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Growing up I always had cats, and while many friends have had dogs, I've never had one of my own. I feel like I am finally mature enough to commit to taking care of a dog, but I am completely unprepared. I have been doing some research, but would like to ask you and other New Yorkers experienced with dog ownership what breed of dog is most suitable, both for a first timer and for someone living in the city in an apartment, someone who goes to work for eight hours a day and would likely have to leave the dog at home most weekdays. Any advice on breed selection and how to provide as much for the dog's needs as possible would be greatly appreciated.
- Simon
Ask Gothamist is crazy about pets, and we're always delighted to hear that someone wants to become a responsible pet caretaker. The first thing that comes to mind when looking for an apartment dog is a small size, but not all small dogs are neccessarily best suited to apartment life. Our sister has a retired racing greyhound and a chihuahua, and guess which dog is better behaved? We were recently watching the dog show on TV and the announcer stated "Surprisingly, greyhounds make great apartment dogs." It's important to consider a dog's temperment, energy level, and exercise needs as well as size. The website Canis Major recommends a number of small- to medium-sized dogs as good apartment dogs, including Cocker Spaniels, Beagles, Dachsunds, Whippets, most terriers, French Bulldogs, Bichon Frises, American Eskimos, Lhasa Apsos, Corgis, and Shetland Sheepdogs. We had a Bichon as a kid and must say it was an extraordinarily well-behaved dog. A friend of ours adopted a Jack Russell Terrier (pictured) and as you can see, he's just the cutest, and such a good doggie. He was found through Petfinder.com - which brings us to an important point: Please don't purchase a dog from a pet store, but adopt one from a local shelter - there are so many animals in NY who need a good home. If you have your heart set on a specific type of purebred, try finding a homeless doggie through a rescue mission for that particular breed.
To make sure your canine companion is happy in your apartment, make sure to give your dog plenty of toys to keep occupied when you're at work. You might want to consider adopting two dogs if you have the space - two pets keep each other company and, theoretically, keep them from getting bored while their humans are away. Make sure your dog gets enough exercise. You should also consider hiring a dogwalker if you work long hours.
Need advice? Ask Gothamist - e-mail ask(at)gothamist(dot)com.
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Dear Gothamist:
I'm a busy executive, working in the publishing industry. I find that I rarely have time to go to the men's room. What I would like to do is to poop in the office or on the sidewalk so that I don't have to take time out of my busy schedule or break my concentration during important business meetings. Is it o.k. to hire a professional dog walker to follow me during the workday?
regards,
pugsley
I guess not-so-busy would have been more accurate. Dipshit.
Try the American Kennel Club's website. They have lots of information on responsible dog ownership and information on what dog is right for you, they are not just dog show people.
fyi, the link for petfinder in the piece is wrong.
it's
http://www.petfinder.com
Greyhounds make wonderful pets because they have quiet, calm and sweet dispositions (they rarely bark), they are eager to please, and are couch potatoes - they love to lay around all day. They are also fun to take to the dog park as they run around the park in a flash and are so happy to show you that they can do it! They are an inquisitive and loving breed that is a joy to know.
Also, because they are bred for racing on farms, negative traits such as hereditary physical problems and temperament problems are bred out, making it easy to adopt a dog in good health. Greyhounds are also already socialized to people because they have been handled by both genders and by veteranarians their whole lives. We have no problem even brushing our greyhound's teeth! Greyhounds are truly a joy to be around. My favorite thing about my greyhound is when she knows she is going to be walked, she does a hilarious jumping up and down in place dance! Very cute and fun.
It is important to note that while greyhounds are WONDERFUL pets, they do require work post-adoption. For one thing, they are not used to many things in the human world, having spent their entire lives in crates, so they must learn stairs, what glass is, even how to play with toys. It can take time and patience to learn things that we take for granted.
Those who raced with live racing lures sometimes have a strong prey drive and probably can't live with small pets. They also are one of the most temperature-sensitive breeds (they have really no fat layer on their bodies), so they need to wear outerwear in colder temeratures. Most adoption agencies should provide a fleece jacket or can at least tell you where to get one (there are many great sighthound clothing sites on the web). Also, since they are sighthounds, they can get easily lost out of range (since they can run 45 mph!...2nd fastest animal on Earth after the Cheetah) so they must be kept on leash at all times in un-fenced areas. They can also require certain dietary maintenance to prevent bloat (a fatal condition), which can be a problem with larger breed dogs.
