[Closed] Dog - how do they change your life??

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massively for us but we don't have kids. Life is better with a dog. I have to get up earlier and take him out in snow, rain and freezing fog but no matter how bad my day has been, no matter how grumpy I am and no matter how busy everyone else is, he'll always welcome me home like he's not seen me for a year.

That alone is worth it.

You have to get up earlier in the morning for nice walks even when it's dark and raining
No one exept you picks up the shit
Dog insurance goes up at least £1 every year
But on the plus side your dog will Always be happy to see you when you get home from work
And will be your best mate
I love my dog !

Picking up warm dogshit, a tongue thats just wiped an arse licking your face, flea/tick infestations, vet bills, stinky dog food.

double post

And enough about cats.....
Seriously, there is no way on earth my dog could lick his arse, he's never had fleas, only 2 ticks and vets bills have been a few hundred quid in 10 years.

On a cold morning put warm shit in pocket !

Because they are great company 🙄

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this thread is useless without pictures of cute/awesome dogs!!!

Days out really are days outside, dogs mean year round picnics, dog sitters for hols. +s outweigh all that though.

It's the ultimate piece of exercise equipment. Not only do they force you to walk, the most tedious exercise invented, but they actually make it a pleasure.

Sith Hound

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Junior Sith Hound in training.

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Yes it's extra work but you will be fitter and they will be your best mate.

they walk into your shed whilst your working on your bike for no other reason than to drop an air biscuit...

Despite that i'm still glad we have our 5 month old puppy.
The Mrs says he completely changed the dynamics of our family for the better. we have a 4 boy and six year old girl (homosapians)

im not especially a dog lover, and i dont have one.
but i would say the +s outweigh the -s.
the welcome home after a day at work is worth it alone.
you will be out for a walk every day rain hail or shine.
downsides, you have to pick up warm shit.

I recently had the pleasure of looking after this chocolate coloured tsunami of chaos for a week.

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Just great to have about the house, taking for walks etc and would have a dog full time if work commitments allowed.

Having to walk the dog on cold cold days with driving rain and the smell are the only two things I don't like.

It's happy face. Walks on lovely days when everyone else is in bed. Watching your kids play with it so you can have a beer. Being able to post photos of your dog on STW

Dogs do take time and effort but the rewards are massive.

They give you back so much love and the highlight of my day is getting in from work and seeing them.

They can also offer security and reassurance when at home, wanting to protect the whole family or the other members of 'the pack.'

Insurance can be dear and I pay just over £40 a month to cover our two, but as per 'Mastercard' what you get back from them is priceless.

I think it's really important to study the breed characteristics and choose a dog that will fit in with you. Whilst you can train a dog up to fit in with your lifestyle, breeds do have character traits that will always be present.

I've got Rossi the Springer and Oli the Tibetan Terrier.....

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Nice warm bath after freeing my nuts off after a cold, wet, muddy walk.
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Nearly 3 weeks in for us. Wife gets up early, to get Rosie into our routine. She isnt walking yet, as jabs still not had enough time to innoculate. But this weekend, will be her first walk, although not too far to start. Yes, so far its been hard work. Lots of training, almost house trained. Never had a dog before, but seems a great friend so far. Do it. I had very cold feet, but the family convinced me to do it, although has cost a fortune, with having to get a car we can use for her today !! Still she's worth it so far.
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The biggest change is less free time (walks etc.) Also needing to be home regularly unless you plan on leaving the dog at home all day on his own. You can't be as spontaneous in your plans either (but with kids that probably isn't such a problem.)

Also they can be a pain when it comes to holidays and weekends away as you're always having to look for dog friendly pubs/hotels/B&Bs (although baby Blobby jr is far more likely to trash somewhere than our dog.) There are plenty of dog friendly places about but does need a bit of planning.

Having said that, I love my dog and wouldn't be without him. Get a lot of pleasure from seeing him run about having fun on walks.

Picking up dog shit will not bother you at all either if you've had kids.

