DH and I are considering getting a dog for our kids for chrissy this year, but I am still a little hesitant in doing so.
What things did you find difficult in owning a dog? I have tried explaining to DH that it's like having another kid. We have to trainit, teach it and care for it. We have to pay for it's health care, food, ongoing costs, like bedding, defleaing yada yada....plus having to take it for walks, what to do when we go away....
How did you handle getting a dog, I know after time it will be like part of the family, but the first year or two will be a pretty big change and it's a big committment.
Anything else to consider? And with a family so young, should we do it now, or wait a year or three, lol!
We have 2 dogs and have had them longer than the kids!!! We have a king charles cavalier cross ****er spaniel and a cavoodle.
Dogs are $$$ to support vaccines and worming and fleeing is all $, plus food etc. Also depending on coat grooming is $
When we just had 1 dog we took him most places we went our 2nd dog however vomits in car so dont get taken very many places these days.
Kennels are $$$ if you are going away and can't or dont want to take dogs with you.
As much as we love our dogs we often wish we didnt have them as sometimes can be a real inconvenience to do things.
However the kids love the dogs and dogs generally love the kids 1 more than the other but both like to play with kids.
You've pretty much covered everything. We take the dogs camping and they are the reason we drive to Qld instead of flying
Choosing a dog breed - well that's dependent on how much exercise you can give them etc. Pip enjoys his dog now, she's good company fo him, and we haven't really trained her too mcuh, but have done the baics.
It is a big commitment for all the reasons you said but the joy we get (especially DD1 who spends most of the day playing with the dog) make it worth it
Nothing like a cuddle from DD after a hard day's work!
Oct 2007
in my own world
3,267
ohh that was my dream for DD when she turns 5 too. But some things to consider:
Does anyone have allergies to dog hair?
Make sure the dog comes from a reputable breeder. I know two friends who got their dogs and one had a heart murmur and the other epilepsy =(
We have two dogs and DD adores them. Plus the dogs are just best mates. Best thing we bought for our beagle was our ****er spaniel!!
Do your research on breeds. Some dogs that you might love the look of simply won't suit the life you have or can give them. I actually found Pedigree's website really helpful for this - there's a link there for choosing a dog and you put in what you'd do, like how often you'd groom them, walk them, etc and they work out what suits.
After a lot of research, we bought our beagle. We knew she would be hard work, and we were up for it. But in her first twelve months of life, we didn't expect the vet visits. Take away puppy vaccinations and desexing, she got skin cancer, she hurt her tail, pulled a claw, got a gastro-like thing, and had a problem with her eyes. Talking about two to three visits per problem and it ended up being incredibly costly. But we love her dearly, were totally committed and tried not to wonder how we'd eat when we paid the vet! We'd ring to make a new appointment for her, and the receptionist actually recognised our voices!
Don't be afraid to put a breeder through the ringer with questions - we did this and for both of our dogs the people answered every one of our questions. The beagle breeder even held off feeding the mum and dad dogs so we could see that they were happy being handled while eating (our previous dog was vicious when it came to food). Plus the day we picked her up, the lady cried Our ****er spaniel came from a more seasoned breeder, but two years on, we still get emails from her asking about the dog. If the breeder doesn't want to answer or is vague, get out of there!
I can back Feeb when she said kennels are $$$$$$. We just paid $36 for a night for a camping site where we couldn't take the dogs - it cost us $52 per night for them in the kennels! Plus a lot of kennels have minimum days over holiday periods.
It is a massive commitment, but well worth it. If DH is out late at night, I'm totally comfortable at home with my dogs. While they aren't guard dogs, they do get loud if something very out of the ordinary is going on. If I hear a weird noise and the dogs don't respond, then I don't worry.
Tbh, owning a dog is nowhere near as difficult as people make it out to be! It makes me really frustrated when people use it as an excuse. Its only difficult if you make it difficult.
We have 2 furbabies - a Rottweiler and a Pug x Poodle, and before that my parents had Silky Terriers, and DH's parents bred German Shepherds and King Charles Cavaliers, so I know what its like to care for both big and small dogs, dogs that require grooming, and dogs that don't!
With regards to vaccinations: This is only expensive in the beginning, once you have the initial injections at 12 and 16 weeks (the 6-8 week injection should have been done already by the pet store or breeder along with a vet check and microchipping), vaccinations become annual, and usually cost under $100.
With regards to regular worming treatments: Heartworm can be done annually now from 6 months of age via injection. Our vet does it for about $40, but thats probably not uniform. Gutworming does need to be done monthly, and a 6 month pack for a large dog can cost around $75. Alternatively, you can get a gut and heartworm treatment that is monthly and comes in a 3 month pack, however it can be expensive depending where you get it from.
Fleas and Ticks: This is easy, if you have a small dog, buy a tick and flea shampoo and give pup a bath once a month. For big dogs, it is more expensive. We fork out for a hyrdobath for Freya once a month, its $15 from a local hyrdobath operator. Shop around and you should be able to find a reasonable price. If you live in particularly dry or drought prone areas, you may find you can treat fleas when they happen. My parents didnt give their dogs flea treatments at all during the drought in SEQ for 3-4 years, and we didnt have any flea issues. This is because fleas and ticks need moisture to flourish. Tick and flea treatments in wet and humid areas are a must along with heartworm, because all parasites do better in warmer, wetter climates. Tbh, I dont like skimping on the tick treatments if you have outside dogs because ticks can go unnoticed until its too late, and thats when it gets expensive!
