Dogs Dogs Dogs...Puppies

maryinaz

maryinaz

New member
So we are thinking about getting a dog. The boys have been begging for one for YEARS. And I'm finally on-board with it (still working on DH). I have never had a dog and never lived with one, so I'm very nervous about the amount of extra work and possible problems.

I have a few criteria for the dog I want: a puppy, low shedder, minimal barker, would like to rescue a dog from a shelter.

I found these 3 puppies at a nearby shelter and the boys love them: 3 Puppies

Not sure how they know what type of dog they are since they found them by the side of a road, but I guess they can tell? Does anyone know anything about Australian Shepherds? I really want a girl, but the boys are in love with King Henry and he does have great coloring. We may go meet them this weekend.

Also, I would love ANY advice about taking care of a dog. I'm trying to wrap my brain around even bringing one of these puppies home. How do I train it? Will it already be trained? I really don't even know where to start and I'm scared of how it will impact our lives. Positively, I hope! :)
 
My suggestion is to be realistic, dogs are awesome but they're a huge commitment and a lot of work, especially if you get a puppy. You need to decide as a family how much exercise, grooming and training you're willing to commit to. Shepherds are going to shed, they tend to be smart, they need exercise and things to do. If you're an active family they could be a good choice. A bored dog is unhappy and trouble. If you get a puppy it's probably not going to be housebroken.

Before you bring a dog home be clear on expectations, where is it going to sleep ( are you going to crate train etc? ), who will be picking up poop, grooming and walking it? Will it be allowed on the furniture? What kind of dog do you want, a watch dog, a lap dog, an active dog etc?

Puppies are a lot like kids in a lot of ways, they need a lot of attention and consistency. They're going to go through teething and adolescence, test boundaries etc.

I'm such a dog lover, they're awesome and can be such a great addition to your family. I'll be looking for an update :)
 
Mary, we have an aussie mix and he's a very sweet dog. He's not nearly as well trained as I'd like, but that's probably because I don't work with him enough. Aussies are working dogs and from what I've read, they really need to be given a job. I've never quite figured out what that means, though. Pip is about 2-1/2 now. He sheds, but not as much as some dogs. He also barks sometimes when he sees an animal in the yard. He always barks when my husband leaves for work when I go downstairs with my hubby. If I stay upstairs with him, Pip doesn't bark. He will bark a bit at the animals when he goes outside, but it's not incessant like some dogs. I think he's just excited and barks a bit. He's a loving dog and very protective of me. I don't know how good he'd be as a watch dog because he's never met a stranger that he doesn't like.

There are times that it's a bit of a pain having a dog, but overall I'm very glad that we have him.

Those puppies are really cute!
 
we just got a puppy a few months ago. I hadn't had one since I was a child. I had puppy fever really bad and we searched for the right breed for quite a while. However, despite all my research, I was still surprised at how much work she was at first. :blink: Maisie is now almost 6 months old, and we are finally getting to a much more manageable stage. The puppy stage is clearly not for me. However, I wasn't a real fan of the infant stage in my kids either. LOL At 6 months, my dog is now a joy to be around and we just love her. Anyway, I mention this because we searched for a breeder that bred dogs for a calm, sweet temperament... and we still went through a crazy couple months. Since you can't meet the parents with these rescue pups, I recommend spending a bunch of time with them if possible. See their personalities and see which personality is a good fit. :)

I highly highly highly recommend taking obedience classes. Maisie and I are in a puppy class and it's soo good for teaching her how to be a nice dog and member of our family. It's well worth the time and effort. :)
 
My experience with terriers is that most of them do bark quite a lot. Since the shelter seems uncertain of the exact terrier breed, I'd say it's a possibility that you might have a barker on your hands. However, Australian Shepherds are NOT barkers. Regardless, barking is a behavior you can train your dog to stop doing. The difficulty of training your dog to stop barking will depend greatly on his natural instinct to bark.

I agree that dogs are a huge responsibility. When you get a puppy you also get the "joy" of shaping it's personality and behaviors. :) But, Australian Shepherds are fairly easy dogs to groom, train, and care for. It will be easy for your boys to give the dog the activity it needs. They are active dogs. They do shed a lot, in my opinion. It will shed both dark AND light hairs so no matter what color the surface is (couch, carpet, clothes) hair shows up!

