Jack Russell

tim_n

I'm a cat lover - I freely admit that. I'm also allergic to most if not all sweet and fluffy things including dogs. However I do like them (I'm not a fan of being licked though). My fiance is a bit of a dog lover - I've converted her to cats but even so I'd enjoy taking a pet out for walks etc and you do get ever so many odd looks when you take your cat out for a walk.
So I'm considering dog ownership. I'm good with dogs, I've never had a problem getting them to do what they are told and I hope I'd be a good 'parent' to one.

Both my fiance and I work. I can probably face getting up early and taking it for a walk (5:30 am start anyone?) and we have an allotment which I visit twice a day to get veg, dig etc and they are dog friendly. I work on average about 8hrs a day and would be gone from 7:30 to 4:30 daily. We also live in a flat where I have a study which would probably also be the 'dog' room once I fit a new door on it.

You may therefore be suprised to hear I want a jack russell. Not particularly pet friendly especially with a dog which can be more than a bit to handle. Is this particularly unfair on the dog or should I be thinking of a different breed?
Ideally I want a fairly small dog, energetic as I'm out and about most weekends and also enjoy walking (hiking!). I run a scout troop and ideally it would have to be fairly sociable as it would be coming camping with me as well as short haired. Terriers are a tough breed and I've only ever really considered getting a jack russell because of their character and easy going temperment. Am I mad?

Similarly I'm hoping to make most the food myself and I'm also thinking as I'm not sure I want a puppy, I'm thinking rescue dog. Again, am I mad?

~Chameleon~

Does your flat have an accessible garden? I certainly don't think you should be considering a puppy if not as it would be incredibly difficult to housetrain it without an enclosed outdoor space you can use

Again, it would be a major issue for the puppy with you being out at work all day. If you really do decide you want a dog then an older rescue dog would be the way to go in my opinion.

xxlaurissaxx

Dont get a puppy or a dog for that matter if you'll be out all day.
1. Its not fair on the dog
2. If it did the toilet while you were out you would probably be annoyed
3. Leaving a dog for a long time is cruel and thats where problems will start like chewing as they have energy to use and cant use it going outside so they are bored and get bad habits.

If you got an older dog then maybe it would be happy to lie all day but you cant expect an old dog to stay in all day then be energetic at the weekend.

If you were to get one you would need to train it to do the toilet somewhere in the house on puppy pads or newspaper and expect a mess when you get home that you'll need to clean up.
IMO I would say a rescue dog as I find that mungrels are the friendlist, easiest to train and most reliable dogs which dont pick up infections as much as they are not herreditory (Sorry if spelt wrong)

If you really want a dog i would suggest a mongrel from a resacue centre. Any dog can be trained, yes it may be harder than a pup but it can be done and you'll be pleased seeing the results after all the hard work (It is worth it and you'll know you did a good thing)

Hope this helps

Laurissa
xx

foreign_correspondent

I would go for an older rescue dog every time in these circumstances - and don't be too hung up on breed, you may just find a lovely small, energetic, laid back dog that is another breed or a mongrel, so go armed with the characteristics you want rather than a set breed.

You need to consider whether the dog will bark when alone, as this is never popular, but especially so in a flat, and you also need to think about whether you could get someone to let the dog out for a pee and to stretch its legs mid-day, if you are both out at the same time for the full day.

tim_n

~Chameleon~ Whilst I'm first floor the garden is accessable from all sides and downstairs does have a dog as well.

xxlaurissaxx those three are my biggest concerns being in a first floor flat. I have wondered if dogs can be trained like cats to use a litter tray of sorts but I've never seen it done. I did consider having a cat, but similarly I don't really want to lock it in all the time and I couldn't really give it any exercise hence why I considered a dog I could walk.

tim_n

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

I would go for an older rescue dog every time in these circumstances - and don't be too hung up on breed, you may just find a lovely small, energetic, laid back dog that is another breed or a mongrel, so go armed with the characteristics you want rather than a set breed.

You need to consider whether the dog will bark when alone, as this is never popular, but especially so in a flat, and you also need to think about whether you could get someone to let the dog out for a pee and to stretch its legs mid-day, if you are both out at the same time for the full day.

It's possible my downstairs neighbour may oblige, he's at home all day due to a long term illness (the kind which could mean he could drop dead/be hospitalised even though he's quite young). but he does own a dog and three cats, so he's relatively pet orientated and he does also let his neighbours cat in and out throughout the day.

frivolous_fay

The lease on the flat we used to have specified no pets - might be worth checking.

foreign_correspondent

tim_n wrote: »

It's possible my downstairs neighbour may oblige, he's at home all day due to a long term illness (the kind which could mean he could drop dead/be hospitalised even though he's quite young). but he does own a dog and three cats, so he's relatively pet orientated and he does also let his neighbours cat in and out throughout the day.

that sounds promising then! if his dog is dog friendly, and you get one that is too, you could offer to return the favour by taking his dog out on a few long walks with yours at the weekend, if he isnt able to that is.

tim_n

only two flats in our block don't have pets in - mine is one of them. I've bought the flat (thought it is leasehold) but I don't remember it being a term. Might of course make all the difference if it barks all day.

tim_n

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

that sounds promising then! if his dog is dog friendly, and you get one that is too, you could offer to return the favour by taking his dog out on a few long walks with yours at the weekend, if he isnt able to that is.

His dog is a bizarre little small thing - more of a lap dog than anything which generally doesn't walk far at all (he does a couple of laps around the garden and that seems to make it fairly happy in a snuffly kind of way) but I'm sure we can come to some kind of agreement.

It'll just be down to whether the dog I adopt will be happy enough to be dragged round on long hikes... do rescue centers allow you to take them out and about to see if you get on? I've heard some places do home checks first (I've got a fair bit of work to make it baby/dog safe anyway) - I should probably mention that we're looking to have a child sometime next year after our marriage but if we get a pet, we'd rather get it before hand as we'd probably not want one afterwards...

LittleMissMoneySaver1986

The concern I would have with getting a rescue dog would be that you would need to be careful having it around children (you mention you are a scout leader). I have a Jack Russell puppy (well he's 9 months old now) and through walking him on nearby fields I have met quite a number of other dogs and their owners with a large number of them being rescue dogs. These dogs ALWAYS seem to have a problem with other dogs or people apart from their owners. I know people will say that you can re-train the dog etc but with a dog that you do not really know its history you may not know how it will react to a given situation regardless of what you try to teach it.

My dog used to 'go' on puppy training mats when he was younger, before he could last the whole night without needing the loo. However, I think that by using these we did lenghten the time it took him to toilet train as instead of waiting by the door to be let out he would just go on the mat. But they were useful nonetheless especially overnight and when we were out. If getting a puppy, it might be an idea to get it at a time when you could take a couple of weeks off work to put in the basics of the training and to help it to settle in. Also I think a walk before and after work would be ok if the neighbour could let them out at midday. Especially when young, they will spend a lot of time sleeping after a walk.

As I said earlier, my dog is a Jack Russell and he's very energetic! He loves nothing more than a nice long walk and will just keep on going, and running, for as long as we are out so in that way I think the breed would be good for what you had in mind. Our neighbour also has a three year old son, and the neighbours on the other side have grandchildren aged 6-10 and our dog gets along really well with them, he is so friendly and playful!