Edit: My one recommendation would be to get a good dog walker (unless you really do have a lot of spare time.) We had an excellent one who would have our dog at her home for the day when I had to be in the office, and would also have him for weeks if we were away. Was good to know he was somewhere he was happy and getting well looked after. Unfortunately she left for a new life in NZ and it's been a bit of a pain since.

I think we're worried we mightbe tied to the house even more than we are currently, but the fact so many people have dogs makes me wonder if we are getting too concerned about it all.

My carpets now smell of dog wee, but she's only 13 weeks old and hasn't quite worked out that the carpet isn't the garden

She is hard work, but she is worth it

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I just got home, Angus rang rings around me with his excitement overspilling as a high pitch noise. Then he had to pick things up to bring them to me, raggy toy, both my garden gloves, but its too much to pick up in one mouth easily so I have to wait while he shuffles it al along the floor trying to get it in, then he manages it and its laps of Unk for another 5 minutes. I was gone 3hrs.

I love my hound.

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If you already have kids it's just more of the same, perhaps with the need of a pup sitter when you go on your hols. Dogs are great though.

I think we're worried we mightbe tied to the house even more than we are currently, but the fact so many people have dogs makes me wonder if we are getting too concerned about it all.

We don't typically leave ours on his own at home for more than about 3 hours. Get an idea for how long you can leave your dog on his and see how this fits in with your life. Also it is harder to take dogs most places than it is kids.

If you already have kids it's just more of the same, perhaps with the need of a pup sitter when you go on your hols.

Oh to have neighbours with dogs!

11 weeks old now. She's just about house trained, very few accidents inside unless she isn't put out and someone comes visiting, she has a tendency to do an overexcitement wee.

But the mouthing!! Mostly she's good, but occasionally she gets besides herself with excitement and will grab at feet, ankles, hands pushed down to get her off your feet..... nothing hard, so far hasn't come close to leaving a mark but we're trying really hard to put a stop to it. She won't do it to me - she's 'respectfully scared' and rightly so - but the wife and 9 and 7 year old girls are still fair game. I know it's puppy play and will pass but some days it's 2 steps forward and 3 back.

But already the waggy tail and happy face when I come from from work is fantastic.

At 5 weeks old
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and just now, test driving her new travel den.

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One of the good things about dogs is that they force you to go out walking them. Ok some days it's crap due to the weather but the good days far outweigh the bad ones :

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You can have the crappest of days, and you come home to a wagging tail, and, well, it all seems a lot better 🙂

Love my two to bits... Wouldn't be without them...

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They're just as happy spending 10hrs out in the fells, as they are fast a kip.

This explains it all
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This is the first part, the rest is [url= http://theoatmeal.com/comics/dog_paradox ]here[/url]

My life didn't change a huge amount - I work from home and used to force myself out for a walk or quick ride every day, just to get away from the computer. So the dog merely complemented my habits and lifestyle.

We don't often take foreign holidays - it doesn't take long to find dog friendly accommodation once you get a few directories saved on the favourites bar, so holidays haven't changed much either.

So I suppose the answer is; it depends on what your life is already like 🙂

Oh, and gratuitous dog pics...

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Cheers, the life wehave is both my wife and I work from home, one of us is around most days for the kids andif there are days where we are going to be away all day (never longer than from 8-5.30) then we'd get a dog sitter/walker to come round. We dont go away on holidays that much but the breeder who lives nearby has said she will happily board the dog for us.

One on the concerns is will the dog be active all day while are trying to work. The breed we are getting is a Vizsla and everytime we meet them they have loads of energy but we've not seen one when they are not excited to see us, butI know I've met a number of owners with similar life setups and theyhave been very positiveabout them.

Also, we've been offered a 7 month puppy now which needs rehoming due to his owner emigrating or a puppy puppy in 3 months time, I should mention I've just handedmy notice in am am going to be on 3 months gardening leave so a new puppy is goingto clash with a new job and theoldpuppy fits well now, but will we miss much with the puppy puppy stage or will we luck out with an older dog?

That poor fella who's being rehomed, give him a second chance at a forever home. It's a no brainer.