Such exciting stuff!! Please keep us updated! :D
 
I had never had a puppy until Feb when we got our German Shepherd. She was 12 weeks old when we got her. Very sweet dog but a puppy is a puppy and they are A LOT of work. Be prepared to go back to how it was when your kids were infants...up in the middle of the night to play, cleaning up constantly (I was vacuuming daily for a while lol) and listening to a lot of crying. When Heidi turned 5 months we sent her to a training camp at the breeder we got her from. It was a month long and she came back an amazing, well-behaved, trained dog. So much easier to enjoy your pet when they are controlable. I highly recommend some sort of professional help with the training and just like with kids, consistancy is SO important.

With boys, if you don't get them neutered as soon as they're old enough, they will start marking everything in your house and that gets very messy. Also, males tend to calm down quite a bit once they are neutered (go figure lol). However, I wouldn't get a girl if you're a big "lawn" person. Female urine is VERY acidic and kills grass wherever they pee. Parts of my back yard look like a dot-to-dot. :/

Just know that the first few months are going to be rough, but once the puppy is a bit older and more obedient, they are an amazing part of the family! Good luck!
 
I love all this advice. I know...a puppy will be so much work! Even this morning I was so tired trying to get out of bed and I'm like "what if we had a puppy?" there goes my sleep (which I've just gotten back to sleeping all night since my oldest moved - it never ends I think!).

I know my boys are not super responsible, but 3 of the 4 are here to help take care of a dog. But I'm the one home with it all day. Part of me would like a smaller dog that could just sit in my lap, but the rest of the family doesn't, unless it's a pure-bred and I'm not willing to spend that kind of money.

These puppies will be spayed/neutered before we could even adopt one, so I'm glad for that.

Keep the info coming - and I'll keep you all posted.

Julie - thanks for the links, I will check them out!
 
my aussies are the sweetest most personable dogs we've ever owned. I will always recommend that breed as long as you do the research and think they will work well with your family. Mine are night and day though. My boy is sweet and calm and very low maintenance and my girl is high strung, protective, "opinionated", and quite needy in the attention department. They are job dogs by nature and always need a "duty". I will say we feel so safe with our dogs around. Also just b/c she's 65 lbs doesn't stop her from thinking she can just hop in my lap like a lapdog
 
I do keep reading about the Aussies needing a "job" - so what kind of job would that be if you don't live on a farm or something? Glad to hear you love them Meg! :)

Also, I don't think I mind a high energy dog. I'm looking forward to having a dog I can take on walks and my boys definitely want a dog that likes to play - would love to go throw a ball or Frisbee with them. I do plan on crating and doing obedience classes.
 
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maryinaz said:
I do keep reading about the Aussies needing a "job" - so what kind of job would that be if you don't live on a farm or something? Glad to hear you love them Meg! :)

Also, I don't think I mind a high energy dog. I'm looking forward to having a dog I can take on walks and my boys definitely want a dog that likes to play - would love to go throw a ball or Frisbee with them. I do plan on crating and doing obedience classes.
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lol well my girl tries to herd the vacuum cleaner..she hates it and gets aggravated b/c it doesn't listen to her. Boy dog could care less. The vet said he's a very atypical Aussie (lazy). They are just very different temperaments.

I think as long as you obedience train your pup young you will be fine. If not they tend to train themselves based on their instincts which could a problem if not corrected.

We don't have a lot of land but as long as you give it regular exercise in the yard (not just a walk on a leash..aussies need off leash exercise and freedom to run sometimes) with playtime and attention you will be fine. They are people animals and love companionship. They don't like to be left alone so you will probably have to crate him for awhile when you leave. The crate didn't work for us at night for either one. I finally had to give in which I know is what they each wanted (diff times..he's 2 years older) and they will both sleep in the bed now if I let them. They usually sleep in the hallway outside of the kid's rooms but every once in awhile one will sneak into the bed with somebody
 
We got the kids an aussie for Christmas last year because they'd been asking for a dog for ages. His name is Willie. ;) Honestly, he is just perfect for our family. He is sweet tempered, tolerant of our almost 5 year old boy, intelligent, and loving. I agree on the "job" thing for aussies. He herds naturally - whether it's the kids on their bikes, the kids running through the yard, the pigs, or the cattle (we live on a farm). He has been a fast learner for us - he knows sit and stay, and shakes hands just from me working with him. He hasn't had obedience training or anything else but he learned quickly not to jump on visitors (or us!) and he only rarely barks. Paul has recently started taking him around the farm with him to "work" and he has adapted well to all of the different sights and sounds. I don't have much to add except our experience but good luck on your search. Hope you find a dog that will fit in well with your family!
 
