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lurkette · 02-10-2005, 06:41 AM

DO NOT go from a local pet shop - most of them are outlets for puppy mills. If you're going to go with a purebred, shell out the money for a reputable breeder. I'm going to second people's call for rescuing a dog from a shelter or breed rescue - you'll be saving a dog's life, essentially, and you're just as likely if not more so to get a loving dog with a good temperament.

In terms of the breed that's right for you, do some research on places like dogbreedinfo.com, and there's a dog breed selector on selectsmart.com. You'll want to be brutally honest about the amount of time you're willing to spend caring for and training the dog, how much time it'll spend alone, how much exercise you're willing to give it. It doesn't sound like a boxer is right for you - they need lots of exercise and lots of attention, and they hate being left alone. I have a friend with a boxer - he left her alone locked in the bathroom while he was at work for a few hours and he came home to find that she had chewed/clawed THROUGH the fucking wall and was running around the back yard. Luckily it was fenced. They are highly energetic, muscular dogs and they require firm training. If you're a first-time dog owner I would suggest something less energetic and perhaps less demanding of training.

If you're getting a puppy, you will not be able to leave it crated for 6 hours at first. The general rule of thumb is that up to about a year, they can go without peeing/pooping for a number of hours equal to their age in months plus one. So if you get an 8 week old puppy, they're going to need to go outside literally every 3-4 hours.

I can not stress enough that this is not something to be done lightly. Lots of people just get a dog without really knowing what they're in for, and they end up with neurotic, bored, badly-behaved dogs that they can't live with, and the saddest thing is it's the human's fault for not taking care of and training the dog properly but it's the dog that ends up at the pound. Please consider carefully whether you are really ready for a dog or not.

02-10-2005, 06:41 AM	#10 (permalink)
lurkette My future is coming on Moderator Emeritus Location: east of the sun and west of the moon	DO NOT go from a local pet shop - most of them are outlets for puppy mills. If you're going to go with a purebred, shell out the money for a reputable breeder. I'm going to second people's call for rescuing a dog from a shelter or breed rescue - you'll be saving a dog's life, essentially, and you're just as likely if not more so to get a loving dog with a good temperament. In terms of the breed that's right for you, do some research on places like dogbreedinfo.com, and there's a dog breed selector on selectsmart.com. You'll want to be brutally honest about the amount of time you're willing to spend caring for and training the dog, how much time it'll spend alone, how much exercise you're willing to give it. It doesn't sound like a boxer is right for you - they need lots of exercise and lots of attention, and they hate being left alone. I have a friend with a boxer - he left her alone locked in the bathroom while he was at work for a few hours and he came home to find that she had chewed/clawed THROUGH the fucking wall and was running around the back yard. Luckily it was fenced. They are highly energetic, muscular dogs and they require firm training. If you're a first-time dog owner I would suggest something less energetic and perhaps less demanding of training. If you're getting a puppy, you will not be able to leave it crated for 6 hours at first. The general rule of thumb is that up to about a year, they can go without peeing/pooping for a number of hours equal to their age in months plus one. So if you get an 8 week old puppy, they're going to need to go outside literally every 3-4 hours. I can not stress enough that this is not something to be done lightly. Lots of people just get a dog without really knowing what they're in for, and they end up with neurotic, bored, badly-behaved dogs that they can't live with, and the saddest thing is it's the human's fault for not taking care of and training the dog properly but it's the dog that ends up at the pound. Please consider carefully whether you are really ready for a dog or not. __________________ "If ten million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing." - Anatole France