Do you think dogs get lonely?

[mondo]

Katy,

Different shelters have different requirements. The "fenced yard" is obviously preferred, as they would not like to see the dog stray again..... BUT, if you get to know the people, and demonstrate you are a responsible person, I don't see the fence being a deal killer.....

Another area you can look into is "_________ breed" rescue groups. My sister is actively involved w/ several in Atlanta, and I was involved when I lived in Athens. The nice part about these is they usually have a once a month or so gathering at a Home Depot or local pet store, and the dogs range from puppies to adults. The dogs generally live with "foster" parents while they are up for adoption. This is a really good thing, as the foster parents are very carefully screened, often have several dogs @ a time which is great for socialization, and are really helpful in accommodating people for adoptions to a good home.... once you've been around these groups, you develop a "sixth sense" of who is right for an adoption, and who is not..... If you are, (I'm sure you are.... look @ the research you're doing), then you will have no problem getting approved.....

Good Luck, and kudos to the others sharing insights. Dogs are a HUGE commitment, but life isn't the same without them.

peace, mondo

[Enrique]

Dogs do get lonely.
The main problem would be if you travel too much and can't be with the dog on a daily basis. Not being with him from 9 to 5 doesn't sound like a problem to me.

PS: Dogs are awesome.

[Blarg]

It's very important to read up about the different dog temperaments before you get one. Some vet offices are excellent for this too. They will tell you what types of dogs tend to act out in certain ways more or less, etc. It's easy to pick a dog solely based on looks or the personality of one when you saw it in a park one day; however, you didn't see that dog at home all day!

Two people not to ask are shelter workers and breeders. The first are not really trained and often not well read or experienced. They also may want to just foist any dog on you, or a troubled one, to get it out of there. It may not be conscious, but it really does nothing for you. Breeders, on the other hand, may know a lot about their breed, but tend to downplay it because of two things. First, they probably love the breed and that's why they chose it above all others. Love is blind. And defensive! Second, because they are trying to sell product. So do some independent reading and ask a vet. That will also tell you what genetic problems particular breeds are likely to have, which can help you when picking your new pet from a litter. Bear in mind that some of these are fairly costly chronic conditions.

On being alone, you can be away all day, but a dog is a lot like a kid. If you come home and your kid is hungry, he doesn't give a damn if you've had a bad day at work and want to take a nap for an hour -- he wants his dinner! He's probably dying for some attention too. Maybe he needs a walk and to go poop! All this falls on your shoulders, and there are no days off. If you want to have a dog but have days off from having a dog, it's just not going to work.

Note that that also means that going on trips can be more costly and burdensome. You have to ask friends to take care of the dog -- which many may do quite poorly -- or board them at a kennel, perhaps adding a couple hundred dollars to the effective cost of your trip. Do you want to do that? It's a pretty real problem.

Regarding a crate, crate training your dog is fine, but leaving him in there for 8 or 9 or 10 hours a day is excessive. Let him stretch his legs a bit and walk around your place. There's no harm in it. Crates for anything but small dogs take up quite a bit of room too.

Another thing -- one dog can keep another company.

Also, agreed with another poster that puppies need, and should get, a ton of attention. It's very important to their socialization.

[katyseagull]

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Note that that also means that going on trips can be more costly and burdensome. You have to ask friends to take care of the dog -- which many may do quite poorly -- or board them at a kennel, perhaps adding a couple hundred dollars to the effective cost of your trip. Do you want to do that? It's a pretty real problem.

Regarding a crate, crate training your dog is fine, but leaving him in there for 8 or 9 or 10 hours a day is excessive. Let him stretch his legs a bit and walk around your place. There's no harm in it. Crates for anything but small dogs take up quite a bit of room too.

Another thing -- one dog can keep another company.

Also, agreed with another poster that puppies need, and should get, a ton of attention. It's very important to their socialization.

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Thanks for your reply Blarg. Do you own a dog right now? If you did would you crate him or leave him wander around your house? I think I'd just let my dog have the run of the house probably.

Like I said earlier, I'm leaning away from getting a puppy. I even emailed one of those rescue places in Ohio and inquired about a 7 yr old airedale. I wouldn't mind having an old man. Found out that the dog had just been placed in a home. Bummer [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]. I just want a cool looking dog who is slightly older.

