My First Dog!

So I'm moving into a house next semester that has a huge garage and fenced backyard. I'm looking to dogproof the house all semester and then in the spring get my very first own dog!

I'v had labs and golden retrievers growing up my whole life. But does anyone have any wise words of wisdom about getting your first personal dog?

Any suggestions on breeds or kenneling vs not or how to bond?

I'll probably go to the local humane society to get him/her.

first, i'm really glad to hear that you're planning to go to the humane society.  adult dogs are just as sweet and loving as puppies, and they're a lot less demanding.  plus, they're less likely to destroy your shoes and furniture.

but--i have to say this--you seem pretty young.  what are your plans for the next ten to fifteen years?  this house you're moving into sounds ideal, but i doubt very much that it's the last place you'll ever rent.  i'm 40 years old with a master's degree (almost), and i'm worried about finding a place to rent in the city with my dog.  i expect to have to pay at least double the damage deposit, not to mention 20 - 40% more in rent than i would have to without the dog.  do you think you might want to travel?  ever? 

this is a big decision, and while a dog might fit into your life right now, your life is going to change a lot over the next few years.  at least, it should.  i'm sure you think you can figure that out as you go, but however difficult you think it's going to be, multiply that by ten.

 edit: i really didn't need to quote you ;)

Yeah I will be a junior in college next year and will be living here for the next three years. Luckily I work in the fish and wildlife field and so all of my jobs that I get are very accepting of dogs - most of the people I've worked with during the summer have their dogs with them all day at work. After my undergrad I will be going to graduate school but this will most likely be at a western school in a smaller town.I realize how much of a committment getting a dog is, I mean my parents still have our dog that we got when I was in kindergarten!

I've talked it over with my mom and dad and they both agreed that while they were in college they had dogs as well and it helped them not only reduce stress but just as a compainion in all aspects.

But since it is such a HUGE responsability and dedication I want to make sure that I am prepared in every aspect. Hence the reason I am waiting a semester to dog proof the house, get my schedule situated and be patient in finding the perfect dog for me.

If I could I would get one right now!! haha. Every weekend I go walk dogs at teh humane society and I wish I could take them all home with me right then and there  :)

But what I'm wondering is with shelter dogs, are obediance classes worth the money? Is it harder to train older dogs and get them used to you?

Original Post by flownaway7:

But what I'm wondering is with shelter dogs, are obediance classes worth the money? Is it harder to train older dogs and get them used to you?

totally depends on the dog.  it took me a year and a half to find kenya.  we haven't been to obedience class; we probably should, but she's very smart and sensible and has learned unbelievably quickly. she also bonded immediately. she just knew stuff, you know?

i fostered a dog before her, though, and she was a crazed neurotic wingnut (i know that's redundant, but it's fitting).  she had awful separation anxiety; i couldn't leave her alone for an hour without her freaking out.  plus, submissive peeing, which is no fun.  she was so cute, but just not equipped.

Yay!  I'm glad to hear that you are going to go through the humane society to get your dog.  I have two great big ol' rescued mutts and they are the best!

I would recommend not getting a puppy for your first dog simply because they are a ton of work for a much longer period of time than an older dog.  Plus, you know that puppies are going to get adopted but older dogs might not.  I would also recommend looking into a rescue group that actually fosters dogs in volunteers' homes so that you will be getting a dog that is already used to people and is uesd to being in a home and might even be already house trained.  Both of our dogs were house trained when we got them and it saved us a lot of headaches, let me tell you. 

Also, I would recommend obedience classes only if you seem to be struggling to train the dog yourself.  Some dogs take very easily to learning commands and others need extra structure and attention in order to "get it".  It's worth the money if you just can't seem to get it done yourself.  A well behaved dog is always a plus.

Also, just make sure that you get a breed that is compatible with your lifestyle.  Nothing high energy if you yourself aren't incredibly active or don't have a ton of time to exercise it. 

That's about it.  If you are looking to get a certain breed of dog you might also look into "breed specific" rescues in your area.  You could get a golden or a lab through one since you already know what sort of work is involved with both breeds.

obedience class is a GREAT way for you and your new dog to bond. just don't expect your dog to learn much in class. the classes are really for socializing the dog, and teaching you how to teach him/her at home. the key is finding what really motivates your dog (whether it's liver treats, a rope toy, a big smile from you, a back scratch), being consistent and doing the "homework"

how well and how quickly the dog will accept and bond to you depends on the individual dog, and on the dog's history in my opinion. a dog like a golden will probably be pretty easy to bond with quickly.

if you go with an adolescent dog, or an adult, the shelter will probably be able to tell you if the dog is crate trained, good with other dogs, etc. if the dog is used to a crate, i say take advantage of that! being able to crate your dog is conveinient in a lot of ways. i'm not a fan of crating for extended periods of time, but as a potty training tool or if the dog is destructive when you aren't around, it can be great.

PG made a lot of good points about what a huge responsibility a dog is, and how it can limit you at times, but it sounds like you've got a pretty solid plan that will fit a dog nicely. glad you are in no rush, but it is exciting! 

I don't know much about your lifestyle, but maybe a retired racing Greyhound would be a good fit.  Greyhounds are actually pretty lazy and they're happy to be couch potatoes as long as you are being one.  If you want to get up and go, they'll do that too.  They're usually really calm in and out of the house.  Great dogs.

A dog like that is great on days you don't feel like doing much of anything.  Most younger Labs and Goldens are a bit....well, goofy.  Animal Planet has a good dog breed selector.

