Ottakee Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 We have a dog but our experience isn't typical for most people. We adopted a 3 year old Aussie about 8 years ago. She was a rescue and afraid of people. We got her as she was the only one we found that could.bw a "farm" dog. All other rescues required a fenced in yard, etc. Well, our farm dog turned into a house dog....and queen of the leather chair. Aussies love their people. We have 5 acres that she has freedom to roam and even if we leave she just hangs out on the deck waiting for us. I rarely use a leash while we walk as she stays close and we are rural.....but we don't even walk every day as she gets enough exercise loose in the yard. She house-trained herself. We never had a mess in the house. She was used to going potty outside when she started coming in and that was it. We buy mid grade dog food and pay for the basic vet visit once a year. If we were in a city or subdivision it would be different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 Sigh, and English style lab was what I was pushing for. But DH refused to pay for a well bred dog, so we went with a rescue pup who despite appearing to be one breed turned out to be mostly hound dog. REALLY BIG hound dog. Who seriously may have given me a bit of PTSD in trying to deal with him and a newborn at the same time. However, with LOTS of work he's doing pretty okay now. But a sane person would have gotten rid of him long ago. Of course, a sane person wouldn't get a rescue puppy while massively pregnant with her 4th child.... We totally tried to talk you out of it :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 We totally tried to talk you out of it :lol: darn hormones! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 So much depends on the breed and personality of the dog. An eleven year old kid is definitely capable is doing the work of caring other than driving and paying the vet bills but you will still need to remind him to do it and check that it's done. The first two years are the hardest - if you can get an older dog you can avoid that although they may have some issues you have to deal with. Puppy training is best done by an adult who can be very calm and consistent. It's also best done in short bursts several times a day. For a puppy, the basics- House training for an inside dog is like potty training a toddler ... Ours is a working dog and mostly outdoors so this was less of an issue. Feeding - 3x daily for the first twelve months Training sessions - at least 2 x a day for around 10 minutes preferably more. These can be somewhat incorporated with feeding time. Vet visits for vaccinations. Puppy classes weekly if you need them (don't have experience with dogs or opportunities for socialisation elsewhere) Grooming - depends on the type of dog At six months - desexing. At twelve months feeding is twice daily. Walking/exercising is daily or more often depending on the dog. Monthly application of flea and worm control treatment. The good thing is with an over ten kid the dog will probably really like and enjoy their company whereas younger kids can be a burden to the dog and you really need to supervise all interactions. All that said, I think there's huge benefits to having a dog just that it's good to know in advance what you are getting yourself in for. Also be prepared for a few expensive destruction mishaps as they are almost inevitable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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