Onza, I'm totally for the older dog, but need to convince the kids that a big dog is better and my lovely wife that going straight to insta-dog we will cope with the step change rather than a gradual aclimatisation. I'm ideally after pros and cons here 🙂

Pros
Aleady house trained
Fits in well with you giving notice
Better chance of any health of behaviour issues coming to light.
7 months old, there's still more than enough puppy left in there to enjoy.

Cons
For a little while, you might feel like you didn't get a "new" dog.

Have the family all met the 7 month old? Might be something to try if not.

I've had Digger ( Mr D.) for 13 years now, rescue dog, been in kennels 6months before I got him. Yes they are a bind with getting away now and again but wouldnt be without him.
He has been the only thing that's kept me sane during tough times, and the done the same for wife too couple of years back. Unconditional love from him, and my best buddy.
Thinks hes a little lap dog though 🙂
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So far just me and the wife have met him - didn;t want to take the kids in case the breeder wasn't keen on us having him / we didn't like him and the kids got their hopes up too much. Next step is get the kids to visit if we decide we are happy with the 7month old.

Think about how ace your favourite child is, now double it.

That's how ace a dog is. It does change your life a lot and it is some extra responsibility but thoroughly worth it.

your wife's going to need better walking shoes than them........ he's going to need some long walks.

Do it. I had dogs as a kid, and they were my best friends then. A twenty year gap, and now this one here, and I'm hooked again.

Samuri - this is slightly tongue in cheek but I have to ask - have you got / had kids? 😉

Jonv - LOL! Yeah, we thought we were popping round for a cuppa and a chat but we ended up going for a walk in the pouring rain - I only had a jumper on and had to lend my wife my jacket. She's cursing ruining her shoes

Dogs are ace. But the op is looking at a 7 month old dog. It could be very hard work indeed training it as the basics are all done before that. Put in a lot of work training it early on it pays off 1000's of times over the years.

Think long and hard about how much walking you want to do, Vizla need a heck of a lot of exercise and good knowledge of the breed.

I'm currently visiting the vet every three days after my pooch cut her pad open, it's been over three weeks now and cost (the insurace company)
well over £1200. Every time she needs out we need to cover the bandage in clingfilm, plastic bags and gaffer tape, but I wouldn't be without her.

Rescue dogs are ace. It usually takes me a year to alter bad habits (all my dogs have been 2 years old or older). Puppy classes will help you out with this. A basic sit takes a month or two to instil recall quite a bit longer. If your children are smaller then jumping up like in the pic is a no. Lovely looking dog too.

Adds £200 to the cost of your holiday.
A litter-picker-stick makes picking up frozen shit from the garden almost a pleasure.
Burglars don't like dogs.

The breeder said the jumping up needed to be sorted out with this dog but otherwise is a really well behaved dog that needs some attention.

[i] have you got / had kids?[/i]

Yep.

🙂

Jumping up is an easy thing to sort.

I think for your situation older dog is the better fit. He is ready to start training which will in itself help forge the bond between you as a 'pack', and will still need a fair bit of activity for the next three months, but this can be done in bursts of play and he will learn your routine pretty quickly, and then sleep during your work slots.

Jumping is fixed by turning your back on him and ignoring him when he does it, and then turn back when all four paws back on the ground. Angus now gets so excited but is near religious in his keeping paws on the ground. Dogs have been bred to crave our attention so denying it to them is the best sort of rebuke, telling the dog off/shouting/"NO", while useful sometimes, is still a form of attention so best used minimally and not for stuff like this. You will need to make sure the kids stick to it as well. We didn't enforce a strict jumping up ban with last dog (Cos i was a kid thought it fun) and it was a pain - needs to be 100%!

But he looks a fine hound, short glossy coat so not as mucky as a long haired fluffy beast...

Got this little fella

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Absolute star. I agree with everything else said, the only thing that has changed is not jumping straight out on the bike as soon as I get home and having to take him out, but letting him jump in the car and taking him places outweighs that.

Working for myself, I can nip home and check he's ok so he never alone for too long.

