Dog - Yes or No?

[Mark51]

my girfriends birthday is coming up and i was thinkng about getting a dog for her.
we both want a dog and like them, we live together aswell. the only hing thats stopping me is the fact that it will be left on its own sometimes.

my girlfriend works monday to friday 9-5. she leaves the house at 8:30.

i work all day sunday.
monday and tuesday from 6am until 2pm and will be home for 3pm
wednesday and thursday off
working friday night 10pm to 7am

so the dog will be left on its own for about 6 and a half hours on a monday and tuesday.

is it a good idea?

[Wayne]

seems a really good idea if your both into dogs then i would say get a dog:y:

[Karl]

6 and half hours is alright, probably find it'll sleep in those hours anyways.

[craig180]

It will eat your house mate! Don't do it. Get a cat.

Easy to keep and when it dies you can stir fry it

[Mark51]

It will eat your house mate! Don't do it. Get a cat.

Easy to keep and when it dies you can stir fry it

dont like cats, plus a cat would ruin my sofas

[Karl]

cats suck.

[Robb]

dogs are for life, not just for birthdays.

cant see leaving it on its own for a while a problem if you can just lock in it a spare room or something.

[leeroybrown]

I have 2 Jack Russels

All my house go to work at 7 and they are in the house till 3 or 4.

Dogs are fine they just sleep through the day

[AdamW]

Puppies need time and dedication....leave it at home for 7 hours it will rip your house apart and shit in your best hat

[Mark51]

it will be locked in the kitchen when we are not in.

robb - i know what you mean, but it is going to be for life and not a heat of the momment thing. i was going to wait until after x-mas and get one then becasue theres always loads that get dumped after x-mas.

[jazzsingh51]

should be fine mate - you can't be with it 24hrs a day anyway!

[Mark51]

should be fine mate - you can't be with it 24hrs a day anyway!

i know but i dont want to neglect it

[leeroybrown]

Give over man Mark

As long as it has food, water and toys it will be fine

[Clouds_mate]

Remember your thread about the guy next doors dog?

Yours will be 100% times worse at first. Plus if its left alone most of the time it will make shit loads of noise lol

[Karl]

...mate at works just bought a Collie Puppy, good as gold.

Is quiet/sleeps during work time,

goes nuts when he gets given the attention,
great little dog.

[Mark51]

Remember your thread about the guy next doors dog?

Yours will be 100% times worse at first. Plus if its left alone most of the time it will make shit loads of noise lol

fcuk em, i bought my house first. lol

[leeroybrown]

If the dog is trained well you wont have a problem

[Kelly]

You wanna leave a puppy in a kitchen for 6 hours... it will chew on your cabinets and plinths FACT

If you think it's the right thing to do then go for it but I'd seriously consider trying to get someone to walk it during that 6 or so hours so it doesn't play up too much.

What kind of dog you thinking about getting?

[Karl]

PomChi.

[Barry123]

i think its not a good idea.

[Mark51]

You wanna leave a puppy in a kitchen for 6 hours... it will chew on your cabinets and plinths FACT

If you think it's the right thing to do then go for it but I'd seriously consider trying to get someone to walk it during that 6 or so hours so it doesn't play up too much.

What kind of dog you thinking about getting?

i want a dobamen (sp) but she likea springer spaniels but no chance of getting one of those. i think a collie or a lab would be a safe bet

[Barry123]

personally i dont think you can leave a dog especially a puppy for 6.5 hours alone at a time.

puppies need three meals per day then whittle down to one meal per day once its fully grown.

edit: bollocks didnt read your thread correctly.

[Kelly]

i want a dobamen (sp) but she likea springer spaniels but no chance of getting one of those. i think a collie or a lab would be a safe bet

What about a bulldog?

[Mark51]

personally i dont think you can leave a dog especially a puppy for 6.5 hours alone at a time.

puppies need three meals per day then whittle down to one meal per day once its fully grown.

edit: bollocks didnt read your thread correctly.

come on ads, im looking to you for guideance

kelly - ugly tbh

[Mark51]

any one else?

[Jackman]

I say good idea...

Dont get a springer i have one and it ruined my house when we first had her.

Chewed everything it could get its hands on!

Get a doberman.. lush dogs..

Or a Great Dane. i love em.

[Crunkers]

We got a puppy about 2 months ago and the rents took two weeks off each, one after the other to train her. She is pretty good but can still improve. As long as your willing to put in the time i would say go for it, otherwise its a bit harsh on the dog

[Dan]

Definitely a good idea, dogs are awesome!

[Harv]

i'd say yes, yes, yes. Dogs are the best pets in the world. Our dog stays on its own 6 hours a day 5 days a week (well maybe less if my dad's working from home). Tbh....they just sleep all the time. Then when you get home its attention time....dinner time.....attention time.....by 10pm my dog is all snuggled up on his bed fast asleep. Thats the way dogs go though. I have a chocolate lab btw. IMO mate go for a labrador. There the quickest to learn, very very intelligent and have a very good temperament (sp?). They always want to go walking though. Thing is though my dog is an absolute brut and hates other dogs. Apart from bitches.....so when i see a dog its turn around time and go another way.

