Dog that is the least work

[Anonymous]

Get one that doesn't shed.
Only get a dog expecting that YOU and any other adults will be responsible for it.
Train the hell out of it. A well-trained dog is the least amount of work because you've already put in the work, and now you're just maintaining.

[Anonymous]

Please don't get a dog. It's like adding another child. Do you want the work of another child?

[Anonymous]

Get a Goldfish.

[Anonymous]

Don't get a dog OP.

Have your kids volunteer with dogs at a shelter. That sounds like the max responsibility you guys can handle.

[Anonymous]

A trained already cavapoo. All dogs are work tho.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have an 8yo dog. She is my first ever dog. Not a day goes by that I don’t marvel at how much work it is.

I have a small geriatric dog and a large breed pain in my butt puppy. Plus a grand dog I spend a lot of time with, a boxer. I keep the bowls full, walk them once a day, let them in and out of the yard.... what is all this work you are talking about?

I pill them once a month for heart worm, flea tick etc. trim their nails once in a while. Vets yearly after the puppy stage. Not getting where all this work comes from?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have an 8yo dog. She is my first ever dog. Not a day goes by that I don’t marvel at how much work it is.

I have a small geriatric dog and a large breed pain in my butt puppy. Plus a grand dog I spend a lot of time with, a boxer. I keep the bowls full, walk them once a day, let them in and out of the yard.... what is all this work you are talking about?

I pill them once a month for heart worm, flea tick etc. trim their nails once in a while. Vets yearly after the puppy stage. Not getting where all this work comes from?

Well for starters you’re a bad dog owner if you’re only walking once a day. Dogs need two walks a day, minimum. And I don’t care how big your yard is, that’s not giving them the exercise they need.

[Anonymous]

Get a cat. You’re not dog people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m considering a dog for my three boys. They want another sibling. I think it would be good for companionship and for them to learn responsibility. However, I’m not fond of all the work. Is there a breed that would be easy? Doesn’t shed much?

A plushie is the least amount of work. Otherwise, all dogs are work. ALL DOGS ARE WORK. Do not get a dog to teach responsibility. It will fail and you will be here asking how to re-home a dog. I have two dogs and I fully accepted responsibility. Not my kids, not my dh. That's the only way it will work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m considering a dog for my three boys. They want another sibling. I think it would be good for companionship and for them to learn responsibility. However, I’m not fond of all the work. Is there a breed that would be easy? Doesn’t shed much?

Our first dog when DH and I had no kids was an 1 1/2 y.o. rescue. Fortunately the dog was housetrained, so the work was the morning and evening walks - had a dog walker in the day. Dog loved to play fetch on occasion, but was not an overly active dog. Absolutely gorgeous, but shed up a storm!

Sadly, the dog died at 14 and I just couldn't bear to get another dog because I missed it so. The kids really wanted another one and I put it off for four years, but they were both miserable in HS, so I relented. This time I got a 6 y.o. non shed rescue. He has had his own challenges and that took up a lot of time in the beginning, but he is completely house trained and never any worries on that front. And the behavioral challenges were really nothing compared to getting up in the night and being available during the day to take a puppy out for house training.

So perhaps less work with a housetrained non shed older rescue, but really it is so worth and I wonder why I waited!

14 year old is pretty good!

[Anonymous]

I agree with all of the advice shared here. It sounds like you're not up for a dog, because no dog is low-work for the owner. NO DOG is low-work for the owner.

With that said, if you feel insistent:

- Get an older dog, ideally over two years old and no puppy left. Be clear about this with whomever you're getting the dog from - "we need an older dog, do NOT want a puppy."
- Get a dog that is already house trained and crate trained.
- Have a good sized fenced yard.
- Look for a lower energy, couch potato dog. Be very open that this is what your family is looking for. It doesn't need to be a certain breed, more based on individual dogs' disposition.
- Ensure the dog gets along with other dogs, and is not reactive to other dogs. This is a HUGE deal.
- Be prepared to throw some money at help - to use a dog walker, a mobile groomer, a trainer, a doggy daycare, an overnight place for when you need to be away or out of pocket for a 24 hour stretch or more, a robot vacuum and/or housekeeper, etc.
- Find a vet before you need one. It's hard to get in anywhere right now because everyone and their mom got a dog during the pandemic.

The above minimizes the work, but there is STILL a lot of work. It's like having another person who needs care and attention in the home. We intentionally got a low key breed, out of the puppy years, with an easy personality, already had basic training - and it's still been a ton of work, especially during the adjustment period for the dog as he gets used to us and our/his routines. He's great now, but still requires plenty of attention. Them's the breaks, if you're getting a dog.

[Anonymous]

In some ways dogs are like children OP. You can have the placid most easy going child in the world who gets along with everyone but you still have to feed them, nurture them, provide stimulation etc…….. You can get an older dog past the puppy stage but are prepared to do all that for approx 10 years?

[Anonymous]

OP, you will be doing to work and you are the parent, so you get to decide if you want to take on the work of a dog for your kids. Do not imagine that they will "learn responsiblity"--the work of walking/feeding/cleaning/taking to vet will fall to you.

If you really want to proceed, please start with a dogsitting or dogwalking stint.

But I agree with other PPs that the dog that is the least amount of work is (a) a stuffed dog or (b) a cat.

[Anonymous]

My dog is under ten pounds and non shedding. She is well trained. She is a tremendous amount of work. There are periods when she goes to day care all day every work day and she is still a huge amount of work and absolutely exhausting. I adore her but she is time consuming, energy sucking and expensive.

What you want is a cat.

[Anonymous]

Anyone who ask this question, should be banned from ever owning a dog.