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This is exactly the experience. Except for the dog part. There’s the constant scouring of the craigslist, the kajiji, the various online listings and directories. There’s the emails, the waiting for the callbacks, the competition, the gorgeous ones that got away. There’s the big decision do we take this one or risk holding out for the next one. Is this one just perfect or will there be problems we find out about later. Is it wise to take the first one we look at?
As a young boy, my father once made a point of imparting on me what true “gems of sagacity” (that would be his word, I had to look it up) would best set one up to get through life most successfully. His father had told him “You Have to Paddle Your Own Canoe” to which my own dad would add, with a typically implausible balance deadpan and heartfelt sincerity, “also, Dogs are Good.” And that has always sounded like good advice to me.
Requirements: Must be likely to catch Frisbees (and bring them back), must be of at most medium size, must have reasonable temperament. This is leaning us to a shepherdy type, but a mutt or cross breed thereof would be just fine (possibly even preferable). Our condo is less than enormous, but just across the street to a wonderful dog park. At least one of us will be working from home for the near foreseeable future so the young beastie should have plenty of company.
Any dog lovers, what to look for in an animal? if you have one, how did your pick your animal? how did that go for you? and where did you find him?
Hi Tom – we’ve actually gotten ourselfes a dog now – well it’s my parents old dog and its quite funny what it does to you..
Nikki (his name) is about 10 years old. My parents couldn’t keep him anymore because they had another dog and due to aging they really had to get rid of one of them. So we took him. He has the kindest nature ( which is key to us, because of our daughter), she can walk him on a leash even =). then he’s happy, and farts and can’t really hear much. he’s freelancing with me everyday and I think he enjoys his otium quite a lot…
I would definetly go for a calmer type of dog, and one that’s easy to train.. We have always had labradors, golden retrievers and german shepherds in our family. I think my ideal dog would be a beagle if I could choose from scratch – but I always end up tossing my love to a dog in a shelter than needs a home and that no one else seems to want. I think it’s key to me to actually fiith all my pets mainly =)nd my pets this way. For some strange reason it seems like they come to me instead of me looking them up – which has happened everytime we have gotten a new pet
Hi Tom – we’ve actually gotten ourselfes a dog now – well it’s my parents old dog and its quite funny what it does to you..
Nikki (his name) is about 10 years old. My parents couldn’t keep him anymore because they had another dog and due to aging they really had to get rid of one of them. So we took him. He has the kindest nature ( which is key to us, because of our daughter), she can walk him on a leash even =). then he’s happy, and farts and can’t really hear much. he’s freelancing with me everyday and I think he enjoys his otium quite a lot…
I would definetly go for a calmer type of dog, and one that’s easy to train.. We have always had labradors, golden retrievers and german shepherds in our family. I think my ideal dog would be a beagle if I could choose from scratch – but I always end up tossing my love to a dog in a shelter than needs a home and that no one else seems to want. I think it’s key to me to actually fiith all my pets mainly =)nd my pets this way. For some strange reason it seems like they come to me instead of me looking them up – which has happened everytime we have gotten a new pet
Our house has a rule: Boy cats, girl dogs. Boy dogs bring the risk of aggression issues or humping issues. Girl dogs usually have more even temperaments.
I would warn you about beagles. They are terribly cute but they can bark. A lot. It can be maddening.
Pure breeds can have temperament issues and often have more health issues. We’re a big believer in mixed breeds.
Also, keep in mind, not all dogs can be trusted off leash. We have a 75 pound hound/shepherd mix and at 18 months, we don’t trust her off leash unless there are other reliable dogs around. If she’s alone, she can get distracted and just head off. (We’ll looking to get her a reliable lil sister as soon as we land in Ottawa.)
Maybe that’s a question of our dog training, but we’ve heard from a lot of people that hounds can just be like that. Same with huskies. They like to run!
I’m a fan of Shelties. Energetic and smart, they’re also small enough that won’t be tripping over them the whole time. They’re easily trained and want to please, and consistently take top marks in obedience trials the world over.
But I’m biased… we have two of them, my parents had one and I’ve had collie-style dogs most of my life.
I’m a fan of Shelties. Energetic and smart, they’re also small enough that won’t be tripping over them the whole time. They’re easily trained and want to please, and consistently take top marks in obedience trials the world over.
But I’m biased… we have two of them, my parents had one and I’ve had collie-style dogs most of my life.
Hey Tom,
Jen and I are bringing home a puppy from this litter at the end of September.
Our criteria was almost exactly the same as yours: small/mid-size, intelligent and easy to train, great fun at the park but content to hang out at home (as long as it got its daily exercise), calm temperament, and a “real” dog (read: one we wouldn’t be embarrassed to take for a walk).
We first met with that breeder a few months ago, have kept in regular contact with her, and have been nothing but impressed with how communicative she is, how many resources she’s provided us with, and the quality and temperament of the dogs she already had in her home.
Hey Tom,
Jen and I are bringing home a puppy from this litter at the end of September.
Our criteria was almost exactly the same as yours: small/mid-size, intelligent and easy to train, great fun at the park but content to hang out at home (as long as it got its daily exercise), calm temperament, and a “real” dog (read: one we wouldn’t be embarrassed to take for a walk).
We first met with that breeder a few months ago, have kept in regular contact with her, and have been nothing but impressed with how communicative she is, how many resources she’s provided us with, and the quality and temperament of the dogs she already had in her home.
Bernese Mountain Dogs… they are smart, very loyal, happy in an apartment, and the ladies dig ’em. We found them after looking through the various kennel club encyclopedias that are available online. We are both running hectic schedules and wanted a dog that didn’t need four hours a day of walking and was a good lazy day on the couch type of dog yet liked to run around in the park (and the nearest creek too).
Bernese Mountain Dogs… they are smart, very loyal, happy in an apartment, and the ladies dig ’em. We found them after looking through the various kennel club encyclopedias that are available online. We are both running hectic schedules and wanted a dog that didn’t need four hours a day of walking and was a good lazy day on the couch type of dog yet liked to run around in the park (and the nearest creek too).
Our house has a rule: Boy cats, girl dogs. Boy dogs bring the risk of aggression issues or humping issues. Girl dogs usually have more even temperaments.
I would warn you about beagles. They are terribly cute but they can bark. A lot. It can be maddening.
Pure breeds can have temperament issues and often have more health issues. We're a big believer in mixed breeds.
Also, keep in mind, not all dogs can be trusted off leash. We have a 75 pound hound/shepherd mix and at 18 months, we don't trust her off leash unless there are other reliable dogs around. If she's alone, she can get distracted and just head off. (We'll looking to get her a reliable lil sister as soon as we land in Ottawa.)
Maybe that's a question of our dog training, but we've heard from a lot of people that hounds can just be like that. Same with huskies. They like to run!