On Employee Evolution, Ryan Paugh wrote a very well thought-out post about getting a new pup and all of the responsibilities surrounding it.
Megan and I have had a dog (Tristan) for about a year now, and I can say that adopting him was one of the most rewarding choices I have ever made. We went went through a bunch of the same questions that Ryan asks, but for me, I think that it comes down to having a responsibility to the dog itself. When we brought Tristan home, we were taking responsibility for his well-being, physically, mentally, and socially. Working with a pup to get it to be happy, well-adjusted, and well-behaved is not easy.
The way I see it, the biggest thing that makes a difference in how a dog develops is the willingness of its owner to commit to spending the time and effort with a dog, whether you are playing with it, talking to it, walking, or taking it to the dog park. If a dog is neglected or understimulated in any manner, that’s when you start see problems, be it mental, physical, or social.
Some of the Unique Challenges That We Face
Megan and I both work and go to school, and live in an apartment - perhaps not the most ideal situation for a dog, but we actually have done really well with these challenges.
- Tristan hangs out at home for a good chunk of the day, so we make an effort to line up our schedules in such a way that we can minimize the amount of time he is in his crate and make sure that we can come home to let him out between class and work, for example.
- He’s a smart dog and needs stimulation, or he will become restless. He just graduated from his second level of obedience school (at Petsmart), which has been a great experience for him and us. The best advice I can offer is to start obedience school as early as you can, and with a little bit of patience and a good instructor, you could see benefits right away.
- It’s a great way to tire him out
- Forces him to think and focus
- Socialization with other dogs in a controlled environment
- He had problems with the pack order when we brought him home - he thought Mom was at the alpha, he was second in line and I was third.
- This really forced me to work on my patience (nothing like an 80 lb dog that thinks he’s better than you) and I had to work on reasserting myself, and after a while, he’s figured out where he stands
I think that one of the coolest things about having Tristan is watching his personality and character develop, and even on a more general level, having a pup is a great learning experience for both you and the pooch, each of you has something you can give to the other.
Comments 1
Thanks for the mention. I recently spoke with a friend of mine who has both children and two dogs. She said that sometimes she thinks the dogs require more work.
We just got a new office for the company and as I transition from working from home into that new space I am trying to think of ways to minimize the amount of time Charlie will have to stay in his kennel. He hates the kennel during the day so it’s going to be painful leaving him there.
However, I work pretty close to home so I can find ways to balance half a day at the office and half a day at home. I’m hoping it works for both me and Charlie.
If you have any other ideas from experiences with you pup I’d love to hear them.
-RP
Posted 11 Apr 2008 at 11:12 am ¶Post a Comment