Negatives of having a dog

[Sleepdeprived42long]

So, we are considering getting a dog to join our family which is currently me, DH, DS11 and DS9. I’ve had cats my whole life but not dogs. DH and DS11 are most keen but I’m definitely not against the idea!

We’ve had some bad luck with pets in the past so I really want us to make this decision with our eyes open not just to the positives (which we know) but also the negatives.

Just by way of background-if we did go with a dog, would probably dog like cockapoo/cavapoo or similar. We both WFH and enjoy family walks-we don’t see this changing in the next few years. We do sometimes go out for whole days at the weekend (although normally to the beach or similar) and go on holiday quite a lot (4-5 times a year for at least 2-3 nights but sometimes up to 10 nights). We could afford a dog but would have to make sacrifices on other luxuries (possibly a holiday or two!). My mental health isn’t great-I struggle with anxiety and depression at times.

So, for those of you who have dogs, can you tell me your honest negatives of dog ownership?

Norfolk or Norwich Terrier
Whippet
miniature poodle perhaps

You won’t be able to leave a puppy for long at all.

Read The Perfect Puppy and Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezy before deciding and revisit before and during puppyhood. Research breeders very thoroughly, ideally via the dominant national society for that breed and be prepared for a lot of questions as to your suitability from the breeders and a wait for a puppy.

Avoid adverts on Pets4Homes and Gumtree. Champ Dogs is okay but I’d still research them further and talk to the national breed association. Be wary of anyone offering a puppy unexpectedly available due to a buyer letting them down. It must happen but it’s a common trope used by dodgy sellers who can’t or don’t want you to show you the litter. Always see them in their home environment and do not arrange to meet “somewhere halfway” or whatever.

I agree about avoiding Cockerpoos, too many suffer terrible anxiety, some also are very prone to painful coat matting. It’s impossible to predict the adult coat type of a very young puppy.

Always see them in their home environment and do not arrange to meet “somewhere halfway” or whatever.

Puppy farmers will often place them in a ‘home environment’ just for selling purposes as well.

Like @Mmmmdanone we have a Cockapoo, and the negative is that he’s anxious to be left alone, will bark annoyingly (for the neighbours) if left in the house by himself, and follows us around pretty much all the time when at home. He also stinks, and our house does smell, which I hate!

I noted about your MH - please don’t underestimate how much work a puppy is, and the ‘puppy blues’ are very much a thing! I had full on depression for about 2 months when we first got ours, as was so anxious about him.

Ensure you have a good support network if getting a dog, and make sure you have people who can look after it for every eventuality - eg what happens if there’s an emergency with the DC - can you rely on a neighbour to watch the dog for an hour or two, are there reliable professional sitters around in your area for weekends away, etc?
We’ve found that Rover has been a lifesaver on numerous occasions, and have never used a professional sitter (bear in mind that many don’t accept puppies under a certain age, or if they do, there’s an additional charge).

Our dog is now 10 months, and although I love him, I already know that down the line, I’d never get another once he’s gone.
Just too much of a tie, and adds to the mental load, adorable though he is!

Positives

*walks out in nature everyday
*free hugs and company

Negatives

*finding dog care when on holiday

• training needs

I would say that only get a cockapoo if you're an extremely patient extremely active family. They're lovely dogs but are very boisterous and need lots of exercise.

We have 2 adopted bichons and they're amazing and well behaved for the most part. Very loving and can walk for miles but also sleep for hours.

No spontaneity in terms of travel or days out. You always always have to think of what to do with the dog.

I find it really annoying and I do feel trapped now especially since kennels are hugely expensive where I live.

Getting up early every day to let them out for a wee wee.

They smell. They like to roll in fox poo.

Best thing I ever did. Luves her.

