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#1
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New owner... Is it the right time for me?
Hello. I am considering getting a dog. Brother in law has some
puppies, a month old, the mom is a very very tame dog. The mom is half chihuahua and half pug, not sure what the dad is, I think similar. Very well behaved. I have two children, a girl 7 years old and a boy 5 years old. Both have been scared of dogs (animals) most of their lives, but this is the first dog they've liked. And they visited the puppies today and liked them. I live in Southern California, and I know at least in this area, when you walk the dog in public, you pick up the mess. I don't know if this is the 'standard' around the country or not. We don't have a big back yard. We have cement, and a fenced pool. We have a front yard that is grass, but not much. (Downside to California, small lots.) So, I guess my questions would be... What are my biggest concerns about new puppy ownership? What is the 'cost' of ownership? What are the biggest expenses? My personal preference has always been a larger dog, but short hair... Like a labrador or something. Short hair is easier to maintain. (I think.) But these little dogs are available and seem tame enough. Tips? Comments? Suggestions? Thanks, IMA-Thinkingaboutit. |
#2
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New owner... Is it the right time for me?
"IMAFriend" wrote
Hello. I am considering getting a dog. Brother in law has some puppies, a month old, the mom is a very very tame dog. The mom is half chihuahua and half pug, not sure what the dad is, I think similar. Very well behaved. Puggles I think they are called. I have two children, a girl 7 years old and a boy 5 years old. Both have been scared of dogs (animals) most of their lives, but this is the first dog they've liked. And they visited the puppies today and liked them. Well behaved is a matter of training. It means on all sides so you have to teach the kids what to do and not do. The 5YO is going to need the most assistance to deal with a small puppy so the puppy isn't hurt. I live in Southern California, and I know at least in this area, when you walk the dog in public, you pick up the mess. I don't know if this is the 'standard' around the country or not. We don't have a big back yard. We have cement, and a fenced pool. We have a front yard that is grass, but not much. (Downside to California, small lots.) Smile, walk dog in front of your own yard. Clean up. I've seen pet adaptions for back areas like yours. Just a sort of quick pee place. Low simple flats about 4 inches high with grass in them and a weed wacker used. Dunno if they work well for you. So, I guess my questions would be... What are my biggest concerns about new puppy ownership? What is the 'cost' of ownership? What are the biggest expenses? Time will be your biggest 'cost of ownership'. A small dog (and all puppies) need to get out more often to pee. They generally have a problem holding it all night long before age 5 months (some are better). If your spouse and you both work, you have a daycare issue for a puppy. My personal preference has always been a larger dog, but short hair... Like a labrador or something. Short hair is easier to maintain. (I think.) But these little dogs are available and seem tame enough. With your yard issues, smaller may be better. |
#3
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New owner... Is it the right time for me?
IMAFriend wrote:
I live in Southern California, and I know at least in this area, when you walk the dog in public, you pick up the mess. I don't know if this is the 'standard' around the country or not. Always, and everywhere. I bring several grocery plastic bags, within each one are several sandwich baggies. I use the sandwich baggies as "gloves", then invert them after the pick up, and place them in the grocery bag, and tie it with a knot. Bring a few in case you have multiple occurrences. Jon |
#4
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New owner... Is it the right time for me?
