Finding the Right Doggie

[AxelAnnie]

Shelters in my area won't let you adopt with children under 12. And with good reason. Small children can't handle large breeds, and small dogs are prone to be defensive and startled by kids who are too young to understand that at the end of the day...a dog is an animal...and will behave like one.

And generally rescue dogs and shelter dogs are abandoned or surrendered because someone else couldn`t deal with them. And if you are gone all day...please don`t get a dog. They need you.

Having said that...the local vet is a great place yo find great dogs. Our best shepherd was one we found that way....the owner had to move to Tokyo...loved the dog, and the vet had known the dog from puppyhood.

We have bought from breeders, adopted from shelters, and a great rescue place that places the dogs in homes until they can be adopted. The shelter dogs have had the biggest problems.

We have a fabulous place here..Dairy Dell Canine. Look online. The woman is fabulous. We enrolled our 7 yr old 82 lb dog who had become dog agressive when our Shephard died, into four weeks of boarding school. I am a large woman, and this dog could pull me right off my feet if i had her on lead and a truck drove by with a dog hanging out the side barking. I really thought we were going to have to put her down. Camilla saved us. The dog is still agressive but she is manageable. I can't say enough about good training.

Good luck.

[galaxygirl]

I don't see how a dog can be expected to not go to the bathroom for 8+ hours per day. IMO, I think that if you expect to leave a dog by itself inside the home for 8 or more hours straight per day then it's best not to get a dog at all unless you plan to train it to use pee-pee pad during the day, hire someone to walk it before you get home, or pay for doggie day care.

My dog goes all day and all night without going to the bathroom. I do have a pee pad down for her but she rarely needs to use it.

A dog walker is a really good idea that I'm going to look into. My husband is also often either very late to leave the house, or early home due to his job, so most days, it won't be a full workday that the dog will be alone. The dog we met at the shelter today is also used to being "crated", and does well both with it and with cats and kids. This dog normally goes 12 hours overnight at the shelter without an accident, and he'll never be home alone for nearly that long, so I'm thinking he'll be okay on the bathroom front.

Have you considered doggie daycare? I send Mika twice a week (I'd send her every weekday if I could afford it) and she LOVES it!

BTW, this is the beagle we're looking at:
http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/21346501

He is soooo cute!!

[danceronice]

Awww. I do love beagles. (And no, they don't need a fenced yard if you don't plan to take them out unsupervised, just a lead. And as they get older, some don't need that. Molly just doesn't run any more now that she's a 'senior' and a bit arthritic. Most days she'd rather just sit and let the smells come to her.)

And yes, dogs can go eight hours just fine. My two stay home alone, and they make it through the night. If I know I'm going to be gone significantly longer than 8 hours, I have a dog-sitter come by and take them out.

[Allskate]

Today, lots of great pets end up in shelters for financial reasons. People lose their house and can't afford (or don't try) to take their pets with them.

Just yesterday I met a guy who works at the Humane Society. He said they're getting a ton of pets because of people losing their jobs and homes. People are tearfully turning in pets they love. It's so sad, though it's certainly better than what some people do, which is just leaving pets behind to fend for themselves. There are tons of great pets available at shelters. And the shelters and foster parents are great about sharing information about the animal so that the right adoption can be made. People just need to do their homework and think carefully about the particular dog and how it will fit in with their lifestyle and family.

I'd much rather get a dog from a good shelter than from a pet shop.

I got my cat from a shelter and he was great.

[Japanfan]

A dog walker is a really good idea that I'm going to look into. My husband is also often either very late to leave the house, or early home due to his job, so most days, it won't be a full workday that the dog will be alone. The dog we met at the shelter today is also used to being "crated", and does well both with it and with cats and kids. This dog normally goes 12 hours overnight at the shelter without an accident, and he'll never be home alone for nearly that long, so I'm thinking he'll be okay on the bathroom front.

An adult dog can go a long time without urinating - then they get outside and must urinate multiple times to include their odor in the mix of animals smells. Quite amazing.

