*Yawn* I’m sleepy.
Well, we got the ball rolling on our passport paperwork today. The kids had early release so as soon as I picked them up from school we went and picked the husband up from work and drove to the post office. We had filled out the paperwork ahead of time and printed it off, so we got through fairly fast. Though we were there for nearly an hour, it was mainly because of the young girl in front of us.
The post office lady kept asking her questions about her adoption and why her name appeared differently on certain documents. I felt bad for her because there she is, airing her dirty laundry in front of us. I just pretended not to pay attention hoping to ease her embarrassment a bit.
We had to buy the passport books, as opposed to the card. That cost more money. Bummer. But, now we’ll have passports that are good for 10 years (though the lady said that technically, they’re good for 15 years until they expire) and if we need to renew them, we don’t have to actually go back to the post office, we can do it by mail. AND, it won’t cost as much. So who knows, maybe we’ll need passports again in our twilight years.
She also kept our birth certificates. I wasn’t expecting that and in fact, I sort of freaked out walking out of the office without them, but the lady said they would mail them back to us, separate from the passport books, so … I hope that happens. I’ve spent the majority of my life keeping careful tabs on our birth certificates so to not have them, is … disorienting.
Oh, by the way, if you need to know how to apply and what documents you need to apply for a passport, you can find that information here.
The husband and I are seriously talking about the dog issue. And I’m still a reluctant participant in all of this, but if I can arm myself with as much information as I can, beforehand, I think I can handle this better. We didn’t get a chance to talk much last night about it – we don’t want the kids to know we’re seriously talking because if it doesn’t go through, I don’t want them to be disappointed.
I’ve been researching. In fact, I spent the majority of yesterday afternoon researching. I’ve got a few breeds in mind already, and when I read up on their characteristics and how trainable they are, I’m really liking my selections.
A HUGE THANK YOU to Oregonsunshine for all of her advice/information!!!! We’ve been exchanging emails – well, I’ve been asking questions and she’s been kind enough to answer them (and then some!) so she’s given me PLENTY to think about.
I’ve also been researching training methods and dog mentality. I never knew they were so complicated! But a lot of what I read made sense to me and now I think I understand the importance of correctly handling a dog – my action directly affect how they act and respond.
I do have some questions for you, dear reader. But before I ask these questions, let me tell you what the husband and I would like in a dog:
1. Good natured / easy going.
2. Loveable
3. Intelligent
4. Playful (but not overly so)
5. Active (but not overly so)
6. Mid-sized, but smallish (large dogs are OUT)
7. Preferably short, soft hair but I’m not opposed to taking it to get groomed periodically, especially if the animal has longer hair.
8. Not a yapper
9. Fairly easy to train
10. Gentle
We would prefer a puppy, simply because we think it might be easier to bond with a puppy (?), but we’re certainly not opposed to an older dog, if it’s the breed we decide upon. We will absolutely check the pounds, but we’re also going to look into breeders.
We have no intention of buying a dog until after June, so there is plenty of time to really do the research and look around before we make a final decision.
My questions for you are:
1. Based on the above criteria, can you suggest a breed?
2. Male or female?
3. Can you suggest any training books? Remember, I’m a total newbie here.
4. Do you have any idea where I can find breeders for southwest Missouri?
5. What sorts of “extras” would we need to get started? Crate, toys, etc.
6. What sort of food is best for a puppy? For an older dog?
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. I’m learning a lot from my research, but it really helps to hear from experienced people.
Crap. I just remembered, I need to take my movies back, they’re due in two hours.
Have a great evening, everyone.
Write From Karen 
Okay I asked my husband, whom I consider my all-things-dog expert (his grandmother was actually a dog breeder for awhile) – here is his response:
1. Based on the above criteria, can you suggest a breed?
Probably a terrier — they are small and rather intelligent — whether they bark or not depends a lot on the breeder (this is true for all breeds)
2. Male or female?
Definitely female — males are more hyperactive and agressive; if she is spayed you’ll not have “time of the month” mood swings.
3. Can you suggest any training books? Remember, I’m a total newbie here.
Dog Training for Dummies? I’m not sure, though I’d talk to the dog’s veterinarian when you get one
4. Do you have any idea where I can find breeders for southwest Missouri?
no clue
5. What sorts of “extras” would we need to get started? Crate, toys, etc.
crate, absolutely — this should be both a “prison” (for when the dog’s misbehaving), but also a safe place (i.e. never pull the dog out of the crate to berate her, she needs to be willing to go in when scared)
toys will depend on the dog, though more often than not your socks & stuffed animals will take precedence 🙂
an area of the house with a durable floor (i.e. sealed concrete or linoleum) that you can block off with baby gates as necessary)
Nail clippers — you can take the dog to the pet store (many places, like Petco), to have this done, but it will sneak up on you.
dog dishes, collar, leash. Most stores / shelters will help you out with initial essentials. Much like having a child, it will all come naturally, and nothing is immediately vital! (the dog won’t die without a spillproof dish or that perfect chew toy, so take your time picking things out, buy them as you need them).
