Did you choose a specific breed of dog?

[Sideways]

I'm ripping up my carpets once I've painted!!

You wouldn't be the first person to do this for the sake of a dog;)

My Grandad ripped up all the brand new carpet in their townhouse when they moved in so he could keep the place at his (fairly obsessive) levels of cleanliness. And that was for a 4kg non-shedding Maltese!!

Everyone's different with what they tolerate. Dog hair can be a huge shock to the system, for someone new to owning a shedding dog. Others of us who grew up in multi-dog/pet households it's more the norm, and is often managed quite differently (like not letting pets on the furniture, or into bedrooms). There's a big broad spectrum of what people can handle.

Strategically placed dog blankets and regular vacuuming will suffice for some. For others, the concept of letting a golden lab on their couch (much less their bed) simply will not compute!!!

Non-shedding coats come with their own issues though, especially if you're in a cold climate and are planning to leave it long most of the year. They get dirty, they can be an absolute b!tch to brush (especially if you let it slide for a few days while the dog has long hair), and grooming can be really expensive (prohibitively so for a lot of folks). And the preening and cleaning is important - just like us humans, brushing a dog's hair is a necessary part of looking after the dog's health. Brushing my shih-tzu x each day when he has his end of winter coat? is something that you factor in time-wise to your daily routine!

Lots to consider:)

 

[blackemerald1]

You wouldn't be the first person to do this for the sake of a dog;)

^But wait. I've been itching to pull these carpets up for three years. It's got less to do with the dog & more to do with hating carpet. :sneaky:

But I'm restraining myself till I've finished painting. :)

 

[Freida]

Before SD all our dogs shed like crazy....one of those things you learn to adapt to I guess. Plus they are way less messy than kids!! :laugh:

 

[Chitoshi]

Our carpets are trashed upstairs and I can't wait until we have the money to replace them with hardwood. We still aren't sure what to do about the stairs though, carpet or hardwood. We'd need something to make them NOT slick though because I'm a klutz and my dog goes barreling down the stairs without any regard for his safety anyways and slides down them even with the worn/stamped-down carpet. ??

But yes definitely agree with the regular cleaning. My dog is a "small breed" "nonshedding" dog but he still gives off allergen-producing dander, and we see it on our hardwood floors downstairs. We sweep regularly (kitchen every evening, other rooms every other day so I'm like sweeping every day), and we vacuum every third day mostly because we don't have the energy to do the entire upstairs all the time, so we vacuum the "hotspots" every third day and every other week we deep-vacuum. We bought a HEPA-Filter bagged Kenmore vacuum specifically for this dog when we were in the apartment.

Additionally, I second @anthony 's comment about picking a dog for your lifestyle. I can barely keep up with an almost-two year old Havanese, I can't imagine if we went with a bigger dog, but we didn't choose a big dog specifically because when we were considering getting a dog, we were in a third floor apartment. That wouldn't have been fair for the dog. Additionally, we had weight restrictions on the unit, and even though it was capped at 20 lbs we had to be really honest with ourselves about how fair it would be to make a 20 lb dog go up and down three flights of stairs to pee. Now, we did do that with our Havanese to outside train him, but it was MUCH easier to be able to carry him down those stairs.

 

[EveHarrington]

If I ever become highly functional, I want to get a poodle. They make awesome therapy dogs and they are sooo soft! Of course I’d have to select for the right temperament. Right now I can only take care of a highly independent cat! ?

 

[lostforgottensoul]

Nope, he chose me. Total accident really.

But, eyeing breeds for over a year for my next service dog and an English Lab is now on the top of the list. They are the big, near or over 100lb labs. Mainly due to size and temperament. I need a dog who can also do mobility tasking.

That said, a car is priority one. A dog from a breeder costing more then or as much as a car, I can't save for both. And rescues are very picky and refuse to house a large dog with someone in an apartment and no fenced in backyard even though that dog will be training many hours a day everyday and working as well and will be with me more then someone with a pet that just throws them in the backyard to play with themselves. And even though I can prove I keep my current high energy breed well exercised. Literally, no rescues seem to care. So I have a feeling that I won't be picking the breed of my next service dog either. But, if I could pick the breed, I think the English Lab would be the one.

