Tell me about dog ownership

[Anonymous]

As I type this, my 12 yr old pug is trying to rip open the wrapped Christmas packages under the tree (so not puppy antics) and the other one is trying to open the closed door to get to the cat litter box so he can eat cat poop.

I recommend dogs highly.

[Anonymous]

Nothing wrong with a Rottie mix. They're good dogs.

I'd plan on crating the dog until you and it got used to each other and then see. I have two seriously active dogs---Aussie and a bc---and they are fine when I'm gone but i work 3-12 hr shifts a week. The pup is crated while I'm gone but let out twice, and the older dog is loose in the apt. Pup will be loose when he's older. They are out the rest of the time.

Food is around $100 a month. Vet once a year but I'll wait out a lot of problems. I compete, so $400+ a month on that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We always had dogs growing up, but I haven't had one as an adult. Tell me about costs, time commitment, etc. I am trying to figure out where a dog would fit into my routine and budget. I don't want to commit unless I can be sure that I can be a responsible and reliable owner. I am looking at adopting a Rottweiler or Rottie mix, most likely at least a year or two old, but would be open to an older (7+) dog depending on advice given here. How much do you spend on basic shots/vet care yearly? How much does food cost? Obviously, I would be planning to walk the dog about 60 minutes per day (am thinking longer 45 minute walk in the am and a 15 minute walk in pm). I am planning to crate train, as our happiest dogs growing up were crate trained. I would be gone most of the day (but would either come by for a short mid-day walk or would hire a dog walker for days I cannot do it), and dog would have time out of the crate in the morning as I get ready and in the evenings when I am cooking, cleaning, etc. I am childless, but share a house with friends who have elementary-aged kids, cats, and rats. My housemates would be open to my getting a dog. the yard is not currently fenced in. Should I look into fencing at least part so that the dog can play outside on nicer days? Basically, just help me think this all through.

A rottie is a horrible idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nothing wrong with a Rottie mix. They're good dogs.

I'd plan on crating the dog until you and it got used to each other and then see. I have two seriously active dogs---Aussie and a bc---and they are fine when I'm gone but i work 3-12 hr shifts a week. The pup is crated while I'm gone but let out twice, and the older dog is loose in the apt. Pup will be loose when he's older. They are out the rest of the time.

Food is around $100 a month. Vet once a year but I'll wait out a lot of problems. I compete, so $400+ a month on that.

OP's roommates have cats. Rotties are not known to be good with cats (unless they were raised with them), and they're so strong, that the cat doesn't stand a chance.

I'm guessing you don't have cats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing wrong with a Rottie mix. They're good dogs.

I'd plan on crating the dog until you and it got used to each other and then see. I have two seriously active dogs---Aussie and a bc---and they are fine when I'm gone but i work 3-12 hr shifts a week. The pup is crated while I'm gone but let out twice, and the older dog is loose in the apt. Pup will be loose when he's older. They are out the rest of the time.

Food is around $100 a month. Vet once a year but I'll wait out a lot of problems. I compete, so $400+ a month on that.

OP's roommates have cats. Rotties are not known to be good with cats (unless they were raised with them), and they're so strong, that the cat doesn't stand a chance.

I'm guessing you don't have cats.

Yep. Please be cautious about getting a dog with a strong prey drive if you have a cat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whoa, I think it's fine and good to have a crate as a safe place for the dog to go, but I would strongly advise against keeping your dog in a crate all day. So after four or five hours in a crate you want to only give the dog 15 minutes outside? I would not adopt out a dog to you.

I get up at 6am, walk the dog from half past six to 7:30, then spend a few minutes saying goodbye and packing my work bag before leaving. When I get home after work, the dog gets another hour-long walk.

I make all her food. It takes about an hour - chicken, broccoli, rice and carrots, and I make a months worth at a time. Cost is minimal. $10?

Good lord. There is a happy medium between treating a dog better than most humans on this planet and being neglectful.