I'm pleased you're considering a dog walker because it will make your life and your dog's so much easier, providing you can afford it. For Mr. Japanfan and I getting our dog exercised is more often a chore than a pleasure, especially when the weather is lousy. A friend takes her out once a week as an exchange for Mr. Japanfan helping him keep his car on the road and he loves it, and the dog has the best day of her week.

If you can hire a dog walker even some days you don't have to come home pressed with the need to walk your dog, which can be a great relief if you live a busy stressful life.

Let us know if you choose the beagle. I find them to be odd but interesting little dogs!!

[sk8pics]

A friend of mine has a pure bred beagle that she found outside in a parking lot. She tried to find the owner but failed, so she kept him. She says he is always doing things that get him in trouble, and when he does, he gives her this wide eyed look that says, "Aw, come on, why don't we just start over? It'll be fine!"

[cruisin]

If you like an English Toy Spaniel, consider the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel--they're basically what the ancestors of the English Toy were before they had their faces 'pug-ified.' Essentially, you get a spaniel in a toy-breed-size package. They're more popular in the US so they might be easier to find. (However, a good one will cost you.)

Absolutely agree! I have my 3rd Cavalier. They are sweet, smart, playful, even tempered. Fantastic with kids. They are considered a toy breed, but they are not tiny. They typically weigh between 17 and 20 pounds. They are hardy dogs, not delicate. They have a slightly sprung chest (wide, relative to height), so they are more like a bigger dog in a smaller package (as danceronice said). If you want to rescue one, go to Cavalier King Charles Club or American Cavalier King Charles Club websites. They have rescue dogs. It is better to go through the club than go to a pound, to find a Cavalier. Also, most Cavalier breeders will have buyers sign a contract, that if you cannot or choose not to keep a dog, you can bring it back to them. Some breeders will have previously owned dogs that they will sell for a much lower price.

Try this site: http://www.cavalierrescueusa.org/

[FigureSpins]

I have three friends who chose Cavalier King Charles dogs and all three ended up bringing the dogs back to the breeder/rescue group. My friends (none of whom know each other) couldn't train the dogs to stop jumping or knocking over their little kids. (One growled at the baby twice and that was his "return to sender" card.) It wasn't from lack of training experience - two of them had very well-trained dogs prior to the CKC and all three had a personal trainer come to the house to help them keep the dogs. None of them have dogs now, even though they wanted one at the time. They just didn't find the right dog for them, I guess, but they really wanted this breed. They did their research and chose the breeders carefully, it's a shame. I don't think that little kids are an issue for the OP, though.

Imo, a breeder or rescue group will always be able to place a purebred dog and they will try to find the "perfect" home for those dogs. A lot of shelters have a clock ticking to put down unadopted dogs after a certain amount of time, so I'd rather encourage people to adopt from a shelter instead of a breeder/rescue group. I read an article this weekend that stated 60-70% of the dogs at the city-run shelter near us are put down because no one adopts them. That's really sad.

[FigureSpins]

A friend of mine has a pure bred beagle that she found outside in a parking lot. She tried to find the owner but failed, so she kept him. She says he is always doing things that get him in trouble, and when he does, he gives her this wide eyed look that says, "Aw, come on, why don't we just start over? It'll be fine!"

I used to have a consultant on my team who was chronically late. He said he'd walk his beagle and then go to get washed/dressed. The dog would take a dump in the kitchen (where she was kept during the day) and he'd have to clean it up before he left or she'd track it all over the place. He felt it was spite, his wife felt the dog was lonely. She won that argument - they bought another beagle from the puppy store at the Mall, thinking the new dog would house-train the old dog. Nah. My consultant was even later for work due to cleaning up after TWO dogs. Wifey thought crate-training was evil until she was at home with the Incredible Pooping Dogs. Then, crate training was the best idea evah!

Not blaming the beagles, although that's allegedly an issue, I blame the owners.

[cruisin]

I have three friends who chose Cavalier King Charles dogs and all three ended up bringing the dogs back to the breeder/rescue group. My friends (none of whom know each other) couldn't train the dogs to stop jumping or knocking over their little kids. It wasn't from lack of training experience - two of them had very well-trained dogs prior to the CKC. Just didn't find the right dog, I guess. I don't think that little kids are an issue for the OP, though.

