Doggy planning

jen007

So me and OH have been talking and have decided that once he moves in and has left the navy that we would like to get a dog. OH is looking into joining the local police or fire service is the first doesn't work out.

This won't be until March/April time, but we're having conversations as to which type of dog.

Currently I live in a flat (3 floors, i'm on the top). I've pretty much ruled out a puppy for myself for the housing reason, however OH would like one. We do plan on moving at some point, to a house with a garden but I think trying to train a pup in a flat would be hard.
Behind me is a VAST amount of countryside with several bridle ways, I go hacking in it and know it well. Again it's something to bare in mind that there is livestock and horses around here.

But what type of dog?!

He would like a collie, I'd like a labrador.
But i've a niggle that they might not be suited to a flat (it's not pokey, quite big)

I know both of these dogs can be quite hard to obedience train but i'm willing to put the effort in. I don't think OH realises how much work we would have to put in, especially if we go down my route of rehoming from dogs trust/sspca ect.

I'd love!!! to give an old dog a home, however I don't know if an oldie (8 yrs +) would be suited to DS (7), we lost our old pooch PTS (he lived with my mum in his last years due to always having a garden, not having to climb all the stairs in my flat... he was mine when I did live with my mum) last January and he's still quite sore about it. I couldn't put him through it again so soon.

I expect we'll both be working during the day, I may be some night shifts from January (I got an email yesterday saying i'm a preferred candidate ) and we would probably have to employ a dog walker for during the day.
We also have a cat, so do rehoming places allow you to let the two meet before an overall decision?

OH also wants a dog he can 'rough house' with. I'm sort of against his view on this, I don't think it's something that would end up with positive behaviour. But I 'wear the trousers' and i'm sure i'll hit him in the head with something to knock that idea out of him :rotfl:


I guess what i'm after is.... what breed of dog would be best suited to our lives. We are quite minded on not having a small breed. I know there isn't a rule of thumb with personalities but just some suggestions?

Jaynne

Labradors are notoriously easy to train on account of their desire to please. That's not to say they don't have their own personality habits they're notorious chewers for some of their early life at least.

I have to say, going from experience of just having done so with our now 14 week old lab that having a puppy in a flat would be a bit of a nightmare for house training. You have at least a few weeks of constant toilet trips up and down those flights of stairs - probably longer than normal as their wee bladders are going to have more mistakes on the way. Not even mentioning that all those stairs might not be great news for developing hips and then. Then there's the fact that it would be at least a month or two before you would want to leave them all day even with a walker employed.

I don't think that flats are impossible for bigger dogs as long as you have space for them to relax and perhaps a bit of safe play with you. They aren't going to be exercising inside after all.

Definitely sounds like a youngish 1 or 2 year dog might be for you.

rising_from_the_ashes

OK ..... not sure where to start and sorry this will sound negative but

• pup and 3 flights of stairs - def not an ideal as you really want to be able to get the pup outside ASAP for house training.
• flights of stairs are also really not good for pups joints so you'd have to cat him/her up & down the stairs - fine when they're very little but not so easy once they start to get a bit bigger & heavier - would you be able to do this?
• pups need a lot of attention and training - how are you going to do this if you're both out at work all day?
• is one of you able to take a few weeks off whilst the pup is very little as I doubt a dog walker would feed / clear up & train a small pup
• have you brought up a dog before?
• breed - collies need huge amounts of stimulation & attention - not a dog to be left alone all day. Labs again need this whilst they're growing but with enough exercise etc can be left.
• doubtful that a rehoming centre would rehome to 2 FT workers unless you're on different shift patterns so one of you is home most of the time.
• you can take other dogs to meet potential house mates, but I doubt you could take your cat (and the cat would be likely to just hiss at the dog anyway so you'd not get a proper idea of whether they would settle)
• what the beep is "rough house" - if it's what I'm imagining then it's a def NO and your OH obviously has no idea how to bring up a dog / treat them (sorry but ......)

Jaynne

jen007 wrote: »

OH also wants a dog he can 'rough house' with. I'm sort of against his view on this, I don't think it's something that would end up with positive behaviour. But I 'wear the trousers' and i'm sure i'll hit him in the head with something to knock that idea out of him :rotfl:

You should see our little lab when she's playing with other labs her age - its a whirlwind of black hair biting jumping and pinning each other yet she's perfectly calm and lovely in the house.