Dogs change your life for sure and the few negatives (mainly cost and planning things so they are not left alone too long) are hugely outweighed by all the positives they bring. I hadn't been camping for years until I got these two and as pointed out ^^ they guarantee you will have to get some exercise no matter what the weather 😉 From puppies to age 6 last year in The Lakes
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I've had dogs as a kid.. and a rescue dog and a puppy as an adult..

The rescue dog was by far the most rewarding..

The dogs as a kid were a bit of a chore, my parents weren't really doggy people, and were very busy, the dogs being just an extra job rather than a family member..
And this is important, because believe me, you get out what you put in with a dog.. If you treat your dog as another family member and give them as much enthusiasm and affection and time as you would your kids, you will have a lovely attentive dog..
Start to let that slip and your dog will quickly become just another mechanism in your daily routine, and a bit of a burden during a crisis..
Don't get me wrong, they were nice dogs, but their primary function was lying around farting and causing arguments about who was gonna walk them/feed them/clear up their shit..

The rescue dog that I had was ace.. I had a lot of free time at that point in my life, and I needed a companion.. we went everywhere together, she sat on my lap to watch TV, slept on the end of my bed, we went to the pub together, the beach at least twice every day.. my best friend, and she was intelligent and totally switched on as a result.. I gave her 100% and got 100% back..

Later on when the kids arrived we got a puppy, which I personally found an absolute nightmare..
We had a young baby at the time, and I found it impossible to devote enough time to either, resulting in a lot of guilt and stress and a dog with behavioural problems, as it was inevitably the dog that had to take second place..

At one point quite early on, because she wasn't receiving nearly enough time, stimulation and attention, the puppy developed a habit of whining and howling all night, which drove us insane as we were just trying to get the baby into a night time routine and he had just started to sleep through the night..
After about six weeks of the family not sleeping the puppy had to go, or I would have been making a Korean style curry..

I dunno if any of this will help.. just my experiences

Everyone has different ways of training dogs, and I have no doubt whatsoever that some would have dealt with it all differently, but for me as quite a giving and loving pack leader, viewing my dog as a companion rather than a minion, I experienced these problems..

Yunki - I totally understand what you are saying and can appreciate how much of a burden a puppy and a new born would have been. Must have been a tough decision to get rid of the puppy.

Our kids are slightly older and we feel ready to have a dog join our family - one of the reasons why we want the breed we have chosen is because we want something which has a bit more zest for life and we will enjoy training and they will respond positively.

I'm really looking forward to showing it all the places locally it can walk and enjoy.

I'd go for the re-home. There's the cute thing with puppies but I don't miss the house training phase and having to get up in the middle of the night to let him out.

Wouldn't worry too much about how active they are during the day. As long as they get a good walk and a bit of play time they'll sleep much of the rest of the day.

Eddie...

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good luck.. I hope it goes ok 🙂

I think the point that I was trying to make is that it's gonna take up a lot of time, effort and energy, and in our case we had no idea how much we were letting ourselves in for, totally underestimated it and ended up emotionally drained..

How does a dog change your life?

Once you have had one you life will seem empty when you don't have one.

Long list of disadvantages, but they fade into insignificance.

Bit like having kids really, but less faff because the dog will do what it's told. 🙂

Awesome Cav, mrblobby. Best dogs ever. 😉

Ruby.
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/53067724@N00/3582385701/ ]Run Ruby run[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/53067724@N00/ ]Jon Wyatt[/url], on Flickr

If i go out all day and need to leave mine
a nice beef bone out in the garden is like heaven

Dogs are awesome, I really miss having ours around the house since he died last year. My mates been looking after a house/dog for someone whilst they're on holiday which means I've got to see this dog loads over the past week!

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really want to get another dog (would go rescue) but I can't see any way of doing it so I can spend enough time with it at the minute. I work 35 miles away from home so can't get back to it at lunch time, and do long shifts so the dog would be alone for at least 12 hours unless I started getting people in to dog-sit which is extra expense/stress.

