you want a dog, go for it. Sod the rest, things will fall into place and your dog will fit into the rythmn of your life.

Flatbread - I hear what you are saying about not needing validation to get a dog but there are not as many cihildren being handed to rescue as dogs!

I got my dog on the spur of the moment-she was part of a accidental litter heading to rescue. No planning or anything I do not advocate this approach but on the whole it has been far easier than I expected. I don't know why I didn't get one sooner, she is lovely super gentle with my ds 4 and we have so much fun walking her every day. She's a springer x lurcher So is both very fast and energetic but also sleeps a fair amount. The one thing I was worried about - Going out for the day is no problem at all as now she doesn't mind and my neighbours actually argue over who gets to come in a walk/keep her company! I think if you are sensible and aware of he issues I would advise anyone to get a dog but also stress that they have to be cared for loved and walked and that these are not options everyday. Wouldn't be without my dog for the world

Dogs are very rewarding imo. I think the reason people try to put you off is because 1st time dog owners especially think they know what they are letting themselves in for but actually, they dont.

I found the 1st year of getting our first dog worse than having my first DC. DC's can go pretty much everywhere with you, Dogs cant a lot of the time. It's a huge responsibility. Getting the training right so your dog doesn't have any behavioral ishoos.

A lot of people think because they grew up with dogs they know what a commitment it is but usually they dont as in reality their parents were the main carers not them. I've also found that some people look back on their childhood family pets with rose tinted glasses.

Good luck in finding the right dog for you and your family.

Crossed, it seems to me that in modern society we don't really need to have children or pets from a survival perspective. We do it as a personal choice, and while it is good to get information on rearing children/dogs, no one else can really tell you whether you should have one.

Children are being given up for adoption and fostering too. I somethimes think that we can over-think things...there are all kinds of parents and dog owners and there is no single recipe on how to bring up children or dogs successfully.

They don't get any hotter than a lot of breeds. Certainly mine are faring a lot better than your average pug/frenchie/brachycephalic dog and 100x better than my neighbour's newfies. They can't be let off in unenclosed spaces or anywhere near livestock hence the insistence on leads, belts, harnesses etc.

Flatbread, I do agree that we overthnk things too much. I have talked myself in and out of getting a dog a hundred times over the past month since we actually decided to go ahead and get one. I can get wildly excited about it and then terrifred at hte prospect in the same 10 minutes. I actually get n my own nerves! I also swing from puppy to rescue (have applied for failed guide dog). Ho hum

Crossed, ah, you are the one looking for a failed guide dog. Brilliant idea, have heard that they are pretty much trained. Read about someone having three of these dogs, will see if I can find the link. Please keep us updated on how that goes.

Crossed, here is the link www.phxguidedograisers.org/raisers/living_in_a_pack.htm

Apologies if you have read it already.

I very much believe that dogs need regular exercise. The emphasis being on exercise. I fail to see how a dog having free run of 9 hectares of land will be less stimulated than a dog taken on two 20 minute walks a day, on the lead, on the same route, to the same park, which is how most dogs are exercised. Surely all the farmers with sheepdogs and shit loads of land don't walk their dogs elsewhere every day? None of the ones I know do anyway!

The difference being that the sheepdogs are working and therefore receiving enforced and guided exercise, both mental and physical.

Mine have supervised access to two acres (I rent land for my horse) but given the choice don't spend all day exercising themselves on it, they playfight for about five minutes and wind the horses up and then just slob out. Nice for free time for them to chill out but it is not going to keep them fit and healthy. That is my job.

It's ridiculous to compare the life of a proper working sheepdog to a dog left to its own devices all day, however big the patch of land it has.

My dogs can easily get the exercise, without my having a specific dog walking routine.

Example of a random day - Wake up in the morning, ignore excited dogs. Go make coffee and step outside to a glorious (or rainy) day. Dogs follow, but have to sit at door and wait till I say ok before stepping out. Throw sticks for dogs to chase while having coffee

Go down to the forest to mark trees to be cut, dogs follow down, sniff for rabbits, chase and bark at forest sounds and then back home. Tree cutting guy comes, greeted by everyone including dogs. Dogs follow again as we go down to forest to discuss, same dog routine, interspersed by each dog inserting themselves for extra touches by strong, manly tree-guy.

At home, prepare dogs brekker. Dogs sit and wait nicely till i say ok, and then gobble up their food. I get to work, dogs lie down close by and nap, tired after the excitement of the morning. At noon, walk to the village to get eggs, as hen-lady will be in her house preparing lunch. Go down the path, chat with neighbours, dogs with me saying hello to neighbouring dogs. Practice recall and play chase-the-stick. It takes 30 minutes or so, a nice downhill and a strenuous walk back.