Crate training in the beginning is okay; nearly any vet will agree. It will mean that you will have to engage in more physical exercise during that period to help them get their energy out and make sure they are properly exercised. We got a dog from a no-kill rescue in March and crate trained her for the first 4-5 months. She had been a street dog in a foreign country and was very nervous around people. She was also very nervous in the house since this was a new experience for her. We took her on 30 minute walks ourselves twice a day and had a dog walker come 2-3 days a week for the first month or so. The dog walker was mainly to help her socialize and get used to strangers. We had a fenced in yard that she could play in as well. We did not force her to sleep in the crate but she honestly preferred to for the first 2-3 months. We would call her to come with us, but she would run in the crate and refuse to get out. Dogs are den animals and for some, the crate feels safe and cozy.

Now, 9 months after we got her, we hardly ever put her in the crate when we are gone and she sleeps in our room every night. We get lots of play time in in the yard and she gets at least one 30 minute walk per day. She's happy and well-adjusted to our home, our family and our neighborhood.

Costs: $350 to adopt, about $250 for initial supplies, $25/month for food and treats, vet bills for regular visits and shots are about $50-100 each time depending upon what she needs. We've taken her twice. We also had her microchipped which cost about $20.

[Anonymous]

^^BTW, she is about 35 pounds and was 1.5 and house-trained when we got her (she'd been briefly fostered). If you have a small space, get a small dog. It's only fair. We have 1200sf.

[Anonymous]

Oh for Pete's sake. It is quite possible to train a dog to ignore cats. Rotties have a much lower prey drive than the average terrier or hound and are easier to train.

[Anonymous]

Crating dogs is fine for house training puppies, but PLEASE don't crate your dog as a regular matter. That is just unfair. If you do your job and train your dog, there is no reason why they can't lay around the house while you are gone.

However, it does mean that you have to exercise, exercise and stimulate your dog while you are home so that they don't get bored and into things while you are gone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Crating dogs is fine for house training puppies, but PLEASE don't crate your dog as a regular matter. That is just unfair. If you do your job and train your dog, there is no reason why they can't lay around the house while you are gone.

However, it does mean that you have to exercise, exercise and stimulate your dog while you are home so that they don't get bored and into things while you are gone.

Thanks for recapping my post at 12:55 with less detail and more judgment.

[Anonymous]

Major animal welfare organizations, including the ASPCA, decry the practice of crating animals all day, every day while their humans work. It is cruel and inhumane.

If you plan to do this, then do not get a dog.

[Anonymous]

Costs vary by dog type and size. We adopted a beagle mix a few years ago and he is actually cheaper than what I anticipated. He was my first dog and people kept telling me it would cost a fortune, but it has been pretty manageable.

We spend about $50 every 2 months on a good grain free food (dog is only about 25 pounds). Order from amazon with free shipping from prime.

Bought some toys when we got him and maybe replace one a year. Vet runs a couple hundred a year for shots and meds. Boarding is about 30 a night and we probably do a few weekends and 1 longer trip a year.

Have had one emergency vet situation in 3 years that cost $600. These things happen, but are rare.

Echo the posters saying crating is for house training not a long term dog ownership strategy. We crated our pup until He was trained and stopped chewing the furniture, but he has free reign now.

[Anonymous]

Adopt a mixed breed that is a year or so old - potty trained

Do NOT use a breeder, under any circumstance. There are too many "designer mutts" out there, unfortunately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing wrong with a Rottie mix. They're good dogs.

I'd plan on crating the dog until you and it got used to each other and then see. I have two seriously active dogs---Aussie and a bc---and they are fine when I'm gone but i work 3-12 hr shifts a week. The pup is crated while I'm gone but let out twice, and the older dog is loose in the apt. Pup will be loose when he's older. They are out the rest of the time.

Food is around $100 a month. Vet once a year but I'll wait out a lot of problems. I compete, so $400+ a month on that.

OP's roommates have cats. Rotties are not known to be good with cats (unless they were raised with them), and they're so strong, that the cat doesn't stand a chance.

I'm guessing you don't have cats.

And OP said they also have rats. Cats, rats, and a rottweiler crated except when WOH OP is out on a walk or OP is doing chores.

[Anonymous]

Be sure to have close to $1000 on hand at all times for vet bills. A friend of mine had a dog who ripped its leg open on it's crate door and she spent around $900 on vet bills. People say they would never spend a ton of money on dogs at the vet, but if it is a problem they can easily recover from then wouldn't you?