Grooming: When it comes to grooming, its all choice of breed. Shedding dogs don't require gooming, but may require brushing if they are longer haired, like the Shetland Sheepdog (Lassie dog). Grooming is another thing that if you shop around you can find a good price, and depending on the breed it may only be a quarterly, or bi-annual expense.
Desexing: One off cost obviously, it does make health more streamlined for the life of the animal, and should be done around 6 months. We just got our Rottie spayed and it cost us $270 including pain medication, and a free check up visit. The advantages of desexing are reduction of aggression and escapism, and elimination of testicular torsion in males, and eliminates the risk of pregnancy in females which can be extremely expensive when you factor in puppies, or an emergency c-section which can cost up to $2,000.
Food: We feed our pooches Eukanuba dry food, and Advance wet food. For a 25kg bag of Large Breed Puppy (essential to use large breed food for large breed puppies as they grow at a much slower rate than small breeds) its $125, and that will last us around 6-7weeks. 12 tins of wet food for about a months supply costs about $50. The largest bag of Small Breed Puppy is $75 and we're still seeing how far that goes, but its looking like 2-3 months! And thats for premium food. Realistically, dogs don't need wet food, but its boring for them to just have dry so we fork out for it. Big dogs obviously will cost you more than the little ones. Brand of food will also come into it - are you feeding premium or Pal? The most important thing with food is NEVER give your pets food from your table, and NEVER feed small dogs in particular human food. It can cause pancreatitis and other health complications over long periods. A treat now and then is fine, and big dogs can usually handle human food within reason - anything bad for you is bad for them too.
Kennels: Kennels are a *****. If you can leave your dog with friends for an agreed payment, its a good way to go, its what we always do. For a big dog, Kennels can be around $60/day, and for smaller dogs, depending on the area and the kennel can be as much as $50/day.
The most important thing is to choose the right breed for you. Big or small? Indoor or outdoor? Quiet and lazy, or boisterous and full of energy?
If you are concerned about allergens, breeds that don't shed are best - this includes usually breeds that are crossed with non shedding breeds - like the Poodle. If trainability is an issue, choose breeds that are known for their intelligence, like the Border Collie, Poodle, German Shepherd, and retrievers, or a hybrid of such breeds. Avoid hyperactive breeds like terriers, as they are much more difficult to train due to their short attention span!
If you worry about having a destructive dog, once again, avoid hyperactive pooches, in particular Beagles as they are notorious for being extremely naughty puppies, and the phase can last up until 3 years of age. Of course you have to decide if you want two dogs or one, like birds, some dogs need a friend, or are very attention seeking, and that is when they become destructive. If you don't want a dog that yaps, avoid high energy small breeds like the Pomeranian. It may be cute but at 3am when its barking at a tree shadow, you will just want to strangle it! Do you want a dog that will double as a watch/guard dog? Most dogs make for good watch dogs, however will need to be trained to be guard dogs, and this is harder that the usual sit, drop, roll-over.
If you don't have a lot of disposable income, avoid breeds that are notorious for health issues, like the Pug, Daschund, and Sharpei. They can develop complications at any time and these can be very expensive to remedy, and may put you in a difficult situation if you can't afford it. The easiest way to avoid health complications is to buy a cross breed of a relatively health issue free breed. All big dogs are at risk of hip dysplaysia in old age, however if you make sure you keep their weight in check and don't make them do ridiculous feats of athletic activity, then they will live a hip issue free life!
The thing that really needs to be kept in mind is that no matter what the breed, a dog really is like a child, and its up to you to mould it into the kind of dog you want once you have made the choice of breed. Its easier with more intelligent breeds. People are amazed our Rottie is as friendly and good with children and other animals as she is - its because we made the effort to socialise her with kids and other dogs when she was young. She is obedient because we started training her as soon as we got her - after 3 days she had sit, drop, and come mastered - if you leave it too late then its all over red rover! A happy dog is also a friendly dog, and sometimes dogs that come from shelters can need a little more TLC to become truly happy friendly dogs if they have been abused in the past, but once you take them into your pack, and treat them right they will be the best, most loving friends you could ever ask for.
If you have a breed in mind, or a few breeds, don't hesitate to pop into the local vet and ask for advice. They'll be able to give you the right information based on your family, your yard space, and your budget, give you quotes on prices of treatments etc, and be able to put you in touch with reputable breeders, pet stores, and shelters.
Anyway, sorry this turned out so long but I hope its been helpful!
Last edited by StrawberryFields; April 19th, 2011 at 08:23 PM.
We're picking up our new puppy in two weeks time - my girls are 3 and 4 next month. My absolute No. 1 criteria was a breed that was a solid, reliable family dog for young children. There are plenty of breeds out there that are great for kids, but there aren't that many that are genuinely recommended for young children.