But i mean every labrador i know is good with other dogs. Just mine is an oddball. Looks like its been on steroids all its life though. There a bastard to keep though - our food bill has settled now but when we first had him it was:

Breakfast - Soggy weetabix with Rusks
11am - Scrambled egg with rusks
Lunch - scrambled egg without rusks
3pm - soggy weetabix no rusks
8pm - scrambled egg with rusks
9pm (bed time) warm milk and 2 rusks

That was the list we got from the breeders ^. They used the same diet on their dogs and won crufts 2 times. Thing is though - you get different kinds of dogs - show breed and field dogs are the main ones. Field dogs being more skinny and agile. They cost a bomb though if they have a high pedigree standard. Ours cost £950 - but well worth the money. Now he just eats 2 meals a day of WAG (something like £10 for a massive bag that easily lasts a month) - thats just dry biscuits.

Honestly mate - you will look back in a year or so (maybe even within the first few weeks) and say....wow....thats the best present on earth lol.
P.s. sorry for the long essay :p :p

[carlos45]

yeah get 1, i have some puppies for sale, border terriers, great dogs!

[Emma_ZS]

I dont think its a good idea to leave it for 6 and half hours on its own, but someone you know might be able to let it out for a wee lol

My family and I have a dog and we never leave it alone for that amount of time

[marky0283]

Depending on the breed, age and how well it's trained it should be fine for 6.5 hours.

You need to research on the breed really before deciding which to go for as some breeds can not be left for more then an hour or so on their own.

have a look at this:

http://www.petplanet.co.uk/petplanet/breeds/dogs-breeds.htm

Got most breeds on their and some great info

[Mark51]

cheers all, i was looking at a lab but want a chocolate one. but i also want a cheap dog, not one thats going to cost £100s a month to feed.

i might have a look at the rescue centre for a pup, but need to be carefull as i dont want a runt

[leeroybrown]

Rescue centre is your best bet Mark

[AtitudeJim]

i wouldn't... a puppy.. always needs attention or some company on the begining... i though about the same... but since my working hours are similar to my girlfriend... i decided get..... 2 Cats.... lol... true and i love dogs.. like Staffie´s , Boxer´s... etc

i dont need to worry much about them... i go to work in the morning and the wander around all day.. the come back a few times to eat.. then in the night they allways pop back in... knowing we close the doors and windows..


Hassle free pets... are really cats... for a dog... you need more of your time... much more...

think what is good for the puppy...

[Mark51]

jim - thats what i was thinking of (the puppy). i have spoken to laods of people and everyone of then bar one leaves their dog at some point for a few hours and their fine.

i just need to think about the cost and what type of dog.

suggestions??

[Kelly]

How much money have you set aside to buy a dog? Believe me, they don't come cheap.

Your best bet would be a rescue pup or something cheap like a yorkshire terrier. They have some for sale in our local paper for about £100 each.

Have a look around for decent pet insurance too. If you don't get it then I can guarantee your pooch will probably cost a fortune in vet bills :y:

[Mark51]

How much money have you set aside to buy a dog? Believe me, they don't come cheap.

Your best bet would be a rescue pup or something cheap like a yorkshire terrier. They have some for sale in our local paper for about £100 each.

Have a look around for decent pet insurance too. If you don't get it then I can guarantee your pooch will probably cost a fortune in vet bills :y:

the rescue dogs cost about £90 - £100. ive been looking at Direct Line insurance as its about £8 a month

[Audrey_D]

http://www.dogstrust.org.uk/rehoming/our_dogs/?rehomingcentreid=1372&x=9&y=9&pn=1

[Kelly]

http://www.dogstrust.org.uk/rehoming/our_dogs/?rehomingcentreid=1372&x=9&y=9&pn=1

Aw polly looks sooooo cute :P

[Audrey_D]

My mum and dad looked for alsations up here and there was none...loads down there :(

I want Sasha!! :(

I would consider getting a rehomed dog as it'll be slightly older. Puppies need constant attention and watching (unless you want puppy poop/p1ss everywhere!!)

[Mark51]

prefer jonty tbh

[Audrey_D]

The 'sticky' dogs are dogs that have been in the homes for more than 6 months :(

[Scattle]

Yup that should be fine, we leave the house by 8.20 get in at 4ish and there fine, they just sleep, go on get one.

[Mark51]

what are the running costs?

[Saxoboiiiiiiiii]

Dog or No Dog? haha
Noel??? haha ;)

[Mark51]

Dog or No Dog? haha
Noel??? haha ;)

LOL...

[jaybiss]

see if you can get one thats been trained already

they will be abit older and wont need as much supervision

if you get a pup you can buy a spray which will stop them chewing, you spray it on where they want to chew and they wont bother again

worked on ours

[James]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/27/56205940_d166b15b4e.jpg

Sausage dog ftw.

[leeroybrown]

ha ha ha pmsl

I told him on the phone last night to get one of those