Return home, Make myself a simple lunch of an omelette. Eat and train dogs on the wait command as I feed them some morsels of my meal. Clean up, get garbage together to drop off at garbage collection boxes, half a mile away, dogs come along.

I continue work, dogs shooed out where they play and sleep. In the evening I work on the garden, dogs around, girl dog helping with the gardening. Go down to the forest to see how the tree cutting is going, dogs come. Then walk to friend's house for an aperitif, dogs come along and meet up with friends dogs.

Evening meal for all, time on the terrace, cuddles and a quick groom for ticks etc., and then bed.

Would say the dogs got plenty of mental and physical stimulation, easily 2 hours of walking with us, combining all the activities. With regard to mental training, they get it interspersed throughout, without setting up a specific training session. They are also expected to show good manners throughout the day ( e.g., not jumping when greeting neighbours, sitting down nicely if they want to be touched) and are corrected when not. This is a day when the dogs are not formally exercised. On the days we do focus on the dogs specifically, we take them swimming, out for long hikes and they love it! But to somehow think that a dog with a daily routine similar to ours is neglected, is bonkers

Actually I would say you are walking your dogs several times a day Flatbread, in that you're going out, on foot, and they're coming with you - it's just that your 'walks' are more informal and more integrated into your routine/lifestyle than would be possible for many people. But it doesn't matter to the dog whether you're going out specifically to walk them, or you're going out anyway and they're allowed to come along - they don't know or care, as long as they get to go out!

i want your life flatbread

I agree with Ephiny - Flatbread, you are quite clearly walking your dogs.

To give you an example of a dog purely given free access to plenty of land, no walks, no stimulation -

The top picture on my profile is of boy dog in the spare horse paddock. He'd spent five minutes having silly playfights with my other dog (so remove this as exercise if you have a lone dog) and then five minutes play bowing and woo-ing at the horse, trying to goad her into chasing him (again, remove this as exercise if you don't have a horse). Thereafter he threw himself into the long grass and sat like that for a good half an hour, just mooching and watching the world go by. When he got too warm he headed back to the yard, found a shady spot and lay down to snooze.

He had barely moved by the time I'd finished and was ready to go home two hours later. Without a walk later on he'd have had barely any exercise that day despite free access to huge grassy paddocks. Left to their own devices dogs will not do laps of their lovely 9 hectares of land, they will mooch and slob out and do very little. It is the human's job to give them something to do to occupy mind and body.

boldly, your dogs are gorgeous! the thing is the other poster probably provides a similar lifestyle to her dogs. some dogs are lazy buggers but most will follow their owners around as they go about their business. taking care of nine hectares probably means a lot of back and forth and the dogs must be getting a good walk around.

crossed, gosh, don't envy my life at all. If I could go back to my previous life and job, I would do it in a heartbeat!

Flatbread - I wasn't asking others should I get a dog merely that we were thinking about it but everyone I mention it to in RL goes on about all the disadvantages and tries to put me off. Surely if having a dog was so bad no one would have one then.

In response to whoever said about it being different to your parents having dogs, when my Dad lived with us he took nothing to do with the dogs, my Mum would maybe walk them once a week, if it was raining she would send them out the back for a pee! I was the one who would walk them after school, I used to go to the shop for their food, I regularly bathed them as well. I even paid the vet when my beloved boy got PTS when I was 19 having had him since I was 5. This says more about my parents though. I would say from about 11 I was looking after the dogs more than either of my parents.

As I said further down its not a quick decision.

When we decided to get our dogs, we didn't tell many people because of that reason! My parents were all 'you'll never be able to go on holiday again' 'you'll be tied down' 'they are so much work'.
Yet, when babies are mentioned it all 'Ooh, how lovely' 'it's the best thing you'll ever do' 'you'll have more than one, won't you?'.

IMO, children are far more of a responsibility than a dog. And one of the plus sides with dogs is that you can leave them to go to the pub for a few hours and SS don't mind

yoghurty - what's SS?

springer spaniels?

I read SS as Social Services.....?

I agree with whenyouseeit on one page 1, my dogs are the only ones who don't either flounce when told to do/stop doing something, or get all uppity if I'm not in mood to heap attention on them. They are happy just being in the same room. I think people who end up doing all the "work" of having a dog, usually because the spouse or child who wanted the dog in the first place doesn't do anything with it, feel that dogs are hard work.

I have German Shepherds, don't tell anyone, but imo it's rather like having children. They are dependant on you, you need to attend to their health and wellbeing, and people will criticise you if you don't keep them under control. They just don't answer back and whinge about "all the other dogs get steak and I get dry pellets, and they get to run around the streets all night while I have to stay in, you're so unfair"

As for walking dogs, yes they do need it, just as much as humans need exercise, two jobs done in one go.

Such an interesting discussion. thank you very much