New puppy!

[Mayer]

Edit: Nevermind, didn't read the whole thread and was beaten to it.

[Regulator75]

Originally Posted by Cowperson

I've found the Dog Whisperer on National Geographic channel to be pretty intuitive about the problems humans have and how that gets translated into dog behaviour.
Cowperson

Couldn't agree more. Cesar Milan is an amazing mammal behaviorist.

[Old Yeller]

If anyone ever suggests you "alpha roll" your dog to exert dominance over him/her, alpha roll the person who suggested that instead.

[Dion]

Leaving a dog locked up in an apartment for 8 hours a day isn't fair to the dog.

[flip]

Originally Posted by Old Yeller

If anyone ever suggests you "alpha roll" your dog to exert dominance over him/her, alpha roll the person who suggested that instead.

Agreed.

It should never be used by inexperienced trainers, and never to correct undesired behavior caused by the dog's failure to understand your command. This will increase anxiety in the dog

[rockymountains]

just don't get a jack russel! they are nuts!

[Traditional_Ale]

Originally Posted by Old Yeller

If anyone ever suggests you "alpha roll" your dog to exert dominance over him/her, alpha roll the person who suggested that instead.

Do you mean the technique of rolling the puppy onto their back, grabbing them by the scruff of the neck and commanding "no" when there has been a massive breech of the rules?

And I don't mean crap on the carpet or a chewed up pillow. I mean like the time my puppy bit my sister's hand and I had to take her to the hospital with tendon damage. Guarenteed he never bit anybody again.

[chid]

Originally Posted by Old Yeller

Go the Humane Society and just walk through and talk to the staff about meeting a particular dog if one catches your eye.

They're website isn't updated a lot so it's better to physically go down there.

thank you, yeah I figured a lot of those sites don't update probably as often as they receive dogs.

[LGA]

Be prepared to feel like a jerk. If you don't want your puppy to become loud and annoying when you leave it alone you'll have to gradually leave it for more and more time. My boy would freak out when I first did this, he'd yip and scream and whimper, but if you ignore it they'll learn they can't get attention this way.

Also, crate training like someone mentioned is a must, it makes housebreaking easier and dogs generally love it.

I'm looking to get a Doberman or Bullmastiff puppy myself sometime soon. I've got a slightly over 1 year old Shiba right now. Dogs are really wonderful, when you've had a bad day, you come home and puppy just rushes to the door happy as can be to see you.

[AFireInside]

Originally Posted by Dion

Leaving a dog locked up in an apartment for 8 hours a day isn't fair to the dog.

I don't necessarily agree with that. Leaving a dog in a house for 8 hours no different than leaving it in an apartment.

I find it EXTREMELY hard to believe that everyone who owns a dog is only gone for 5 or 6 hours a day. I've had dogs my whole life, and at our house there would be periods of 8 hours where no one was home, and it was fine. As long as you take the dog out and it gets exercise regularly it should be fine.

Unless of course you have a rather large energetic dog, then of course its not fair to the dog to be in an apartment. But yes, if you are going to be away from the dog during work hours you have to have patience when it misbehaves from time to time.

[Jayems]

We never crate trained our dog. We feel bad for locking him up during the day so he sleeps with us. Generally, it's fine. Every few days he'll wake us up at night to let him outside.

And there's nothing cuter than a tired dog waking up in the morning and being all cuddly.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by Jayems

And there's nothing cuter than a tired dog waking up in the morning and being all cuddly.

I can think of something cuter... When you bring your dog home from the vet and she's all stoned on the sleeping medication and she wobbles around like a drunk. Those red stoner eyes just looking at you wondering what the heck is going on... Awesome.

[Ice]

Originally Posted by Cowperson

Puppy proof your place . . . . if they can reach it or dig into it they will.

All puppies are terrorists. But they eventually become normal at about seven months to a year.

Socialize, socialize, socialize.

In the world of a dog, there MUST be an Alpha. If it's not you, then the dog will take on that role and your life will be hell. It's not about everyone just kicking back and getting along together. That's not the way they think. There's really not usually bad dogs around . . . . it's usually something wrong with the human. Although others will recommend something different, I've found the Dog Whisperer on National Geographic channel to be pretty intuitive about the problems humans have and how that gets translated into dog behaviour.

Did I mention all puppies are terrorists. At first it will shock you and you might wonder if you've picked up a defective product but that's not the case. They grow out of it. I'm just doing you a favour by warning you.

Cowperson

All of this. I'd also add crate training, especially for an apartment dog. It sounds harsh (at least it did to me), but my dog is totally content in her crate and anytime she goes in it she just goes to sleep. Housebreaking is so easy with a crate. We also had a rule in my house when Callie is in the crate, the kids have to leave her alone. No poking at her, or trying to get her excited. Its become her quiet place.

