hii im 15 years old and my family and i are looking to buy our first
dog.
yeah im 15 they've taken their sweet sweet time on gettin one but hey
better late than never.

okay so we live in an average sized house in the suburbs of melbourne.
we dont have a huge backyard so we're after a relatively small-medium
sized dog.
- however as both my parents work 5days a week and im at school 5days a
week too it would have to be a dog that can entertain itself for 6hours
of the day.
- also would have to be friendly, playful, and not drop a lot of fur
around the place

does such a dog exist?

ive been reading up on a few breeds of dogs, lookin in the tradin post
etc. and there are just too many to choose from
so PLEASE if someone is reading this and has any advice for me it would
be greatly appreciated.
thankyou soo much

steff

on Tue, 02 Jan 2007 23:58:26 GMT, "stefferz" extraordinarygirl869
@hotmail.com wrote:

hii im 15 years old and my family and i are looking to buy our first
dog.
yeah im 15 they've taken their sweet sweet time on gettin one but hey
better late than never.

okay so we live in an average sized house in the suburbs of melbourne.
we dont have a huge backyard so we're after a relatively small-medium
sized dog.
- however as both my parents work 5days a week and im at school 5days a
week too it would have to be a dog that can entertain itself for 6hours
of the day.
- also would have to be friendly, playful, and not drop a lot of fur
around the place

does such a dog exist?

ive been reading up on a few breeds of dogs, lookin in the tradin post
etc. and there are just too many to choose from
so PLEASE if someone is reading this and has any advice for me it would
be greatly appreciated.
thankyou soo much

steff

I'll leave it to the experts around here to reply, but I just want to say
that it's very wise of you to do your research before selecting your dog.
Good on ya!

--
Lynne

http://picasaweb.google.com/what.the.hell.is.it/

aww thankyou
are there a lot of people on here who can helP?
how long do they normally take to respond?

Lynne wrote:
on Tue, 02 Jan 2007 23:58:26 GMT, "stefferz" extraordinarygirl869
@hotmail.com wrote:

hii im 15 years old and my family and i are looking to buy our first
dog.
yeah im 15 they've taken their sweet sweet time on gettin one but hey
better late than never.

okay so we live in an average sized house in the suburbs of melbourne.
we dont have a huge backyard so we're after a relatively small-medium
sized dog.
- however as both my parents work 5days a week and im at school 5days a
week too it would have to be a dog that can entertain itself for 6hours
of the day.
- also would have to be friendly, playful, and not drop a lot of fur
around the place

does such a dog exist?

ive been reading up on a few breeds of dogs, lookin in the tradin post
etc. and there are just too many to choose from
so PLEASE if someone is reading this and has any advice for me it would
be greatly appreciated.
thankyou soo much

steff

I'll leave it to the experts around here to reply, but I just want to say
that it's very wise of you to do your research before selecting your dog.
Good on ya!

--
Lynne

http://picasaweb.google.com/what.the.hell.is.it/

"stefferz" wrote in
oups.com:

aww thankyou
are there a lot of people on here who can helP?
how long do they normally take to respond?

I think most of us are in the US, so it's getting late in the day.
Give it another 12 hours or so, at least.

Before recommending particular breeds or types of dogs, it would
help to know a little more about your lifestyle. How active is
your family? How much exercise can you give a dog on a regular
basis? Will you be able to take the dog to an obedience class?

Are you planning on getting a dog from a breeder, or would you
consider a dog from a rescue or shelter? I ask, because based on
the what you've said so far, I would recommend is looking for an
adult dog, instead of a puppy. First, what you see is what you
get, size-wise. You will have a good idea of what sort of
temperament the dog has, too. Best of all, an adult dog will be
better able to cope with being left at home while everyone is at
work/school. A shelter/rescue dog might suit your needs very
nicely.

I don't know much about Australian dog rescue groups, but in the
US, good rescue organizations will interview your family carefully,
in order to make sure they get the best match they can between
family and dog. They will have likely had their available dogs in
a foster home situation, where their temperaments have been
evaluated. They may even have a little bit of training, and are
likely to be house broken already (a huge plus!).

--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)

Colour is my day-long obsession, joy and torment.
-- Claude Monet

what if you had two puppys? or would that just make it worse?
a friend of mine has two dogs and they get on great

lifestyle.
we are a very sporty out doors kind of family, my parents walk
everymorning and i walk every night, so the dog will get stax of
excercise.

it would be loved and looked after,,,actully it would be spoiled rotten
haha
ive looked at many small dogs. we like the fluffy sorta ones best.

montana wildhack wrote:
On 2007-01-02 20:38:29 -0500, "stefferz"
said:

- however as both my parents work 5days a week and im at school 5days a
week too it would have to be a dog that can entertain itself for 6hours
of the day.
- also would have to be friendly, playful, and not drop a lot of fur
around the place

does such a dog exist?

You'd probably be better off adopting an older dog that is housetrained
and can stay by itself for 6 hours a day. A baby puppy can't do that.

Most dogs can be playful. What kinds of dogs that you have met do you
like? What kinds of dogs are popular in your area?