Even if your new dog is well behaved, an obedience class can be a lot of fun and a great bonding experience.  It'll help you work out all the training kinks too.  You can find a trainer here.

By kenneling do you mean crate training or are you talking about taking your dog to a kennel?

rather than trying to select a breed first, and then looking for a dog that fits that criteria, i suggest that you figure out what kind of temperament suits you.  chances are you're going to end up with a mixed-breed anyway.

with kenya, it was like we just recognized each other.  she didn't go crazy in the pound, demanding attention like most of them do; she just made eye contact and was friendly and receptive.  when i went to check out the other dogs, she waited patiently.  we had several visits before she was ready to go, and between those three weeks and the dozen or so visits over the previous year and a half, i saw hundred of dogs.  she was the only i had that connection with.

i didn't even realize i until i got her home that she was drop-dead gorgeous ;)

it's good that you're taking your time.

I'll join the choir of people glad to hear that you are thinking of adoption.  My husband and I got our first dog together (his first dog ever) in September of 07.  I had grown up with a golden that I had begged for until I was 7 years old.  She was a wonderful dog that we raised from puppyhood who died about 2 years before my husband and I got our dog. 

Due to my experience with my golden, that was originally what I had in mind when we went to the shelter.  We thought we wanted a larger dog because that's all I had ever known.  The day we visited the shelter a lot of their dogs happened to be out at local Petsmarts where they were doing on site adoptions, so when we didn't find a perfect fit at the shelter we went to the Petsmart to have a look, and met our Pratchett there.  She was a scrawny, sick, dirty 8 month old terrier mix and we completely fell in love. 

Now that we've had her for almost a year and a half I can't imagine having gotten any other dog, so I guess the moral of my story is that you should be aware that in going through the adoption process you may end up with a completely different kind of dog than you would have thought you'd want.  When you go to a shelter I think the best thing to look for is a good personality match. 

Recently my parents got a black lab puppy and the hell they've gone through with her taught my husband and I just how lucky we were to have chanced into a dog that was mostly house trained and extremely well mannered from the start. As far as bonding, it mostly just happens.  The first night we brought Pratchett home she curled up at the head of our bed and fell asleep.  The next morning she woke up and just...went crazy, in a good way.  It was like she was just so excited and happy that she had woken up and she was still with us that she couldn't contain herself.  Lmao, and it still makes me tear up to think about it!

Ask as many questions as you can of the shelter staff, but don't let them pressure you into a specific dog if it doesn't feel perfect.  We had one volunteer try to get us to take home a dalmation mix "just to see how it fit" even though we were obviously unsure about it, which comes up as a red flag thinking back on it.

I could literally go on for days, so I'll leave it at that.  Good luck finding your dog!

 I would also recommend looking into a rescue group that actually fosters dogs in volunteers' homes so that you will be getting a dog that is already used to people and is uesd to being in a home and might even be already house trained.  Both of our dogs were house trained when we got them and it saved us a lot of headaches, let me tell you.

Thumbs up to adopting through a rescue!

When you adopt through a rescue that has their dogs in foster homes, you know A LOT more about the dog than if you adopt from a shelter. Shelters are highly stressful situations for most dogs, and exhibit totally different behaviours there rather than in a home environment. I'm currently fostering for a rescue organization, and many of the dogs come from the shelter as being "bad with other dogs" only to find out that they LOVE other dogs once their in a more comfortable environment. There are plenty of other examples, too.

Adopting from the shelter is also great because that's one more dog who's saved from euthanasia, letting rescues focus on saving the other dogs in danger. A little more a gamble, perhaps, but just as rewarding.

 Edit: Another bonus from rescues is that they'll really work hard at making sure the dog is a good fit for you (a reputable, ethical one will at least) before placing any dog with you. They'll ask for personal and vet references, do a home visit, and have you meet the dog in it's current foster home. When adopting straight from the shelter I think there is the worry of people adopting the completely wrong dog for them, just based on looks. Some people get the personality/temperment thing though, thankfully. :)

Congrats on deciding to get your first dog.   Everyone here has made great suggestions, and I would like to add one.   When my husband and I were trying to decide on our first dog, we went to a local dog show.   I am not suggesting you purchase a purebred dog from a breeder, but you can learn alot about all the different breeds.   A reputable breeder will tell you about the great and not so great things about the different breeds.    Once you get an idea of the different breeds and their personalities, you can use that when you go to the shelter or rescue group.   I fell in love with Samoyeds and was told that besides being beautiful, they can be barkers, diggers and they shed all the time.   I knew the bad traits before getting one and wasn't "surprised" when all those things came true.   I used to work the rescue phone for Samoyed rescue and I would get so angry when people wanted to give up their dogs because they shed or barked or dug.   One women wanted to give up her dog because she had just spent alot of money landscaping her yard, only to have the dog re-landscape it which upset the woman.   

Anyways, congrats again and good luck.

darjay-- You can also find LOADS of information online (it's called google.com) about different breeds. There's no need to use a breeder for that.

to the OP: I know you really want to get a dog but really think about it (I know you've said you're giving yourself a semester). I moved to S.Korea and began doing volunteer work with a dog 'shelter' here. I ended up adopting a dog (thought about it for a month) but didn't consider how hard it might be to get a pet sitter if I needed one. Granted, this wouldn't be an issue if I was back in the US since I'd have family who could watch my dog anytime but it's definitely hindered any traveling I want to do. I love my dog so much and put so much effort into training her that I can't give her up. But I definitely regret not waiting. 

alibsam, I know all about google, thanks.    Sometimes it is more informative and fun to see the dogs.