Samuri, great photo, they are indeed awesome. Seeing them run always makes me smile 🙂

I have always had a dog / dogs, my OH has kids (now 8 & 10)

I just moved in with my OH, about 2 years ago when my elderly kelpie had to be put down, so I was thrown into a position of wondering if it was wise to get another dog, when I already had the additional tie of children. My OH was also slightly nervous of the idea for the same reason (would children (part time) and dogs be too much). However I think I lasted about 2 weeks before we ended up coming home with a 6 month old Kelpie pup.

Kelpies are another high energy dog which need a lot of attention and exercise. For us the pros and cons were...

Cons... (remebering we took a 6 month old unhousetrained, untrained pup)
- Pup chewing the girls belongings - caused a few tears, they had to learn to clear up after themselves and couldn't leave favourite toys downstairs (this passed after a few months)
- Time in mornings when we have the girls. You need to work together to get dogs walked/kids ready and adults out to work on time.
- The mess in the house from kids and dogs... seems to more than double.
- Cost of kennels (only used them once).
- Day long visits to friends / relatives are sometimes cut short as we return early to walk the dogs. But we are lucky as a lot of our friends / family are dog friendly.

Pros...
- Walking / riding with the dogs is a great family activity, and what our weekends revolve around.
- Walking the dogs with us both (so they get our full attention) is seen as a real treat by the girls. We live in a lovely area, so dog walks include playing in the river, skimming stones, climbing mountains, trips to the beach etc.
- The company of the dogs when we don't have the girls - and as they grow up.
- Everything else started above 🙂

Have to say we ended up getting a second a year after the first (dog, not kid) and seeing how the two dogs interact makes me think that a single dog is somehow missing out! Don't get a dog - get two 😉

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When we got our Lurcher, she was underweight, scared of everything and was very unfit.

We've had her for 3 years now and she is very stubborn (Bedlington in her). She can be a pain around other dogs due to fear issues still being worked on. I wouldn't have her any other way though. She is the first thing I see when I come home and is always happy. She's one of the family and I'm going to be gutted when she is no longer with us. I hope we can offer her the same happiness she has brought us for the rest of her hopefully long life.

Dogs are ace.

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They say if you want to know who loves you more - your dog or your wife, lock both of them in the boot of your car for an hour and see which one's pleased to see you when you let them out.

Go for it. Vizsla'a are wonderful, friendly, exuberant characters. It will need some serious exercise though.

And they will guard your bikes for you...

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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/49097109@N07/8498378080/ ]I probably could reach the pedals you know...[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/49097109@N07/ ]Red Ritchie[/url], on Flickr

They are a big commitment you do need to organise your every day around fitting them in but like others have said they are the best exercise machine/therapy you can get and the only thing better than a dog is another dog..we've got two.

this is dog No1 and as @flowerpower says I was a bit anxious but wouldn't change it for anything.

They are a big commitment you do need to organise your every day around fitting them in

We already do this a lot because of the kids and our jobs to make sure one of us is around for school drop off or pick up.

this is dog No1 and as @flowerpower says I was a bit anxious but wouldn't change it for anything.

Would you say your anxieties were unfounded? I think we're concerned as we want the dog to have as good a life as possible.

They say if you want to know who loves you more - your dog or your wife, lock both of them in the boot of your car for an hour and see which one's pleased to see you when you let them out.

I'm trying this on the wife tonight 🙂

Latest rescue is a bit of a laugh when there's wildlife on the TV. Here he is watching 'roo rescue earlier in the year. There's barking and waiting for the animal to come out from behind the TV!
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/mycams/8442433094/ ]Huxley watching TV[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/mycams/ ]Hamster[/url], on Flickr

He does a good line in gormless too
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/mycams/7664858854/ ]Dumb Dog Look[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/mycams/ ]Hamster[/url], on Flickr

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Just a gratuitous opportunity to post a picture of Oscar the worlds friendliest dog.

Dogs are ace!
Not cheap.. demanding of your time.. but it's all worth it.

My little girl is 14 months and makes me smile every day.