If anyone is considering adopting a retired racing greyhound (I HIGHLY recommend it - we love ours!), check out the book Retired Racing Greyhounds For Dummies By Lee Livingood. It was very helpful to my family.
Estimates are that around 10,000 greyhounds are still killed every year after their racing careers end (typically two years), and some estimate that around 10,000 puppies are also killed who are deemed unsuitable for racing. So basically we exploit them for entertainment and then kill them! They also typically spend around 20 hours a day in a small cage.
It is really sad as they are truly wonderful animals.
Another great site for NYC dog owners is Urban Hound at http://www.urbanhound.com. Also, based on the fact that eight of them live on my block (including my own Louis) I vote for French Bulldogs as the ideal apartment pooches.
Do keep in mind 8-10 hours while you are at work is a long time to ask a dog (or human!) not to pee or get lonely, especially at first or when young. Many people have a dog walker stop by midday to give the pooch a break. Some friends of mine with very small dogs train them to use a diaper type pad laid on the bathroom floor; sort of gross, maybe, but some people swear by them, and better than on the carpet...
Keep in mind a lonely, bored dog can be very destructive (removing all stuffing from couch, eating books, barking, etc.) so build up gradually to long times alone, and consider making a dog-proof area (or large crate or play-pen) for the doggy to live in while you are out, at least during the first months. Again, start with short times, then build up to longer times. A dog walker or loyal neighbor/friend can be useful during this process, if you can't come home from work during the day.
Or, you can just stick with cats. Then all you have to deal with is alternating moods of indifference and mild disdain, and the occasional vomit.
I am partial to Great Danes, but they are very labour intensive and need to be with humans most of the time it seems. They are good indoor dogs, but they do need to go out and run every now and then. Whatever you do don't let the Great Dane sleep in the bed, as they will take it over.
Rottweilers are also good dogs, but they have had some bad press thanks to some evil sub humans. My one problem seemed to be he would eat unattended sandwiches, but remarkably would leave other food items alone. People were either afraid of him or thought he was a nice dog.
Overall, big dogs are better than small dogs, as they are not bundles of energy like small little yappy dogs.
Dear Gothamist,
Did you miss out on the part where this person said that he would be at work 8 hours a day (presumably with a commute, which could bring that up to 10 hours a day, then what about working late, hanging out after work, etc, which this person didn't mention specifically, but are possible), or the part where they said they would leave a dog at home most weekends?
Does this not strike you as someone who would be a bad fit for a dog?
Dogs are pack animals and need to spend time with their human. Dogs need exersize which means being walked 1-2 times a day, with longer periods of walking or play for another 1-2 times per week. Dogs need to go outside to pee and poo 3-4 times a day. Does this person really have time to commit to owning a dog?
This person may or may not be mature enough to own a dog, but they definately do not have the time to own a dog. Even if they get a dog walker for while they are at work, the dog will be missing valuable training, exersize, and play with the owner on weekends. And if a dog walker will be doing that as well, and is then really the primary caretaker for the dog, I guess I'm just not sure why this person wants a dog in the first place.
My suggestion to Simon is to have fun, be young, go to the bars, go to shows, hang out with buddies, and once he finds he is sticking closer to home on evenings and weekends (or better yet, also has a job that allows him to have flex hours, or come home for lunch, or a secondary care taker such as roomate, live-in significant other, or spouse who has different work hours that don't leave the dog home alone for more than 5 hours a day, although with proper training, toys, a dog walker, etc, then leaving the dog home for 8-10 hour stretches will be less of an issue), then he will be ready to own a dog.
The part that just boggles my mind is would likely have to leave the dog at home most weekdays. That just kills me.
Ok, I swear I reread that a million times. I've got weekEND on the brain.
If Simon will be home on weekENDS, then it is less of an issue and you can ignore my post above.
I really should not be replying to posts when I'm this tired. :)
dude - Big dogs are less work, than small dogs. Trust me, you would rather have a calm big dog than a hyper little dog. You can walk normally and the dog can keep up with you, unlike little dogs. They do eat more and you know what that means!
I adopted an amazing dog in August from Waggytail Rescue (www.waggytailrescue.com). They specialize in smaller dogs perfect for apartments, and work with the dogs on any behavioral problems before they are adopted (dogs are rescued from the pound). I have a chihuahua/jack russell mix, and she's quite calm.