My only other advice is that when you get yourself a dog who will live primarily indoors, do yourself a favor and choose a non-shedding breed. It doesn't have to be a little yappy dog like a maltese, but anything bred with a poodle or bichon frise (I think the temperament of the Bichon Frise is better) My dog is a Bichon/Shih Tzu, she's not yappy and she's not high strung and she's about 20lbs, which is about as big as I would get for an indoor dog.

If you can Tivo "The Dog Whisperer" I highly recommend it. My sister-in-law told me about it and I resisted because I thought it was going to be one of those cheesy dog psychics. But when I set the Tivo for it, it wasn't anything like that. Cesar is totally focused on how you let your dog know you are the pack leader without having to get angry at it or show it who's boss. Its really as simple as how you walk the dog. I did it with my dog and the difference in her behavior from the first 6 months and after two weeks of walking the Cesar way was day and night.

Dogs don't have a concept of time. They don't really know how long they're home alone. On rainy days, we let Callie out in the morning to do her business and then put her in her crate before we leave for work. When the kids get home from school they let her out, feed her, play with her, etc. She is no worse for wear. Its better than being outside if its wet or cold.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by AFireInside

I don't necessarily agree with that. Leaving a dog in a house for 8 hours no different than leaving it in an apartment.

I find it EXTREMELY hard to believe that everyone who owns a dog is only gone for 5 or 6 hours a day. I've had dogs my whole life, and at our house there would be periods of 8 hours where no one was home, and it was fine. As long as you take the dog out and it gets exercise regularly it should be fine.

Unless of course you have a rather large energetic dog, then of course its not fair to the dog to be in an apartment. But yes, if you are going to be away from the dog during work hours you have to have patience when it misbehaves from time to time.

I grew up with 2 dogs in the family. There was always someone home at noon to let the dogs out to do thier business and get a little exercise.

[MickMcGeough]

Just please don't get it from a pet store or kijiji (loads of commercial breeders on there). Really check out who you are buying a dog from, and be absolutely sure you aren't supporting brokers or puppy mills.

Do a lot of research on which breed or mix you choose. If you're going for a purebreed, find a forum and talk to lots of other owners.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by Dion

I grew up with 2 dogs in the family. There was always someone home at noon to let the dogs out to do thier business and get a little exercise.

My ex dog lived and still lives in a 9-5 world. She's got no beefs with lounging on the couch all day. Gets let out in the morning, gets let out after work. Gets a walk every evening, gets taken somewhere cool on the weekends.

In fact, we trained her to know that we were leaving for an extended period of time and that she'd better take care of her business. When putting her out before leaving for more than a couple hours, she gets told to "go outside", and she empties whatever she's got.

[Suzles]

Heaven Can Wait (High River) and Pound Rescue (Okotoks) may also be able to help. There are a lot of really good rescue places locally - even Animal Services. Don't just think that going the puppy route is the only way to go. An older dog, already house trained and with leash manners can be beneficial to a novice dog owner. You really shouldn't get a puppy if you are away all day at work. Just not fair. You may be better suited to a cat?

[Ryan Coke]

I don't think being away on a normal work sked is is that bad once they are older, but it is hard on a puppy for the first while. They just don't have the bladders to go that long.

Also, remember all dogs are unique. Obviously there are tendencies and traits common to a breed, but they are just like kids--they come with their own personality. Our Havanese is awesome, he just tends to bark at other dogs that pass by our place. Other than that he is great to have around and very well behaved, but the puppy time was still a challenge.

Good luck.

[wpgflamesfan]

Originally Posted by chid

I've been on the lookout for a medium sized dog for adoption, any non internet adoption places that anyone can recommend? I've googled "calgary dog adoptions" and exhausted all the sites.

get a greyhound. i know chinook winds does the adoptions out of calgary and edmonton

[AFireInside]

Originally Posted by Dion

I grew up with 2 dogs in the family. There was always someone home at noon to let the dogs out to do thier business and get a little exercise.

Soo... We have 1 so far.

I agree with the above poster, while its a puppy, yeah it's a little trickier. Myself or my gf will be coming home everyday at lunch for the first little while to make sure she's doing ok. Once it is older though, she shouldn't have any problems being home alone for 7 or 8 hours.

Also helps that I chose a breed that doesn't require a ton of exercise and likes to be indoors, unlike a boxer or a lab.

The English Bulldog is good for apartment life. They are very inactive indoors and will do okay without a yard. This breed is an indoor dog.