Keely~B said:
My suggestion is to be realistic, dogs are awesome but they're a huge commitment and a lot of work, especially if you get a puppy. You need to decide as a family how much exercise, grooming and training you're willing to commit to. Shepherds are going to shed, they tend to be smart, they need exercise and things to do. If you're an active family they could be a good choice. A bored dog is unhappy and trouble. If you get a puppy it's probably not going to be housebroken.

Before you bring a dog home be clear on expectations, where is it going to sleep ( are you going to crate train etc? ), who will be picking up poop, grooming and walking it? Will it be allowed on the furniture? What kind of dog do you want, a watch dog, a lap dog, an active dog etc?

Puppies are a lot like kids in a lot of ways, they need a lot of attention and consistency. They're going to go through teething and adolescence, test boundaries etc.

I'm such a dog lover, they're awesome and can be such a great addition to your family. I'll be looking for an update :)
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I have to agree with this and I know it's not what you want to hear when you really want a dog/puppy. Just CONSIDER all this and make sure it's what you really want to do. I have ended up, for a variety of reasons, with three dogs and they consume my life. They are like having 3 toddlers, lol! If we want to travel somewhere, even just for a day trip, we have to find someone to come over and feed/let them out. My day revolves around letting them in/out, feeding them, dealing with their barking. I keep them groomed, but still have to vacuum everyday and end up with a canister full of pet hair. When it rains or is muddy I have to wipe all their paws off before they can come in. The two smaller ones can not be trusted to not poo/pee in the house and one of them throws-up randomly. They all have to be fed different amounts. One has a skin allergy and if I don't keep up with her medication she bites and pulls her fur out.

NOW, HAVING SAID THAT... they are part of our family! My kids help walk them and brush them so they are learning responsibility. And I love the two smaller ones SO MUCH! One is Scottish Terrier that I wanted for years so she is my BABY and I snuggle her and give her special treats and do the whole stupid, "Who's my baby? Who's my baby? London's my baby!" LOL! Another one is a pug mix who came with our foster child (who we now have permanently) and she is SO CUTE I that no matter how many times she poo's on the carpet I can't stay mad for very long. I mean, look at her and try not to say, "AWW!"

cuteness-overload-web.jpg


I won't talk about the bigger one. She irritates the crap out of me. :cursing:

But like I said, they are part of our family and give the house a lot of lively activity and the kids just love them to death.

Hope I didn't deter you too much but I really wanted to share both sides of the coin.
 
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maryinaz said:
Does anyone know anything about Australian Shepherds? I really want a girl, but the boys are in love with King Henry and he does have great coloring. We may go meet them this weekend.
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I have heard fantastic things about these dogs!
 
I appreciate hearing ALL sides of this! Honestly, I'm scared to death at the disruption I know a dog will bring. But I do also feel really bad that we've got these 4 boys who have begged for a dog for years and we've always said no.

My youngest 2 (who are 14) pet-sat this summer a lot for a friend of mine - 1 dog, 3 cats - and they were awesome with it. That was my test to see how they did with the responsibility.

I had another talk last night about picking up and dealing with poop. I told them I had babies in diapers for 9 years and was not looking to go back to dealing with it with a dog alone.

We are still considering seeing the 3 puppies tomorrow, but I realize if we see them, that will be it and the boys will fall in love with one of them. Of course, I guess the shelter has the right to refuse to let us adopt one. We do have a pool, and that I know is a consideration.

I looked at the links Julie's posted and the stats on the Aussie said they are hard to train, but when I looked at the video or took the quiz it says they are very easy to train. I hope it's the latter!

Question - who crates and who has a doggy door?
 
maryinaz said:
I had another talk last night about picking up and dealing with poop. I told them I had babies in diapers for 9 years and was not looking to go back to dealing with it with a dog alone.
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Awesome! Why have I never thought of that!
 
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