OT - Attn dog owners

BarbaraD
on 3/4/09 10:22 am - Omaha, NE
I am determined to get a pet, my first choice would be a dog.  I live alone in an apt and wonder if there are others out there with dogs that have to leave them alone all day. I'm wondering how the little critters do when they have to be confined to a small space for 8 or 9 hours. Do you put out puppy pads for them and keep them confined to the bathroom or kitchen?  Or maybe put them in a crate and allow them out to do their business when you get home from work?  I can't imagine a dog could hold it that long.  Need advice from experienced dog owners. I'd love to have one but don't want to torture the poor thing to death keeping it locked up in a small space all day.
Barbara D.

(deactivated member)
on 3/4/09 10:55 am
This is just my 2 cents, but your first choice may not be the best choice.  I am home all day with my animals, and know for a fact how many trips my dog makes outside.  The cat, on the other hand, always has the litter box, and is far less of a problem.  I don't think it's fair to a dog to keep it in a crate all day long.  That's no life for any animal.  I would say to go with a cat.  They are much easier to take care of, and very loving animals.  A dog, well they should have a yard to run and play in.  Cats can survive on their own with their litter boxes, food and water.  This is not so with a dog.  If you get a male dog, a small one, chances are the little guy is going to life his leg, and may not take to puppy pads.  Good luck with your decision.
Deedles
on 3/4/09 11:24 am - Highlands, TX
A small dog could be happy in a small room like a laundry room while it was a puppy and learning to use puppy pads. But I hate to see grown dogs confined like that. Even though they sleep alot I know it has to be a boring existance and they are too smart for that. And you said it best...I think it's pure torture! If you take the time to train them when they are puppies to use a puppy pad, you don't have to worry about it when they get older. And if you'll take them out regularly when you are home, they will get housebroken. The secret is being consistant.

I much prefer females because males are going to mark their territory, neutered or not. That's not the same as going to the bathroom. Because of this our male spends most of his day outside in the fenced back yard. The female stays with me in my sewing/computer room. At 2yo, she is house trained in that she will go to the door when she needs to go out. But if I'm sewing and don't see her, she'll go to her pad and go. Most of the time she sleeps most of the day. Again...whichever you decide you have to be consistant.

I agree Chitchat that a cat is more self sufficient and is best when left alone. That's also the trait that puts them in second place with me....they don't need you, you are STAFF to them! LOL! Seriously, I've never had a cat that was as much a companion as a dog.
Dee ..... ><((((º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸¸><((((º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸¸><((((º>
My new G.O.A.L. ~~~~ Get Out And Live!


Includes 61lbs lost before surgery


(deactivated member)
on 3/4/09 11:29 am
I agree with you completely in that my dog comes when I call him, and my cat comes when he is good and ready.  That being said, my cat is also a wonderful companion to me.  I just think space is needed for a dog unless it's a very small dog that remains that way.  That could be an alternative.  I've heard of small dogs trained in a litter box to be honest.
annette R.
on 3/4/09 6:33 pm - ithaca, NY
Barb,

I have had dogs and/or cats all of my life, never one at a time.

Our last two dogs were a coon hound and a beagle mix. Those two could get into more trouble in a couple of hours than all 8 cats put together. I came home one day from grocery shopping to discover they had shredded the sofa. Nothing was left but a pile of fluff and the springs. Another time they opened the fridge and ate everything but the glass containers. Leaving the monsters in our laundry room seemed like a good choice. Heck NO, they ate the door all the way to the door knob. It was 18 years of destruction. We loved them in spite of the behaviors.

My 7 cats can get into some mischief, especially Annie, but never, ever the same as our dogs did in the house. They greet me at the door when I come home and always come running when I call to them. Much easier than dogs.

A pet is a good companion. Be thoughtful and select the one to fit your life style.

Kisses
Annette

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Laureen S.
on 3/4/09 6:39 pm - Maple Shade, NJ
Hi Barbara,

I can only speak from my experience, but here is what I've learned in the last 12 years being a dog co-habitator. 

Male dogs do better for longer periods of time when it comes to potty periods.  Crating is a good thing for training purposes and dogs will adapt to most any environment with proper loving roommates.  I have heard people say, oh I can't have a dog in an apartment and so forth, the truth is, if you are willing to get them plenty of exercise, they will be happy to be loved and adapt.  If you start out with a puppy, be prepared for the chewing phase of things, 4 months to up to a year, get a good joint bone from a butcher and cook it up and give that to the dog as he begins teething to discourage chewing on other things.  If you use crating as a way to train, when you get home and take them out of the crate, take them outside first, praise highly when they go and until they are fully potty trained, do not allow them to roam free without you being where they are.  Once they have been successfully potty trained, the crate can go bye-bye.  As for confining them, unless it is a big bathroom, I would not confine a dog to such small area, get a child gate and confine to the kitchen.  My dog, even with his recent surgery, seldom has an accident in the house, my work schedule left him home some days for over 12 hour periods, not a great thing, but he is a good dog, and in those rare instances where he could not hold himself, he would go into an area, such as the kitchen or bathroom or the basement where the floor is concrete and do what he had to there, he never would go in an area where there was carpeting.  Another thing to keep in mind, if you get a dog that needs regular grooming, nails clipped, etc., be sure to get them used to it young, as well as brushing of teeth and then there is socialization, be sure to have your pet properly socialized with other animals, as well as people and children, as you are less likely to experience a dog with problems related to biting or fighting.  Do research on the breeds you would want and see what kind of inherent charateristics they have, such as, some dogs are one person dogs and therefore pose a problem when you have company. . . when and if you settle on a particular breed, search online for a local rescue organization (or your local animal shelter) and see about getting a rescue animal. . .

