Chip Sengravy

I am slowly coming round to the idea of getting a dog since the cat fcuked off with the next door neighbour, and these look like they could fit the bill, I fancied a jack russell, but my mate has one and it's just

some questions..

Do they need regular walks, or can they burn it all off in the house or garden?
Can they use a catflap?
If yes to the catflap, are they intellegent, or will it just run out onto the road and get flattened?
Dog or bitch...pro's / con's?


basically I want a cat in dog form, I don't like big dogs, ideally my dog would be small enough so that if it does lay an egg on the pavement, the turd will be small enough so I can just walk off without having to pick it up

StickyMicky

mate has a rough haired one (wired hair??)

and it seams like its well behaved enough, it knows a few tricks now and he reckons you can ask for a certain toy and it will go and get the correct one
his is still a puppy i think?

my parents 10 year old westie is slightly diffrent, you tell it to go and get its ball and it comes back with a random toy

also "sit" means it sits down, then lies, then spins round over on its back before jumping up and spinning round in a circle

Chip Sengravy

A lad I know, his mum breeds and shows wire haired, but they are truly mental!...and a bit bigger than I wanted..lovely affectionate dogs though.

StickyMicky

they all look like wise old men IMO

Chip Sengravy

PG

Look like a Rottie that has come out of the washing machine on the wrong wash cycle !

16vmarc

Agreed about Jack Russells, my brother had one with his ex and the thing was bloody mental!!! Whenever it came round it used to sit on my head whilst i was sat down! It used to have a mad 1/2 hour too where it did laps of the house growling!!!

harvey

iTrader: (48)

Pretty little dog.
Be careful of the breeding because if they are in bred they can be doole alley and have lots of problems. Yap incesantly in the case of some of these breeds. If possible, spend some time with both parents to guage their behaviour and traits. If the parents are no good, steer clear.
Do not spend silly money on a dog. There are kennels up and down the country with dogs looking for homes and there are families with pregnant bitches whose priority is finding a good home. You do not need to get a pure bread unless you are vain and a cross breed may be more intelligent and not have some of the inherent traits.
If you get a very young dog eg 7 weeks then you should have no problem getting it in to your routine and training it from the start. Older dogs that are new to you can be hard work but you can succed in the end.
Dogs are not like cats and they need regular exercise of some form to keep them healthy and alert. Also unlike cats you cannot let it out at bed time and rely on it coming back for breakfast unless it is in some form of enclosure.
A bitch has less tendancy to wander but needs carefully watching in season or spayed. A dog will wander as it is in his nature.
I guess a small dog would have no problem using a flap if it was big enough but again if it is not going into a secure yard or garden you may not see it again.
The more time and effort you put into your dog, the more he will learn and the more attention he will pay you but a dog needs more attention than a cat which can live quite happily with minimal attention.
Hope this helps. After deciding it is the right thing to do, choosing the actual dog is the next biggest thing to achieve.

Brendan Hughes

Nice post by harvey. I'd say (but wouldn't guarantee) that the less attention you give it, the more it will yap. And dogs are sociable, pack animals, they aren't as independent as cats.

If you want low maintenance and a quiet life, get another cat.

Chip Sengravy

Cheers fellas...

I see what you mean about giving the dog attention, this was another concern and was why I would prefer a smaller dog. I would not be overkeen on leaving the dog in the house on its own too much, so a smaller dog would be better, as I could take it to work with me, whether I was in the office or out on site, my office is more or less my own, and most sites i could get away with it.

Lets say on a particular day I could not take the dog with me, and I chose not to have a catflap for the reasons as posted by harvey, how would it be on its own all day in the kitchen?......i couldnt give it the run of the house because of the burglar alarm?

16vmarc

As said by Harvey, once the dog is into your routine i woudnt worry too much about leaving it home whilst youre at work.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

My brothers girlfreind has one, lovely little dog, you can tell its German, 'yes, I vill play vith you now', its funny, it just seems so german !

Johnny E

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y19...6/Free_Dog.jpg


Be careful of buying one of these dogs they tend to start looking like there owners.........

gso

Lee247

Go for the sausage dog Chip, its well cute

Ken 275

I used to have one many years ago - a bitch. She lived until about 12 years old but her kidneys gave up.

They are a very clever breed (she would even try to turn down the TV when she heard sounds she didn't like [this was in the days before remote controls and VCR's]).

One aspect to note though with "sausage dogs" ie. Dachshunds, Basset Hounds is that their hips are very vulnerable, especially in old age.

Personally I wouldn't have a cat-flap as it is an open invitation to vermin on two and four feet.

I now have a Hungarian Puli, my second, (Rasta like dog, with dreadlocks) and she doesn't cast hairs, it's more like wool from a sheep. It's easily hoovered up and doesn't stick to your clothes or furniture the way a normal dog's fur does. Highly recommended if you can get one. Her spoors are also easily managed.

K.

harvey

iTrader: (48)

Like Brendan says, if you want low maintenance go for another cat.
It is a nice idea being able to take the dog into the office and on site but unless you are your own boss taking the dog to the office could cause big problems and disruption. An intelligent dog wants to be into whatever is going on so it will want to greet everybody that comes into your office and unfortunately some will not be dog tollerant just for a start.
My own 5 year old Doberman cross is very well trained and intelligent to the point she can come into town without a lead or go to events at Elvington but she would be a major disruption in any office and not through her own fault. Despite her training, taking her on to a construction site on a regular basis would be a complete no no.
She has the run of a substantial yard and secure garden and is a good guard dog / deterrant. When she can't come in the back of the Wagon she is happy with the space she has and she sleeps outside in a substantial kennel but locking her in the house for 10 or 12 hours a day would be very unfair on her IMHO.