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@ Bushwacked -I would say my worries were unfounded really, I miss the dogs if my partner is away for work as she often takes them with her, and when she doesn't I get them all to myself! They make me laugh out loud sometimes with their nonsense but you will have to make some concessions e.g. the 2 smashed flowerpots last night were the latest casualties, the holes in the lawn (like it was ever really a lawn!), that all our garden fences are now 3ft taller - the air biscuits left in my shed. Having two dogs brings another dimension to the whole thing, it doesn't seem to be any more work, if anything I was more comfortable after Whisky (dog#2) arrived as they seem to enjoy each others company so much and the interaction between them can be quite comical at times. I would say go for it, the best thing sometimes after a day at work is taking the dog out as it clears your head and gets you in good mental state for the evening, but choose your breed carefully and if I had one peice of advice it would be to ensure you socialise the dog well with other dogs. It saddens me when you see people with the dogs and the dog goes berserk everytime it sees another K9, they are social animals after all.

The "My Dog : the paradox" thing made me both happy and sad. Our dog is only 3 but it already makes me sad to think that he'll only be with us for maybe a dozen more years. Right, off to give him a damn good walk... 🙂

Yeah, with you there Mr Blobby - the bit about never knowing my name made me fill up and I've not even got a dog (yet)!!

Yes, just got to make sure they have the best life possible in the time they have with us (... though I'm not sure Eddie is totally loving the diet he's currently on!)

We decided a long time ago that our dog names us as...

Me "The big one"
My wife "mum"
My Son "The monkey"
Everyone else "intruders"

You inconsiderate bunch of bastards!
Grew up with dogs and desperately want another.
MrsCat is asthmatic and dogs set her off so it's a no go for us.
Seeing the pics and reading the posts makes me wonder though, would the police see it as pre meditated? Hmmmmmm...

I'm allergic to dogs + asthmatic... Angus sleeps in my room, and often starts the night next to me on the bed while I geek on the laptop. Good outweighs the snotiness and occasional itching for me. Find a good antihystermine and keep up with inhalers and its all fine. 😀

Grew up with a dog & went a year without before getting another - can't imagine a home without one. Every photo of us kids is with the dog covered in mud or a steam etc - used to walk the dog instead of watching shite tv.

Got Barney the Norfolk terrier (i think) bought from gypsies : ) mad as a box of frogs! Fortunately, he doesn't like getting up early, sometimes he'll slump his way into the garden for a piss & run straight back in his bed. Only comes alive around lunch but that's routine & when people have time for him. Only negative I've got is during the winter there's not enough daylight for a proper ride & dog walk then rinsing him off afterwards.

I've got a few families & an elderly couple down the road who love to walk him but don't want all the hassle of owning a dog so I've never had to worry about kennels/board for when I go away.

Has a few bizarre habits of going completely feral after a shower & becomes hell bent on shredding every towel with reach.

Awesome down the pub - usually ends up with a plate of meat!

I couldn't have one without so many people wanting to walk him though.

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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/91477487@N06/8801581694/ ]Untitled[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/91477487@N06/ ]rickbanks89[/url], on Flickr[/img]

Picture taken on kinder - spent the whole walk chasing him, along then down to Williams clough on me bike.

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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/91477487@N06/8304177846/ ]Untitled[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/91477487@N06/ ]rickbanks89[/url], on Flickr[/img]

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We adopted Benny from the Dogs Trust a year and a half ago. Despite being found as an emaciated stray, he has the loveliest nature of any dog I’ve ever met. He’s a furry clown, extremely loving and occasionally as mad as a box of frogs.

[b]Pros[/b]

He gets us out walking
He gets us biking more on a daily basis (as we go back home at lunch to see him)
He’s ace beyond words

[b]Cons[/b]

He sometimes rolls in fox poo
He has to go to the vets every 6 – 8 weeks to have his anal sacs manually expressed
He emotionally blackmails us into giving him cheese

We’re still able to go biking together and go away to non-dog friendly places, as there’s a [url= http://www.theoldfarmdogboarding.co.uk/ ]really nice boarding home[/url] in my old home village – Benny loves it there because he gets to socialise and play with lots of other dogs.

He also compels us to get our garden turfed quickly, because a freshly rotorvatored garden, combined with rain and a hairy dog is a less than ideal combination (see photo)...

This stuff works wonders...

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