Talk to me about dog owning

[chocolatesaltyballs22]

We're thinking about getting a dog but I'd like someone to give me the warts & all pitfalls so that I go into it with my eyes open. Haven't had a dog since I was a child, now in early 50's. But I've always loved dogs. WFH permanently gives me a great opportunity to get one. Am thinking small terrier type. Something which doesn't shed too much. I am a bit of a neat freak, I have to admit. Think I have a case of empty nest syndrome as daughter has just left for university. (Yes, I'm aware I'm a walking cliché).

I'd love some advice from you expert dog owners.

We got a pug and he is the most perfect little boy. Truly the best dog. Wonderful personality/ adores people/children in particular/super-cuddly/sleeps a lot/has never destroyed anything/too small to reach tables or worktops/extremely loyal/always wants to please/very easy to train/potty training was a breeze etc etc). He is just the best and black pugs don't shed very much at all (haven't noticed any shedding actually). Just the best!

His favourite pastime 😴

They are a tie as you can't just leave them for the day.

If you are thinking of a puppy they are full on and then you hit adolescence. Read the puppy survival threads .

I WFH but it can still be a challenge when they want to bark when you are on a call or concentrating. And WFH with a puppy is a nightmare as you need to have eyes on them all the time.

For neatness that isn't so much of a problem but don't expect your floors to be clean with muddy paws.

He's gorgeous @XelaM.

Yeah....am a clean as well as neat freak but we have wooden floors though the whole downstairs so not difficult to clean up.

@chocolatesaltyballs22

He's gorgeous *@XelaM*.

Yeah....am a clean as well as neat freak but we have wooden floors though the whole downstairs so not difficult to clean up.

We have hard floors throughout. He still leaves muddy paws despite me washing him but he is a spaniel and a mud magnet

Having a dog is great. There are many, many benefits and I will never be without one. Downsides are you always have to consider the dog when you are going out. You work from home so this should be easy enough but think about holidays, nights out, days out. What will you do with your dog when you can't be at home basically? I think this is the biggest consideration and whether you can work around this should factor into your decision to proceed with getting one. Even after more than 15 years of dog ownership we will still be happily making plans and then one of us will remember the dog and we'll both go 'bollocks' and rethink the plan.

Having a puppy is definitely very similar to having a toddler, so that should cure your empty nest syndrome pretty fast I honestly think of ours as my second baby and when I collect him from doggy daycare I always feel like I felt picking up my daughter from nursery (and same worries that he makes friends/that no one is nasty to him )

Don't underestimate how tying them are.

And don't expect to get much any work done from home in the first 4-6 weeks as you will need to be focusing on toilet training, keeping pup company and stopping him/her from eating your house

Dogs don't need to mean a messy home. Just keep towels etc. by the door for winter and get a portable washer for the car or back door so the mud stays outside. We have lots of fleece blankets that can be washed regularly and our house is always tidy - I'm a neat freak too and we manage it with three cats and a beagle

They are a huge tie. Spontaneity is out the window. Just going for a few drinks after work? Can’t do that, got to get home for the dog.
Should we go for a meal after the cinema? Oh no, got to get back for the dog.

Going on a weeks holiday? + £150 for Dog Kennels

And yes you will never have a clean home again, and no matter how much you hoover your carpet will always have hair, hardwood floors will need sweeping probably every day, every single item of clothing you wear will have dog fur on it.

And then what if your dog can’t be left alone for more than an hour or so? What if your dog doesn’t like strangers or children coming into the house? Gonna have to separate every time someone comes over.

Having a puppy is like having a free range toddler that bites you and refuses to wear a nappy so craps on the floor. However, if you put the work in early, start as you mean to go on, you'll be rewarded. Having a dog is the best thing in the world...unconditional love, always pleased to see you, always happy to give you a cuddle.

Love ours to bits. But she’s a terrible tie. Only really works in that she happily goes to in laws and they have her any time.

She’s 2 and basically all grown up now, but up till 6 months they are a lot of hard work. First 8 weeks or with house training , chewing, biting are …time consuming…

I have a cockapoo. He's the love of my life. Nuff said.😍😍😍😍

I'm not a neat freak and I hate the extra work, the smell the neediness, the hassle...

