I am thinking about getting a dog...?

Question

I am thinking about getting a dog. I have a 12 and 8 year old son. My parents are staying with me too, but wont do too much with the dog. The dog will be alone from 8:00 to 3:00 can you give me some ideas on how to manage this? Should i get the dog? How do most dog owners who work take care of their dogs. We have never had pets.

Answer 1

There are a lot of thing that you have to think about before getting a dog- if you really want one.

Dogs are a lot of work and require a lot of attention, if you are not going to be there for a while you need to have time afterwork to spend with the dog.  Puppies are out of the question, they are a ton of work and require a lot of training.  A full grown dog will be good but keep in mind the dogs temperment and past history when buying-- you do have kids and you want them to be safe at all times around a dog (golden retrievers tend to be very friendly). If you have a gated yard, it is great, just make sure that they have water at all times and in severe heat a lot of shade.

If you are willing and able to have a pet-- Go for it!

Answer 2

it depends do you want a big dog or small your going to have to crate train him if you get a small dog you can him or her a big crate w/ litter box on the bottom and then you put the devider on top to put her blankets on  

Answer 3

8-3 is a long time for a dog to be left by itself. I have two dogs and I never leave them alone for more than 4 hours. I would consider another pet. If dogs suffer from separation anxiety or get bored they will get up to all sorts and probably rip your home to bits! Alternatively, if you really do want to get a dog try looking for dog walkers in your local area. Obviously you would have to pay for them to come walk your dog everyday whilst you are out but it might be a solution. Sonme even walk the dog for an hour or so and then spend time with it in the house to break up the time it is left alone. Whenever I go out I leave my dogs with a rubber toy called a 'kong.' It is a cone shaped, strong rubber toy that you can stuff with treats and this will keep your dog occupied for the first 20 minutes you are out, which is the time in which it most likely to become anxious and get up to mischief! Good luck whatever you decide and hope I helped.  In addition, have you considered a greyhound? They are content to sleep a lot and are very easy to manage. Despite their size they need relatively little exercise, a couple of 20 min walks a day,. There are hundreds of retired or unwanted racers in rescue centres that need good homes. They are also very clean and great with kids. Just a thought.

Answer 4

I think you should get a dog! they are great and fun to be around and help your personality. ps (they are so cute!!)

Answer 5

First make sure that everyone is on board with having an animal in the house.  You don't want to get a dog and then someone will pop up with allergies or not like dogs.  Go together as a family to pick out a dog.  DON'T buy a dog from a petstore as they are puppy mill dogs that are inbred and have huge genetic problems that won't show up for a year or so then your'e stuck.  You'll pay a fortune too.  

If I were you, I'd go to my local shelter or go on to http://www.petfinder.com and put in your zip and find a pet in your area in a shelter or rescue or foster home.  I'd get an adult dog that's already house trained so that's one issue you won't have to deal with.  I'd stay away from high energy dogs such as jack russells or border collies cause they NEED LOTS of exercise and don't do well  alone all day.  Stay away from huskies, akitas, pit bulls, rotweillers, dobermans  or any other kind that is hard to handle and are NOT for first time owners.  They can be good dogs but not for first time owners.  I'd go with a small to medium mix breed dog that needs a home and then you can save a life while you are getting a dog.  Look for a mutt that is lovable and that the whole family likes and isn't allergic too.  A medium dog will be able to hold it's bladder for that long but a very tiny dog can't.  Talk to the people at the shelter.  They'll find a perfect pet for you.  

Then when you get a dog, make sure you walk it for at least a half hour to an hour every day for exercise....all dogs need exercise.  It's good for bonding too.  Feed it a good quality food from a feed store...nothing from a grocery store.  Stay away from Purina, Science Diet, Eukanuba, Iams, Pedigree and anything from walmart too.  Go with Canidae, http://canidae.com  or Wellness, Orijen, Solid Gold, Merrick, Eagle Pack Holistic, Nutro Ultry Holistic, Innova, Blue BUffalo.  They have good named meat ingredients and not corn or fillers, wheat, gleutens, by products etc that can aggravate your dogs' stomach and give them allergies.  Get a good vet (ask around) and a nice doggie bed (and crate if needed)  I have a crate and he sleeps in it at nite.  

Spend lots of quality time with it when u are home and lots of disipline, exercise and love.  Good luck.

Answer 6

well if you can crate train the dog that will work while you are working.

i would recommend going to animal shelter. when you look for one make looks happy like it wagging it tell and looks nice. Now depending on how big your house and yard are depends on what breed of dog you get.

Answer 7

A Golden Retriever or Boxer would be good.

tips:

1) always make sure the water bowl is full

2) feed it twice a day

3) leave toys out so the dog can entertain itself

4) 30 minutes-1 hour walk everyday

5) 1 hour play after every walk

ADD:

make sure you house train it in your spare time!

you should have no problems if you listen to my tips

answer mine?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Answer 8

Being on its own for that length of time is fine for an adult dog, but until it's old enough to 'hold it' for that long, you will have to have some way of letting it outside to pee or whatever. I would say that most dogs will be capable of doing this by four or five months old at most, but not all of them, and much of it has to do with the training they receive and how you manage the whole thing, i.e., you will want to make sure that the dog has a good chance to relieve itself in the morning before being left, that you don't feed it and leave it alone right after feeding. Check into crate training. Dogs have a reluctance to soil their own den, so crate training can really help with housetraining as well as give the dog a secure-feeling place for when you're out. This is absolutely do-able if you go about it the right way. It's like raising children in that there are things you have to pay close attention to for a short time and at the right time, and then it's done and not likely to be an issue.  

Answer 9

I have a dog, and my mum and dad work 2 days a week all day, We crate trained my dog, and then we locked him in the kitchen with some newspaper and fresh food and water,. I would fully look into all the breeds and see which one can fit around your lifestyle. It could work, as long as you have a safe enviroment to raise the dog in and have enough time to take it on walks twice a day!! but again, it all depends on the breed. email me if you want to talk about anything else dog! =] x

Answer 10

Well we have a dog, and he is alone from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm, and he does fine, we just spend a lot of time with him when we get home, but i wouldn't get a dog right now if you cant bond with him/her before you start to leave her at home alone.

Answer 11

i dont think u should get a dog