I think I'm getting a dog! I need gobs and gobs of advice, please.

[eurobin]

Some background, first of all... my household is my daughter, 2 eight year old cats, and myself. We have a house with a (small) fenced-in yard. I've found a beautiful 18-month old female lab who is currently living in a foster home. She's good with kids and cats, crate trained, and walks well on a leash. My daughter and I are going to meet her Thursday and I'm really hoping we all like each other!

I grew up with lab mixes and even took our lab-greyhound mix through obedience training when I was a teenager but it's a different ballgame when it'll be *mine,* you know? So hit me with all your best advice. Nothing is too basic! Specifically...

What kind of crate do I get? Do I want to get one that my daughter can open or should it be childproof? The dog is currently 62 lbs and (supposedly, at least) a purebred lab. What size crate?

I'm going to want to take her through doggie obedience school. What do you look for in a doggie school? Are there different styles of dog training? Like is there a Dr. Ferber vs. Dr. Sears style of debate on dog training like there is with parenting? I'm only sort of joking.

How do you introduce a dog to a two-year old? I don't really want them to fight over each other's toys or anything, so how do I help them both learn to play nice? DD really wonderful with our cats but cats are also fine with just walking off and hiding in a box in the corner of the basement when they've had enough.

How do you keep the dog out of the cat food? I am used to leaving cat food down all day. Can that still work? My parents' dogs have always had unlimited access to dog food all day, but is that the way to go? What about while I'm at work for 9+ hours... what do you do about food/water while a dog is crated?

Do you do doggie daycare? If so, is it a daily thing, weekly, just once in a while?

What about leashes/collars? My parents always seem to have some new fancy harness thing. Can I just get a regular collar and lease or is there something better out there? Keep in mind that while I'm walking this dog, I'll have a kid either walking or in a stroller with me most of the time too so I really need to make sure no one's darting into traffic or after other people/animals.

What else am I forgetting? I feel almost like a brand new parent all over again! :

[lexapurple]

If you work 9+ hours, plus need to take care of your 2 year old would you have enogth time for your dog? Young labs are very smart and very active, they need lots and lots of stimulation and exercise.
IMHO it is not fair to confine a dog to a crate for 9 hours.

[Carlin]

I'm no expert but here's my shot at answering your questions. We added a young, big, high energy dog to our household about 6 months ago and it has been quite the experience!

Originally Posted by eurobin

What kind of crate do I get? Do I want to get one that my daughter can open or should it be childproof? The dog is currently 62 lbs and (supposedly, at least) a purebred lab. What size crate?
There are lots of good crates. I'd get a solid one like a vari-kennel (there are many other brands too) NOT a soft sided one. And it absolutely should be child proof. In fact, you probably need to teach your daughter that the crate is your puppy's safe place, and she shouldn't bother her in there. Size wise I'd go with an extra large (they used to be called 500s). We've had our dog in a large, and while she fits fine for traveling and short stays, I think she's more comfortable in the bigger crate where she can stretch out a bit


I'm going to want to take her through doggie obedience school. What do you look for in a doggie school? Are there different styles of dog training? Like is there a Dr. Ferber vs. Dr. Sears style of debate on dog training like there is with parenting? I'm only sort of joking. I like a school that uses a mix of approaches. I don't want to fanatically follow one approach, so I look for someone who is flexible and will provide a whole variety of possible ways to train a dog. Most good schools will let you come in and watch a class or two. I'd take advantage of that and go with the one that feels right to you. You could also ask the rescue who has her for recommendations.

How do you introduce a dog to a two-year old? I don't really want them to fight over each other's toys or anything, so how do I help them both learn to play nice? DD really wonderful with our cats but cats are also fine with just walking off and hiding in a box in the corner of the basement when they've had enough. I'll be interested to see what others have to say on this topic, as I have no practical experience. I think the key is to never, ever leave them together unsupervised. I also think it's just as important to teach the child good dog manner as it is to teach the dog good kid manners.

How do you keep the dog out of the cat food? I am used to leaving cat food down all day. Can that still work? My parents' dogs have always had unlimited access to dog food all day, but is that the way to go? What about while I'm at work for 9+ hours... what do you do about food/water while a dog is crated? I put our cat food up high on our cat tower, out of reach of the dogs. It's just too tempting otherwise. I'd recommend not leaving dog food out all day. If you are feeding a high quality food, your dog will end up very fat this way. We feed ours twice a day and they are usually done eating in 10 minutes maximum. If our dog is crated during the day we make sure she has plenty of fresh water, and some toys to keep her occupied but she does fine without food.

Do you do doggie daycare? If so, is it a daily thing, weekly, just once in a while?

With a high energy dog like a lab, who will have high exercise needs, I think doggy day care is a really good idea, especially if you are gone for 9+ hours every day. That's a lot of time for a dog to be in a crate, and if you aren't able to get her out for at least an hour or so of good solid exercise, you are probably going to start seeing some unwanted behavious. Doggy daycare would get her the exercise she needs and take some pressure off you to spend hours walking and running with her. A tired dog is a good dog!

What about leashes/collars? My parents always seem to have some new fancy harness thing. Can I just get a regular collar and lease or is there something better out there? Keep in mind that while I'm walking this dog, I'll have a kid either walking or in a stroller with me most of the time too so I really need to make sure no one's darting into traffic or after other people/animals.

If she's good on the leash you will probably be fine with just a standard collar. If she needs something else, I'd consider a limited slip (also called a martingale collar) or a pinch collar. I don't like halties, harnesses, or choke chains on a dog, although like all tools any of these can be use or misused. A good obedience instructor should be able to help you with this too.


What else am I forgetting? I feel almost like a brand new parent all over again! :

Have fun! I really think it helps to find a dog something to do (agility, fly ball, obedience etc.) and a good off leash area. Also remember that there is a settling in period where everyone needs to get to know each other so be patient in the first few weeks. Good luck!