I doubt I could qualify for one of those rescue group dogs anyway. I don't have a fenced yard. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] I'm pretty unimpressive on paper.

[Blarg]

I don't own a dog right now, but when I grew up we owned a kennel, a quarantine, and a pet shop, and my mom bred dogs too, but casually, not like a volume business or anything.

Now she's really into obedience and agility trials for dogs. She's done it with germa shepherds and got an incredibly adorable and beautiful australian shepherd she's training in it now. Exceptionally smart dog, with an incredibly perky, happy personality. Too energetic by far for most people or for apartment living, though.

The extent to how much I'd let a dog wander the house would vary dog by dog. Some dogs are really happy in their crate, and if you have a small dog, it's not that much of a burden. And even those usually spend their time outside them, if a person is around at least. But a crate ample enough for a big dog is pretty large, and seems unfair to me. I mean, I can't hold my pee for 8 or 10 hours, and wouldn't want to lie in my own pee for 4 hours either. I'd rather they peed on the floor.

My folks got these expanding gates, and the dogs got used to staying behind them, even if they could leap over them. As one of them aged, his bladder started to go, so they put him in the kitchen/breakfast nook area, which was tiled and could be easily cleaned. Their little dog they crate sometimes, but that's to a great extent for habituation, as they take him to agility trials, and he has to get used to being in the crate for hours of travel time. It doesn't seem necessary for dogs not subject to frequent long travel like that.

If I had an adult dog that peed all over, I'd probably take him to a doctor, then a trainer, and still wind up locking him in a bathroom or the kitchen or something as a worst-case scenario. I know dogs like dens, but they also love the cool, cool tile on a warm day, too, and the chance to lay in the sun or opt out of it at will.

[Ser William]

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Another thing -- one dog can keep another company.

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My wife and I had a Shih Tzu pup for 3 months before getting another - we both are away from home 10+ hours a day so we felt bad just leaving the one home alone.

Having said that, I've worked from home plenty of times, and I can tell you that all they do all day is sleep. I wouldn't be too worried that they are lonely without you, chances are they are dreaming doggie dreams all day.

[Blarg]

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Another thing -- one dog can keep another company.

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My wife and I had a Shih Tzu pup for 3 months before getting another - we both are away from home 10+ hours a day so we felt bad just leaving the one home alone.

Having said that, I've worked from home plenty of times, and I can tell you that all they do all day is sleep. I wouldn't be too worried that they are lonely without you, chances are they are dreaming doggie dreams all day.

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Some of them howl mournfully for 8 hours straight. I'm pretty sure they are lonely. It's different, when you're around. Then they're just bored! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[katyseagull]

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Some of them howl mournfully for 8 hours straight. I'm pretty sure they are lonely. It's different, when you're around. Then they're just bored! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

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That made me feel a lot worse to read that dogs might howl for 8 hours straight because they are lonely. Darn you Blarg.

[Blarg]

They even die occasionally when their doggy buddies die. They are very, very much pack animals, not loners.

But I think a good relationship with them while you're home does wonders. The bad thing to do is when you come home, be too lazy to walk them, or keep shoving them out of the way when they come over to lick you or stick their nose on you or whatever. Dogs are a messy business, but so what? They need very, very little compared to what we can give, and compared to all the love they can give, but sometimes even giving a little can feel like a nuisance. A nice owner will not train his dog to be constantly all over him by rewarding him too much, but won't treat him like a cardboard box stuffed into an empty corner either. That "hangdog" expression when you've rejected them sure is a miserable guilt-inducer!

I'm sure you could make a dog happy even if you have a working life like everyone else does, Katy. It's just that you really need to make a commitment to walk them every day and pay some attention to them every day, and never treat them like some sort of burdensome furniture. Besides, walking them is good for you too! Guaranteed food for your soul, if you let it be.

[Stagger_Lee]

I wouldn't leave a dog inside all day - then again, our dogs don't come in the house at all.

The point Blarg makes about dog ownership being a long-term full-time commitment is very important and one that seems lost on the vast majority of dog owners.

I seem to meet a lot of people in our local dog park that think they are dog lovers, they really want to be, they talk-the-talk, but their large dogs are out of control.