Thanks for all of your replies. So would it be easier getting a rescue rather than a puppy do you think?

I think if you’re getting a puppy you should be careful about the breed you get. I think a small, lazy-ish, happy to please breed is much easier than an energetic, medium/large, very smart, high prey-drive breed

You might get lucky with a rescue, but bear in mind they can come with issues (some of which you might be happy to deal with)

@chocolatesaltyballs22

Thanks for all of your replies. So would it be easier getting a rescue rather than a puppy do you think?

It really depends on the rescue.

I'm a dog walker. I walk some rescues who are basically dreams - they arrived perfectly trained and slotted right into the family. But I walk many more who are reactive, who will snap, lunge and snarl at other dogs. Ones who can't be left alone because they will cry, vomit and destroy the house. Ones who are terrified of cars, horses, traffic, other dogs and strange people because they were never socialised.

Honestly I think the best thing to do would be to spend some time with dogs - walk them in all weathers, have one to visit for a weekend or for a week while the owners are away and see how you really feel about having a dog in your home 24/7.

@icedcoffees that's really good advice, thank you.

We’ve got a seven year old rescue as I knew I didn’t have the time or patience for a puppy and it was important for me to have a rescue rather than pay a breeder.

Unconditional love is a big one, and just having a reason to get up, go outside, have something else depending on you so that work doesn’t occupy every space in your brain! I don’t know if I’ve explained that very well!

You can’t really be spontaneous - you have to have planned the dog Walker to visit or for the dog to go to it’s grandparents (who, luckily for us, adore her).

Having two walks a day is both a pro and a con, especially in the rain and dark!

The hair - I have to Hoover a lot more but she has a thick undercoat which came out in clumps at the start of summer. It’s not so bad now.

My dog is a bit neurotic so I have to be careful and on the look out for ambulances, boy racer cars with popping exhausts, a particular breed of dog that she is terrified of and I know she’s going to hate fireworks so we will be staying in!

Cost is a factor too - I have food, vet plan, pet insurance and dog Walker.

I have no regrets though! She’s my world.

Also to add, I waited over a year for the right rescue as I was specific about what I wanted - 4+, ok to be left a few hours, ok with other dogs. I was incredibly lucky to adopt from a rescue that places dogs in foster first so that they really get to know them. Big rescues like Dogs Trust wouldn’t home to me because I had a job, despite having a bullet proof plan for how that would work.

We got our Romanian rescue dog as fosterers to begin with as we wanted to be 100% sure it was going to work. It did and we realised we couldn't let him go... the defining moment was when we put him in my sister in laws car when we were all about to go to the park and his little face at the window was distraught as he thought he was being taken away without us... I knew then we were his forever home.

I won't lie, it's hard work, it's daily commitment to take him a good walk to burn off his energy no matter the weather, its working our days around making sure he's not on his own too long. But he makes us laugh, he loves us unconditionally and we wouldn't be without him .

I didn't know you could foster first - that's interesting.

Having a dog is great , fabulous company

They are a total pain in the neck if you like to go out for the day a lot , you can forget that. Everything revolves around how long dog can be left for etc.

If you a home bird and mostly go out places dog can come great

If you away out all day at weekends etc to no dog places forget it , they are very tying

@chocolatesaltyballs22

I didn't know you could foster first - that's interesting.

It's known as failed fostering.. and I imagine it's quite common unless you already have a dog as how can you not fall in love..

I've always been a dog owner but DP had never owned one and we wanted to be sure as it was me who missed having a dog after having them all my life (last one died just before i met DP)

We thought Fostering would be ideal to ensure it was going to work out. DP and the mutt are inseparable now and DP (who was adamant on two things... no dog in the bedroom and no picking up poo (my department as I wanted the dog) has poo bags at the ready in every jacket and his car, takes Archie on "Daddy walks"... a five mile walk on dartmoor that ends at the pub... and the dog sleeps on our bed...which is luckily a superking ..