My German Shepherd is as good as gold, super easy to train and very cuddly, BUT...... she does like to eat her own poop occasionally 🙈

So refreshing to hear from someone that is considering dog ownership wants to listen to the pitfalls rather than just the positives.

i can only tell you my experience, we adored our dog we had him from a pup until he was sadly PTS at 13. Would we get another dog? No and these are the reasons why. Constant tie, we would never put our dog in kennels so holidays abroad were difficult. U.K. breaks were fine, we often booked pet friendly cottages. Puppy days are hard. As a pup he did have chew up shoes, banisters spindles etc. the expense, vets fees, pet insurance doesn’t cover everything. But more than all of the other things I mentioned, the devastating loss with you lose them, is just so heartbreaking. When you have owned a dog for so many years, it’s the routine that you also miss, that might sound strange, but it’s the times you take them for a walk and the people you see, the times you feed them, that’s a reminder of the loss.

There are so many positives too, but for us I don’t think we would get another dog, although we absolutely love them.

Good luck with whatever you decide is right for your family OP.

The negatives for my big, daft, low shedding, non smelly hound:

1. Two walks a day, unless sheeting down (he hates the rain, but needs the walk)
2. Can be a PITA (frustrated greeter or occasionally just 'doesn't like') with some other dogs and/or humans, so embarrassing as the owner if barking hard and clearly looking aggressive.
3. V strong and big, so needs a dogmatic or similar face lead to make walks in public places safe for all. Refer to 2 though, as still doesn't stop that.
4. Doggy day-care when I'm working, and it's expensive (lovely for him though and has been done since small pup to socialise). He's the dream dog for them, and they don't really believe no 2! They still say that he's the "one in a million" in terms of temperament.
5. Cinema visits are hard, as he doesn't much like being left in the evenings. Mornings are fine though.

Having said all that though, for 99% of the time he's the loveliest, friendliest, most accepting joy I could possibly ask for. We take great delight in making his relatively short life into something filled with love.

Oh and if you do go ahead, I would strongly suggest finding and using an 'all dogs together' type day-care and if possible, find one that also boards them in the same way. We did and it's a game changer. He'd hate kennels.

"If you buy a puppy, there’s a high chance they’ll be from a puppy farm or there will at least be some exploitation of dogs involved. Breeders are mostly in it for the cash and are good at hiding what’s really going on, If you get a rescue, you don’t know their history. I’d still only ever get a rescue though"

Please don't listen to advice like this. It's a very narrow minded pov. A lot of breeders are very responsible and the welfare of the dogs is the main priority. Yes there are irresponsible breeders and you need to do your research of course but with rescues and children and I don't mean this to be disrespectful but an inexperienced dog owner you need to very careful. I'm not saying don't go down that route but again you need to do your research and decide what's right for your family.

Another route for dog ownership is places like guide dogs, hearing dogs, assistant dog charities.
they often need puppy walkers and holiday cover. You can get a taste for it and see how you get on.
a big chunk (if memory serves me right it’s 30-40%) don’t make the cut. So that’s a fair few well trained dogs that need to find homes.

Negatives
I struggle to leave her.
She isn't suitable for kennels. Too nervy, needy, needs attention. Thus I cannot leave the country
She farts badly.
She sheds everywhere. My car looks like a snow globe.
She is lazy and scratches at the cupboard with treats in it. She would be the size of a barrel if I allowed.
She has a better grooming schedule than me

Positives
I adore her. She only has to look at me sideways with her head cocked when I am bending her ear and I melt. I can't imagine life without her.

When we decided to get a dog, I let my DH choose the breed as he was the blocker for many years.

I said I would consider all sizes from terriers upwards. (I had terriers growing up).

My DH wanted a non-shedding breed. We ended up going for an Australian labradoodle as they were originally bred in Oz to be therapy dogs and all 'highly-strung' traits bred out of them (as much as you can). We'd heard so many stories about bonkers cockerpoos / cavapoos.

We were choosy with our breeder. They interviewed us, we interviewed them. All registered, health checked etc. We were able to visit them, meet the mum and gave us details and a video of the dad. We had to sign a contract saying we wouldn't breed from our puppy. These are all good signs of a reputable breeder

My breeder mentioned there was a good Australian labradoodle breeder in Scotland. I'll dig it out if you're interested

Have namechanged as I’m embarrassed to admit this - but I massively regret getting a dog. I grew up with bombproof calm dogs and I thought I knew what I was doing - how wrong I was! Our dog is fairly easy in many ways but thanks to lockdowns isn’t great when new people come into the house - she barks quite aggressively and takes time to calm down. She’s lovely with people she knows but I hate the stress whenever we have new guests. Plus the mess and the smell.