6. What sort of food is best for a puppy? For an older dog?
Again, see the veterinarian. Different breeds have different nutritional needs. For a quick start, browse the grocery store aisle (or pet store aisle), and look at the different brands. Most will have a ‘puppy’ formula, a ‘small dog’ formula, a ‘large dog’, an ‘old dog’, an ‘active dog’, etc. etc.
Mutts tend to have better temperaments (as a general rule; not as a guarantee), and are more resilient (less likely to get sick, stronger stomach), and are cheaper. The downside is that it’s often tough to tell how big they’ll get, and most mutts don’t come from breeders who can tell you about the dog’s upbringing (but how you treat the dog will have more impact, especially with very young (up to 6 months) dogs.)
Wow…after reading this post and comments, I realized how much I don’t know about dogs which is practically nothing. The only advice I can give is based on my experience with our dogs.
The littlest one, Roscoe, is a double dapper dachshund (try saying that three times fast). He pees on everything, whines if you don’t play with him and growls at almost everyone.
Buddy is a German Shepard mix. For the most part he is a good gentle dog. He likes to be cuddled but isn’t very active. Only gets aggressive if provoked.
Sammy is a beagle mix, short haired and blind in one eye. He’s lovable and active to a degree. My brother taught him how to “high-five”. Rarely aggressive but gets jealous easily.
Last but not least, there’s Joe. He’s my brothers dog. A chocolate Lab. Kind of large and extremely active. He chews on everything. Has a tendency to be sneaky.
I don’t think any of these breeds fit all of your criteria, but I thought I would give ya some more to think about. :o)
From your list of requirements, Cairn terriers came to mind immediately. We’ve had two and they are wonderful, highly intelligent dogs. They don’t shed & are really loyal and lovable. We have one purebred and one mixture — both equal in all departments except allergies. You need to be very careful about allergies with purebred dogs, esp. any kind of poodle and some terriers. We have to put the purebred down because he developed “hot spots” and the vet simply could not get them under control. It was heartbreaking.
Terrier mixtures are great, too. Like Buddy. The folks at the shelter described him as a Terrier-Poodle mix. I don’t see any poodle, though.
I also love cocker spaniels, but they can be really active puppies. I’ve never known a schnauzer I much cared for. They can be possessive and mean.
Our dogs have either adopted us or we have adopted them from a shelter. There are so many animals in shelters that need loving homes and you can frequently get a lot of information about the animal, esp. in this economy when so many pets are being surrendered as a result of foreclosures and evictions.
We had an Alaskan Eskimo dog (Spitz) and got all of his vet records from the shelter. The prior owners had put him up for adoption because they wanted him to be an indoor dog and then couldn’t deal with the white hair everywhere. (What were they thinking?) We never intended for him to be inside, so he was fine for us. He wasn’t very bright but he was loving.
Once you narrow down your choices, you can probably find a local dog show where you can go and meet dogs, get some ideas about local breeders for the breeds you’re interested in, and ask breed-specific questions. That’s what we did before buying a Rhodesian Ridgeback, and we got lots of great information (and, in fact, ended up finding our breeder this way).
If you’ve never owned a dog before, I STRONGLY recommend a puppy rather than an older dog unless you are adopting from someone who can tell you accurately the dog’s history. Training a puppy can be much easier (though it’s not simple) than UN-training an older dog with bad habits. If you want a rescue, you can still often find rescue puppies.
Pay careful attention to how much exercise the books tell you the dog will need. Some breeds are simply not suited to be indoor dogs but need to be working, running, etc., far too much of the time.
Get breeder recommendations from a local kennel club. Talk to more than one breeder. A really good breeder will ask you to fill out a multi-page questionnaire about your family and lifestyle before agreeing to sell you a dog. Then, he/she may use those answers to select the puppy or two from the litter whose temperament are best suited to your family. Don’t be surprised by this. Really reputable breeders will do a lot to assess individual pup’s temperaments and may make the selection from the litter for you rather than giving you a lot of choices. In my experience, they are rarely wrong, and this (while it may feel invasive) is often a good thing for a newbie dog owner.
I’m a big dog person myself, so I can’t do a lot to suggest specific smaller breeds, but I’m happy to chat if you like about training, etc. Good luck! It’s a great thing.
Based on your blog I too would of suggested a bulldog, but I saw oregonsunshine already did! Some other good breeds that I would recommend is maybe a pug or boston terrier…I know a couple and they too are great breeds! Good luck in your doggie search!
1. Based on the above criteria, can you suggest a breed?
I think you should consider a Shih Tzu. We adopted one from the pound a few years ago. He was very old but he had such a personality we fell in love with the breed. The only thing it doesn’t fit is the short hair, but it is very soft, but we keep ours groomed fairly short.
