[Liesl]

We are moving into a house with a large yard, and I would like to get a dog.

Looking for the following traits:
Size dog: Medium - large
Yard: Large
Exercise: I am willing to do 1x 45 min walk a day
Grooming: Willing to groom 1x a week
Kid and cat-friendly
I work from home a lot, but dog must be okay to be home alone for 8 hours 1-2 times a week. Don't want a dog who barks excessively or needs excessive attention (while I am at home, I do need to get some work done!). Lying at my feet while I am working on the computer is fine. The dog will sleep inside with us. We also like to travel, so the dog must be okay staying with a pet-sitter for a week or two per year.
Would prefer to adopt a puppy, so that he can be trained to be okay with the cat.
Please help me choose!

 

[JoanneF]

Your exercise sounds a bit on the short side for a medium to large dog, and although dogs can be left for up to 8 hours, that has to be built up over time. You couldn't leave a puppy. Would a dog walker be possible, calling in several times in the day for the puppy and cutting down as he matures?

Also, I suggest this to a lot of people in your situation.

For the next month, act like you have an adult dog. Get up an hour earlier than normal, take an hour long walk. Do the same in the evening after work - and when you are not working from home, come straight home from work; no shopping, gym, socialising. Do this every day, without fail, regardless of the weather.

Be aware of the season, and remind yourself every morning that for several months of the year you will be doing this in the cold and dark.

Also put away what you think a dog will cost for food, insurance, vet bill excesses, toys etc, then add 10% because we always underestimate these things.

That will give you a good insight into some of the commitment you will need to make.

Don't think about what a dog will bring to your family, think about what your family can offer to a dog.

 

[Rebecca22]

I agree with Josnne's suggestions above.

How old are your kids?

I had a lab/weimaraner mix and he was very good around cats (at my sister in law had 3 at the time we got humans we would visit her a lot) and kids (at the time we got him my kids were both very young). Both need training, but in general labs and Goldens are pretty good family dogs. Steer clear of dogs with high prey drives (as they'd be the breeds likely to injure a cat)

You'll have to supervise younger kids around any dog...making sure they're not pulling ears/tails or being rough with the dog. Meal time is another time to make sure your kids understand that the dog doesn't want to be interrupted while it's eating.

If the your kids are older, they can help as well with playing appropriately with the dog (plus side it tires out both dog and kid)

If your family is in agreement with getting a dog, you can check out local rescues/shelters who will work with your situation to find a good dog to fit your family (they will test adult dogs with cats to see how they get along.) From time to time they will likely have litters of puppies come in as well.

 

[Curls]

Getting a dog as a puppy isn't a guarantee that it will get along with cats. The thing about puppies is that they like to play. If the puppy isn't getting enough play time and discipline from its family, it will seek out the cat as a playmate instead. Many cats, quite understandably, will retreat when confronted with a large boorish puppy. The puppy gives chase, because that's what bored puppies do. Eventually this ritual escalates and hardens into hunting behavior that can become nearly impossible to retrain.

 

[Liesl]

Thanks for the suggestions Rebecca. My kid is 6 months old. I was actually thinking of a golden retriever. I think something like a collie would be too intense. I think my main concern is which dog we can choose that will be okay when we visit family (can't take the dog with.) Obviously will arrange a petsitter/dogwalker. Talking to dog owners I learned that some dogs pine away and refuse to eat when their family is not around (e.g. collies) so I guess my main question is which dog breed does well with a petsitter. Unfortunately I cannot forgo visiting my family because of a dog. Obviously that is why I am asking these questions before getting the dog.

 

[Shadowfox]

Other than the concern about cats, is there a particular reason you are looking at puppies?

Because your situation sounds like an adult dog from a good, thorough, rescue would be a better fit. Outside of the adjustment period, you can probably find a dog that is already housetrained, tested with kids, has known prey drive, known exercise needs, settled down, and would take a lot of the guesswork out of a puppy and breed to an extent.

 

[Curls]

One of my childhood dogs was a Bassett Hound. He had a phlegmatic temperament and put up with what, in retrospect, was an unconscionable amount of mishandling from the feral children of my family. He wasn't particularly interested in being trained, but we weren't organized enough to train him either, so dog and humans were all on the same wavelength as far as that topic went. The big issue with him as far as being a family pet is that he had a tendency to follow his nose. He was pretty much dead to any other input when he got onto a trail with an interesting scent. I know back issues are supposed to be a problem with the breed, but our guy never had issues that way. He was just a big, goofy, even tempered dog.