On Sat, 27 Mar 2010 17:08:47 -0700 (PDT), IMAFriend
wrote: Hello. I am considering getting a dog. Brother in law has some puppies, a month old, the mom is a very very tame dog. The mom is half chihuahua and half pug, not sure what the dad is, I think similar. Very well behaved. How big is the father of the puppies? That will help predict the size of the pups when they're full grown. I have two children, a girl 7 years old and a boy 5 years old. Both have been scared of dogs (animals) most of their lives, but this is the first dog they've liked. And they visited the puppies today and liked them. I live in Southern California, and I know at least in this area, when you walk the dog in public, you pick up the mess. I don't know if this is the 'standard' around the country or not. You should always, always pick up after your dog when in public or on any property not your own - the park, someone else's tree lawn, etc. In your own yard too, of course, but it's considered rude and inconsiderate to not pick up one's dog's poop in public. If enough people are rude and inconsiderate, the result can be dogs being banned from various public places. We don't have a big back yard. We have cement, and a fenced pool. We have a front yard that is grass, but not much. (Downside to California, small lots.) I'm again wondering how big the father of the puppies is for purposes of exercise requirements. A toy-sized dog can easily get enough exercise running around even a small back yard. Neighborhood walks are good for socialization and to give your dog a change of scenery. So, I guess my questions would be... What are my biggest concerns about new puppy ownership? What is the 'cost' of ownership? What are the biggest expenses? The biggest expense is vet bills - not so much the yearly well dog visits, vaccinations, heartworm check and preventative, but unforeseen illnesses. The only thing you can do for that is to have a little savings account or purchase insurance. I have no idea what vet bills run in California, but you might want to contact a local vet or two and ask what the cost would be for the annual exam, vaccinations, heartworm test and preventative, and perhaps flea/tick treatment. Ask about spay/neuter cost too, as you'll want to have that done. My personal preference has always been a larger dog, but short hair... Like a labrador or something. Short hair is easier to maintain. (I think.) But these little dogs are available and seem tame enough. I prefer big dogs too. However, a smaller dog would do better in a small yard, and if your kids have been afraid of dogs in the past, they would be more comfortable with a smaller dog. Tips? Comments? Suggestions? There are all kinds of resources out there for puppy housebreaking, training, etc. I am a huge Ian Dunbar fan and would look into his books and videos. |
#5
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New owner... Is it the right time for me?
On Sat, 27 Mar 2010 21:46:06 -0400, "cshenk" wrote:
"IMAFriend" wrote Hello. I am considering getting a dog. Brother in law has some puppies, a month old, the mom is a very very tame dog. The mom is half chihuahua and half pug, not sure what the dad is, I think similar. Very well behaved. Puggles I think they are called. Puggles are Pug/Beagle crosses. |
#6
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New owner... Is it the right time for me?
"IMAFriend" wrote in message
... Hello. I am considering getting a dog. Brother in law has some puppies, a month old, the mom is a very very tame dog. The mom is half chihuahua and half pug, not sure what the dad is, I think similar. Very well behaved. I have two children, a girl 7 years old and a boy 5 years old. Both have been scared of dogs (animals) most of their lives, but this is the first dog they've liked. And they visited the puppies today and liked them. I live in Southern California, and I know at least in this area, when you walk the dog in public, you pick up the mess. I don't know if this is the 'standard' around the country or not. We don't have a big back yard. We have cement, and a fenced pool. We have a front yard that is grass, but not much. (Downside to California, small lots.) So, I guess my questions would be... What are my biggest concerns about new puppy ownership? What is the 'cost' of ownership? What are the biggest expenses? My personal preference has always been a larger dog, but short hair... Like a labrador or something. Short hair is easier to maintain. (I think.) But these little dogs are available and seem tame enough. Tips? Comments? Suggestions? Thanks, IMA-Thinkingaboutit. You'll need to keep your puppy indoors and be home for part of the day. You'll have to consider the cost of vet fees, neutering, regular worming and flea treatment. You can take out an insurance for vet fees. Who will look after your dog when you're on holiday and how much will that cost? Where is your brother in law keeping the puppies now? Ideally thay should be inside his house and not in a garage. If he is keeping them inside they will be used to all the household noises such as washing machines and hoovers and be used to living with people so they should make ideal pets. Keep visiting the pup so he is used to you and consider taking him home when he is about 8 weeks old. Puppies are hard work. The need training. Breeds such as labs need a lot of exercise at least an hour a day where as dogs such as pugs will be happy with less. (that's not to say they don't enjoy going walkies!) Two books I recommend are Puppy School by gwen baily. http://www.amazon.com/Puppy-School-S...9885618&sr=1-3 Puppy training for kids by Sarah Whitehead http://www.amazon.com/Puppy-Training.../dp/0764119400 ( I've not read the book below) http://www.amazon.com/Puppys-First-S...9885843&sr=1-2 |
#7
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Quote:
Yes cleaning up after your pet is the law in most places but you do co this no matter what the law says. Your area probably has various other laws that you should investigate including, tagging and walking the animal. If you really want to get one of these puppies you should take some time and do as much research as you can. Puppies are great and your yard sounds fine, but you should also think about how much time you have to dedicate to socializing and training the little guy. Training takes time and patience, and you have to train every day not just go to a class once a week for an hour. Keep us posted on what you decide. |
#8
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New owner... Is it the right time for me?