Very surprised! I've had 3 of them. My first one was 2 when my daughter was born. He was so protective and beyond calm around her. My second two dogs are just as sweet. Cavaliers are not usually hard to train and not aggressive at all.

[FigureSpins]

Very surprised! I've had 3 of them. My first one was 2 when my daughter was born. He was so protective and beyond calm around her. My second two dogs are just as sweet. Cavaliers are not usually hard to train and not aggressive at all.

That's what my friends told us they were getting the dogs. I had never heard of the breed before and all the online info I found said the same thing: great with kids.
I think it was a trendy breed that year, something about the annual Dog Show results. These friends like to be trend-setters, so this was about 10 years ago.

All were surprised when the nipping, pushing, jumping and growling started. I didn't care for the two I met but I didn't have to live with them.
I think those just weren't the dogs for those families, but odd that one breed could come up with three wacky matchups in the same year. Maybe it was a puppy mill issue?

We had a beagle mix that I adored and we never had a problem with him baying or nipping or pooping.

I guess you can't assume that every dog in the breed is going to be sterotypically wonderful. That's my only point - just as every person is different, so is every dog.

[GarrAarghHrumph]

We do talk to the shelter folks first about our needs, so they can help us match up with a dog that works with younger kids and a cat. This beagle had done well with cats. With all the dogs we've seen so far, I also do the "girl test". After an intro to the doggie, I let my seven year old act naturally around the dog. Seven year olds can be what I call "twitchy". Even with direction re: how to interact with a dog, they move quickly, change directions, come at the dog suddenly, pull the leash too hard, walk across the dog's path, etc. After a good while with the dog, if the dog still wasn't reacting to the girl test, the dog was a contender. If the dog, however, reacted to her antics with anything beyond a sniff, they were out. Yes, I am seeking a dog impervious to kids. Calm, even temperament.

The beagle passed the girl test with flying colors. We'll see how the beagle does when we meet it again. We plan to spend a few sessions with the dog, each one longer than then the last. Hopefully, that'll help us figure out if this dog really is a match for our family.

[reckless]

then a Standard Poodle is your dog. They let Border Collies pretend to be number one because they cry if they're not, but Standard Poodles are the Mensa of the doggy world.

My border collie mix would not cry. She would simply nip the heels of the poodle and put it in its place.

[sk8er1964]

We have had four beagles, all house dogs. Our first came from a breeder when we lived in England. Her father was Crufts champion, all breeds, so her bloodlines were excellent Graadtrees Hot Pursuit of Rosset. (We had her spayed, though). She was not a runner, in fact she rather failed at rabbit hunting, and she was a wonderful dog.

Our second, Bandit, was an older stray. He was never a really loving dog, and he did have a problem with small children. My parents ended up taking him after our son was toddling, fell into the couch where Bandit was sleeping, and got bit. Bandit ran away from their house one day (no fenced yard, in the country) and never returned.

Our third beagle, Chas, was our little lover. He sure did love to cuddle! We got him as a puppy, when our son was five, from a breeder of hunting dogs. He was a runner (that dog loved to hunt), and he was never totally housebroken. He was our first crated dog. He was one of the best companion dogs ever, though.

Humphrey is the only beagle we have now. The comment about beagle intelligence? True, and Humphrey is probably the dumbest beagle I have ever met. He is totally not a hunter, and is completely sweet. He has a host of health issues, which makes me wonder where he came from. I've always thought he might have had some medical experiments done on him or something.

As energetic as beagles can be outside, ours have always been quiet in the house. They like to eat and sleep. They do very well crated - the one you are looking at would probably prefer it since he was likely kenneled outside. Plus, it makes housebreaking tolerable. Chas did not go in the house while we were around, but if we left him out of the crate he had no problem lifting his leg.

All of our beagles (except for Humphrey) have been cat chasers but they never did it maliciously - and they never actually caught a cat. Never seemed to bother the cats, and the beagles were just as happy to sleep next to a cat as they were to chase one.