So long as they are taught good manners of when its acceptable to play more roughly with a bit of tug and as long as they play other games it would be fine. Like any sort of behaviour you can train it and shape it in a positive way if you put in the effort.

krlyr

I've got to shoot out now, but one thing to consider in a flat, especially with an oldie, is whether you can physically manage to carry them up and down if necessary. Especially just you, on your own. A Labrador can weight 35kg+ - I can just about lift my 40kg GSD for a short period of time but no way could I carry him up multiple sets of stairs if his legs were to be troubling him!

jen007

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

OK ..... not sure where to start and sorry this will sound negative but

• pup and 3 flights of stairs - def not an ideal as you really want to be able to get the pup outside ASAP for house training.
• flights of stairs are also really not good for pups joints so you'd have to cat him/her up & down the stairs - fine when they're very little but not so easy once they start to get a bit bigger & heavier - would you be able to do this?
• pups need a lot of attention and training - how are you going to do this if you're both out at work all day?
• is one of you able to take a few weeks off whilst the pup is very little as I doubt a dog walker would feed / clear up & train a small pup
• have you brought up a dog before?
  

All of your reasons are why I wouldn't want a pup.
I know I wouldn't cope with toileting every 30 mins up and down the stairs.

I have indeed brought up 2 dogs before, 1 in a flat, 1 in a house. And we had a huntaway when I was around 4, however she had a car accident when I was 8.
(this makes me sound like i'm 18.. i'm 25)

A young dog of 2 - 6 would suit me, my OH would rather a pup. He's never had a dog before, where as I have had a a collie, a lab and a huntaway in my lifetime.
Collie was rehomed... she was VERY much more suited to farm life. She came from a farm background (several lines/generations) and I still have contact with her when I can. Nice farmer
Both collie and lab went to puppy and obedience classes with myself.


My OH wouldn't be looking for work until June time, he wants to take some time off the working world. So someone will be there 99% of the time in the first few months, even for our possible teenage/adult dog.

It is something we're putting a lot of thought into, myself more so than OH.


Rough housing.... I get the idea my OH wants a dog he can roll about on the floor with and act like a puppy himself. Not of the 'hit to play' kind. As I said, this would be his first ever dog.

jen007

krlyr wrote: »

I've got to shoot out now, but one thing to consider in a flat, especially with an oldie, is whether you can physically manage to carry them up and down if necessary. Especially just you, on your own. A Labrador can weight 35kg+ - I can just about lift my 40kg GSD for a short period of time but no way could I carry him up multiple sets of stairs if his legs were to be troubling him!

This is one of the reasons my Charlie didn't come with me when I moved here. I knew this would be something that might happen and I couldn't do it to him.

Again, we do plan to move to a house at somepoint (within 5 years i'd say..) so this is something that wouldn't have to happen with new dog.

rising_from_the_ashes

jen007 wrote: »

A young dog of 2 - 6 would suit me, my OH would rather a pup. He's never had a dog before, where as I have had a a collie, a lab and a huntaway in my lifetime.

A youngster sounds much more suitable than a pup think your OH would get a big shock as he probably has no idea how much very young dogs are!

And the stairs / house training etc etc

jen007 wrote: »

Rough housing.... I get the idea my OH wants a dog he can roll about on the floor with and act like a puppy himself. Not of the 'hit to play' kind. As I said, this would be his first ever dog.

Great fun! And again, another reason for a slightly older dog - it's fine doing this but you then have to draw very firm lines when training a pup and it can all get a bit confusing for them if you're rolling around on the floor with them one minute & telling them off for doing it the next!

If your OH is going to be at home for a couple of months when you first get the dog, then that's great as it would give it time to settle in etc ....:)

Fire_Fox

Why don't you just wait until you buy a house or move to a ground floor flat? Maybe wanting a dog will give you the push you need to move that dream forwards. Not all pets are suited to all homes or all lifestyles, may not seem fair but that is how it is. Have you checked the long lease to see if pets are permitted?

How will this affect your neighbours, do you share the staircase and corridors? What about if the dog needs an operation and cannot walk, one of you are ill or injured and cannot easily take the dog outside, the dog has a bad stomach upset and may not make it out? What if a neighbour is very allergic?

grumpybear_3

Sorry to join the chorus of disapproval but I don't really think dogs and 3rd floor flats mix either.

I know people do it, but the prospect of running up and down stairs all day for toileting and exercise up to a dozen times a day and any dog being left alone / ignored during the day seems to be a bit of a recipe for a frustrated animal, a trashed flat and unhappy neighbors / landlords / lease owners and a couple of very stressed owners too I imagine.

Best bet would definitely wait til you move to a ground floor or have a garden and know how you're fixed job wise, you can take your pick then!

krlyr

jen007 wrote: »

This is one of the reasons my Charlie didn't come with me when I moved here. I knew this would be something that might happen and I couldn't do it to him.

Again, we do plan to move to a house at somepoint (within 5 years i'd say..) so this is something that wouldn't have to happen with new dog.

Don't forget a dog doesn't have to be old to be lame though. And also what about a poorly dog? It's a struggle for me to get to the back door and open it for my dogs in time when I hear that telltale retching if one of them is feeling sick (usually just about reach it, fumble with the key, and oops, puke pile right by the door!), and needing to constantly go out for an upset tum or something like cystitis could prove difficult with all those stairs.
Not saying it can't work but a small or medium breed may be easier in the situation.