Dogs

[Luce]

6 times a day?! Blimey! We would struggle to get Roxy out even once sometimes if it was a particularly windy day! :lol: Experiences of having a dog seems to be affected so much by the breed, its crazy. She was a cavapoo (deliberately cava not cocka as I think cockerspaniels typivslly have more energy than cavaliers). We could also leave her easily for a couple of hours at a time whereas I know people who struggled leaving them long enough to go to the shops!

I think if you're already a big walker then a dog is a lovely edition to that. We were never big walkers until the pandemic so I feel so sad for Rox, she would have loved lockdown so much!

[SunnyMum]

I'm going to pipe up with my tuppence' worth here.

1) Puppies are HARD work. They're a full time job for several months. When we got our Poppy (Le Puppy) we were in lockdown so I was WFH and obviously SunnyDad and SunnyDaughter#3 were working on the farm so between the 3 of us we managed to keep her entertained, safe and trained.

2) Adult dogs need a lot of exercise and I'm not sure that being in an office all day will be good enough. Yes, the dog will have company and may be content, but (s)he won't have the running about, the exercise that (s)he needs. You mentioned that when you were volunteering that you found it hard to find the time in between jobs to walk the dogs, will that be different if you have one of your own?

[Little My]

If you have to travel to pick up the dog and then return it again, I imagine the logistics are a bit different to having your own dog.

[Duophonic]

6 times a day?! Blimey!

My cousin once said I overwalked him. He's a breed that needs exercise but is also content to laze about the house in between walks. He's great in that once he goes for his final 8pm walk, we put him to bed and that's him until final back garden pee and everyone goes to bed and he'll sleep through the night.

I'm so used to it now it doesn't register but six miles a day every day can get a bit wearing when there's other things to be done. My house is in a constant state of disarray and I can never get on top of chores.

[dizzyd]

Aren't retired greyhounds meant to be very lazy ?

Your neighbours who run the doggy day care might know of a dog in need of a home

[Duophonic]

They are DIzz although a lot of them can't be let off lead in public places as they can bolt or take down a smaller dog/cat/wild fuzzy thing.

I've had to consistently train Innes to try and get him not to chase but he still does it. He flushed out a deer a couple of weeks ago but thankfully came back to the whistle (he's whistle trained). He sometimes gets a bit over excited and tries to take down a tiny show whippet he's known since they were both puppies. I have to distract him and put him back on the lead.

[dizzyd]

Ah that would explain why I see them muzzled when out

I just remember on of my members saying they're a great breed to have if you can't committ to lots of walks

[Duophonic]

Yeah sighthounds don't require a lot of exercise.

Innes being a young dog 14 months old, we do a lot of training with him.

Walk 1 - Mr D takes him out for 30 mins leg stretch and toilet, lead work
Walk 2 - I have him mid morning for 20 mins around the block, lead work
Walk 3 - off lead lunchtime hour with doggy friends at the park - I normally do as close to 2 miles as I can walking - he'll probably cover 4/5 miles racing around being chased, I also work on his recall.
Walk 4 - around the block and some lead work
Walk 5 - tea time - 40/50 mins on lead and working on his lead manners so no pulling or zig-zagging in front of me.
Walk 6 - final around the block

I put a lot into him because he's my dog I love him and I want him to be content and I also have to consider his breed and his natural instinct to chase.

For all that he's perfect around the house, he's not destructive. He doesn't bark, he sleeps all night and is fully house trained.

[Toast]

That's brilliant, Duo. You used to run, didn't you? Do you still do that or do you use that time walking Innes now?

[Luce]

Innes is a lucky dog!

[Duophonic]

I still run although I'm knackered all the time.

I've not put him to bed yet

[Hobbes]

Archie is six months now, and it had been really hard work having a puppy, and still ongoing as he seems to be hitting a teenager phase of not listening. :ella:

I plan to take him into the office occasionally when he’s older, but it would have been impossible when he was younger and not reliably toilet trained, plus he’s still full of destructive energy if it’s not managed carefully!

He’s a lab/springer spaniel cross, and as well as walking him I do plenty of mental stimulation like scent work and puzzle games. I know it depends on the breed, but he is really clever, enjoys using his brain, and it does really tire him out. Soon I’m taking him to a local dog centre for more scent work training and gun dog training - even though he won’t be used as a gun dog, he will get a chance to use all his natural instincts. Like taking a toddler to playgroup. :lol:

He is a tie, although I’ve found the opposite to Duo, that more people are willing to puppy sit than would ever baby sit. Swings and roundabouts though - I need someone to puppy sit him because he’s not welcome in most shops, whereas I could pop into town and pick things up with a baby.

