Should we get a dog?

[djewkes]

We had 2 dogs and thought we were prepared for our 3rd... we weren’t and I remember thinking “what have we done” just like I did with my human babies...
We love our dogs (2 of them now) but they are a tie, we wouldn’t be without them cos they bring us so much love, whether we’ll ever have another remains to be seen... the jury is out on that one...

[ERICSMUM]

Personally, being a cat woman, introducing a dog into a household where the established cat is nervous and will be unhappy with a dog is completely wrong.

Fair enough if you can “borrow” a dog over a day or two to see how badly the cat reacts, but don’t get a dog and hope for the best !

[JudyC]

With dogs it's like with babies, , some can be easier but others a nightmare. The only dog we had wasn't the easiest dog, although we loved her and had her from 9 weeks to 14 years old. It has put me off getting another one really as don't want to enter that lottery again.
The kids on the other hand can't have been too bad as we had three 😁 but they are dèfinately more expensive.

[Guest]

Originally Posted by FizzyWhip

Scoff all you like but It was harder for me than a newborn when you have a puppy with a stomach problem which you were told was just due to immunisations and severe separation anxiety.
We couldn’t just “pop him in a crate” either as he would get massively stressed ,go to the toilet over everything in it and scream the place down which isn’t an exaggeration , we had neighbours complaining and it was hugely stressful .
Also couldn’t put him in a nappy like a newborn so meant had to stay outside with him 90% of the time or be cleaning up runny accidents ..
I couldn’t leave the house at all in that time because of his issues and I followed all the tips and advice from the breeder and a vet and have grown up with dogs ..

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Couldn’t agree more, I’d take a new born over a puppy any day. Our cav was a nightmare when he was a puppy. I fully hold up my hands that I was too soft on him and have made a rod for my own back and he’s a compleat handful, where as my 8 year old daughter is a breeze.

[Anne K]

Originally Posted by FizzyWhip

Scoff all you like but It was harder for me than a newborn when you have a puppy with a stomach problem which you were told was just due to immunisations and severe separation anxiety.
We couldn’t just “pop him in a crate” either as he would get massively stressed ,go to the toilet over everything in it and scream the place down which isn’t an exaggeration , we had neighbours complaining and it was hugely stressful .
Also couldn’t put him in a nappy like a newborn so meant had to stay outside with him 90% of the time or be cleaning up runny accidents ..
I couldn’t leave the house at all in that time because of his issues and I followed all the tips and advice from the breeder and a vet and have grown up with dogs ..

See more...

Totally agree, newborn definitely easier than a puppy. My dog is 15 months old now and for the first 9 months we couldn't leave him alone. At all. Ever. Definitely no 'just pop him in a crate'!

We've had dogs before, but each one is different, this one needed to be with us all the time. Yes he went to training classes. Yes we read all the books. Yes we used all possible remedies.

He just needed to mature a bit. From 9 months old we have been able to leave him for short periods.

Wouldn't be without him though, he's the light of my life!

[Diz]

Sorry I haven’t read all the replies but just to say we introduced a lab puppy (8 weeks old) into our house at the end of November and we have 2 cats around 8 years old (both rescues). One of our cats is very sensitive runs and hides if there is so much as a knock on the door. The other is more laid back.

Everyone said our cats would run away or hide permanently etc but guess what the really sensitive one positively seeks out the puppy - not that she likes him one bit but she insists on being in the same room as him so she can tease him to come towards her so she can hiss at him. He has learnt to give her a wide berth - he doesn’t know that when he sleeps she will come up and sniff his paws.

All the animals are quite jealous of each other so if you give one attention they learn to share you although the cats have had lots of attention away from the dog to reassure them. So all going well here and I am very proud of my cats for how they have accepted it and the puppy is lovely.