Getting a Dog

deedee80 said:
I considered getting a second dog as company for my westie and had my brothers friend bring his lovely little dog over to the house. Well my dog went insane and when I went to pet the other dog she went to attack it (I have never ever witnessed this before, it was truly shocking) so getting a second dog went out the window. Just to ad, she is not unsociable, she has been walked with other dogs and there is never a problem and she is great around kids. I think it was the fact of another dog in her home and getting attention from me.
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Thats exactly it, the dog thinks youre 'her' human and was being territorial. Your dog thinks she is the pack leader and not you. If you assert yourself as the pack leader you should be able to bring other dogs in and if YOU think its ok then your dog will too.
She sounds lovely though - westies are so cute.

Back to the OPs original query, MandaC - if the SPCA are against you having a dog because you are out a lot thats a pretty good indicator of whats good for an animals welfare, I know that there is the argument of dogs living in shelters or on left alone in tiny dog runs etc and is it not better for a dog to at least have a nice home with some company in the evenings etc....but the SPCA are dying to rehome dogs, so Id be inclined to listen to them.

What about a cat? Theyre way more independant, dont need nearly as much care and give plenty of love.
 
Thats exactly it, the dog thinks youre 'her' human and was being territorial. Your dog thinks she is the pack leader and not you. If you assert yourself as the pack leader you should be able to bring other dogs in and if YOU think its ok then your dog will too.
She sounds lovely though - westies are so cute.
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yeah thats why I'm getting her trained at the moment - she definitely thinks she's top dog in our house :p

When she calms down a bit I am considering signing up to these guys
 
deedee80 said:
yeah thats why I'm getting her trained at the moment - she definitely thinks she's top dog in our house :p

When she calms down a bit I am considering signing up to these guys
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You should watch the Cesar Milan Dog Whisperer dvds (we got them very cheap on ebay), very sensible, doesnt go in for any rubbish, treats dogs like dogs and gets on with it, a lot of it is stating the obvious (if youre familiar with dogs) - but extremely watchable in youre into animals and plenty of educational stuff there too.

The dogs in distress people are brilliant, have had dealings in the past, they really care about dogs.
 
I was out for a walk at the seaside today, and I was annoyed at the amount of disgusting dog pooh that was everywhere. The owners had no regard for other people or for safety.
I never saw it so bad.

It also annoys me to see residents in our estate letting their dogs out and loose after dark to get exercise and to foul up other residents gardens.

By all means people should be allowed have dogs, but they should respect other people's wishes as well. At present many do not unfortunately.

Rant over

Billo
 
I live alone, have one Boxer and work three 12-hour days and one four-hours day a week. I appreciate this isn't ideal, but my husband died when the dog was three and I never considered having him re-homed.
For the long days I pay e30 for dog-walking per day - one hour in the middle of the day, plus half an hour in the evening. I also take him out again soon as I get back from work.
On my days off he gets two hours off the lead each day. It's hard work but worth it!
A dog IS a pack animal and if a dog is distressed by other dogs then, I would imagine, it's because he's not properly socialised and is missing out hugely on running and playing with other dogs.
 
We would love a dog but being out all day (approx. 8:30 to 6:30 - sometimes later) made our decison for us. We got two cats instead - not the same but require much less attention.
 
chrisboy said:
I live on my own, work shift and the dspca refused me a dog. They're quite strict about not having the dog left on its own..
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I live on a farm but the dspca started to give me a lecture when i rang them looking for 2 cats and they found out i work full time! totally ridiculous!! i rang up my local vet and got 2 rescued cats from them instead, vaccinated and spayed and free. the cats have the life of reilly roaming anywhere they want to go on the farm.
 
I have 2 dogs that are left alone most of the day. They get on well with each other, have plenty space to roam during the day, fresh water and food ad lib. They are happy and healthy (one is 18 years old and still going strong), as confirmed by my vet. We always kept two, if one dog died, the loneliness of the other was distressing and so we got a new dog if that happened.Dogs do like company and I wouldn't keep a dog on their own. The welcome in the evenings makes me smile every time. Well worth it.
 
Hi

Sorry to hijack your thread but was wondering if someone could maybe advise me on what I should do?

We found a mixed terrier in our estate a couple of months ago and we took him in. Not sure if he was abandoned or strayed. We advertised (shops, garda station, vets, church notice and even in newspapaers) and went through all the channels (not chipped) but the owners did not claim him. He is also about 70% blind. We have kept him as we were thinking if we sent him to the pound he would be PTS. He is maybe 7-8 years old.

We do not have dogs and this is new to us but he lives outside(in the shed with blankets etc and has a large garden to spend the day in) - when we are home he is in and out of the utility room which is fine and I take him for a walk every day and spend some time in evening with him and in the morning. We were hoping that we would reunite him with the owner or find a more suitable home but this did not materialise.

