Would like to get a dog?

Nerro

Hi,
Myself and my GF would like to get a dog.both of us are in our late 20's and we live in single bedroom apartament and both of us are working full time.
We just love dogs but woundering would it not be too cruel for the dog?First as we both working it means he would be on his own for around 5 to 6 hours and as it is an apartament there are no back garden for him...
Please advise is it worth it?we are thinking to get a small pinsher.
Thanks in advance.

kadman

Too cruel, dogs are not meant to be placed into solitary confinement.

Get somewhere with a garden....or get a budgie.

syklops

Here we go again.

OP, there was a similar thread on here only a few days ago. Have a read through of it.

The general consensus was that leaving a dog alone for 9+ hours a day is cruel. Dogs are very sociable animals. If you cannot get home every day for lunch to spend time with him or her, thats a long time for the animal to be alone.

Nerro

kadman wrote: »

Get somewhere with a garden....

Could u tell me where can I win a loto?

Nerro

syklops wrote: »

The general consensus was that leaving a dog alone for 9+ hours a day is cruel. Dogs are very sociable animals. If you cannot get home every day for lunch to spend time with him or her, thats a long time for the animal to be alone.

Thats the the thing, she starts earlier and comes home early as myself start later. So he would be alone for 4 to 5 hours alone so it will be no where near 9h.
I started this thread as I know different breeds have different characters and wanted to ask an opinion.

kylith

1) Don't get a puppy; in 4 hours they can destroy your house and wee everywhere. They really are babies, and need supervision.
2) An adult dog can be left for about 4 hours, but if they'll be alone longer than that you will need to either come home yourself to let them out, or to employ someone to do it.
3) Personally I'd recommend 2 dogs as they are company for each other during the day, but be aware that 2 dogs means twice the food, equipment and medical bills, although I find they're not double the work.
4) some individual dogs do grand on their own during the day; speak to a rescue and they can pair you with the right dog.
5) Living in an apartment is no barrier to owning a dog, as long as it's the right dog
6) be realistic about how much exercise you can give and get a dog accordingly; if you only want to stroll around the block a terrier would not be the dog for you, but a Greyhound might be. Little dogs don't mean less exercise.
7) similarly with grooming; don't get a long-coated breed if you can't honestly say that you will either commit to daily or weekly grooming, and to bring them to a groomer.
8) Be aware that a dog is something of a millstone; my mother was right when she told me I'd be better having a baby because people won't refuse to let your child onto a bus/into their house. You will need to factor in what to do with the dog if you go away, if you get sick or injured, or if you need to travel.

Ummm, that's all I can think of for now.

syklops

Nerro wrote: »

Thats the the thing, she starts earlier and comes home early as myself start later. So he would be alone for 4 to 5 hours alone so it will be no where near 9h.
I started this thread as I know different breeds have different characters and wanted to ask an opinion.

Fair enough but depending on the age of the dog you get, you will have it for anywhere up to 15 years. Are you certain your circumstances won't change in that time. If you go on a business trip for a week, your partner will be the only one at home, and so the dog will be alone for 9+ hours during those times.

sadie06

A breed selector like this http://animal.discovery.com/breed-selector/dog-breeds.html can be helpful in identifying breeds to suit your lifestyle.

I also like this site for comparing breeds side by side (although be warned, photos are not to scale): http://www.iams.com/dog-breed-compare

Good luck!

Nerro

Thank you very much. That answered quite a few questions, and raised a few that both of us need to answer.
Thanks again.

toadfly

Like aboe I wouldnt go for a high energy puppy, they would destroy the place but a laid back older dog like a greyhound sounds perfect. Best of luck

ShaShaBear

Another thing to consider, and I know people don't like to think like this, but what happens the dog if you two split up? If you are renting a one-bedroom apartment without a garden because it's all you can afford (I'm assuming due to your lotto comment) which is perfectly fine, what will you be able to afford respectively if you have to rent alone? Will you have to move home, in which case, would the dog be welcome?

I had a dog with my ex, we were together for four years and obviously thought it would never end. When it did, I couldn't take the dog to my mother's with me, and he said he would take it home. Two weeks later his mother told him he had to get rid of it. The poor baby ended up in the pound and I worked furiously with the local rescue to get him removed to safety, but he ended up euthanised because he showed fear-based aggression to one of the wardens.

You need to make sure that the dog is protected, sheltered and accommodated for no matter what happens in your personal lives. Whether it be that you both are forced to move and cannot find accomodation that allows pets (does your current landlord allow them?) or that you split up and have to move, or even that one or both of you lose your job and can no longer afford to feed the dog - you need to make sure you are prepared.

As well as that, you need to be sure (if you are getting a pure-bred like a Pinscher) that you can afford the €500 + it will cost to buy one, plus the vet fees for boosters, check-ups, neutering, as well as the food.

Lastly, as many above have suggested, you need to make sure that you choose a breed you can manage. Terriers can get very, very high-strung if not walked and stimulated enough, and you could very well end up receiving complaints from the neighbours about a crying and barking/howling dog for 4-5 hours a day. You also have to make sure someone is available to toilet-train the dog when you get it, as if it is a puppy, it will NOT be holding it in for this long. One of you will probably have to take holidays from work to train the puppy. You will need to buy plenty of toys (especially ones you can put treats in) to give the dog plenty to do, or they will look for something to occupy themselves - your skirting board, door frames, chair legs, couch cushions and even kitchen cabinets are at risk of some serious chewing, especially with a puppy. Some breeds are pre-disposed to certain illnesses, and you need to make sure you can afford the corresponding vets bills.