A word of caution about bulldogs (and keep in mind I love bulldogs and have wanted one for years), but they often have a very bad health problem called a twisted stomach.
2. Male or female?
Females are a little easier to potty train, but not wildly so. Remember male dogs will be a little more likely to bond to a female, and male dogs to a female.
3. Can you suggest any training books? Remember, I’m a total newbie here.
4. Do you have any idea where I can find breeders for southwest Missouri?
Call a local dog club. Or once you pick a breed see if you can get in touch with a dog show judge in your area for that breed. You can usually get lists from the AKC or the CKC.
5. What sorts of “extras” would we need to get started? Crate, toys, etc.
Totally depends on the breed, but a crate is essential. A crate should be big enough for the dog to stand up in, and turn around in (get the right size or an adult dog, and make it smaller for a puppy by adding a box to take up space). It shouldn’t be used as punishment, but more like a bedroom and a time out room.
6. What sort of food is best for a puppy? For an older dog?
There are plenty. Make sure it does not contain Ethoxyquin (sp?)
WOW! Girl, never let it be said that you DON’T know your dogs!! *grin*
THANKS AGAIN! What great information!
Ok, Karen, lots of questions. Most don’t have an easy answer. I will give an easier answer, but it probably won’t be complete.
1. I already gave you my input. Another good option is to look at a breed encyclopedia style book and read up on them. When you narrow your selection, read up on the internet, talk to owners of the breed and talk to your local vet. You can ask me too.
(Oddly, the more I think about it, the more I lean towards a bulldog for you guys. Playful, yet rather laid back and less energetic than a lot of other breeds, very easy going)
2. Male or female depends on the breed. Really, put sex aside. What’s more important is the right temperament for your family. Temperament varies from dog to dog. If you go with a breeder, a responsible breeder will guide you. (There are several other things a responsible breeder will help you with too- how to find one is a long topic in itself.)
3. I promote positive dog training methods. Bob Bailey, a renown behaviorist, pioneered clicker training. Dr. Ian Dunbar, Pat Miller, Patricia McConnell, Karen Pryor, Jean Donaldson, Trish King, Sophia Yin, Brenda Aloff, and many more have good, informative books. I recommend staying away from Don Sullivan and Cesar Millan as they both have controversial styles. Also, any book that advocates a choke chain or pinch collar- run far away from it as fast as you can! Same with trainers who advocate those items. They can cause more problems than they can fix. A good resource for trainers would be The Association of Pet Dog Trainers (www.apdt.com).
4. Contact the AKC at akc.org. A good, reputable breeder will not advertise on craigslist or the paper. Again, this is a whole topic on it’s own. (Are you really sure you want a puppy? The housebreaking, the chewing, the jumping up… Puppies are as much work as 2 adult dogs put together).
5. You absolutely need a crate, but don’t buy one until you narrow down your exact size. A crate will help with house training and you don’t want one that will be too big as the pup would have a chance to eliminate in it, slowing down housebreaking progress. Also, you don’t want one too small as you’ll be buying another when the pup outgrows it.
I recommend stainless steel bowls as they can’t be chewed up or ingested and won’t potentially shatter if pup flips it with it’s paw. (I’m speaking from experience)
No blankets for a while until housetraining is reliable and chewing/destructive behavior is outgrown.
Kongs are a wonderful, appropriate lifesaving, furniture and cord saving appropriate chew toy. You can never have too many.
6. First, ask the breeder as to what they recommend. Food changes can cause gastro-distress. Also, most grocery store brands are like feeding nothing but fast food. Filling, but not really healthy. Think of it this way, the more poo in the food, the more poo has to come out. There are so many options, this is a topic better for an email. Also, I recommend lots of research. (I went to school specifically for this very topic!)
Older dogs will need age appropriate food.
I still recommend an older dog given your feelings about animals. It could be a great win/win situation and you could be saving a life by adopting from a rescue or the pound.
*I recommend a subscription to The Whole Dog Journal. It’s a great magazine and they don’t have advertisements. Individual articles can be downloaded for a small fee as well. The January and Feb issues have great articles on different dog foods and how they stack up.
Not to be insulting in any way, but read Dog Health and Nutrition for Dummies. Also, Not Fit for a Dog by Michael Fox, Pet Food Politics by Marion Nestle, Raw Dog Food by Carina Beth MacDonald and I’ve got more if you’re interested.
Do your own research and make your own decisions for your dog. Nutrition segments in Veterinary School are funded and materials are provided by a big name pet food company. The message is that this particular brand is best and everything else is yuck. And not all dogs do well on one type of food. Your individual pup and their digestive system will also dictate what you use. Though, over all, I recommend going corn, wheat and soy free as these are the biggest 3 triggers for skin, digestive and allergy issues.
Seriously, I’m here and available to help.