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How do you pick a dog breed?
~~~~I just saw the post below, basically asking the same question, so if you have anything else to add, feel free -- otherwise you can ignore this.~~~~
We have never owned a dog (although we've both grown up with dogs) and we are moving out to the "country." We'll be living on 3 arces, but surrounded by 2 huge farms, so we have no real neighbors as far as we can see.
We will keep him/her inside most of the time (except to play in the yeard).
I know our girls would love a pet -- but we feel like we NEED a dog. Not a guard dog, but a big, loud, dog to let us know when someone else is around the house.
Basically, we want a dog as an alarm 
Any suggestions?
I would prefer to adopt a young/adult dog because we have a 2 year old and I don't think a puppy would be a good match for her. Also, H & I are out of the house from 7a-5p and I wouldn't want to cage a puppy that long. On that line of thought -- is 10 hours too long to leave a dog alone? We would have nobody to come over during the day to let the dog out. We'll be in a huge old farm house, with lots of room for a dog to lounge around, and the dog will get play time when we get home everynight.
Thanks!
Re: How do you pick a dog breed?
**6.30.12** I have found the one whom my soul loves.
Don't base your search on a particular breed. You can start there, but every dog really is an individual, and some will deviate drastically from the "typical" breed personality.
Look into shelters and rescues, especially those using foster homes, so you can really get to know the dogs and pick the one who fits what you're most looking for.
Speaking of: A dog is not an alarm. And if you teach him to bark whenever someone approaches the house, it's likely you'll get annoyed at his barking pretty quickly. It's better to teach him to be quiet and sit nicely when someone comes to the door (these are totally teachable commands).
I'd highly recommend crate training, even if you're not getting a puppy. Some dogs do far better crated during the day than being allowed free roam of the house. It will also help with brushing the new dog up on their house training (many dogs can regress a little transitioning to a new environment). I'd honestly try to get someone to come let him out at some point during the day, though. 10 hours is a loooooong time to go every single day. Every now and then, sure, it might be necessary (my dog has had to do 11 hours a few times, but it's by no means the norm). Look into people in the area who do dog walking. Someone can stop by for 15 minutes every day just for a quick potty break and zoom around the yard.
B/w 1/8: betas 17,345, progesterone 25.6
Can you teach dogs to bark? I thought they just did it naturally? Like I said, we're in the middle of nowhere, days will go by without someone visiting us (no trash service, no mail service, no cable -- I'm not joking!) so I don't think we'd get annyoed. It's not like he/she will be barking at kids walking up and down the street.
Because we are so removed from the town I don't see there being any dog walking services, either.
We've tossed around the idea of a doggy door, as the front yard is enclosed with a wrought iron fence and that's where the previous owners let their dogs out... but we want a big dog and I think a door that a big dog could get in & out would also let other critters in & out... hopefully we can figure something out...
Yes! You can absolutely teach a dog to bark/not bark on command! Our Boxer, Zoey, has a "speak" command! She also knows "hush" when we want her to stop whinings or grumbling about someone near the house/at the door. She's usually very good about just watching people walk by the house, but I know from experience walking her up and down my street that d@mn near every other house with a dog, those dogs bark their heads off when we're so much as walking past the house, so don't put it past your dog that he/she wouldn't do the same!
Re: doggy door. Bad idea. One of the ladies who used to be on this board (so many left last year when TN had a huge message board debacle) had a friend who had a doggy door in her house. Her dogs were not huge. Anyway, a raccoon came in through the door one day. The dogs tore it to pieces!! I saw a picture. There was blood EVERYWHERE in the house. And pretty much everyone (dogs and people in the house) had to undergo rabies treatment, just in case. So yeah...I'm so not a proponent of dog doors!
Check around for dog walking services. You never know who might already service the area or be able to drive out. I'd even see if anyone locally (neighbors and such) could be trusted to let the dog out for you.
If there's absolutely no way anyone would be available to come let the dog out during the day, I'd say that now might just not be the best time to get a dog. I'd feel pretty awful leaving Zoey alone (crated or otherwise) for 10 hours every single day.