 

[Friday]

I need a dog who can also do mobility tasking.

someone in an apartment

Great Dane.

They’re brilliant mobility dogs, & are lap dogs by preference; although their size usually means they have to content themselves with sitting next to you, they do better than even most small dogs in apartments.

Danes are also short-coated... so unlike a double coated English lab (prepare for half a grocery bag of hair swept or vacuumed up daily year round, and double that in the spring, if you get a big lab; both oily surface hair and never ending piles of fluff from their undercoat sheds constantly in temps above freezing)... the hot climate isn’t going to mean you’re sweeping and vacuuming every day, and washing the carpets at least once a week. Which sounds like the opposite of helpful, if you’re dealing with mobility issues. Labs are VERY hairy/oily, as they were bred for swimming in subarctic waters... so there’s a helluva lot of daily and weekly maintenance in even temperate climates. The slick coated hybrid labs are on the small end, 40-60lbs, do well in temperate and hot climates but wouldn’t be in your weight range. And then whether you’re looking at Field or English? Both have hip problems, so you have to be careful not to lean on their back... especially not for the 1st 2 years of life... or you can cause dysplasia, if they don’t already have genetic hip dysplasia. Labs are fantastically strong forward-back, but up-down are very very weak. Faaaaaaantastic PULLERS, and amaaaaazing GUIDES but lean on a lab’s back very often, and you’ll be mortgaged in vet bills at best, and likely looking at a 5 year lifespan. Total. Not working years. Once their hips go, their kidneys follow shortly thereafter. And whilst cats can live for years on subQ fluids dogs usually only last weeks. So if you’re looking for balance, sitting, rising? Cross labs off the list.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

Great Dane.

Everyone keeps mentioning Great Danes to me. I am not so sure I can house a Great Dane in an 850 SQ foot apartment though. I mean, I run Chopper daily and so he is relaxed in the apartment all day but just not sure I can house that large of a dog.

Before I go with any breed, I plan on going to some of the shows and have already joined some of their Facebook pages to try to get to know the breeds better. That goes for Golden's, labs, GSDs, Standard Poodle (also highly considering), Rough coated Collies, Swiss Mountian Dogs and a few others as well as some of the cross custom breeds.

Most people recommend the Newfoundland, which I know for sure I can't house.

I'll look into the Dane's temperament and will join some pages to understand their needs better. Thanks!

 

[RubyBlue]

Great Danes and Newfoundland’s actually do make great apartment dogs in spite of their size because they are lazy as hell. And the biggest cuddle bugs ? but seriously lazy.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

Great Danes and Newfoundland’s actually do make great apartment dogs in spite of their size because they are lazy as hell. And the biggest cuddle bugs ? but seriously lazy.

Newfoundlands too? I've seen a few "so you thought you wanted a Newfoundland" videos that made me cross them off the list early simply due to their size. Will have to reconsider that. They do make great mobility assistance dogs though.

 

[RubyBlue]

Ya, I haven’t owned one directly, but lived next door to two for years. They were the sweetest oafs ever and couldn’t care less to do, well, anything. As long as they were fed and had some comfy beds inside they were happy campers. I did own a Great Dane at one point, she had some energy being a puppy but nothing crazy and really just wanted to snuggle as much as possible. Another option is a Leonberger. A little more energy but not like a German Shepherd (currently own one and my goodness he needs running all the time). Leonbergers are very much like Newfoundland’s and Bernese mountain dogs in their size and amount of hair (that is a big consideration that you won’t deal with as much for the Great Dane). But overall, very laid back and relaxed dogs whose biggest goal is to sleep and be fed.

 

[RubyBlue]

Also, can I just say thank you? I have never been a fan of the “shopping” feel when looking for an animal. But this is so so so much better than the countless people I’ve seen on my Facebook that get a puppy (or kitten) because they’re cute and as soon as they realize there’s actual work involved they bail and never did an iota of research. So, thank you!!!!!