What do you and your family enjoy doing for fun? Do you hike or swim or
bike or ?

Who will walk the dog, brush the dog, feed the dog, clean up after the
dog, etc.?

Some dogs have short hair and shed a lot. Some dogs with long hair do
the same. Many dogs need to be brushed every day. The dogs that don't
shed need to be groomed on a regular basis and that can be expensive.

A lot of people can give suggestions, but unless they know a little bit
more about you, it's difficult.

--
http://4dsgn.com

yeah minature poodle small
we've been lookin at them along with toy poodles but i thnk they;d be
alittle tooo small


montana wildhack wrote:
On 2007-01-02 23:16:19 -0500, "stefferz"
said:

what if you had two puppys?

We have five four week old puppies and they need to eliminate very
frequently. Like every hour or two depending on what they are doing. It
takes some time for puppies to be able to "hold it."

So, sort of small and sort of fluffy but sturdy enough to get a lot of
exercise? How small is "small"? Miniature poodle small?

--
http://4dsgn.com

"stefferz" wrote in
oups.com:

yeah minature poodle small
we've been lookin at them along with toy poodles but i thnk they;d be
alittle tooo small

I love our miniature poodle. Poodles are high energy athletes, so they'd
like the walks. If you go really fast or far, you might do better with a
standard than a shorter legged mini or toy. Our poodle is smart and
eager to please, which I understand is common in poodles. He is also
entertaining and charming. That might be just a mini poodle thing.

But the small dogs do have to go more often. Puppies have to go more
often. And having two puppies will only make everything much work for
novice dog owners. They tend to bond with each other and not care as
much about the humans. Plus they egg each other into three times the
trouble one puppy can get into.

There are plenty of adult dogs who can go six hours home alone without a
problem, but really no puppies who can do that. The smaller the puppy,
the longer it will take for it to have a bladder big enough to handle
that much time alone. If you are dead set on a puppy, you will need to
have someone available to come in during they day for potty walks and
feedings (puppies need to eat more often than adults as well), whether it
is a family member on a lunch break from work or a neighbor or paid
person.

Paula

ohh yeah someone could easily come home. my oldies come home nelly
everylunch break anyways. so that would be okay?
would you have to take the dog on a walk to go to the toilet or cnt you
just have an area in the backyard where they're trained to go to??
Paula wrote:
"stefferz" wrote in
oups.com:

yeah minature poodle small
we've been lookin at them along with toy poodles but i thnk they;d be
alittle tooo small

I love our miniature poodle. Poodles are high energy athletes, so they'd
like the walks. If you go really fast or far, you might do better with a
standard than a shorter legged mini or toy. Our poodle is smart and
eager to please, which I understand is common in poodles. He is also
entertaining and charming. That might be just a mini poodle thing.

But the small dogs do have to go more often. Puppies have to go more
often. And having two puppies will only make everything much work for
novice dog owners. They tend to bond with each other and not care as
much about the humans. Plus they egg each other into three times the
trouble one puppy can get into.

There are plenty of adult dogs who can go six hours home alone without a
problem, but really no puppies who can do that. The smaller the puppy,
the longer it will take for it to have a bladder big enough to handle
that much time alone. If you are dead set on a puppy, you will need to
have someone available to come in during they day for potty walks and
feedings (puppies need to eat more often than adults as well), whether it
is a family member on a lunch break from work or a neighbor or paid
person.

Paula

"stefferz" wrote in
ups.com:

ohh yeah someone could easily come home. my oldies come home nelly
everylunch break anyways. so that would be okay?
would you have to take the dog on a walk to go to the toilet or cnt you
just have an area in the backyard where they're trained to go to??

You can have a spot in the backyard for them to go, but at least for a
while, you'll have to go out with them, not just send them out. Puppies
often get distracted by all the things to play with out there and don't
get down to business, then go inside. Also, you need to make sure to
reward them with treats and/or praise when they go outside so they know
you want them to go out there instead of inside. If you aren't there to
see them go and then reward them, housetraining just doesn't work nearly
as well, if at all.

Dogs like to go for walks as well. But since you are going to have the
dog walking with you or the parents at various times, you don't have to
worry about it on the midday potty breaks.

Paula

wow thank you soo much.

so do u have any ideas on what type of dog would be good for out
family?
we like the terriers and the poodles but if you had any others in mind
would be great
Paula wrote:
"stefferz" wrote in
ups.com:

ohh yeah someone could easily come home. my oldies come home nelly
everylunch break anyways. so that would be okay?
would you have to take the dog on a walk to go to the toilet or cnt you
just have an area in the backyard where they're trained to go to??

You can have a spot in the backyard for them to go, but at least for a
while, you'll have to go out with them, not just send them out. Puppies
often get distracted by all the things to play with out there and don't
get down to business, then go inside. Also, you need to make sure to
reward them with treats and/or praise when they go outside so they know
you want them to go out there instead of inside. If you aren't there to
see them go and then reward them, housetraining just doesn't work nearly
as well, if at all.

Dogs like to go for walks as well. But since you are going to have the
dog walking with you or the parents at various times, you don't have to
worry about it on the midday potty breaks.

Paula