I also strongly suggest pet insurance, as it can make the difference between chosing to do what I recently had to do or putting the animal down because you just can't afford to do otherwise, now, I am not sure what portion of this big surgery bill I will get back, in the past, I always got 80% and they have different plans that include well visits and yearly heartworm, flea meds, even dentistry. 

Anyway, lots to think of and while I have a love of cats, though very allergic, my love of dogs came in later life and there is no greater love than that of a canine best friend!  (Ok, my dear Cat loving friends, don't pounce on me, just my special sentiments and opinion)

Hugs, Laureen


My Mantra is that I do not determine my success by the number hanging in my closet, nor will I let the scale determine that success either. . .  It is through trial and error I will continue to grow and succeed. . .  Laureen

"Success is a journey, not a destination."  Ben Sweetland

Jean M.
on 3/4/09 8:43 pm
Revision on 08/16/12
My husband and I have had dogs for 22 years, usually 2 at a time (though we have 7 now), and have routinely left them alone in the house for 8+ hrs a day.

When the puppies first come home to us (usually at 8 weeks old), we take a week off work to spend time bonding with the puppy.

When the dogs are puppies, we crate them when we are out of the house and at night.  This is not cruel.  The puppies love to be a cozy, enclosed space with soft towels.  Although some say that dogs won't soil the place where they sleep, puppies simply do not have enough bowel and bladder control and they will soil their crate, but that's easier to deal with than having the puppy do it all over the house.

A stray dog we adopted last fall had 4 puppies in December, and we don't have enough crates for all of them, so we keep them in a small storage room.  I'm home for most of the day nowadays and I let the puppies out in the yard for the 3 P's (poop, piddle, and play) every 2 hours.  As they get older, their control is improving and they are soiling the floor in the storage room less and less.  When they do their business outdoors, I praise them lavishly.  We tried puppy pee pads with these guys and it was not a success - they invariably shredded the pads.

I know a woman who has 2 pugs who are trained to use a cat litter box, but I haven't tried that myself.

Try to chose a breed that's suited to being a house dog.  Our 3 adult dogs weigh 13 to 30 lbs each and 2 of them are couch potatoes (we're not sure how the puppies will turn out because we don't know their father).  A bigger dog who needs a lot of exercise would probably be miserable cooped up inside all day.

Jean

Jean McMillan c.2009-2013 - Always a bandster at heart
author of Bandwagon (TM), Strategies for Success  with the Adjustable Gastric Band & Bandwagon Cookery. Bandwagon for Kindle now available on Amazon.  Read my blog at: jean-onthebandwagon.blogspot.com 

   

 

 

 

val_aiken
on 3/4/09 10:12 pm - Port Angeles, WA
Have you thought about adopted retired racing greyhounds?  They are couch potatoes at the best.  While they are larger dogs they have lived in confined areas.  They will need to walked on a leash always because if they get away they are gone. 
Val
Marilyn C.
on 3/4/09 10:31 pm - Bullhead City, AZ
I am for sure a Dog Lover & Miss mine terribly. Had to give mine up last July due to a
maniac that I lived with at the time.I had 2 dogs, (Long Story)
First Make sure your apt allows dogs
& find out How big a dog they allow. That may give you the answer right there. Most
apt's only allow small dogs or at least not over 50 lbs. If you are planning on getting
a dog from a rescue place, then maybe it is already trained & won't have a problem being left alone. As state before what ever you decide would be a good idea to have
some time to get use to each other before leaving for that length of time. Like vacation
week or so then try leaving going to the store & see how the eodg handles that before
leaving all day. I like cats, but have never owned one as I stick to dogs. I am also back
in an apt & they do need to be walked, so if you can not do that, I would go with the
cat.
Marilyn C (Bearlady)
Greytquilta
on 3/5/09 2:34 am - North Kingstown, RI
I have left my dogs alone (crate puppies) for the last 30 years, my most favorite is my greyhound, I've had her for 14 years, she stays alone all day long.  They are really couch potatoes, they are no****ch dogs, but I have a lot of fun with Heather, she sings, she roos, with me she is very social.  Poodles where my second choice, they don't shed, mine loved to be crated, they felt secure in their crates.  I had two and left them alone during the day also.  I think the dog adjusts, they have no concept of time.  Now I have also had dogs with separate anxiety problems and she ate through a door and kept jumping out my windows, even through the glass.  There is never a dull moment with them.  I have had cats who where just as personable, and good companions.
Good Luck
Pat
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