re: Thinking about adopting a dog (first time dog owner)

Props to you for adopting a dog (despite the cynical MFers here who just have to make fun of it)... got my first dog as a puppy (6 mos old) a few yrs ago, and i will tell you that he’s been an absolute joy; bringing a dog into my life is one of the best decisions i ever made.. However, if i had it to do over again, I would most definitely skip the puppy stage.. mine wasnt even that young, but it’s a real pain in the *** when they are that full of energy and, like you, i lived in an apartment at the time.. my dog literally ate the walls at one point.. If i ever get another dog in the future, i will get either an adult or a senior.. theyre usually a lot more chilled out by that point; and they are harder for shelters to place, so youre doing a good deed at the same time... Also, someone above mentioned that smaller dogs are better for apartments.. i don’t necessarily agree with that; it’s more important to get a dog that isnt super high energy if living in an apartment, whether big or small— and if he/she does wind up being high-energy, then you’d better plan LOTS of trips to the dog park.

Oh it's the best. "sorry, gotta leave and take the dogs out."

And then never come back.

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it’s more important to get a dog that isnt super high energy if living in an apartment, whether big or small— and if he/she does wind up being high-energy, then you’d better plan LOTS of trips to the dog park.

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I live in a high rise and one of my neighbors got an Italian Greyhound. It's essentially a smaller Greyhound, about 30 pounds and that's it. Very well-behaved, no barking, shedding, or any of that and he said adapted very well to apartment living.

That said he was pretty much always at the dog park. It's still a Greyhound after all and it loved nothing more than doing wind sprints all day.

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Too many good dogs out there that need homes.

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You act like breeder pups had anything to do with their owner's decisions. They still need homes too.

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Go to a breeder. You’ll be much happier.


go frick yourself.

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my full bred is better cooler and with kick the shite out of your throwaway.

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You act like breeder pups had anything to do with their owner's decisions. They still need homes too.

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Yes but buying from puppy mills just encourages more milling.

Crate train (look up the methods). This is the easiest way to potty train the dog, and it teaches the dog that they have a safe place to go when they need to. Also helps for travel and for when you need to secure the dog. Biggest part of crate training is never put the dog in the crate when you're angry or upset with him/her. Only let the dog associate the crate with being a safe and happy place.

Make sure to have rules and boundaries that you constantly reinforce. Train with positive reinforcement and avoid treat training for most commands (because then they'll expect food every time). We trained our pup to only eat when we command her to, and to sit and stay when the door opens so that we don't have to worry about her running out. Start training sessions immediately. The sooner commands are ingrained, the better.

When we first got ours, we followed the general rule of taking her out every two hours when she was 2 months old, every 3 hours when she was 3 months old, etc. during the day, and after a few weeks she started sleeping through the night without having to use the bathroom. She now sleeps in her crate at night and hangs out in there whenever she wants to take a nap.

We also have dedicated feeding times (once in the AM and once in the PM), which is different than what my family dog I grew up with had (always had the food out, and our beagle self-regulated and never got overweight). If your dog is on one food and you need to switch to another food, make sure to gradually shift to the new food by mixing the old and new half and half, then a quarter and 3/4, etc. so that the dog can get used to the new food. I've heard their stomachs can get messed up if you just switch cold turkey to a new food.

Exercise is important, so make sure the dog gets plenty of exercise every day.

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Would it be good to get it over a long weekend so I can make sure initially to be home with it a lot as opposed to getting it after work one day and then essentially having to leave it early the next morning?

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Yes. Also prepare for not much sleep for the first week or so if you take home a young puppy. Good luck!

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and adopting from animal shelters encourages owners to just dump their responsibilities.

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bullshite. Breeders are not going to breed if people aren't buying puppies. I have done the breeder thing twice with my labs. Done with that. I now have two great rescue dogs. A lab and a mutt.

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What do I need to know?

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You will give up time and money on something that will tear up your property, stink up your house, wake you up at night, and likely piss off your neighbors. True dog lovers are unmoved by these things, or just accept it as part of it, because it's well worth the trade-off for them. Make sure owning a dog is what you really want, not just something you think might be cool, or something you 'might as well do' because everyone else does. Pets are living creatures that need love and attention, they aren't an accessory, a hobby, or a toy.

This^^^^ You need to know that a dog is an anchor, it affects every thing you do in life. If you want to go out of town you pay to board it to the tune of about $70 a night. If you work all day and the dog will be home alone it is not fair to the dog to be left in a crate for 8-9 hours. There is alot more to it than going pick out a dog, make sure you are willing to make a 15 commitment before doing it.