DC and DH adore her but if we went back in time I wouldn’t 😣

Please don't listen to advice like this. It's a very narrow minded pov. A lot of breeders are very responsible and the welfare of the dogs is the main priority. Yes there are irresponsible breeders and you need to do your research of course but with rescues and children and I don't mean this to be disrespectful but an inexperienced dog owner you need to very careful. I'm not saying don't go down that route but again you need to do your research and decide what's right for your family.

Its the truth of the dog breeding industry unfortunately so please don’t tell others to ignore the pp. There are a lot of very bad breeders. I run an animal rescue centre, I’m a vet nurse, I work with animal charities and a range of people to try to make much needed changes in legislation for dog breeding. The industry is full of unscrupulous breeders.

I said there are irresponsible breeders and OP needs to do their research but that doesn't mean every breeder is bad. The breeder i bought my Bichon off still keeps in touch now and she's 7. I completely agree it should be more regulated 100%. I'm just stating imo that they should make an informed decision not to assume every breeder is bad and that rescuing isn't always the right choice either especially with young children.

I could list lots of 'negatives' but most of these are outweighed by the positives.

The only things that really hurt are

I hate leaving him - he has seperation anxiety and gets really upset which makes me really upset.

When he is ill - you love them like babies so when they are ill I feel so worried and helpless and frightened it is serious/life threatening

One day he will die on me and that will be the worst of all.

The rest of the 'negatives' - yes they are a tie, yes vet bills can be frightening, walking them when you just can't be bothered are all outweighed by the adoration, love, companionship, fun and happiness they bring to your life. They also give you a good routine and lift your spirits. Mine makes me laugh with his hilarious little ways. They are also soft, warm and very comforting like a teddy bear come to life (well mine is!). Excellent for people who live alone.

I will happily do all the boring 'negatives' as long as he stays healthy and with me!

I said there are irresponsible breeders and OP needs to do their research but that doesn't mean every breeder is bad. The breeder i bought my Bichon off still keeps in touch now and she's 7. I completely agree it should be more regulated 100%. I'm just stating imo that they should make an informed decision not to assume every breeder is bad and that rescuing isn't always the right choice either especially with young children.*

The pp didn’t say EVERY breeder is bad. They also highlighted the risk of having a rescue dogs.

They were absolutely right to say that there is a high chance of buying from a puppy farm or exploitation if you buy a puppy. That just the truth I’m afraid.

First paragraph should be bold as it’s a quote

The only downside to having a dog is having to say goodbye 💔

Most noteworthy thing for me is cost. Dog ownership is an expensive hobby.

I have 2, labs, so food and vet/ insurance costs are high, but grooming costs are minimal.

In my case , if DH & I cannot be around for long walks on any given day, that’s 2 visits by the dog walker, 2 dogs per walk , though thankfully that’s not often.

The younger dog, a rescue, cannot do kennels or boarding out, so it’s someone she knows staying at ours , or they come with us.

Would not be without them, and I dread the day that I have to say goodbye. Just adore them.

I would recommend a Cairn Terrier, a Poodle, a Shih Tzu, Lhasa apso, border terrier for small confident dogs.

If your WFH isn't contracted, don't rely on it.

We did, it got really unexpectedly pulled and now we have a 10 month old pup we're scrambling to sort out.

They are a tie.
Also consider that they need two walks a day not just a lovely long walk when you have time at the weekend. Have you got lots of interesting dog walks straight out of the door or will you have to drive somewhere? I’ve lived in my town years and years and I’m sick to death of walking even though we have nice places everywhere - I’ve done them all many many times.
I got older dogs. I loved giving them a good home but knowing they would only be around 5 years tops. As a single mum I couldn’t commit to 15 years of looking after an animal knowing if I changed jobs or moved I might not be able to care for them.