Definitely do your research with breeds and breeders. Get a feel for the breed you want and track some down to meet. Dog shows are great places for you to check them out, and I found most breeders were really eager to introduce their dogs to your kids and to educate you about the breed.
Pet insurance is a must! If you get it as a puppy, you are covered for all those horrible things that may or may not happen.
DH and I took a very, very long time to decide when to get a dog because it really does impact on your entire life, but we both feel that the advantages a dog will bring to the family, but especially the girls, is worth it.
we have a dog and a cat and the cat tends to be more of an inconvenience than the dog. we have a cavoodle and shes fantastic with mr c etc. her most annoying cost is clipping and food. ur biggest thing is getting the right breed for you as everyone else has said. have you considered getting one from a shelter?
also making sure you train them properly to respect you and your kids authotiry. this tends to be the biggest issue, even if they are a fluffy white pup they still need a pack leader and the kids need to be in charge so to speak.
i have to say theres is no way i could live without my furbabies, once you get a dog u wont even notice the extra work, its just like one of the kids.
Everyone's pretty much covered everything but here's my two cents on the 'dilemmas'
:
*If you travel, be prepared to either pay for a kennel or have some very understanding friends, particularly if you end up getting an active or large dog.
*Dogs CAN eat people food, in fact cooking up a big batch of rice, vegetables and meat scraps is a fantastic diet for them and will stop them getting 'chum bum' but table scraps and food high in fat or sugar is worse for them than it is for us!
*If the dog is classified as high exercise- be prepared for it, 2 hours a day, every day is a big commitment. They need mental stimulation as well. Are you prepared to spend THAT much time with your pet? Be prepared to train any dog and socialisation both with people and other pets is important.
*'Bitsas' are brilliant. They hardly ever get sick, don't usually have the deformities and health problems that purebreds *CAN* get. (before anyones hackles are raised, note I said 'can', I know there are A LOT of reputable breeders out there) Consider adopting from a rescue association.
Last of all... where do you see yourself in 5, 10, 15, 20 years time? Does the dog fit in with those plans?
The positives of owning a dog FAR outweigh the inconveniences. Our dog is very much part of our family, our life just wouldn't be the same without her!
K (owner/d by a one-eyed, crooked legged, emotionally unstable, loveable and high maintenance rescued 11 yr old border collie who isn't slowing down any time soon!!)
There have been many times in my life where I regretted getting a dog.
Now that I have DD though I'm so glad I did! She LOVES him and it's jsut so good for kids and people in general to be around animals.
That said, I believe it is ESSENTIAL that the dog is fully trained, so get a smart dog. And put the hard yards into obedience training. otherwise they are a pain to take out etc, and it's never fun and you're constantly telling them off.
After the puppy stage, the extra work is no big deal. It's just when you're travelling that it can be hard. Make friends with the neighbours!
Aw I love my dog so much. He's so cuddly and loyal and sweet.
I loved our dog like a child, but unfortunately he bit me as when youre pregnant you send off hormones etc, well it made my dog feral.... after months of bad behaviour and trying to escape he bit me. The biting me wasnt the worst part, it was having to take him to be put down because I was 8 months pregnant and couldnt risk him throwing my baby around like a chew toy.
he was a staffy, on papers from a reputable breeder. Turns out he was pitbull too... He was and still will always be my first baby but it broke my heart and DHs so we will never get another dog... we also love to travel and its not fair on the pets when you have a lifestyle where you want to go away for long periods and kennels are expensive and they dont treat your dog right so unless you have somone to look after your dog when you do holiday, you will get a different dog back everytime.....
Thanks everyone. All of that info is great!
We aren't looking at getting a dog just yet, but as I said, possibly at chrissy time. But I will have to weigh up the costs and benefits and time and energy because realistically, it will likely be me who has to take the most care of it with DH working full time, and me a full time SAHM. I have been looking at breeds,and have also been considering saving a dog from a shelter. The things taht most concern me are going away and caring for the dog. We live in a remote area at the moment and go to Sydney fairly regularly, even just our trips to Dubbo, which is sometimes made into an overnite adventure would be an issue. It would be hard to travel with the dog since we fill the back ot the station wagon when we go away, so either we would have to get a pod for the roof or even a trailer, and we would have to get a cage for the car if the dog was going to go into the back....wow, maybe I'm over thinking! But better to be prepared than not, right??
Kel - we have a crate that we put our dogs into in the back of the ute and then pack the car around them!!!!
Being prepared is a good thing
If the dog's OK in your yard, then it's OK to leave it overnight, specially if you have a neighbour who could feed it for you. Although we have been known to get one of those dispensing food things and leaving the dogs overnight with enough food for 2 days, and feed them just before we go. You can do heaps of things to make it easy with dogs, one of the most annoying things with kids though is cleaning the poop from the yard, a daily task. But then again if you get your dog used to pooping while walking then you get it all done outside the yard (my preferred method!) and you pick it up when out walking and it's straight in the bin.
The dilemma's of owning a dog??
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Our ****er spaniel came from a more seasoned breeder, but two years on, we still get emails from her asking about the dog. If the breeder doesn't want to answer or is vague, get out of there!
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