However, altho he is no bother and we love having him we are away between 10 and 12 hours a day (Mon - Fri) so he is by himself which we think is not fair. No one we know would take him either so I am wondering did we actually make the right decision to keep him or should we send him to the pound?
 
If he is a stray, he may well be used to being by himself.

By the sounds of things, partially blind, not young, strayed - you have done the right thing. I cant imagine he would get any better future.

The most important thing is - does he seem happy? If he isnt pining or behaving badly out of frustration or loneliness, then he is ok.

It was a good thing you did.
 
I "adopted" a lovely golden Labrador that was 6 months old. At that time, I was not aware that she had been kept indoors all day long, until I discovered her extreme anxiety levels if she was left alone - she destroyed furniture, wiring etc. etc. She is 3 years old now & is well settled but her anxiety soon surfaces, if left alone for any period. I wanted to get another dog for companionship for her, but my wife objected - stating that they would be liable to roam together & worry sheep, as we live in the country.
 
Thanks,

We have tried everything , apart from the pound to get him a good home (we advertsied in evening herald - Stevie Wonder, the blind terrier) but nothing came of it.

It is hard to tell if he is happy but he seems contented enough. He craves company and loves cuddles. I had a feeling that he maybe belonged to an older person as just loves sitting at your feet and being constantly petted. At the weekends we leave the garden gate open and unless we are out the front he won't go out. We tested this in case he may wanted to leave to maybe find way home (we planned on following/guiding him).

He taunts the neighbours dog through the fence and is digging in the garden (my poor veg patch and flowers!) out of boredom I suppose. I would personally hate for him to go as I have got very attached to him but if I knew he was to have company for most of the day it would be best for him. I have never met a dog so well mannered and obedient which is why I really thought that he was well cared of and the owner would have claimed him, I am now thinking that maybe the owner passed away.
 
Hi

We are also now thinking that if we are to keep him long term then we may need to get another dog for company.
 
Hi there Mohenley, I must say your adopted dog sounds as though he is very happy where he is.. He appears to have come from a place where he was cared for, it is my guess you guys were his lucky find:)
P..
 
mohenley said:
Hi

We are also now thinking that if we are to keep him long term then we may need to get another dog for company.
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He sounds like a good boy, who was taught manners before you came across him.
If you are going to get a second dog then maybe a neutered submissive female for him to make friends with - a girl who doesnt have very high energy, so they can lie together and be petted.
 
thanks for your advice Truthseeker and Pinkybear. Unless circumstances change we will keep Stevie and maybe in a few months get another dog (my husband does not like small dogs generally thou Stevie is an exception so it would probably be a puppy which would be medium to large when fully grown). Would this be an issue for mixed terriers in general - dogs don't bother him at all/he is not aggressive although when need he will defend himself.
 
If Stevie is generally good with other dogs then you dont have much to worry about. However, it can more difficult for an adult male to get along with another male who wasnt his litter-mate, as dog packs have a structure with the alpha male at the top. So if you get a male puppy, things may be fine for some time, then one day the puppy could decide he is assuming alpha position (as he gets stronger and Stevie gets older) - and trouble could start as Stevie may not want to give up his position.

You could get the same issue with a female puppy, but its more likely to be avoided if you go for a calm submissive female who wont be looking to be top dog.

Your best bet is to have the dogs introduced carefully (theres loads of videos on youtube showing how to introduce dogs properly - or get a Cesar Millan dvd) - and gauge Stevies reaction before making a final decision. If he seems to take well to a new puppy and the new puppy seems to take well to him, then alls good.

Depending on where you get a new puppy they may have someone you can speak to as well - I know our local DSPCA has a behavioural person who will discuss this kind of issue.

The only thing in your posts that would give any cause for concern is that Stevie taunts the next door dog, suggesting he may be territorial. If this is the case you will have to be careful introducing a new dog into his territory - but it can be done, just carefully.
 
Hi there, we have two dogs - one is very social and the other dog not so (bless him attacked 3 times by other dogs).. I would concur with truthseeker - the new dog would need to be introduced very carefully.. We have had huge problems in the past with the not so social fella and dogs in our house!!!
 
would the pounds not be easier to get dogs from than the dspca? surely it's a fantastic thing to get a dog that is about to be put down because his 5 days are up rather than leave him to die? i don't think he'd care if you were out working for a few hours of each day!
 
Thanks again,

He quite possibly is territorial (I know he certainly does not like cats!)- the neighbours have a German Shepherd and a Lab. It was the German Shepherd who intiated the taunting and Stevie did ignore it but after a week he started to taunt back. Again only seems to happen when we are not around so I think it is also boredom. Funny thou, the Lab is not bothered. We will take this into consideration. It will be a while before we get around to getting another dog - little did we know we would be in this position a year ago!!
 
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