So they are hard work, but also so rewarding. They are great companions, nothing loves you like a dog.

[Lily]

Duo, no wonder whippets are so slim! Lucky Innes!

If you have to travel to pick up the dog and then return it again, I imagine the logistics are a bit different to having your own dog.

Well, yes. There's a difference between driving across town and walking someone else's dog then heading back home and then out again, and walking out of your own front door or work door with your dog! I work on an airport surrounded by fields, and walk the office dog at lunchtimes (he's a lab and he spends a lot of time asleep too) so I am not worried about anything other than finances and whether I'm up to being a dogmother.

The seller of the lab/chow cross has stopped replying to me and the listing has been taken down so I assume that the dog has found a home, which is good news for her (I have sent a message to that effect as I think it's very rude when people do this, but anyway). I'm a bit disappointed but it's not a bad thing as I am all over the place at the moment and much as I wanted her I was very frightened about it too.

Thanks for all your posts, which have been invaluable. This is similar to dating, but unlike dating I am certain the right dog will come along for me and I'm happy to put the effort in to find him/her. I could do with being loved.

[Leap]

On the work thing, my friend is a vet and used to take her dog to work and then take him out for a big walk every lunchtime like you describe, which I take to be a seal of approval for that approach ;) And he was a big dog, Irish setter who needed loads of walking and he was kept in the dog pen (?) area rather than amiably padding about the clinic or a garden.

The only other research I would do would be boarding costs for when you do go on your planned holidays. My friend didn’t have any family/friend help at all, and would only board him through a proper dog sitting service where he would go and live with a family for the time she was away. It was great peace of mind and far better and healthier for him than kennels, but she said every time she wanted to go away she basically had to pay twice as it was so expensive.

[Ella]

I would say also that you need to be prepared for pet insurance not covering everything, so if large-ish unexpected bills would be a big problem, I would hold off.

[Luce]

I would say also that you need to be prepared for pet insurance not covering everything, so if large-ish unexpected bills would be a big problem, I would hold off.

This is why I say get the best you can - we had what we thought was good insurance for Rox but then still had to find an immediate £2k for an MRI scan that wasn't covered because of loopholes. What is more, we knew the MRI was just investigative (rather than fixing) and we'd probably still lose her anyway so it was especially painful (we still did it, just in case it showed something that could be fixed more easily). Had we then gone ahead with the surgery it would have been another 8k that wasn't covered by our insurance.

[Ella]

I remember, it was awful :(.

Also possibly consider what would happen if you had to change jobs.

[Lily]

Luce that's utterly heartbreaking.

I had thought of/worried about some extra costs, but that amount not being covered by insurance hadn't even occurred to me (a friend recommended Pet Plan I think who've covered all his Great Dane's illnesses without question). Bloody HELL. I do want to get a cushion of savings behind me anyway, so I think it's a good idea to put everything on hold and focus on that sorted. What do people do if they don't have that amount to hand?

Leap, my boss said the same thing - when he goes on holiday he basically budgets for an extra place for his dog to board . My parents would happily have the dog but other people aren't something one should rely on. I was thinking about the worst thing happening and me changing jobs but I had figured doggy daycare for that (I spoke to next door last night and it turns out they don't have a dog boarding place, just a lot of dogs!) and I'd have to swallow it, as if I don't get a dog ever, just in case I change jobs, I won't have one until I retire, so when I'm about 103.

[Morganna]

S moved from Pet Plan to Bought By Many just weeks before Loki had his spinal thing, and they covered all the costs apart from £100 or so excess - it included the operation, hospital stay and aftercare/rehab. If it hadn't happened in High Covid they would also have covered taking him in a pet ambulance from Lancaster to Liverpool for treatment, but instead they sorted out the operation in Lancaster. The premiums were/are higher but the insurance is really comprehensive. I would check them out when you have an idea of the breed you want, as that makes a big difference to the cost.

The things you have to pay on top of insurance are vaccinations and boosters, nail clipping, routine dentistry, worms and fleas (although you can do this with OTC treatments). I can't think of any others, but someone else might remember something I've forgotten.

[SunnyMum]

If you have to travel to pick up the dog and then return it again, I imagine the logistics are a bit different to having your own dog.

Well, yes. There's a difference between driving across town and walking someone else's dog then heading back home and then out again, and walking out of your own front door or work door with your dog! I work on an airport surrounded by fields, and walk the office dog at lunchtimes (he's a lab and he spends a lot of time asleep too) so I am not worried about anything other than finances and whether I'm up to being a dogmother.

Ah, OK, that makes sense. I understand that better, now.