The dilemma's of owning a dog??

[StrawberryFields]

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!