Regarding the smell rfisher mentioned, I've never had a problem with it. Chas would occasionally get a bit oily in the fur, but a quick bath fixed him right up. None of the beagles minded getting baths, although none of them was particularly fond of water. Beagles are very low maintenance in regard to their fur.

Hope your guy will work for you! I've loved all of our beagles, even poor old Bandit.

[cruisin]

That's what my friends told us they were getting the dogs. I had never heard of the breed before and all the online info I found said the same thing: great with kids.
I think it was a trendy breed that year, something about the annual Dog Show results. These friends like to be trend-setters, so this was about 10 years ago.

All were surprised when the nipping, pushing, jumping and growling started. I didn't care for the two I met but I didn't have to live with them.
I think those just weren't the dogs for those families, but odd that one breed could come up with three wacky matchups in the same year. Maybe it was a puppy mill issue?

Got my first Cavalier 28 years ago. They were, in no way, trendy back then (at least in the US). I saw a photo of one in a dog book and fell in love (previously I wanted a Cocker Spaniel, but was worried that they can be snippy). I had a really hard time finding a breeder, but finally did. At that time, they were not AKC registered, they only registered with their own CKCS club. They totally controlled breeding, and you never saw them coming from puppy mills. Also, since they were not "trendy" the demand was low. The AKC was pressuring Cavalier breeders to join the AKC, the breeders didn't want to, because they were afraid that the dog would become "trendy" and wind up bred irresponsibly. But, the AKC made it almost impossible for the Cavaliers to enter or do well in shows, so the CKCS relented and joined. Since then (about 15, or so, years ago), they became popular and they are turning up in puppy mills. Unfortunately, those dogs are not the healthiest physically or mentally. Mine all came from very reputable breeders. Breeders who are very careful to breed healthy dogs. Breeders who work very hard to breed out genetic health issues, such as mitral valve disease. Mitral valve disease (the kind that is genetically linked) shows up in dogs under 2, Cavaliers should never be bred younger than 2, to clear them for heart problems. Bitches only have couple of litters, for the bitch's health. Most really good breeders are not really in it for the money. Yes, many pure breeds are pricey, but usually that price just covers the breeder's expense. Puppies from puppy mills are cheap because they get no veterinary care, no shots, not testing, no care - period.

I do understand the need to get dogs from rescue organizations, I hate to see any dog put down. But, we also need to support responsible breeders and put the puppy mill breeders out of business. One of the catch 22 issues with rescuing dogs is that it keeps the puppy mill market alive. We need to pass stringent laws making it illegal to breed dogs without a license. There should be major fines or jail time for breaking those laws. We need to put breeding back into the hands of people who do it for the love of and betterment of the dog.

[snoopy]

And, be aware that he will smell like a hound because that's what they are.

My friend recently got a beagle....and has since coined the phrase: "Smells like a beagle."

[Garden Kitty]

The beagle passed the girl test with flying colors. We'll see how the beagle does when we meet it again. We plan to spend a few sessions with the dog, each one longer than then the last. Hopefully, that'll help us figure out if this dog really is a match for our family.

You are very smart to take this process carefully and really look for a good match. However, based on that pic, I'd have melted the minute I saw Freddie's adorable face. He is so sweet looking, how can you not want to give him a big hug. I know who I'm rooting for!

[aliceanne]

Don't the shelters have foster programs now? Maybe you could foster a dog first and see if it is workable for your family. Is your cat an indoor cat? It could be a companion for a dog, or it could be an adversary.

I don't know what "crate training" is, but I had a neighbor in my apartment building who used to keep a small pit bull in a dog transport while she was out and the poor thing used to go out of it's mind.

[sk8er1964]

Crate training

Sounds like your neighbor wasn't doing it right - either the crate was too small or the dog was in it too long.

[sk8pics]

I am totally rooting for the beagle. He is so cute!

Here's a picture of my friend's beagle: http://s52.photobucket.com/albums/g3...ent=Beagle.jpg