IMAFriend wrote:
Hello. I am considering getting a dog. Brother in law has some puppies, a month old, the mom is a very very tame dog. The mom is half chihuahua and half pug, not sure what the dad is, I think similar. Very well behaved. An odd mix. The behavior you describe is more like a pug than a chihuahua. Which is to the good. I prefer the behavior of pugs over chihuahuas. The only dog I have been truly scared of was a chihuahua. However while I like the personality of pugs, and they are less fragile than chihuahuas, they can be prone to breathing (the short nose) problems, and joint (hip displasia) problems. Check on the health of the mother. I have two children, a girl 7 years old and a boy 5 years old. Both have been scared of dogs (animals) most of their lives, but this is the first dog they've liked. And they visited the puppies today and liked them. With the mix you are suggesting I would be more concerned about how the kids treat the dogs, than the dogs hurting the kids. Your children are a little young to normally be trusted around dogs. It can vary, but I normally think of children becoming responsible enough to handle dogs as occuring somewhere between ages six and eight. I tend to err more on the side of caution the smaller the dog will be. Pay close attention to how your children behave around the dogs before you take one home. I live in Southern California, and I know at least in this area, when you walk the dog in public, you pick up the mess. I don't know if this is the 'standard' around the country or not. We don't have a big back yard. We have cement, and a fenced pool. We have a front yard that is grass, but not much. (Downside to California, small lots.) An owner, regardless of the law, should be considerate of others and always try to clean up. Be aware that smaller dogs typically take longer to house train. Your setup will make this more difficult, but not impossible. Try to be patient with any dog you adopt on this issue. So, I guess my questions would be... What are my biggest concerns about new puppy ownership? What is the 'cost' of ownership? What are the biggest expenses? The biggest cost is normally of time. Dogs shoul have at least two hours of human activity a day, whalking, play, feeding, training, etc. Puppies need a bit more time than adults to properly socialize them and housetrain them. In particular they need to be taken out several times at night until they are housetrained. My personal preference has always been a larger dog, but short hair... Like a labrador or something. Short hair is easier to maintain. (I think.) But these little dogs are available and seem tame enough. Lab hair lies flat, but is not particularly short. More medium length. Greyhounds, pugs, and pitbulls have truly short hair. Short hair is less visible, but more likely to penetrate into the weave, becoming harder to clean up. Larger dogs are likely to be less rambunctious and more tolerant of abuse by kids, but there are no guarantees and the larger the dog to more serious the potential injuries to a child. Tips? Comments? Suggestions? Thanks, IMA-Thinkingaboutit. Take your time. -- Bill Clodius los the lost and net the pet to email |
#9
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New owner... Is it the right time for me?
"IMAFriend" wrote in message ... Hello. I am considering getting a dog. Brother in law has some puppies, a month old, the mom is a very very tame dog. The mom is half chihuahua and half pug, not sure what the dad is, I think similar. Tell your relative to get the dog spayed so they stop producing weird mixed breeds. Your local shelters are full of similar dogs. |
#10
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New owner... Is it the right time for me?
On 3/28/2010 12:46 PM, sighthounds & siberians wrote:
The biggest expense is vet bills Only if you feed a commercial crap in a bag. - not so much the yearly well dog visits, vaccinations, heartworm check and preventative, but unforeseen illnesses. Which happen much less frequently when feeding a species appropriate diet. The only thing you can do for that is to have a little savings account or purchase insurance. I have no idea what vet bills run in California, but you might want to contact a local vet or two and ask what the cost would be for the annual exam, vaccinations, Which cause illnesses too. http://www.dogsadversereactions.com/...ineDamage.html heartworm test and preventative, A preventative is not needed for a raw fed dog. and perhaps flea/tick treatment. You mean pesticides? Not needed. There are healthier and cheaper ways of dealing with fleas. And raw fed dogs tend to have less or no fleas anyway. Ask about spay/neuter cost too, as you'll want to have that done. It has it's risks like any surgery and some choose not to have it done at all. http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongT...uterInDogs.pdf http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm.../detail/646838 |
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