Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lab, golden, tolerant mutt pup. It'd get a young dog or a puppy from a reputable breeder or a good byb who raises hunting stock, since most of the show stock i see is structurally unsound. I'd trade the inconvenience of a pup for the luxury of knowing exactly what training it's getting: make the pup everywhere you can past its shots. Do some research as well, because the recommended amount of shots and such has changed and not all the vets are aware. Be prepared to keep your pup on the lean side, and DON'T spay or neuter until it is well over a year old.

Please don't say this as if it's a universal recommendation. The issue is very controversial, with evidence both for neutering early and for neutering late. I suggest people do their own research, talk to their vet, and come to their own decision about what age to spay/neuter their pet.

There is a huge correlation between getting a dog spayed after 9 months, not breeding it an the onset of cancer. Particularly females--just like with human females the more unfertilised period cycles over your lifetime, the greater chance of various types of cancer. It's the hormones, sheeple.

Get your dog fixed at 7 months unless you are a breeder or a moron. Sorry for the derail.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lab, golden, tolerant mutt pup. It'd get a young dog or a puppy from a reputable breeder or a good byb who raises hunting stock, since most of the show stock i see is structurally unsound. I'd trade the inconvenience of a pup for the luxury of knowing exactly what training it's getting: make the pup everywhere you can past its shots. Do some research as well, because the recommended amount of shots and such has changed and not all the vets are aware. Be prepared to keep your pup on the lean side, and DON'T spay or neuter until it is well over a year old.

Please don't say this as if it's a universal recommendation. The issue is very controversial, with evidence both for neutering early and for neutering late. I suggest people do their own research, talk to their vet, and come to their own decision about what age to spay/neuter their pet.

There is a huge correlation between getting a dog spayed after 9 months, not breeding it an the onset of cancer. Particularly females--just like with human females the more unfertilised period cycles over your lifetime, the greater chance of various types of cancer. It's the hormones, sheeple.

Anonymous wrote:There is plenty of research showing that early spay/neuter leads to joint injury and often to aggression problems. The vets are often clueless and simply spout the party line, from multiple repeated vaccinations to spay/neuter at 8 weeks, to year-round heart worm treatment. Do your own research!

Recommendations from the American Heartworm Society, based on research (i.e. evidence) and clinical experience: "AHS recommends year-round administration of chemoprophylactic drugs to prevent heartworm disease, enhance compliance, and control pathogenic and/or zoonotic parasites."

http://www.heartwormsociety.org/veterinary-resources/canine-guidelines.html

Perhaps you should do some research yourself before posting your personal opinion on DCUM. People might actually follow your erroneous advice.

Anonymous wrote:There is plenty of research showing that early spay/neuter leads to joint injury and often to aggression problems. The vets are often clueless and simply spout the party line, from multiple repeated vaccinations to spay/neuter at 8 weeks, to year-round heart worm treatment. Do your own research!

I can tell you have completed veterinary training yourself. Post links to the peer-reviewed papers.

Is the AKC full of clueless veterinarians?

http://www.akcchf.org/canine-health/your-dogs-health/determining-the-best-age-at.html

There is plenty of research showing that early spay/neuter leads to joint injury and often to aggression problems. The vets are often clueless and simply spout the party line, from multiple repeated vaccinations to spay/neuter at 8 weeks, to year-round heart worm treatment. Do your own research!

Make sure you have a large space in your house that can accommodate a bored dog home alone all day. Especially if you get a young dog you might come home to things chewed up or to a mess. So you need a large area where the dog can play and move and relax and be bored and be active without wrecking your stuff. Once they are older, they can be left to roam the house without issue.

We have two older pugs. They are wonderful with our toddler and don't require much beyond two short daily outings and a lot of snuggling.

Anonymous wrote:We had a pug. We don't have a fenced yard. They don't need long walks. They sleep a lot. Male dogs hold their urine longer - do not have some of the females issues of bladder control that can result from being spayed

+1. Same for some of the larger breeds (my young, large dog peters out after 20 minutes, and will sleep for up to an hour afterwards). Took a training class and the trainer said that most dogs need two 20-30 minute walks per day.

We had a pug. We don't have a fenced yard. They don't need long walks. They sleep a lot. Male dogs hold their urine longer - do not have some of the females issues of bladder control that can result from being spayed

Hi, OP. We are two WOHP with only one child and can't wait to get a dog. We've had multiple dogs in the past, before our DS was born, and it's a ton of work. One thing to keep in mind is that 45-60min in the morning in the yard isn't really sufficient. After that first few minutes of freedom running around, they are bored and lonely out there. Most dogs I know end up just barking or laying down and waiting for someone to come join them. You can't really count it as time to exercise their bodies and minds sufficiently for them to sleep while you are gone.

We learned the hard way that you must commit to that morning time as well, either a long walk outdoors or on bad weather days a quick walk but then lots of indoor playtime with that dog before you leave for work. This is the #1 reason that we are waiting until DS is 7 or 8 before getting a dog.

I'm not saying don't do it, but if you do then you have to be all-in on giving the dog the time and attention it deserves regardless of its size or breed.

I was one of the naysayers.

We have someone home all day, every day. I work at home or DH does every day. Nevertheless, the dog has to be walked on a schedule. The dog knows it's Walk Time. Whether it's raining, snowing, sleeting, it's Walk Time. Whether you are sick, it's Walk Time. You say have time for a 45 minute walk in the morning and an hour in the evening. Think very carefully about that. It's dark at 5 o'clock this time of year. Does your wife want to walk for an hour after dark? In the morning dark? Where will you walk? Do you want to pick up the dog's feces?

Anonymous wrote:Lab, golden, tolerant mutt pup. It'd get a young dog or a puppy from a reputable breeder or a good byb who raises hunting stock, since most of the show stock i see is structurally unsound. I'd trade the inconvenience of a pup for the luxury of knowing exactly what training it's getting: make the pup everywhere you can past its shots. Do some research as well, because the recommended amount of shots and such has changed and not all the vets are aware. Be prepared to keep your pup on the lean side, and DON'T spay or neuter until it is well over a year old.

Please don't say this as if it's a universal recommendation. The issue is very controversial, with evidence both for neutering early and for neutering late. I suggest people do their own research, talk to their vet, and come to their own decision about what age to spay/neuter their pet.

Lab, golden, tolerant mutt pup. It'd get a young dog or a puppy from a reputable breeder or a good byb who raises hunting stock, since most of the show stock i see is structurally unsound. I'd trade the inconvenience of a pup for the luxury of knowing exactly what training it's getting: make the pup everywhere you can past its shots. Do some research as well, because the recommended amount of shots and such has changed and not all the vets are aware. Be prepared to keep your pup on the lean side, and DON'T spay or neuter until it is well over a year old.

Retired greyhounds are great pets and are mellow. The key is to find the right dog that will blend with your kids. I have dogs that were here before my 2 kids and they are in their senior years. One seems very annoyed having children in the house :0 try a 4 yr old dog. I'm a big rescue fan so you can look around and ask the rescues what dogs would best fit your family. Shetlands are a small size and super sweet.

Beagles are terrible house dogs. They are bred to be hunters and want to run and run and run. It's not that they're bad with kids, but I would not get one unless you have a really, really big yard. See if you can find the old thread on terrible dog breeds.