B/w 1/8: betas 17,345, progesterone 25.6
I agree with Lucky (as usual!). Dogs can be taught "speak" and "quiet" commands. Ours have only been taught "quiet" because we never want them barking. Rather than a dog as an "alarm," perhaps motion-activated lights or something similar in addition to a home alarm system like ADT would be a better (and more reliable) option?
Regarding leaving the dog along for 10 hours each day, that's tough. Many adult dogs can physically go that long without a potty break (mine both can), so as long as you didn't get a puppy, that would probably be ok. However, I would be more concerned about making sure the dog was getting enough exercise and mental stimulation. Dogs don't tend to exercise themselves, so being alone for 10 hours could result in a good amount of pent-up energy, especially if you get an active dog. As an example, my dogs are very low energy compared to most, but we have a walker come every day to take them for a 30-40 minute walk while we're at work. Then we walk them for another 30-40 minutes when we get home.
If there really is no option for the dog to get exercise during the day, that might mean a dog isn't a good match for you right now. Or it might mean that you will have to commit to exercising the dog both before and after you get home from work. As a family, you should determine whether you can commit to meeting the dog's needs. GL!
My H just sent me a link to an RFID automatic dog door... it's a little pricey (~$1,300) but it seems pretty genius to me. I really hope we can make this work. We've wanted a dog for so long, but held off because we lived in a city with nowhere for a dog to exercise, now we'll have 3 acres for him/her to run around on.
We're still months away from adopting, but we're trying to iron out any potential problems before we go to the shelter... thanks so much for the advice!
Hi! Congrats about thinking on getting a new dog in your life!
Let me just say-- there are plenty of adult dogs out there that are in need of adoption. And this is a wise choice for someone with young children as a puppy is a lot of hard work and need to be properly trained. Make sure when you visit the local shelter to ask if the dog is alright around kids.
Also--7am to 5pm daily is a LONG time for a puppy (and dog under 1.5 years of age) to be left alone. My fiance and I recently adopted a 3 month old beagle mix and the only reason I felt ok doing it was that I worked two part time jobs and was able to spend a lot of time at home during this time. Now I am going back to work full time and I am glad he's a year old.
Do you have a fenced in backyard? Because building a dog house outside would be a good option if you are scared the dog will be bored. That isn't to say that the dog won't need to be walked/exercised properly once you get home as well.
Just remember- a dog is a lot of additional responsibility. They add so much to our lives, but they deserve to be properly looked after as well. If you are adopting a dog, you are making a commitment to that dog for the rest of its life.
As far as dog breeds, Golden retrievers, Labrador retrievers, and Beagles or mixes of these breeds are all fantastic family dogs.
I have worked as a pet trainer/walker for quite a while now, if you have any additional questions let me know
-L
I wouldn't recommend leaving the dog outside unattended, dog house or no. Dogs don't actually exercise themselves outside. They typically lie around, might do a few laps, and then get into things because they're bored (like digging holes in the yard/under fences). And outside, the dog is left to whatever weather rolls through, or extremes of temperature (a dog house can only do so much), getting into poisonous plants (pretty flower beds or other random plants around the yard could prove toxic to a dog), or being stung/bitten by insects or other critters.
At least inside the dog is in a safe, controlled environment, either being kept in a crate or limited to a room that's been "dog proofed" to some extent.
B/w 1/8: betas 17,345, progesterone 25.6
Everyone's given you great advice already. I'm a big proponent of mutts - they often carry the best traits of the breeds they're a mix of. Our shelters have a rooms and outdoor walking areas to spend time with the dog and see if the temperament fits what you're looking for. The shelter we got our dog at also had a resident cat that they used to test the dogs for kitty compatibility. Don't know if that's a factor for you, but we felt much better knowing doggy wouldn't try to eat the cats.
Our dog is home 10 hour days. It can be done with a fully grown dog, but lots of exercise when you get home is absolutely essential. Not just tossing a ball in the house, but long walks before and after, dog park, jogging, stimulating toys (puzzle food dispensers are great mental stimulation, which burns energy). If you don't you'll quickly have a very hyper, and potentially very destructive force on your hands. We use a doggy day care once a week to give her a full day of play time and break up the long days. She straightens me out quick by acting naughty when I've slacked on stimulation and exercise.
BFP 11.8.12 * EDD 7.17.13 * MC 12.20.12
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over!